hend (i chend, construct hen), pl. hind (i chind), dual hent ”pair of eyes” (VT45:22), coll. pl. hennath. Adj.
Sindarin
hen(d)
noun. eye
Cognates
- Q. hen “eye”
Derivations
- √KHEN “base of eye-words, base of eye-words; [ᴹ√] look at, see, observe, direct gaze”
Element in
- S. Amon Hen “Hill of Sight, (lit.) Hill of the Eye” ✧ PE17/077
- S.
Emyn Hen Dúnadan“Hills of the Eye of the Dúnadan” ✧ PM/186 (Emyn Hen Dúnadan*)- S. Finellach “?Flame of Hair and Eye”
- ᴺS. hendelu “brow”
- S. henneth “window”
- S. Lachend “Flame-eyed”
- S. maecheneb “sharp-eye[d]” ✧ WJ/337
- ᴺS. orchen “dandelion, (lit.) day-eye”
Variations
- Hen ✧ PE17/077; PM/186 (
Hen)- hen ✧ WJ/337 (hen)
hend
noun. eye
hen
noun. eye
henn
noun. eye
heneb
adjective. of eye, eyed, having eyes
hend
eye
hend
eye
(i chend, construct hen), pl. hind (i chind), dual hent ”pair of eyes” (VT45:22), coll. pl. hennath. Adj.
heneb
eyed
(lenited chebeb, pl. henib). Isolated from maecheneb ”sharp-eyed” (lenited vaecheneb; pl. maechenib) (WJ:337)
The Sindarin word for “eye”, most notably in the name Amon Hen “Hill of the Eye” (LotR/400), derived from the root √KHEN that was the basis for eye-words (PE17/187). Given the words henneth “window” (LotR/674) and Lachend “Flame-eyed” (WJ/384), it is possible that the independent word for “eye” is hend, but note also maecheneb “sharp-eye” which has no double-n (WJ/337).
Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to G. hen “eye” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/48), cognate to ᴱQ. hend- and so probably similarly derived from primitive ᴱ✶þχe-ndǝ (PE12/21). In the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s, ᴱN. hen(n) “eye” was paired with ᴱQ. sinda (PE13/122), but in Early Noldorin Word-lists from the same period, ᴱN. henn was again cognate with ᴱQ. hen (hend-), both from primitive ᴱ✶ske-ndá. In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was N. {hent, henn >>} hên “eye” from the root ᴹ√KHEN-D-E “eye” (Ety/KHEN-D-E). Thus this word was well established in Tolkien’s mind, but had several variations in its form and derivation.