ala-

verb. grow

alta-

grow

[alta- (3) vb. "grow" (VT45:13) or "make grow" (VT45:14)]

ol-

grow

ol- vb. "grow" (VT45:13; this may be a primitive root rather than a Quenya verb)

ola-

verb. grow

ala-

plant, grow

ala- (4) vb. "plant, grow" _(the first gloss would suggest that the following one is transitive: to "grow" plants) (PE17:100). _Compare al- "thrive, *grow" (which however seems intransitive).

ala-

verb. to plant, grow, to grow (of plants) [intr. and trans.], plant; *to thrive, flourish (of other creatures)

A verb glossed “plant, grow” in notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s discussing the derivation of S. galenas “pipeweed” (PE17/100). The verb ala- was used several times in verb charts, such as illustrating pronominal suffixes (PE17/132) or giving the inflections of a-verbs (PE22/164).

Conceptual Development: As suggested by Gilson, Welden and Hostetter, the earliest appearance of this verb might be in the phrase ᴱQ. alildon ornin lassevarnen, which seems to mean something like “✱grow trees leaf-brown” (PE16/80). The word element (and verb?) ᴹQ. ’al appeared under the root ᴹ√GALA “thrive” in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/GALA); an earlier iteration of this root had the glosses “grow, thrive, prosper, be healthy, be glad” along with a word element (and verb?) al-, but the gloss “grow” was deleted along with a statement that “grow is ol-” (Ety/GAL(AS)).

Indeed, the verb ᴹQ. ’alā- “grow” appeared in Quendian & Common Eldarin Verbal Structure (EVS1: PE22/98) from the late 1940s and again in Quenya Verbal System from 1948 (QVS: PE22/106 note #39), but in the latter document it was replaced by ᴹQ. ola- “grow” (PE22/113 note #80). However, in Common Eldarin: Verb Structure (EVS2) from the early 1950s, primitive ✶galā- was restored, but with a more specific sense “grow (of plants)”, as opposed to ✶olā- “become, come into being, turn into (another state)” (PE22/134). This plant-growth meaning seems to have carried forward into Tolkien’s later writings (see above: PE17/100).

Neo-Quenya: For purpose of Neo-Quenya, I would assume the verb ala- only means “grow” when applied to plants, but more generally could mean “✱thrive, flourish” when applied to other living creatures, as in i lótë ala “the flower grows” but i Elda ala “the Elf thrives/flourishes”. Based on its glosses from PE17/100, I would assume it can also be used transitively when applied to plants to mean “cause to grow = plant”, as in i Elda ala lóti “the Elf grows/plants flowers” or álëa lóti “... is planting flowers”.

Cognates

• S. gala- “to grow” ✧ PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132

Derivations

• √GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive”
• ✶galā- “to grow (of plants)” ✧ PE22/164
  • √GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive” ✧ PE22/133

Element in

• ᴺQ. alamo “cultivator, grower”
• Q. alanessë “nicotiana, pipeweed, nicotiana, pipeweed, *tobacco” ✧ PE17/100
• ᴺQ. alon “limestone, (lit.) grow-stone”
• ᴺQ. ambalasar “stalagmite, (lit.) up-growing stone”
• ᴺQ. undalasar “stalactite, (lit.) down-growing stone”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶galan > alan	[galan] > [ɣalan] > [alan]	✧ PE22/164

Variations

• ala- ✧ PE17/100

alála-

to continually grow

#alála- vb *"to continually grow" (VT27:20, 25), maybe the frequentative form of a simpler verb al- or ala- "to grow". Cf. 'al- "thrive".

lauya

verb. flourish (green), grow

líco

wax

líco ("k")noun "wax" (Markirya comments, MC:223). The related noun lícuma "candle" suggests that líco has the stem-form lícu-.

líco

noun. wax

A word for “wax” in notes associated with the versions of the Markirya poem from the 1960s (MC/223). It might be based on the root √LIK “glide, slide, slip, drip” from a different set of 1960s notes (NM/283).

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. neite as cognate to G. nith “wax”, both derived from primitive ᴱ✶nēgittĕ (GL/60).

Cognates

• ᴺS. lîg “wax”

Derivations

• √LIK “glide, slip, slide, drip”

Element in

• Q. lícuma “taper, candle” ✧ MC/223
• ᴺQ. lihta “seal”
• ᴺQ. lihta- “to seal”

Variations

• líko ✧ MC/223

neitë

wax

neitë noun "wax" (GL:60; rather líco in Tolkien's later Quenya. The status of the diphthong ei is uncertain; in the LotR appendices, Tolkien did not list ei among the Quenya diphthongs, so perhaps the word neitë from an early source is conceptually obsolete also in terms of phonology.)

lauya-

verb. to flourish (green), grow

Derivations

• √LAW “flourish (green), grow, flourish (green), grow, [ᴹ√] abound; warm” ✧ PE22/156

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√LAW > lauya	[lauja-]	✧ PE22/156

Variations

• lauya ✧ PE22/156

rincë

flourish, quick stroke

rincë ("k") (stem *rinci-, given the primitive form ¤rinki) noun "flourish, quick stroke" (RIK(H); the Etymologies as printed in LR reads "quick shake", but according to VT46:11 the correct reading is "quick stroke")

'al-

thrive

'al- (1) vb."thrive" (GALA; the 'simply indicates that the original initial G has disappeared and needs not normally be included, PE17:100) Other sources hint at the meaning "grow" (cf. the root GAL meaning "grow, be healthy; to grow [like a plant]", PE17:153). Compare ala- #4 and #alála- (and cf. ol-).

losta-

to bloom

losta- vb. "to bloom" (VT42:18)

losta-

verb. to bloom, to bloom, *blossom

A verb for “to bloom” appearing in notes from the late 1960s as a derivative of √LOT(H), but in that document it was deleted (PE17/26). However losta- “to bloom” reappeared in notes on The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor from 1969 with the same derivation, and in that document it was not deleted (VT42/18).

Conceptual Development: The verb ᴱQ. {lōta- >>} lōto- “to bloom” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√LO’O (QL/55). Some possible inflected forms for this Early Qenya verb appeared (untranslated) in one of the initial versions of the Oilima Markirya poem (PE16/57-58).

Cognates

• ᴺS. losta- “to bloom, blossom”

Derivations

• ✶lotta- “bloom” ✧ VT42/18
  • √LOT(H) “flower” ✧ VT42/18

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶lotta- > losta	[lotta-] > [losta-]	✧ VT42/18

Variations

• losta ✧ PE17/026 (losta); VT42/18

empanya-

plant

*empanya- vb. "plant" (deduced from the "Qenya" pl. past tense empannen, VT27:20-22)

laima

plant

laima noun "plant" (PE17:159). Cf. olvar.

laima

noun. plant

A noun for “plant” appearing in Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957 derived from the root √LAY (PE17/159).

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. laute (lausi-) “living thing, (esp.) vegetable” and ᴱQ. lauke (lauki-) “vegetable, plant species”, both derived from the early root ᴱ√LAWA (QL/52). The word lauke also appeared in the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa with the gloss “plant” (PME/52) and appeared again in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s with the gloss “vegetable” and an accusative form of lautya (PE16/141), indicating a new stem form lauty-.

Derivations

• √LAY “*be alive, flourish, [ᴱ√] be alive, flourish” ✧ PE17/159

Element in

• ᴺQ. laimamatta “vegetable food, (lit.) plant food”
• ᴺQ. laimamatya “herbivorous, vegetarian, (lit.) plant-eating”
• ᴺQ. nastalaima “thistle, (lit.) spear plant”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√LAY > laima	[laima]	✧ PE17/159

gala-

verb. to grow

Changes

• galad → galast ✧ PE17/132

Cognates

• Q. ala- “to plant, grow, to grow (of plants) [intr. and trans.], plant; *to thrive, flourish (of other creatures)” ✧ PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132

Derivations

• √GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive”
• ✶galā- “to grow (of plants)” ✧ PE17/131
  • √GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive” ✧ PE22/133

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶agālē > ãlē > aul	[agālē] > [agāle] > [agǭle] > [aɣǭle] > [aɣaule] > [aɣaul] > [aul]	✧ PE17/131

Variations

• galad ✧ PE17/132 (galad)

seregon

noun. "Blood of Stone", a plant of the kind called in English "stonecrop", with deep red flowers, that grew on Amon Rûdh

tui

bud

tui or (older) tuiw (i dui[w], o thui[w]) (sprout), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thui[w])

tui

bud

or (older) tuiw (i dui[w], o thui[w]) (sprout), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thui[w])

gala

grow

gala- (i **ala, i ngalar** = i ñalar)

gala

grow

(i ’ala, i ngalar = i ñalar)

lîg

noun. wax

A neologism for “wax” coined by Paul Strack in 2018 specifically for Eldamo, the equivalent of Q. líco “wax”.

Cognates

• Q. líco “wax”

Element in

• ᴺS. lígu “candle”

galas

plant

galas (i **alas) (growth), pl. gelais (i ngelais = i ñelais), coll. pl. galassath**

galas

plant

(i ’alas) (growth), pl. gelais (i ngelais = i ñelais), coll. pl. galassath

ol

root. *grow, [ᴹ√] grow [into]; *become

This root seems to have served various purposes throughout Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√OLO “tip”, unglossed ᴱ√OLO with derivatives like ᴱQ. olde “very, much” and ᴱQ. olto- “increase, multiply”, as well as ᴱ√OLO whose derivatives had to do with dreams (QL/69). The second root ᴱ√OLO² may have had the sense “✱increase, more”, which may have reemerged in the verb or primitive form ol- “grow” in a deleted entry from The Etymologies of the 1930s (EtyAC/GAL(AS)). The root ᴹ√OL “grow” was mentioned again in the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s (PE22/103). In this document the Quenya verb Q. ol- generally had the gloss “become” (PE22/99-100, 113), even as a derivative of ᴹ√OL “grow” (PE22/103).

The sense “become” for the verb form was mentioned again in Common Eldarin: Verb Structure from the early 1950s (PE22/133-134). There are several more documents from around 1959 that have derivatives connected to the sense “growth”, such as Q. olmen “growth-year”, Q. olmië “growth” and Q. quantolië “maturity” (NM/84, 119-120). However, in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from the late 1960s Tolkien said: “OL as a simple stem seems not to have occurred in Eldarin, though it appears in certain ‘extended’ stems, such as olos/r ‘dream’, olob ‘branch’ (PM/341)”. This lack of ancient meaning was despite the fact that OL was an element in the ancient name Q. Olwë.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is best to assume √OL meant “grow, ✱become”, which could easily contribute to the extended forms √OLOS “dream” and √OLOB “branch”. As a root, I think it primarily refers to the growth of people or animals, as opposed to √GAL used for the growth of plants. I think √OL can also be used for more abstract senses of “growth”, include “grow into” and hence “become”.

Derivatives

• ✶olā- “to become, come into being, turn into (another state)”
  • Q. ola- “to become, to become; [ᴹQ.] to grow (up)”
• Q. olmië “growth”
• ᴺS. ol- “to become”

Element in

• Q. olmen “growth-year”
• Q. Olwë ✧ PM/340
• Q. quantolië “maturity”

Variations

• ol- ✧ PM/340

law

root. flourish (green), grow, flourish (green), grow, [ᴹ√] abound; warm

This root was variously connected to life and warmth throughout Tolkien’s life. The earliest iteration of the root was ᴱ√LAWA from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s whose meaning was described as “much same as KOẎO [have life], but used of a vegetable”; it had derivatives like ᴱQ. laule “life, mode of life”, ᴱQ. laute “living thing, (esp.) vegetable”, and ᴱQ. lauke “vegetable, plant (species)” (QL/52). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon it had derivatives like G. lauth “a plant, herb” and G. laug “(of plants) alive, having sap, green, vigorous” (GL/53).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was glossed “warm” with derivatives ᴹQ. lauka and N. lhaug of the same meaning (Ety/LAW). In the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s it was glossed “abound” with a Quenya verb ᴹQ. lauta- of the same meaning (PE22/103).

The root √LAW appeared in notes from the late 1950s serving as the basis for Q. loa “sun-year”, originally with the sense ✶lawā “growing, blooming”; it was also explicitly connected to its extended form √LAWAR with the sense “golden colour” (PE17/159). Its final appearance in currently published materials was in some Late Notes on Verbs from 1969, where it was given as √LAW “flourish (green), grow” with derivative Q. lauya- of the same meaning (PE22/156).

Despite all these minor variations, the general meaning of the root was fairly stable, having mainly to do with life and flourishing (especially of plants), and also connected to warmth and sunlight, probably by association with its extended form √(G)LAWAR “golden colour or light”, which applied to sunshine among other things.

Derivatives

• ✶lawā “growing, blooming” ✧ PE17/159
  • Q. löa “(seasonal) year, (lit.) (time of) growth, blooming” ✧ PE17/159; VT42/10
• Q. lauca “*warm, [ᴹQ.] warm”
• ᴺQ. laulë “mode of life, *lifestyle”
• Q. lauya- “to flourish (green), grow” ✧ PE22/156
• S. glaw “sunshine, sunshine; [N.] radiance” ✧ PE17/159

Element in

• √(G)LAWAR “golden light” ✧ PE17/159
• ᴺS. lóran “seasonal year, (lit.) growth-cycle”

lotta-

verb. bloom

Derivations

• √LOT(H) “flower” ✧ VT42/18

Derivatives

• Q. losta- “to bloom, to bloom, *blossom” ✧ VT42/18
• S. loth “flower, single blossom; inflorescence, head of small flowers” ✧ VT42/18

gala-

verb. to grow

gala-

verb. to grow

Derivations

• On. gala- “to grow”
  • ᴹ✶galā- “to grow” ✧ PE22/026
  • ᴹ√GAL “grow, thrive” ✧ PE22/098
• ᴹ√GAL “grow, thrive” ✧ Ety/GALA; EtyAC/GAL²

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√GALA > galo-	[gala-]	✧ Ety/GALA
ᴹ√GAL² > galo	[gala-]	✧ EtyAC/GAL²