A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “bride” derived from the root ᴹ√NDIS (EtyAC/NDIS). It was translate “wife” in the later phrase Q. Indis i·Ciryamo “The Mariner’s Wife” (UT/8), but I think this is a loose translation and “bride” is more accurate. In The Etymologies Tolkien gave two plural forms: inderi (which might be indesi) and indissi, the latter influenced by the plural ᴹQ. nissi for “women” (EtyAC/NDIS). I’d use the stem form indiss- for this word, to avoid awkward changes of the final consonant from s to r in inflected forms.
Quenya
indis
wife
indis
noun. wife, [ᴹQ.] bride; [Q.] wife
Derivations
Element in
- Q. Erendis “?Lonely Bride”
- Q. Indis “Great Woman”
- Q. Indis i·Ciryamo “The Mariner’s Wife” ✧ UT/008
Variations
- Indis ✧ UT/008
indis
feminine name. Great Woman
The second wife of Finwë (S/64-5). Her name is said to mean “great or valiant woman” (PM/343), but it is also identical in form to indis “wife, bride”.
Conceptual Development: The name Indis appeared in several places in The Etymologies from the 1930s glossed as “Bride” (Ety/I², NDIS, NETH), but there it seems to be a name for Nessa (Ety/NĪ¹). The number and names of the wives of Finwë were unspecified in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s and 50s (LR/223, MR/175). Indis as the second wife of Finwë did not emerge until late in Tolkien’s writing (WJ/327, 383; PM/344).
Element in
- Q. Findis ✧ PM/343
Elements
Word Gloss indis “wife, [ᴹQ.] bride; [Q.] wife”
Acairis
bride
Acairis ("k") fem. name, "bride" (LT1:252; in Tolkien's later Quenya, "bride" is rather indis)
nessa
young
nessa adj. "young" (NETH), alsoNessa as name of a Valië, the spouse of Tulkas (adopted and adapted from Valarin, or an archaic Elvish formation: WJ:404 vs. 416). Also called Indis, "bride" (NETH, NI1). The fem. name Nessanië (UT:210) would seem to incorporate Nessa's name; the second element could mean "tear" (nië), but since Nessa is not normally associated with sorrow, this #nië is perhaps rather a variant of ní "female" (compare Tintanië as a variant of Tintallë).
vinya
young
vinya (1) adj. "young" (VT46:22, VT47:26, PE17:191) or "new" (cf. compounds Vinyamar, Vinyarië below; cf. also winya "new, fresh, young" in a deleted entry in the Etymologies, VT45:16; there the word was first written as vinya.) Vinya "the Young", original name of the isle of Númenor among its own people (SD:332).
veri
wife
veri noun "wife" (VT49:45)
veri
noun. wife
The most common word for “wife” in Quenya (VT49/45).
Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s appearing as ᴱQ. veri “wife” under the early root ᴱ√VEŘE [VEÐE] (QL/101), but there it was marked archaic (†). It also had a number of competing forms: archaic ᴱQ. †veruni and ᴱQ. †vesse alongside only one non-archaic form ᴱQ. vestin. One of these forms, ᴹQ. vesse, reappeared for “wife” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√BES “wed” (Ety/BES). Later veri “wife” was restored, but derived from a new root √BER for marriage words (VT49/45).
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I prefer to retain the 1930s root ᴹ√BES for marriage words in order to preserve Noldorin/Sindarin forms, but I would still use the veri for “wife”, just conceived of as a derivative of the root √BES, coming from ✱besī with intervocalic s > z > r.
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶verī > veri [berī] > [βerī] > [βeri] > [veri] ✧ VT49/45
vessë
wife
vessë noun "wife" (BES). A later source gives the word for "wife" as veri.
indis
Indis
Indis is also Quenya for "wife; bride".
nessa
Nessa
Nessa ([ˈnesːa]) is a Quenya name meaning "young".
indis noun, translated "wife" in UT:8, but the form is assigned the meaning "bride" in other places (the regular translation of "wife" is rather veri or vessë). Indis "Bride", name of the goddess Nessa. (NDIS-SĒ /SĀ (NETH, NI1, NDER, I) ); Indis Nessa *"Bride Nessa", title and name of the Valië (NETH) The stem-form of indis "bride" is somewhat obscure; according to VT45:37 the stem could be indiss- (pl. indissi given), but the alternative form pl. form inderi shows a curious shift from i to e as well as the more regular change from s (via z) to r between vowels (compare the pl. of olos, q.v.) The stem indiss- may be preferred by writers.