Quenya 

lindë

air, tune, singing, song

lindë noun "air, tune, singing, song" (SA:gond, (LIN2, [GLIN]); lindelorendor "music-dream-land"; see laurelindórenan lindelorendor... _(LotR2:III ch. 4, cf. Letters:308). _Also compare lindi- in lindimaitar, q.v. (but the other compounds here cited do not give a lindë a stem-form lindi-).

vilwa

air, lower air

[vilwa < wilwa] noun "air, lower air" (distinct from the 'upper' air of the stars, or the 'outer') (WIL; in one place vilwa was not struck out, VT46:21) According to VT46:21, Tolkien considered vilda < wilda as a replacement form, but rejected it.

wilma

air, lower air

wilma noun "air, lower air" (distinct from the 'upper' air of the stars, or the 'outer') (WIL)

vilya

air, sky

vilya noun "air, sky", also name of tengwa #24. Older wilya. (Appendix E). Early "Qenya" has Vilya (changed from Vilna) "lower air" (LT1:273); also vilya "air" (MC:215)

Sindarin 

gwelu

noun. air (as substance)

Sindarin [Ety/398, X/W] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lind

noun. air, tune

Sindarin [Ety/369, X/LH, X/ND1] Group: SINDICT. Published by

gwelwen

air

1) (as a region) gwelwen (i **welwen), pl. gwelwin (in gwelwin), also gwilith (i **wilith), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwilith)

gwelwen

air

(i ’welwen), pl. gwelwin (in gwelwin), also gwilith (i ’wilith), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwilith)

gwelu

air

2) (as substance) gwelu (i **welu), analogical pl. gwely (in gwely) if there is a pl. The attested form is archaic gwelw** (LR:398 s.v. WIL). Hence the coll. pl. is likely *gwelwath, if there is a coll. pl..

gwelu

air

(i ’welu), analogical pl. gwely (in gwely) if there is a pl. The attested form is archaic gwelw (LR:398 s.v. WIL). Hence the coll. pl. is likely ✱gwelwath, if there is a coll. pl..

lind

air

3) (of music) lind (song, tune; singer, in the latter sense also used of rivers), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. linnath (WJ.309)

lind

air

(song, tune; singer, in the latter sense also used of rivers), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. linnath (WJ.309)

Noldorin 

gwelwen

noun. air, lower air (distinct from the upper air of the stars, or the outer)

Noldorin [Ety/398] gwelu+men. Group: SINDICT. Published by

gwelwen

noun. air, lower air

A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s given as the equivalent of ᴹQ. vilwa “lower air” under the root ᴹ√WIL (Ety/WIL). Since ᴹQ. vilwa was changed to wilma, I’d abandon this word and use N. gwilith instead.

gwelw

noun. air (as substance)

Noldorin [Ety/398, X/W] Group: SINDICT. Published by

gwilith

noun. air (as a region)

Noldorin [Ety/398] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lhind

noun. air, tune

Noldorin [Ety/369, X/LH, X/ND1] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lhinn

noun. air, tune

Noldorin [Ety/369, X/LH, X/ND1] Group: SINDICT. Published by

Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Valarin 

šebeth

noun. air

Qenya 

vista

place name. Air

Name for the region of Air in Silmarillion notes from the 1930s (SM/236). It is simply vista “air as substance” used as a name.

Elements

WordGloss
vista“air as substance”
Qenya [LRI/Vista; SM/236; SM/240; SM/241; SMI/Vista; SMI/Wilwa] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Doriathrin

gwelo

noun. air, lower air

A noun for “air” or “the lower air”, derived from the same primitive form ᴹ✶wilwā as its Quenya equivalent ᴹQ. Wilwa (Ety/WIL). Here the [[ilk|initial [w] became [gw]]]. Furthermore, after the [[ilk|final [a] was lost]], the [[ilk|final [w] became [u]]] and then became [o], as suggested by Helge Fauskanger (AL-Ilkorin/gwelo).

Conceptual Development: In the Addenda and Corrigenda to The Etymologies, Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne indicated the Tolkien revised this form to gwelm at the same time as he change its primitive to ᴹ✶wilmā and the Quenya form to ᴹQ. Wilma (EtyAC/WIL). This entry keeps the earlier Ilkorin form gwelo because Tolkien never revised ᴹQ. Wilwa in the narratives of this period.

Changes

  • gwelo → gwelm “air, lower air” ✧ EtyAC/WIL

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. wilma “inner or lower air” ✧ Ety/WIL
  • N. gwelw “air (as a substance)” ✧ Ety/WIL

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶wilwā “air, lower air” ✧ Ety/WIL; Ety/WIL
    • ᴹ√WIL “fly, float in air” ✧ Ety/WIL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶wilwā > gwelu > gwelo[wilwā] > [wilwa] > [welwa] > [gwelwa] > [gwelw] > [gwelu] > [gwelo]✧ Ety/WIL
ᴹ✶wilmā > gwelm[wilmā] > [wilma] > [welma] > [gwelma] > [gwelm]✧ Ety/WIL

Variations

  • gwelm ✧ EtyAC/WIL
Doriathrin [Ety/WIL; EtyAC/WIL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

wilwā

noun. air, lower air

Changes

  • wilwā → wilnā “air, lower air” ✧ EtyAC/WIL
  • wilnā → wilmā ✧ Ety/WIL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√WIL “fly, float in air” ✧ Ety/WIL

Derivatives

  • Ilk. gwelo “air, lower air” ✧ Ety/WIL; Ety/WIL
  • ᴹQ. wilma “inner or lower air” ✧ Ety/WIL; Ety/WIL; EtyAC/WIL
  • N. gwelw “air (as a substance)” ✧ Ety/WIL

Variations

  • wilmā ✧ Ety/WIL
  • wilnā ✧ EtyAC/WIL (wilnā)
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/WIL; EtyAC/WIL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

wis

root. air

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. vista “air as substance” ✧ Ety/WIS
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/WIS; EtyAC/SWES] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

gwail

noun. air

Derivations

  • ᴱ√GWILI “*fly” ✧ GL/45

Element in

  • G. gwailtha- “to air; expose to air” ✧ GL/45

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√gu̯il > gwail[gʷīl] > [gʷail]✧ GL/45

Early Quenya

ilma

noun. air

A word for “air” in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/142), probably based on the early root ᴱ√ILU “ether”. Later ᴹQ. Ilma was used for “Starlight” (Ety/GIL; LR/205).

Elements

WordGloss
ILU“ether, the slender airs among the stars”
Early Quenya [PE16/142] Group: Eldamo. Published by