Quenya 

hyellë

glass

hyellë noun "glass" (KHYEL(ES), VT45:23; the later source also provides the unglossed form hyelma, which may be a synonym of hyellë; alternatively hyellë could be "glass" as a substance, whereas hyelma_ rather refers to "a glass" as a drinking vessel). _In later sources, cilin or calca is given as the word for "glass".

hyelma

hyelma

hyelma, see hyellë

calca

noun. glass

A word for “glass” appearing in notes from around 1968 as a derivative of √KALAK (VT47/35).

Conceptual Development: There was a similar form ᴱQ. talqe (talqi-) “glass” in the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s (PME/88; QL/88). It also appeared in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon with a Gnomish cognate G. celc, both words being based on variant early roots ᴱ√kail(i)k and ᴱ√tail(i)k (GL/25).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s, the word for “glass” was ᴹQ. hyelle from the root ᴹ√KHYEL(ES) “glass” with Noldorin cognate N. hele (Ety/KHYEL(ES)). In notes on Words, Phrases and Passages in the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien instead said that “there was no common Eldarin word for glass”, and that the Sindarin word for “glass” was borrowed from Khuzdul while the Quenya word was cilin (PE17/37). Tolkien’s last published word for “glass” was calca as noted above (VT47/35), which seems to be a restoration of the early root ᴱ√kail(i)k.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use calca as the main Quenya for “[clear] glass”, but would retain cilin as another word for transluscent or reflective glass.

calca

glass

calca noun "glass" (VT47:35); compare hyellë, cilin.

cilin

glass

cilin noun "glass" ("often used as in English ("often used as in English for any thing or implement made of glass") (PE17:37). Compare calca, hyellë.

cilin

noun. glass, glass [transluscent or reflective]

maril

glass, crystal

maril noun "glass, crystal" (VT46:13; if this is to be the same word as the second element of Silmaril, the stem-form would be marill-, cf. pl. Silmarilli)

sarnincë

noun. pebble

A neologism for “pebble” coined by Paul Strack in 2018 specifically for Eldamo (updated from sardincë to sarnincë in 2021), a diminutive form of Q. sar (sarn-) “stone”. There are a number of Early Qenya words for “pebble” from the 1910s and 20s, but all have various issues for adapting them to Neo-Quenya.

Quenya Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

Noldorin 

hele

noun. glass

Noldorin [Ety/KHYEL(ES)] Group: Eldamo. Published by

cenedril

noun. looking-glass, mirror

Noldorin [TI/184, RS/466] cened+rill. Group: SINDICT. Published by

Sindarin 

heledh

noun. glass

The basic Sindarin word for “glass”, a loan word from Khuzdul kheled (PE17/37; RS/466). The Eldar of Valinor invented glass independently, so the Quenya “glass” words were distinct.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. celc “glass” along with (archaic) variants G. celeg and caileg, all derived from the early root ᴱ√kail(i)k (GL/25). These apparently replaced rejected forms {talp}, {calp}, and {telc} of the same meaning (GL/69). The “glass” word became ᴱN. celch or caileg “glass” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/140).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the “glass” word became N. hele derived from the root ᴹ√KHYEL(ES) “glass” like its Quenya cognate ᴹQ. hyelle (Ety/KHYEL(ES)). In the 1930s Noldorin and Quenya were direct contact for most of their history, but this was no longer the case for Sindarin and Quenya of the 1950s and 60s. As a result, Tolkien decided that glass was an independent invention in both Valinor and Middle Earth, so that the Quenya and Sindarin words were no longer related as described above.

Sindarin [PE17/037; RS/466; SA/khelek] Group: Eldamo. Published by

heledh

noun. glass

Sindarin [S/433] Group: SINDICT. Published by

heledh

glass

heledh (i cheledh, o cheledh), pl. helidh (i chelidh) if there is a pl.

heledh

glass

(i cheledh, o cheledh), pl. helidh (i chelidh) if there is a pl.

sarneg

noun. pebble

A neologism for “pebble” coined by Paul Strack in 2021 specifically for Eldamo, a diminutive form of S. sarn “stone”.

Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

Khuzdûl

kheled

noun. glass

Khuzdûl [PE17/037; RS/466; SA/khelek] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Primitive elvish

kalak

root. glass

A root appearing in etymological notes from 1968 glossed “glass” with Quenya and Telerin derivatives Q./T. calca of the same meaning (VT47/35). It seems to be a late restoration of the much earlier root ᴱ√kail(i)k or ᴱ√tail(i)k that was the basis of “glass” words in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s; in this early period the Qenya derivatives began with t- and the Gnomish derivatives with c- [k-] (GL/25). It may also have replaced Q. cilin (< ✱√KILIN?) from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/37). Given its Quenya/Telerin derivatives, √KALAK was probably coined in Aman as was also the case with earlier Q. cilin, since the Sindarin word for “glass” is the unrelated word S. heledh borrowed from Khuzdul (PE17/37).

Primitive elvish [VT47/35] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Telerin 

calca

noun. glass


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!

Early Quenya

hyelle

noun. pebble

A word for “pebble” in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/138; PE16/144). Its etymology is unclear, and in later writings ᴹQ. hyelle was used as a word for “glass”.

Early Quenya [PE16/138; PE16/144] Group: Eldamo. Published by

talqe

noun. glass

Early Quenya [GL/25; PME/088; QL/088] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lalle

noun. pebble

A word for “pebble” the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s appearing under the root ᴱ√LALA, though Tolkien marked it with a “?” and other derivatives of the root had to do with “babble” (QL/50). This word was also mentioned in the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/50).

Early Quenya [PME/050; QL/050] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Qenya 

hyelle

noun. glass

Qenya [Ety/KHYEL(ES)] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

khyelesē

noun. glass

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/KHYEL(ES)] Group: Eldamo. Published by

khyel(es)

root. glass

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “glass” with derivatives in both Quenya and Noldorin with the same meaning: ᴹQ. hyelle and N. hele (Ety/KHYEL(ES)). After Tolkien changed Noldorin to Sindarin, he decided that “There was no common Eldarin word for glass”, and that the Sindarin word S. heledh was derived from Khuzdul kheled (PE17/37). Thus the root ᴹ√KHYEL(ES) was abandoned.

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/KHYEL(ES); EtyAC/KHYEL(ES)] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Old Noldorin 

kheleha

noun. glass

Old Noldorin [Ety/KHYEL(ES); EtyAC/KHYEL(ES)] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

celeg

noun. glass

clocthi

noun. pebble

A noun for “a pebble” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, apparently a diminutive of G. cloch “a stone” (GL/26).

talp

noun. glass

Early Noldorin

caileg

noun. glass

celch

noun. glass

Early Noldorin [PE13/140] Group: Eldamo. Published by