Quenya 

hón

heart

hón noun "heart" (physical) (KHŌ-N); hon-maren "heart of the house", a fire (LR:63, 73; this is "Qenya" with genitive in -en, not -o as in LotR-style Quenya read *hon-maro?)

axo

bone

axo noun "bone"; pl. axor in Markirya

axo

noun. bone

A word for “bone” appearing in the Markirya poem from the 1960s in its plural form axor (MC/222-223). It might be related (conceptually if not etymologically) to the root √AKAS “neck, ridge” (PE17/92).

Conceptual Development: A similar word ᴱQ. as (ass-) bone dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/33). The locative plural of this noun assari “of bones” appeared in the Oilima Markirya poem written around 1930. The form ᴹQ. astŭ- “bone” appeared in the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s (PE21/27).

Neo-Quenya: While this word could be derived from ✱aksō, I prefer to assume it is derived from ✱ᴺ✶askō with metathesis sk > ks in Quenya. This makes it more etymologically distinct from axë “neck” and also allows a (Neo) Sindarin form ᴺS. asg “bone”, since a Sindarin derivative of ✱aksō would collide with S. ach “neck”.

Cognates

  • ᴺS. ach “bone”
  • ᴺS. asg “bone; [G.] stone of fruit”

Derivations

Element in

Variations

  • axo ✧ MC/223
Quenya [MC/222; MC/223] Group: Eldamo. Published by

enda

heart

enda noun "heart", but not referring to the physical organ; it literally means "centre" (cf. endë) and refers to the fëa (soul) or sáma (mind) itself. (VT39:32)

indo

heart, mood

indo (1) noun "heart, mood" (ID), "state" (perhaps especially state of mind, given the other glosses) (VT39:23), "mind, region/range of thought, mood" (PE17:155, 179), "inner thought, in fea as exhibited in character or [?personality]" (PE17:189). In another post-LotR source, indo is translated "resolve" or "will", the state of mind leading directly to action (VT41:13). Indo is thus "the mind in its purposing faculty, the will" (VT41:17). Indo-ninya,a word occurring in Fíriels Song, translated "my heart" (see ninya). In the compound indemma "mind-picture", the first element would seem to be indo.

elwen

heart

elwen noun "heart" (LT1:255; rather hón or enda in LotR-style Quenya)

órë

heart

órë (1) noun "heart" (inner mind), also name of tengwa #21 (Appendix E), "premonition" (VT41:13), "nearest equivalent of 'heart' in our application to feelings, or emotions (courage, fear, hope, pity, etc.)" (VT41:13). The órë apparently defines a person's personality, cf. the description of Galadriel in PM:337, that "there dwelt in her the noble and generous spirit (órë) of the Vanyar". Órenya "my heart" (VT41:11).

Sindarin 

hûn

noun. *heart

A noun appearing as N. hûn in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “heart (physical)” derived from the root ᴹ√KHŌ-N of the same meaning (Ety/KHŌ-N). This word was not used metaphorically; a metaphorical or emotional “heart” would be S. gûr or ind. Similar but unglossed forms hôn or hûn derived from ✶khōn- appeared in Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/86), which could be later iterations of the Noldorin “heart” word. A prior word S. hû in the same notes was glossed “hound” or “heart” according to Christopher Gilson.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. {hond >>} honn “heart” which Tolkien specified was “not used metaphorically, for which ilf is used” (GL/49). It was likely based on the early root ᴱ√HONO from which the Early Qenya word for “heart” was derived (QL/40). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s, Tolkien again had hond “heart” (PE13/147), but it was deleted and replaced by ᴱN. lhonn “heart” (PE13/149). The initial h was restored in The Etymologies of the 1930s, as noted above.

Neo-Sindarin: In Tolkien’s later writings, the primitive root for this word sometimes became √khōm (NM/176; PE19/102; PE21/71), which in Sindarin would produced hû. However, I would retain the form hûn as a Sindarin-only variant; compare to the root √TAM which had a Sindarin variant √TAN.

Derivations

  • ✶khōm “(physical) heart” ✧ PE17/086
    • √KHOM “heart (physical organ)”

Variations

  • hôn ✧ PE17/086
Sindarin [PE17/086] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gûr

noun. heart (in the moral sense), counsel

Sindarin [VT/41:11,15] Group: SINDICT. Published by

hûn

heart

1) (physical heart) hûn (i chûn, o chûn, construct hun), pl. huin (i chuin), 2) (inner mind) gûr (i **ûr, construct gur), pl. guir (i nguir = i ñuir). Note: A homophone means ”death”, but has different mutations. (VT41:11). 3) ind (inner thought, mind, meaning), no distinct pl. form;, coll. pl. innath. 4) nest (core, center), pl. nist. Also notice the prefix hû**- apparently meaning ”heart”..

hûn

heart

(i chûn, o chûn, construct hun), pl. huin (i chuin)

gûr

heart

(i ’ûr, construct gur), pl. guir (i nguir = i ñuir). Note: A homophone means ”death”, but has different mutations. (VT41:11).

ach

noun. bone

Cognates

  • Q. axo “bone”
Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

ind

heart

(inner thought, mind, meaning), no distinct pl. form;, coll. pl. innath.

nest

heart

(core, center), pl. nist. Also notice the prefix hû- apparently meaning ”heart”..

Primitive elvish

askō Reconstructed

noun. bone

Derivatives

  • Q. axo “bone”
  • ᴺS. asg “bone; [G.] stone of fruit”

Noldorin 

hûn

noun. heart (physical)

Noldorin [Ety/364] Group: SINDICT. Published by

hûn

noun. heart (physical)

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. hón “heart (physical)” ✧ Ety/KHŌ-N

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KHO(N) “heart (physical)” ✧ Ety/KHŌ-N

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KHŌ-N > hûn[kʰōn] > [kʰūn] > [xūn] > [hūn]✧ Ety/KHŌ-N
Noldorin [Ety/KHŌ-N] Group: Eldamo. 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 

hón

noun. heart (physical)

Changes

  • hondo → indo “heart” ✧ LR/072

Cognates

  • N. hûn “heart (physical)” ✧ Ety/KHŌ-N

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KHO(N) “heart (physical)” ✧ Ety/KHŌ-N

Element in

  • ᴹQ. holmo “from the middle” ✧ PE21/23
  • ᴹQ. hondo “*hearted”
  • ᴹQ. hon-maren “heart of the house” ✧ LR/063
  • ᴹQ. hont “inwards” ✧ PE21/23
  • ᴹQ. humpe “in the middle” ✧ PE21/23

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KHŌ-N > hōn[kʰōn] > [xōn] > [hōn]✧ Ety/KHŌ-N

Variations

  • hōn ✧ Ety/KHŌ-N; PE21/62
  • hon ✧ LR/063
  • hondo ✧ LR/072 (hondo)
Qenya [Ety/KHŌ-N; LR/063; LR/072; PE21/19; PE21/23; PE21/52; PE21/62] Group: Eldamo. Published by

asto

noun. bone

Element in

  • ᴹQ. astula “bony” ✧ PE21/27

Middle Primitive Elvish

khōn

noun. heart

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KHO(N) “heart (physical)”

Variations

  • khō-n ✧ PE21/55
Middle Primitive Elvish [PE21/55; PE21/64; PE21/66] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kho(n)

root. heart (physical)

Derivatives

  • ᴹ✶khōn “heart”
  • ᴹQ. hón “heart (physical)” ✧ Ety/KHŌ-N
  • N. hûn “heart (physical)” ✧ Ety/KHŌ-N

Element in

  • ᴹ✶Khōgore “heart-vigour, courage” ✧ Ety/GOR; Ety/KHŌ-N

Variations

  • KHŌ-N ✧ Ety/GOR; Ety/KHŌ-N
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/GOR; Ety/KHŌ-N] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

hûn

noun. bone

A noun for “bone” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, used “especially of men and eldar” (GL/49), as opposed to G. asg “bone” used mostly of animals.

Cognates

Element in

  • G. hûn ar hû “between the dog and his bone” ✧ GL/49
  • G. huniol “bony, rawboned” ✧ GL/49
  • G. lempachùn “wishbone” ✧ GL/53
Gnomish [GL/49; GL/53] Group: Eldamo. Published by

honn

noun. heart

Changes

  • hond → honn ✧ GL/49

Cognates

  • Eq. hon “heart”

Derivations

  • ᴱ√HONO “*heart”

Variations

  • hond ✧ GL/49 (hond)

elf

noun. heart

Changes

  • elf → elf(in) “feeling, heart” ✧ GL/32

Cognates

  • Eq. elwen “heart” ✧ LT2/202; PE15/23

Derivations

  • ᴱ√LEFE “*heart”

Element in

  • G. Elfrin(iol) “Littleheart” ✧ GL/32 (Elfriniol); GL/32 (elfrin)
  • G. Elfrith “Littleheart” ✧ LT2/202; PE15/23

Variations

  • elfeg ✧ GL/32 (elfeg)
  • Elf ✧ LT2/202; PE15/23
Gnomish [GL/32; LT2/202; PE15/23] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ilf

noun. heart

Cognates

  • Eq. elwen “heart” ✧ LT1A/Ilverin

Derivations

  • ᴱ√LEFE “*heart”

Element in

  • G. Ilfrin “Littleheart” ✧ GL/50; LT1A/Ilverin; LT1A/Ilverin
  • G. Ilfrith “Dear Heart” ✧ GL/50; LT1A/Ilverin
Gnomish [GL/49; GL/50; LT1A/Ilverin] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

hûn

adjective. polished, burnished, shining

Cognates

  • Eq. sauna “clean” ✧ PE13/148

Derivations

  • ᴱ✶souna ✧ PE13/148
    • ᴱ√SOVO “wash” ✧ GL/68

Element in

  • En. huntha- “to burnish, polish” ✧ PE13/148

Variations

  • hún ✧ PE13/148
Early Noldorin [PE13/148] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lhonn

noun. heart

Changes

  • hond → lhonn “heart” ✧ PE13/147
  • hond → lhonn “heart” ✧ PE13/149

Cognates

  • Eq. hon “heart” ✧ PE13/149; PE13/162

Element in

  • En. urhonn “heartless” ✧ PE13/156

Variations

  • hond ✧ PE13/147 (hond); PE13/149 (hond)
  • honn ✧ PE13/156 (honn)
Early Noldorin [PE13/147; PE13/149; PE13/156; PE13/162] Group: Eldamo. Published by

asg

noun. bone, bone; [G.] stone of fruit

A word appearing as ᴱN. asg “bone” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/137, 160). G. asg “bone” also appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s with a variant form asc and the glosses “bone (especially of other animals, rarely of men); stone of fruit” (GL/20). This 1910s form was clearly related to ᴱQ. as “bone” from the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon (QL/33).

Neo-Sindarin: In the 1960s, Tolkien used the Quenya word axo for bone (MC/223) and Fiona Jallings suggested ᴺS. ach as its Sindarin equivalent. Unfortunately, that clashes with attested S. ach “neck” (PE17/92), so I prefer to retain ᴺS. asg for “bone”, and assume it is derived from primitive ✱ᴺ✶askō, where the primitive sk became sg in Sindarin, just as it did in earlier iterations of the language.

Cognates

  • Et. axas ✧ PE13/160

Element in

Early Noldorin [PE13/137; PE13/160] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

hono

root. *heart

Derivatives

  • Eq. hon “heart” ✧ QL/040
  • Eq. hón(a) “bone”
  • G. honn “heart”
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/040] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lefe

root. *heart

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with the derivatives ᴱQ. lepsa “liver” and ᴱQ. elwen “heart” (QL/52). The Gnomish equivalent of the elwen “heart” was G. elf, revised to G. ilf (GL/32, 50). Tolkien used other words for “heart” in his later writings, but I think it is worth positing a root ᴺ√LEPH “liver” for purposes of Neo-Eldarin to retain ᴱQ. lepsa “liver”.

Derivatives

  • Eq. elwen “heart” ✧ QL/035; QL/052
  • Eq. lepsa “liver” ✧ QL/052
  • G. ilf “heart”
  • G. elf “heart”

Variations

  • LEFE ✧ QL/035; QL/052 (LEFE)
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/035; QL/052] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

hon

noun. heart

Changes

  • hondo → londa “heart” ✧ PE13/162

Cognates

  • En. lhonn “heart” ✧ PE13/149; PE13/162
  • G. honn “heart”

Derivations

  • ᴱ√HONO “*heart” ✧ QL/040

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√HONO > hon[xondo] > [xondǝ] > [xond] > [hond] > [hon]✧ QL/040

Variations

  • londa ✧ PE13/149; PE13/162
  • hondo ✧ PE13/162 (hondo); QL/040
  • honde ✧ PE16/137
  • hon ✧ QL/040
Early Quenya [PE13/149; PE13/162; PE15/32; PE16/137; QL/040] Group: Eldamo. Published by

honde

noun. heart

hondo

noun. heart

hón(a)

noun. bone

Quenya cognates of G. hûn “bone” given as Q. hōn- or hōna- in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/49), perhaps related to the early root ᴱ√HONO “✱heart” (QL/40).

Cognates

  • G. hûn “bone” ✧ GL/49

Derivations

  • ᴱ√HONO “*heart”

Variations

  • hōn- ✧ GL/49
  • hōna- ✧ GL/49
Early Quenya [GL/49] Group: Eldamo. Published by

as

noun. bone

Cognates

  • G. asg “bone; stone of fruit”

Element in

Early Quenya [MC/214; QL/033] Group: Eldamo. Published by

elben

noun. heart

elwen

noun. heart

A word appearing as ᴱQ. Elben “heart” in the Name-list to the Fall of Gondolin of the 1910s (LT2/202; PE15/23), but as ᴱQ. Elwen “heart” in the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon under the early root ᴱ√LEFE (QL/35, 52). These words were connected to the character G. Elfrith who vanished from later versions of the Legendarium.

Cognates

  • G. elf “heart” ✧ LT2/202; PE15/23
  • G. ilf “heart” ✧ LT1A/Ilverin

Derivations

  • ᴱ√LEFE “*heart” ✧ QL/035; QL/052

Element in

  • Eq. Elwenil(do) “Littleheart” ✧ LT1A/Ilverin (Elwenildo); LT2/202 (Elbenil)

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√LEFE > Elwen[elɸen] > [elβen] > [elwen]✧ QL/035
ᴱ√LEFE > elwen[elɸen] > [elβen] > [elwen]✧ QL/052

Variations

  • Elben ✧ LT2/202; PE15/23
  • Elwen ✧ QL/035
Early Quenya [LT1A/Ilverin; LT2/202; PE15/23; QL/035; QL/052] Group: Eldamo. Published by

londa

noun. heart