aina

holy

aina (2) adj "holy" (AYAN), derived from Ainu. Adopted and adapted from Valarin. According to VT43:32, the word is "obsolete, except in Ainur", apparently suggesting that airë or airëa (q.v.) was the normal term for "holy" in later Quenya. However, Tolkien repeatedly used aina in his translation of the Litany of Loreto: Aina Fairë "Holy Spirit", Aina Neldië "Holy Trinity", Aina Maria "Holy Mary", Aina Wendë "Holy Virgin". He also used Aina Eruontari for "holy Mother" in his rendering of the Sub Tuum Praesidium(WJ:399, FS, SA, VT43:32, VT44:5, 12, 17-18)

aira

holy

aira (2) adj. "holy"; see airë #1

airë

holy

airë (1) adj. "holy", #Airefëa "the Holy Spirit" (VT43:37, dative airefëan on the previous page), airetári or Airë Tári "holy queen" (a title of Varda, PM:363), genitive aire-tário "holy-queen's" (Nam, RGEO:67). However, according to PM:363, airë is the noun "sanctity", while aira is the adjective "holy". VT43:14 refers to an etymological note of "Sept.-Oct. 1957" where airë is said to be a noun "sanctity, holiness", and the adjective "holy" is given as airëa. However, the verb #airita- "hallow" seems to be formed from an adjective airë, airi- "holy". Evidently airë can function as both adjective ("holy") and noun ("holiness"); if so airë as adj. could represent a primitive adjective gaisi, whereas airë as noun may descend from gaisē. The former but not the latter would have the stem airi- (as observed in the derived verb #airita-), and compounds like airetári (rather than *airitári) would seem to contain properly the noun "holiness".

airëa

holy

airëa adj. "holy"; see airë.

aista

holy

aista (1) adj. "holy" (VT43:37)

aista

adjective. *holy

Derivations

• √AYA(N) “blessed; treat with awe/reverence, blessed; treat with awe/reverence; [ᴱ√] honour, revere”

Element in

• Q. aistana “*blessed”
• Q. alcar i Ataren ar i Yondon ar i Airefëan “glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit” ✧ VT43/37

airefëa

proper name. Holy Spirit

A Quenya name for the Holy Spirit in Alcar i Ataren, Tolkien’s unfinished Quenya version of the Gloria Patri prayer (VT43/36). It is a compound of airë “holy, holiness” and fëa “spirit”.

Element in

• Q. alcar i Ataren ar i Yondon ar i Airefëan “glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit” ✧ VT43/37

Elements

Word	Gloss
airë	“holy; sanctity, holiness”
fëa	“(indwelling or incarnate) spirit, soul”

alya

fair, good

alya (1) adj. "fair, good" (PE17:146), "prosperous, rich, abundant, blessed" (GALA). In a deleted entry in Etym, the glosses provided were "rich, blessed"; another deleted entry defined alya as "rich, prosperous, blessed". (GALA, [ÁLAM], VT42:32, 45:5, 14)

aira

adjective. holy, sanctified, holy, sanctified, [ᴱQ.] worshipful

Cognates

• S. aer “*hallowed, holy”

Derivations

• √AYA(N) “blessed; treat with awe/reverence, blessed; treat with awe/reverence; [ᴱ√] honour, revere” ✧ PE17/027
• √GAY(AR) “awe, dread; astound, make aghast; sea” ✧ PM/363

Element in

• ᴺQ. airasëa “hyssop”
• Q. na airë esselya “hallowed be thy name” ✧ VT43/14

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√AYA > airă	[ajra] > [aira]	✧ PE17/027
√GAYA > aira	[gajra] > [gaira] > [ɣaira] > [aira]	✧ PM/363

Variations

• airă ✧ PE17/027

vanë

adjective. fair, fair, [ᴱQ.] lovely

Derivations

• √BAN “beauty (due to lack of fault or blemish); fair, beautiful” ✧ PE17/056

Element in

• Q. úvanë(a) “without beauty”
• Q. vanessë “beauty” ✧ PE17/056
• Q. vanië “beauty” ✧ PE17/056
• Q. vanima “beautiful, fair, beautiful, fair, *handsome; [ᴱQ.] proper, right, as it should be, fair” ✧ PE17/056

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√BAN > vane	[bani] > [bane] > [βane] > [vane]	✧ PE17/056

Variations

• vane ✧ PE17/056

aina

adjective. holy, revered, numinous, holy, revered, numinous, *divine, [ᴱQ.] worshipful

Changes

• aina → Aire “*holy” ✧ VT43/32
• Aini → aina “*holy” ✧ VT43/32
• Aini → Aina ✧ VT44/07

Derivations

• √AYA(N) “blessed; treat with awe/reverence, blessed; treat with awe/reverence; [ᴱ√] honour, revere” ✧ PE17/149; PE17/149; VT43/14

Derivatives

• Q. Ainu “holy one, spirit, holy one, angelic spirit (m.); [ᴱQ.] (pagan) god” ✧ PE17/149

Element in

• Q. a Aina Fairë, Eru órava (o)messë “God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/17
• Q. a Aina Maria arca atarmë “Holy Mary, pray for us” ✧ VT44/17
• Q. a Aina Neldië Eru Er órava (o)messë “Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/17
• Q. Aina Eruontarië “Holy Mother of God” ✧ VT44/17
• Q. Aina Wendë mi Wenderon “Holy Virgin of virgins” ✧ VT44/17
• ᴺQ. aino “god”
• Q. Ainu “holy one, spirit, holy one, angelic spirit (m.); [ᴱQ.] (pagan) god” ✧ SA/aina
• Q. Ainulindalë “Music of the Ainur” ✧ SA/aina
• Q. Airë María Eruo ontaril “Holy Mary, Mother of God” ✧ VT43/32
• Q. ortírielyanna rucimmë, Aina Eruontari “we fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God” ✧ VT44/07

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√AYA-N > aina	[ajna] > [aina]	✧ PE17/149
√AYA > aina	[ajna] > [aina]	✧ PE17/149
√aya-n > aina	[ajna] > [aina]	✧ VT43/14

Variations

• Aini ✧ VT43/32 (Aini); VT44/05 (Aini)
• Aina ✧ VT44/07; VT44/17

Aino

god

Aino noun "god", within Tolkien's mythos a synonym of Ainu (but since Aino is basically only a personalized form of aina "holy", hence "holy one", it could be used as a general word for "god") (PE15:72)

airë

noun/adjective. holy; sanctity, holiness

Changes

• aire → airă “holiness” ✧ PE17/027

Cognates

• S. aer “*hallowed, holy”

Derivations

• √AYA(N) “blessed; treat with awe/reverence, blessed; treat with awe/reverence; [ᴱ√] honour, revere” ✧ PE17/146; PE17/149
• ✶airē “holiness, sanctity” ✧ PE17/149; VT43/14
  • √AYA(N) “blessed; treat with awe/reverence, blessed; treat with awe/reverence; [ᴱ√] honour, revere” ✧ PE17/149; VT43/14
• √GAY(AR) “awe, dread; astound, make aghast; sea” ✧ PM/363

Element in

• ᴺQ. airalindë “hymn, (lit.) holy song”
• ᴺQ. airelinna “hymn, (lit.) holy song”
• Q. airëa “holy (applied to persons)” ✧ PE17/149
• Q. Airefëa “Holy Spirit”
• Q. Airë María Eruo ontaril “Holy Mary, Mother of God” ✧ VT43/32
• ᴺQ. airemma “icon, (lit.) holy image”
• Q. Airë Tári “Holy Queen” ✧ PM/363
• ᴺQ. airilírë “hymn”
• ᴺQ. airimo “priest”
• ᴺQ. alairë “unholy”
• Q. Anairë “*Holiest”
• Q. na airë esselya “hallowed be thy name” ✧ VT43/14
• Q. ómaryo airetári-lírinen “in the song of her voice, holy and queenly” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
• Q. ómaryo lírinen airetário “in [by means of] her voice’s song, of the holy-queen” ✧ RGEO/59
• Q. lírinen ómo i·aire tário “by the song of the voice of the holy queen” ✧ PE17/076
• Q. lírinen ómo i·aire táríva “by the song of the voice of the holy queen” ✧ PE17/076
• Q. tintilar lirinen ómaryo Airë-tário ✧ PM/364

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√AYA > aire	[ajre] > [aire]	✧ PE17/146
✶airē > aire	[airē] > [aire]	✧ PE17/149
√AYA > airi-	[ajri] > [ajre] > [aire]	✧ PE17/149
√GAYA > airë	[gajri] > [gajre] > [gaire] > [ɣaire] > [aire]	✧ PM/363

Variations

• aire ✧ LotR/0377; PE17/027 (aire); PE17/067; PE17/076; PE17/076; PE17/149; RGEO/59; VT43/14; VT43/14
• airë ✧ PE17/067; PM/363
• Airë ✧ PM/363; PM/364
• aíre ✧ RGEO/58
• Aire ✧ VT43/32

Amarië

good

Amarië fem. name; perhaps derived from mára "good" with prefixing of the stem-vowel and the feminine ending -ië (Silm)

ala-

good

ala- (3), also al-, a prefix expressing "good" or "well" (PE17:146), as in alaquenta (q.v.) Whether Tolkien imagined this ending to coexist with the negative prefix of the same form (#2 above) is unclear and perhaps dubious.

mára

adjective. good

alima

fair, good

alima adj. "fair, good" (also alya) (PE17:146)

linda

fair, beautiful

linda adj. "fair, beautiful" (of sound) (SLIN, LIND; VT45:27), "soft, gentle, light" (PE16:96), "beautiful, sweet, melodious of sound" (PE17:150); for Linda as a noun, see Lindar.

vanya

fair

vanya (1) adj. "fair" (FS), "beautiful" (BAN), a word referring to beauty that is "due to lack of fault, or blemish" (PE17:150), hence Arda Vanya as an alternative to Arda Alahasta for "Arda Unmarred" (ibid., compare MR:254). Nominal pl. Vanyar "the Fair", the first clan of the Eldar; the original meaning of this stem was "pale, light-coloured, not brown or dark" (WJ:382, 383, stem given as WAN), "properly = white complexion and blonde hair" (PE17:154, stem given as GWAN); stems BAN vs. WAN discussed, see PE17:150.

vanya

adjective. fair, beautiful, unmarred; fair-haired (yellow to golden), fair, beautiful, unmarred; fair-haired (yellow to golden); [ᴱQ.] good (not evil), holy

Cognates

• S. bain “fair, beautiful; good, wholesome, favorable; fair-haired, beautiful; good, wholesome, favorable; fair, fair-haired” ✧ PE17/150; PE17/154; PE17/165
• S. gwain “blond” ✧ PE17/150
• S. gwân “pale, fair” ✧ PE17/165

Derivations

• √BAN “beauty (due to lack of fault or blemish); fair, beautiful” ✧ PE17/056; PE17/149; PE17/150
• ✶wanya “fair-haired (yellow to golden)” ✧ PE17/150; PE17/150
  • √(G)WAN “pale, fair” ✧ PE17/150
• √(G)WAN “pale, fair” ✧ PE17/154; PE17/165
• ✶banya “beautiful” ✧ PE17/165
  • √BAN “beauty (due to lack of fault or blemish); fair, beautiful” ✧ PE17/165

Element in

• Q. Arda Vanya “Arda Unmarred” ✧ PE17/150
• Q. ilvan(y)a “perfect” ✧ PE17/150
• Q. úvana “marred” ✧ PE17/150
• Q. Vanya “Fair Elves, the Fair”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√BAN > vanya	[banja] > [βanja] > [vanja]	✧ PE17/056
√ɃAN > vanya	[banja] > [βanja] > [vanja]	✧ PE17/149
√BAN > vanya	[banja] > [βanja] > [vanja]	✧ PE17/150
✶wanya > vanya	[wanja] > [βanja] > [vanja]	✧ PE17/150
✶wana > văna	[wanja] > [βanja] > [vanja]	✧ PE17/150
√GWAN > vanya	[gwanja] > [ɣwanja] > [wanja] > [vanja]	✧ PE17/154
✶banya > vanya	[banja] > [βanja] > [vanja]	✧ PE17/165
√GWAN > wana	[gwanja] > [ɣwanja] > [wanja] > [vanja]	✧ PE17/165

Variations

• văna ✧ PE17/150
• wana ✧ PE17/165 (wana)
• wanya ✧ PE17/165 (wanya)

-ima

fair

-ima adjectival suffix. Sometimes it is used to derive simple adjectives, like vanima "fair" or calima "bright"; it can also take on the meaning "-able" (PE17:68), as in mátima "edible" (mat- "eat"), nótima "countable" (not- "count") and (with a negative prefix) úquétima "unspeakable" (from quet- "speak"). Note that the stem-vowel is normally lengthened in the derivatives where -ima means "-able", though this fails to occur in cenima "visible" (q.v., but contrast hraicénima, q.v.) and also before a consonant cluster as in úfantima "not concealable" (PE17:176). "X-ima" may mean "apt to X" (when the ending is added to an intransitive verbal stem), as in Fírimar "mortals", literally "those apt to die" (WJ:387). The adj. úfantima "not concealable" (PE17:176) also appears as úfantuma (PE17:180), indicating the existence of a variant ending -uma (possibly used to derive adjectives with a "bad" meaning; compare the ending *-unqua next to -inqua, q.v.)

vanë

fair

vanë adj. "fair" (LT1:272; in Tolkien's later Quenya rather vanya)

aino

noun. god

Cognates

• ᴺS. aenor “god”

Derivations

• √AYA(N) “blessed; treat with awe/reverence, blessed; treat with awe/reverence; [ᴱ√] honour, revere”

Element in

• ᴺQ. ainocimië “reverence, piety, godliness”
• ᴺQ. ainocimya “reverent, pious”
• ᴺQ. ainolóra “godless”
• ᴺQ. ainolórië “godlessness”

Elements

Word	Gloss
aina	“holy, revered, numinous, holy, revered, numinous, *divine, [ᴱQ.] worshipful”

aer

adjective. holy

aer

adjective. *hallowed, holy

This word appears in the phrase no aer i eneth lín “hallowed by thy name”, the second line of Ae Adar Nín, Tolkien’s Sindarin translation of the Lord’s Prayer. It is untranslated, but in context clearly means “✱hallowed, holy”. It is apparently the Sindarin cognate of Q. airë of similar meaning, which appears in the Quenya translation of the same prayer: Q. Átaremma.

Possible Etymology: David Salo suggested that aer may be a lenited form of the Sindarin adjective gaer (GS/231). Although N. gaer was glossed “dreadful” in The Etymologies (Ety/GÁYAS), in later writings Tolkien derived Q. airë “holy” from a similar root √GAY(AR) “awe, dread” (PM/363). The sense “dread” did not necessarily connote terribleness, but could also imply awe and respect. It was from this meaning of the root that words with the connotation “holy” arose, at least in Quenya (PM/363).

Bill Welden instead connected S. aer “holy” with the word aerlinn in the phrase Aerlinn in Edhil o Imladris (RGEO/62). This phrase is untranslated, but it is widely believed that aerlinn means “✱holy song” (VT44/24). Since aer cannot be lenited in aerlinn, this indicates that aer is the normal form of the word. In other writings, Tolkien derived Q. airë from primitive ✶airē “holiness, sanctity” (PE17/149), which could also be the origin of S. aer. That is the theory used here.

It is possible that this word appears in the name Aerandir, but that is rather speculative.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s, there was a word G. air(in) “holy, sacred” (GL/18) marked archaic (†); this is probably the earliest precursor to S. aer. The form air reappeared in the Gnomish Lexicon slips, besides a new form eirin “holy” (PE13/113), reflecting Tolkien’s ongoing vacillation on the development of the diphthong ai.

Cognates

• Q. airë “holy; sanctity, holiness”
• Q. aira “holy, sanctified, holy, sanctified, [ᴱQ.] worshipful”

Derivations

• √AYA(N) “blessed; treat with awe/reverence, blessed; treat with awe/reverence; [ᴱ√] honour, revere”

Element in

• ᴺS. aerem “icon”
• S. aerlinn “*hymn, (lit.) holy song” ✧ VT44/24
• ᴺS. aeron “saint”
• S. no aer i eneth lín “hallowed be thy name” ✧ VT44/24

bain

good

_ adj. _good, wholesome, blessed, fair (esp. of weather). . This gloss was rejected.

fael

adjective. fair minded, just, generous

lind

adjective. fair

Derivations

• √LIN “sing, make a musical sound, sing, make a musical sound, [ᴱ√] gentle”

Element in

• S. Linhir “Fair Stream” ✧ RC/587

Variations

• lin ✧ RC/587 (lin)

ma

adjective. good

_ adj. _good. Archaic and obsolete except as interjection 'good, excellent, that's right'.

maer

good

_ adj. _good.

maer

good

adj. good, proper, excellent. Q. mára good, proper, Q. maira excellent. >> mae-. This gloss was rejected.

bain

fair

_ adj. _fair, good, blessed, wholesome, favourable, without evil/bad element, not dangerous, evil or hostile. bân or bain << bân pl. bain. >> bân

bain

fair

bain (beautiful). Lenited vain. No distinct pl. form.

bain

fair

(beautiful). Lenited vain. No distinct pl. form.

bân

adjective. fair

_ adj. _fair, good, wholesome, favourable, not dangerous, evil or hostile. bân or bain << bân pl. bain. >> bain

gwain

adjective. fair

adj. fair. . This gloss was rejected.

gwana

noun/adjective. fair

Changes

• gwain → gwana “fair, general word for Elves” ✧ PE17/140

Derivations

• ✶wanasō ✧ PE17/140

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶wanasō > gwana	[wanasō] > [wanaso] > [wanaho] > [gwanaho] > [gwanah] > [gwana]	✧ PE17/140

Variations

• gwain ✧ PE17/140 (gwain)

gwân

adjective. fair

_ adj. _fair, pale.

gaer

holy

gaer (awful, fearful); lenited aear; no distinct pl. form. Note: homophones mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "sea".

gaer

holy

(awful, fearful); lenited ’aear; no distinct pl. form. Note: homophones mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "sea".

iaun

holy place

(fane, sanctuary), pl. ioen, coll. pl. ionath

Eru

god

(the One) #Eru, isolated from Eruchín** **"children of the One" (= Elves and Men; sg. *Eruchen).

aenor

noun. god

A neologism for “a god” opposed to “God” (Eru), based on Gnomish ain. A direct adaptation of the Gnomish form would be aen, but that conflicts with aen “should be”; Fiona Jallings suggested the extended form aenor in a Discord chat in August 2019.

Cognates

• ᴺQ. aino “god”

Derivations

• √AYA(N) “blessed; treat with awe/reverence, blessed; treat with awe/reverence; [ᴱ√] honour, revere”

eru

noun. God

Cognates

• Q. Eru “The One, God”

eru

god

isolated from Eruchín "children of the One" (= Elves and Men; sg. ✱Eruchen).

maer

good

_(”useful” of things _ not of moral qualities) maer (lenited vaer, no distinct pl. form) (fit, useful). For ”good” as an adjective describing human qualities, the word fael ”fair-minded, just, generous” may be considered.

maer

good

(lenited vaer, no distinct pl. form) (fit, useful). For ”good” as an adjective describing human qualities, the word fael ”fair-minded, just, generous” may be considered.

manrā

adjective. good

Derivations

• √MAN “good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil, good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil; [ᴹ√] holy spirit” ✧ PE17/162

Derivatives

• Q. mára “good, proper, good, proper; [ᴹQ.] useful, fit, good (of things), [ᴱQ.] excellent; mighty, power, doughty” ✧ PE17/162

wanyā

adjective. fair

Derivations

• √(G)WAN “pale, fair” ✧ WJ/383

Derivatives

• Q. Vanya “Fair Elves, the Fair” ✧ WJ/380; WJ/383
  • T. Vania “Vanya” ✧ WJ/383

Variations

• wanjā ✧ WJ/380; WJ/383

aman

root. good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil

man

root. good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil, good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil; [ᴹ√] holy spirit

This root for “(morally) good” and “holy” things dates back to Tolkien’s earliest versions of Elvish, probably due to its long-standing connection to the name Q. Manwë, one of the most stable names in Tolkien’s Legendarium. The unglossed root ᴱ√MANA appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. mane “good (moral)” and ᴱQ. manimo “holy soul” (QL/58). Derivatives like G. mani “good (of men and character only), holy” and G. manos “spirit that has gone to the Valar” also appear in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/56).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s ᴹ√MAN “holy spirit” appeared with derivatives like ᴹQ. manu/N. mân “departed spirit” (Ety/MAN). Earlier versions of the entry had the gloss “holy” (EtyAC/MAN), and an earlier version of the entry for ᴹ√MBAD has MAN- “blessed” (EtyAC/MBAD).

The senses “good, blessed, holy” were retained in Tolkien’s later writings, though sometimes the root was given in its augmented form √AMAN. In Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957, √MAN was contrasted with √ARA which also meant “good”, but with the nuance of one specimen that is “good of its kind” and hence “excels, without necessarily implying that others are bad or marred” (PE17/147). Elsewhere in QN Tolkien elaborated on the meaning of √MAN in more detail:

> √MAN “good”. This implies that a person/thing is (relatively or absolutely) “unmarred”: that is in Elvish thought unaffected by the disorders introduced into Arda by Morgoth: and therefore is true to its nature & function. If applied to mind/spirit it is more or less equivalent to morally good; but applied to bodies it naturally refers to health and to absence of distortions, damages, blemishes, &c (PE17/162).

In Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959, √AMAN “good (morally), holy, blessed, free from evil” was contrasted with √AYA(N) “treat with awe/reverence” and √MAGA “good (physically)” (PE17/149). In The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968, Tolkien said the root meant “blessed, holy” and was adapted from Valarin (PM/357 note #18), which is consistent with the fact that its derivatives were almost entirely limited to Quenya and not Sindarin; where derivatives do appear in Sindarin, such as S. Avon the equivalent of Q. Aman (PE17/162), they were probably loan words from Quenya.

Derivatives

• ✶Ámān “Unmarred State” ✧ PE17/162
  • Q. Aman “Blessed Realm” ✧ PE17/162
  • S. Avon “Unmarred State” ✧ PE17/162
• ✶manrā “good” ✧ PE17/162
  • Q. mára “good, proper, good, proper; [ᴹQ.] useful, fit, good (of things), [ᴱQ.] excellent; mighty, power, doughty” ✧ PE17/162
• Q. manna “*blessed”
• Q. ama- “*well, happily” ✧ PE17/172
• Q. Aman “Blessed Realm” ✧ SA/mān
• Q. amanya “*blessed”
• Q. mána “blessing, good thing, blessing, good thing; [ᴹQ.] blessed” ✧ PE17/162
• ᴺQ. manë “good (moral, not evil)”
• Q. manta- “to bless”
• Q. Manwë “Blessed Being” ✧ PE17/162; SA/mān
• Q. manya- “to bless”
• ᴺQ. márë “(moral) good, goodness”

Element in

• Q. Eruman “Heaven”
• Q. manaquenta “*blessed”
• Q. Manwë “Blessed Being” ✧ PM/357
• Q. Manyel
• S. Meiniel

Variations

• AMAN ✧ PE17/146; PE17/149
• AMA(N) ✧ PE17/172 (AMA(N))
• aman ✧ PM/357
• man ✧ PM/357
• mān- ✧ SA/mān

bani

adjective. fair

Element in

• Q. vanië “beauty” ✧ PE17/057
• Q. vanima “beautiful, fair, beautiful, fair, *handsome; [ᴱQ.] proper, right, as it should be, fair” ✧ PE17/057

Variations

• vanĭ ✧ PE17/057