Quenya 

hanno

brother

hanno noun "brother" (a colloquial form, cf. háno), also used in children's play for "middle finger" (VT47:12, 14, VT48:4, 6)

háno

brother

háno noun "brother", colloquially also hanno (VT47:12, 14). It is unclear whether Tolkien, by introducing this form, abandoned the older (TLT) word toron (q.v.)

háno

noun. brother

A word for “brother” coined by Tolkien in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s, based on the root √KHAN of the same meaning (VT47/14). It had a diminutive/affectionate variant hanno used as a play name for the middle finger in several places in these notes (VT47/12; VT48/6).

Conceptual Development: The Etymologies of the 1930s had ᴹQ. toron “brother” from the root ᴹ√TOR (Ety/TOR), and the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. herendo “brother” from the early root ᴱ√HESE (QL/40). See those entries for discussion.

Cognates

  • S. hawn “brother” ✧ VT47/14
  • T. háno “brother” ✧ VT47/14

Derivations

  • KHAN “brother” ✧ VT47/14

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
KHAN > hāno[kʰāno] > [xāno] > [hāno]✧ VT47/14

Variations

  • hāno ✧ VT47/14

onóro

brother

onóro noun "brother" (of blood-kinship) (TOR, NŌ (WŌ) )

toron

brother

toron (torn- as in pl. torni) noun "brother" (TOR; a later source gives háno, hanno [q.v.] as the word for "brother", leaving the status of toron uncertain)

otorno

brother, sworn brother, [male] associate

otorno noun "brother, sworn brother, [male] associate" (TOR, WŌ). Cf. osellë.

Sindarin 

hanar

noun. brother

Sindarin [VT/47:14] Group: SINDICT. Published by

hanar

noun. brother

A word for “brother” coined by Tolkien in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s, based on the root √KHAN of the same meaning and replacing the archaic form of the word †hawn (VT47/14). Remnants of this archaic form can be seem in the diminutive/affectionate form honeg “[little] brother” (VT48/6); Tolkien considered and apparently rejected alternates of the diminutive: honig and hanig (VT47/14; VT48/17).

Conceptual Development: The Etymologies of the 1930s had N. tôr “brother” from the root ᴹ√TOR (Ety/TOR), and the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. hethos “brother” from the early root ᴱ√HESE [HEÞE] (GL/48-49; QL/40). See those entries for discussion.

Derivations

  • KHAN “brother” ✧ VT47/14

hawn

noun. brother

Sindarin [VT/47:14] Group: SINDICT. Published by

hawn

noun. brother

Cognates

  • Q. háno “brother” ✧ VT47/14

Derivations

  • KHAN “brother” ✧ VT47/14

Element in

  • ᴺS. gwachon “(sworn) brother, associate”
  • S. honeg “brother (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/14

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
KHAN > hawn[kʰāno] > [xāno] > [xǭno] > [xauno] > [xaun] > [haun]✧ VT47/14

honeg

noun. "litte brother"

Given as honig in VT/47:14, but see VT/48:17 n. 13 for discussion

Sindarin [VT/48:6,16-17] Group: SINDICT. Published by

honeg

noun. middle finger (Elvish play-name used by and taught to children)

Given as honig in VT/47:14, but see VT/48:17 n. 13 for discussion

Sindarin [VT/48:6,16-17] Group: SINDICT. Published by

hanar

brother

1) hanar (i chanar, o chanar), pl. henair (i chenair) (VT47:14). A more archaic term is *haun (spelt ”hawn” in source) (i chaun, o chaun), pl. hoen (i choen), coll. pl. honath.

hanar

brother

(i chanar, o chanar), pl. henair (i chenair) (VT47:14). A more archaic term is ✱haun (spelt ”hawn” in source) (i chaun, o chaun), pl. hoen (i choen), coll. pl. honath.

honeg

little brother

(i choneg, o choneg), pl. honig (i chonig), also used as a play-name for the middle finger. (VT47:6, 16-17) 2) In older sources Tolkien listed different ”Noldorin” words for ”brother”: muindor (i vuindor), analogical pl. muindyr (i muindyr). Archaic/poetic †tôr (i** dôr, o thôr, construct tor), pl. teryn (i** theryn), coll. pl. toronath. In ”Noldorin”, the pl. was terein. 3) “Brother” in extended sense of “relative”: gwanur (i ’wanur) (kinsman, also kinswoman), pl. gwenyr (in gwenyr). Note: a homophone of the sg. means ”pair of twins”.

gwador

sworn brother

(i ’wador), pl. gwedyr (in gwedyr). In ”N”, the pl. was gwedeir (LR:394 s.v. TOR)

Telerin 

háno

noun. brother

Cognates

  • Q. háno “brother” ✧ VT47/14

Derivations

  • KHAN “brother” ✧ VT47/14

Variations

  • hāno ✧ VT47/14

hanna

noun. brother

Cognates

  • Q. hanno “brother (diminutive)” ✧ VT48/06

Derivations

  • KHAN “brother”

Element in

  • T. hannacë “brother [diminutive]” ✧ VT48/06

Primitive elvish

khan

root. brother

A root for “brother” that Tolkien introduced in notes on finger-names from the late 1960s as a companion to √NETH “sister” (VT47/14, 26, 34). It conflicts with, and possibly replaces, earlier uses for √KHAN such as √KHAN “back” in notes from around 1959 serving as the basis for the prefix Q. han- in hanquenta “answer” (PE17/166). The root ᴹ√KHAN also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “understand, comprehend”, with various derivatives in both Quenya and Noldorin of similar meaning (Ety/KHAN).

It is unlikely that all these uses of √KHAN coexisted, but I think at a minimum both √KHAN “brother” and ᴹ√KHAN “understand, comprehend” should be retained for the purposes of Neo-Eldarin, as the latter has no good replacements in Tolkien’s later writing. As for hanquenta “answer”, it might be reinterpreted as “a saying providing understanding”, and so be derived from ᴹ√KHAN “understand”.

Derivatives

  • Q. háno “brother” ✧ VT47/14
  • Q. hanno “brother (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/26; VT47/34
  • S. hanar “brother” ✧ VT47/14
  • S. hawn “brother” ✧ VT47/14
  • T. hanna “brother”
  • T. háno “brother” ✧ VT47/14

Variations

  • KHAN ✧ VT47/14
  • khan ✧ VT47/26; VT47/34
Primitive elvish [VT47/14; VT47/26; VT47/34] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

muindor

noun. brother

Noldorin [Ety/394] muin+tôr. Group: SINDICT. Published by

muindor

noun. brother

tôr

noun. brother

The word muindor is more usual

Noldorin [Ety/394, X/Z] Group: SINDICT. Published by

tôr

noun. brother

An (archaic) word for “brother” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√TOR of the same meaning, with an irregular plural terein (Ety/TOR). In ordinary speech, it was replaced by muindor, with an initial element muin “dear”.

Neo-Sindarin: In notes from the late 1960s, Tolkien introduced a new word hanar for “brother” (VT47/14). However, I think †tôr and related words might be retained to mean a “metaphorical brother”, a close male associate who may or may not be related by blood, as with such words as gwador “(sworn) brother, associate”. In this paradigm, I would assume muindor still refers to a brother by blood, with an added connotation of strong affection.

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. toron “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR

Derivations

  • On. toron “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR; Ety/TOR
    • ᴹ√TOR “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR

Element in

  • N. muindor “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
On. toron > tôr[toron] > [toro] > [tor] > [tōr]✧ Ety/TOR

gwador

noun. brother (especially used of those not brothers by blood, but sworn brothers or associates)

Noldorin [Ety/394] 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!

Qenya 

toron

noun. brother

A noun for “brother” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√TOR of the same meaning, with a somewhat irregular plural torni (Ety/TOR). Its stem form is torn-, since with most inflected forms the Quenya syncope comes into play and the second o is lost.

Neo-Quenya: In notes from the late 1960s, Tolkien introduced a new word háno for “brother” (VT47/14). However, I think toron might be retained to mean a “metaphorical brother”, a close male associate who may or may not be related by blood, as with such words as melotorni “love-brother, ✱close male friend” or ᴹQ. otorno “sworn brother”. In this sense, háno would be limited to biological relationships, but toron would refer to brotherly (or brother-like) affection.

Cognates

  • On. toron “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR
  • N. tôr “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR

Derivations

  • ᴹ√TOR “brother” ✧ Ety/THEL; Ety/TOR

Element in

  • ᴹQ. otorno “sworn brother, associate [m.]” ✧ Ety/TOR

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√TOR > toron[toron]✧ Ety/TOR
ᴹ√TOR > torni[toroni] > [torni]✧ Ety/TOR

Variations

  • toron- ✧ Ety/THEL
Qenya [Ety/THEL; Ety/TOR] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Old Noldorin 

toron

noun. brother

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. toron “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR

Derivations

  • ᴹ√TOR “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR

Derivatives

  • N. tôr “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR; Ety/TOR

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√TOR > toron[toron]✧ Ety/TOR
Old Noldorin [Ety/TOR] Group: Eldamo. Published by

wator

noun. brother

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. otorno “sworn brother, associate [m.]” ✧ Ety/TOR

Derivatives

  • N. gwador “(sworn) brother, associate” ✧ Ety/TOR
Old Noldorin [Ety/TOR] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

tor

root. brother

Tolkien gave this root in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√TOR “brother” with derivatives like ᴹQ. toron and N. tôr of the same meaning (Ety/TOR). Hints of the roots continued use appear in the 1959 term Q. melotorni “love-brothers” for close male friends (NM/20). In notes from the late 1960s, Tolkien gave Q. háno and S. hanar as the words for “brother”, both from the root √KHAN. Nevertheless, I think it is worth retaining ᴹ√TOR to represent more abstract notions of “brotherhood” for the purposes of Neo-Eldarin, for “metaphorical” brothers as opposed to Q. háno/S. hanar for brothers by blood.

Derivatives

  • ᴺQ. otornië “company, association, alliance”
  • ᴹQ. toron “brother” ✧ Ety/THEL; Ety/TOR
  • On. toron “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR
    • N. tôr “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR; Ety/TOR

Element in

  • Q. melotorno “love-brother”
  • ᴹQ. otorno “sworn brother, associate [m.]” ✧ Ety/WŌ
  • On. wator “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR

Variations

  • tor ✧ Ety/THEL
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/THEL; Ety/TOR; Ety/WŌ] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

hethos

noun. brother

A word for “brother” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, a masculinized form of G. heth “brother or sister, ✱sibling”, along with several (archaic?) variant forms {hethweg >>} hethwig, hestron, and hethron (GL/48-49). It was ultimately derived from the early root ᴱ√HESE [HEÞE?] (QL/40).

Changes

  • hethwighethweg ✧ GL/49

Cognates

Variations

  • hethweg ✧ GL/49 (hethweg)
  • hestron ✧ GL/49 (hestron)
  • hethron ✧ GL/49 (hethron)
  • hethwig ✧ GL/49 (hethwig)

Early Quenya

herendo

noun. brother

A word for “brother” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with numerous variants: herendo or herēro, hestaner, and hesta(noi)nu, all based on the early root ᴱ√HESE that was the basis for “brother” and “sister” words (QL/40). Of these Tolkien said herendo/herēro was the “ordinary word”, and herendo appeared in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/40).

Cognates

Variations

  • herēro ✧ QL/040
Early Quenya [PME/040; QL/040] Group: Eldamo. Published by

heréro

noun. brother

hestanoinu

noun. brother

hestaner

noun. brother

Early Quenya [QL/040] Group: Eldamo. Published by

hestanu

noun. brother

Variations

  • hestanoinu ✧ QL/040
Early Quenya [QL/040] Group: Eldamo. Published by