wendë

noun. maiden

-wen

maiden

-wen "maiden" as suffix, a frequent ending in feminine names like Eärwen "Sea-maiden" (SA:wen). Early "Qenya" also has -wen, feminine patronymic "daughter of" (LT1:271, 273), but the patronymic ending seems to be -iel "-daughter" in Tolkien's later Quenya.

vendë

maiden

vendë < wendë noun "maiden" (WEN/WENED, VT45:16), "virgin" (in Tolkien's translations of Catholic prayers where the reference is to Mary; see VT44:10, 18). The form Véndë in VT44:10 seems abnormal; normally Quenya does not have a long vowel in front of a consonant cluster.

naxa

noun. bond

bond, fetter

helmë

friendship

[helmë noun "friendship" (VT46:3)]

nilmë

friendship

nilmë noun "friendship" (NIL/NDIL)

yelmë

friendship

[yelmë] (2) noun (not glossed; the etymology may suggest *"friendship") (YEL, struck out)

nútë

bond, knot

nútë noun "bond, knot" (NUT)

vérë

bond, troth, compact, oath

vérë (1) noun "bond, troth, compact, oath" (WED)

gwend

noun. maiden

_n. _maiden. Q. wendē. >> gwen, gweneth

gwend

noun. maiden, maiden, *young woman

A word for “maiden” or “✱young woman”, frequently appearing as suffixal -wen as an element in female names, derived from the root √WEN(ED) (PE17/191; Ety/WEN).

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, the word G. gwin meant “woman, female” and G. {gwen >>} gwennin was “girl” (GL/45). The former was derived from the root ᴱ√giu̯i which had to do with pregnancy, but the latter was derived from {ᴱ√gw̯ene >>} ᴱ√gu̯eđe. In the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon {ᴱ√WENE >>} ᴱ√GWENE was the basis of words like ᴱQ. ’wen(di) “maiden” (QL/103). In the Gnomish Lexicon Slips it seems G. gwin was also reassigned to the root ᴱ√(G)WENE [ᴱ√u̯enĭ-], derived from ᴱ✶u̯einā́, though possibly shifted or blended in meaning with an adjectival sense “womanly” (PE13/113).

In the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s, Tolkien had ᴱN. uin “woman” (PE13/123), a form that also appeared with this gloss in contemporaneous Early Noldorin Word-lists as a replacement for deleted {gwind, gwinn} (PE13/146, 155). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Tolkien had N. gwend, gwenn “maiden” under the root ᴹ√WEN(ED) which he said was “often found in feminine names” (Ety/WEN). He noted that “since the [suffixed names] show no -d even in archaic spelling, they probably contain a form wen-”. Tolkien seems to have stuck with these forms thereafter.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would use this word for a young woman or adolescent girl, especially prior to marriage, but for female children I would use neth.

Cognates

• Q. vendë “maiden, *virgin” ✧ PE17/191

Derivations

• ✶wendē “maiden, young or small woman, girl”
  • √WEN(ED) “maiden, girl, virgin; woman” ✧ VT47/17; VT48/18
• √WEN(ED) “maiden, girl, virgin; woman” ✧ PE17/191

Element in

• S. Rodwen “High Virgin Noble”
• S. Arwen “Noble Maiden”
• ᴺS. arwen “noble lady”
• S. Galadwen
• S. Gladhwen “Laughing Maiden”
• ᴺS. gwendren “maidenly, girlish”
• S. gweneth “maidenhood, maidenhood, [N.] virginity” ✧ PE17/191
• ᴺS. gwennod “elder tree; elderberry, *(lit.) maiden berry”
• S. Hirwen
• S. Ivonwin “Maidens of Yavanna”
• S. Ivorwen
• S. Laewen
• S. Urwen
• S. -wen “maiden, *female suffix”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√WEN-ED > gwen(d)	[wende] > [gwende] > [gwend] > [gwenn]	✧ PE17/191

Variations

• gwen(d) ✧ PE17/191

gwen

noun. maiden

_n. _maiden. Q. wendē. >> gwend, gweneth

gwend

noun. friendship

gwend (i 'wend, construct gwen) (bond), pl. gwind (in gwind), coll. pl. gwennath. Note: a homophone means ”maiden”.

gwend

friendship

(i ’wend, construct gwen) (bond), pl. gwind (in gwind), coll. pl. gwennath. Note: a homophone means ”maiden”.

gwend

maiden

gwend (i **wend, construct gwen) (friendship), pl. gwind (in gwind), coll. pl. gwennath**. Note: a homophone means ”bond, friendship”.

gwend

maiden

(i ’wend, construct gwen) (friendship), pl. gwind (in gwind), coll. pl. gwennath. Note: a homophone means ”bond, friendship”.

gwedh

bind

*gwedh- (i **wêdh, in gwedhir), pa.t. gwedhant, in older language also gwend**. In LR:397 s.v.

gwedh

bind

(i ’wêdh, in gwedhir), pa.t. gwedhant, in older language also gwend. In LR:397 s.v.

wen

maiden

, see MAIDEN. The final element -wen in names means ”girl, maiden, virgin”.

gwaedh

bond

1) (a ”bond” of loyalty) gwaedh (i **waedh) (troth, compact, oath), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaedh**), 2) _(apparently referring to physical ”bonds”, cf.

gwaedh

bond

(i ’waedh)  (troth, compact, oath), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaedh)

gwêdh

chain

(i ’wêdh, construct gwedh), pl. gwîdh (in gwîdh), 3) (ditto) nûd (construct nud, pl. nuid). 4) (the ”bond” of friendship) gwend (i ’wend, construct gwen) (friendship), pl. gwind (in gwind), coll. pl. gwennath. Note: a homophone means ”maiden”.

nod

bind

nod- (i nôd, i nedir) (tie), pa.t. likely *nunt since the root is __ (LR:378).

nod

bind

(i nôd, i nedir) (tie), pa.t. likely ✱nunt since the root is NUT (LR:378).

dilith

noun. friendship

@@@ Discord 2023-03-06

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nilme “friendship”

Elements

Word	Gloss
N(D)IL	“to love (as a friend or equal), be devoted to, to love (as a friend or equal), be devoted to; [ᴹ√] love, devotion; friend”
-th	“abstract noun”

gwend

noun. bond, friendship

gwend

noun. maiden

gwend

noun. bond, friendship

Derivations

• ᴹ√WED “bind” ✧ Ety/WEN

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√WED > gwend	[wende] > [gwende] > [gwend]	✧ Ety/WEN

gwedh

noun. bond

gwedh

noun. bond

Derivations

• On. weda “bond” ✧ Ety/WED
  • ᴹ✶wedā “bond” ✧ Ety/WED
  • ᴹ√WED “bind” ✧ Ety/WED

Element in

• N. angwedh “chain, fetter, (lit.) iron-bond” ✧ Ety/WED; PE22/032
• S. danwedh “ransom”
• ᴺS. gwedhen “oath-bound, allied”
• ᴺS. gwedhron “ally, one bound by oath”
• ᴺS. mawedh “glove”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. weda > gweð	[weda] > [gweda] > [gweða] > [gweð]	✧ Ety/WED

Variations

• gweð ✧ Ety/WED

gwenn

noun. maiden

gwenn

noun. maiden

Cognates

• ᴹQ. vende “maiden, maid” ✧ Ety/WEN

Derivations

• ᴹ√WEN(ED) “maiden” ✧ Ety/WEN

Element in

• N. Banwen “Vana”
• N. Eledhwen “Elf-maid”
• N. gweneth “virginity” ✧ Ety/WEN
• N. Morwen

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√WENED > gwend > gwenn	[wende] > [gwende] > [gwend] > [gwenn]	✧ Ety/WEN

gwaedh

noun. bond, troth, compact, oath

gwedh-

verb. to bind

nûd

noun. bond

Cognates

• ᴹQ. núte “bond, knot” ✧ Ety/NUT

Derivations

• ᴹ√NUT “tie, bind” ✧ Ety/NUT

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√NUT > nûd	[nūte] > [nūt] > [nūd]	✧ Ety/NUT