inya

female

inya (1) adj. "female" (INI)

inya

small

inya (2) adj. "small" (LT1:256; this "Qenya" word may be obsoleted by # 1 above)

ninya

my

ninya _possessive pron _occurring in Fíriel's Song, evidently meaning "my"; see indo-ninya. It may be derived from the dative form nin "for me" by adding the adjectival ending -ya. Compare menya, q.v.

-nya

my

-nya pronominal suffix, 1st person sg. possessive, "my" (VT49:16, 38, 48), e.g. tatanya "my daddy" (UT:191, VT48:17), meldonya "my [male] friend" (VT49:38), meldenya "my [female] friend" (Elaine inscription), omentienya "my meeting" (PE17:68), tyenya "my tye" (tye being an intimate form of "you"), used = "dear kinsman" (VT49:51, 56). This ending seems to prefer i as its connecting vowel where one is needed, cf. Anarinya "my sun" in LR:72, so also in hildinyar "my heirs". It was previously theorized by some that a final -ë would also be changed to -i- before -nya, but the example órenya "my heart [órë]" indicates that this is not the case (VT41:11).

-nya

suffix. my

Element in

• Q. amya “mummy, (orig.) my mother”
• Q. atya “daddy, (my) father”
• Q. onya “my child”

inyë

pronoun. I (emphatic)

Element in

• Q. quīlas tūleste san inye tūle “*suppose he came (he did not), then I came” ✧ PE22/140

Variations

• inye ✧ PE22/140; PE22/162; VT49/49 (inye)

pinilya

small

pinilya adj. "small" (MC:220; this is "Qenya")

cinta

small

cinta adj. "small" (PE17:157)

cinta

adjective. small

Cognates

• S. cidinn “[unglossed]” ✧ PE17/157

Derivations

• √KIT “*small” ✧ PE17/157

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√KIT > cinta	[kinta]	✧ PE17/157

nitya

small

#nitya adj. "small" (VT48:15, PM:365)

mintë

small

mintë adj. "small" (VT45:35)

mitsa

small

mitsa adj. "small" (VT45:35) Another synonym from the same source, mitra, looks unusual for a Quenya word (because of the medial cluster tr)

nincë

small

*nincë (ninci*-) ("k")adj. "small". The form is given as "ninki" with the last vowel marked as short; this is probably the etymological form that would underlie Quenya nincë. The word is said to mean "small" with "good senses"; contrast nípa**, *nimpë. (VT48:18)

níca

small

níca ("k")adj. "small". The word is said to mean "small" with "good senses"; contrast nípa, *nimpë. (VT47:26, VT48:18)

manyel

female

[manyel noun "female" (PE17:190)]

Návatar

father

Návatar noun a title of Aulë referring to his position as the immediate author of the Dwarvish race, apparently including atar "father", but the first element cannot be related to any known term for "Dwarf" (PM:391 cf. 381)

inimeitë

female

inimeitë adj.? ?"female" (INI)

atar

father

atar noun "father" (SA; WJ:402, UT:193, LT1:255, VT43:37, VT44:12). According to the Etymologies (ATA) the pl. is atari, but contrast #atári in Atanatári "Fathers of Men" (q.v.); possibly the word behaves differently when compounded. Atarinya "my father" (LR:70), atar(inya) the form a child would use addressing his or her father, also reduced to atya (VT47:26). Diminutive masc. name Atarincë ("k") "Little father", amilessë (never used in narrative) of Curufinwë = Curufin (PM:353). Átaremma, Ataremma "our Father" as the first word of the Quenya translation of the Lord's Prayer, written before Tolkien changed -mm- as the marker of 1st person pl. exclusive to -lm-; notice -e- as a connecting vowel before the ending -mma "our". In some versions of the Lord's Prayer, including the final version, the initial a of atar "father" is lengthened, producing #átar. This may be a contraction of *a atar "o Father", or the vowel may be lengthened to give special emphasis to #Átar "Father" as a religious title (VT43:13). However, in VT44:12 Atar is also a vocative form referring to God, and yet the initial vowel remains short.

atar

noun. father

atar

noun. father

The Quenya word for “father”, derived from the root √AT(AR) (PM/324; WJ/402; VT48/19).

Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. atar “father” dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, though in that document it was “a more solemn word ... usually to 1st Person of the Blessed Trinity”, as opposed to more ordinary ᴱQ. attu “father” (QL/33). In the English-Qenya Dictionary of the 1920s, ᴱQ. atar was the ordinary word for “father”, but with variant archaic form †attar (PE15/72). ᴹQ. atar “father” reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√ATA of the same meaning (Ety/ATA). It appeared again in the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s in various inflected forms (PE22/118-119). It continued to appear regularly in Tolkien’s later writings. Thus this word was established early and retained its form throughout Tolkien’s life with only minor variations.

Cognates

• S. adar “father” ✧ PM/324

Derivations

• ✶atar “father”
  • √AT(AR) “father”

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
• Q. Atanatar “Father of Men” ✧ SA/atar
• Q. atar aranya “*royal father” ✧ UT/193
• Q. Átaremma i ëa han Eä “our Father who art in Heaven” ✧ VT43/13; VT43/13; VT43/13; VT43/13; VT43/13; VT43/13; VT43/13
• Q. Atarincë “Little Father”
• Q. Atar meneldëa Eru órava (o)messë “God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/16
• Q. atartil “thumb [nursery rhymes]”
• Q. atya “daddy, (my) father”
• Q. Ilquendatar “Father of All Quendi”
• Q. Ilúvatar “Father of All” ✧ SA/atar; WJ/402
• Q. Návatar “*Dwarf-father”
• ᴺQ. atartur “patriarch, (lit.) master-father”

Variations

• atar ✧ PM/324; SA/atar; UT/193; VT43/37; WJ/402
• Atar ✧ VT44/16

atto

father, daddy

atto noun "father, daddy" (hypocoristic)(ATA, LR:49), supposedly a word in "actual 'family' use" (VT47:26), also used in children's play for "thumb" and "big toe" (VT47:10, 26, VT48:4, 6). The dual form attat listed in VT48:19 seems to be formed from the alternative form atta, though attat was changed by Tolkien from attot. - Compare atya.

inu

adjective. female

nín

adjective. my

The acute accent in nín has sometimes been regarded as an error for a slanted macron in the manuscript, since all the other attested personal adjectives from Sauron defeated all have a circumflex accent. It was however noted that if the acute accent is confirmed, then this word is probably an enclitic, see HL/73. The acute accent is now confirmed by VT/44

nín

pronoun. my

Derivations

• ✶ni “I, me”

Element in

• S. ae Adar nín i vi Menel “our Father who [art] in Heaven” ✧ VT44/22
• S. alae! ered en Echoriath, ered e·mbar nín “[?behold!] the mountains of Echoriath, the mountains of my home!” ✧ UT/040; UT/054

cidinn

adjective. small

_ adj. _small. Q. cinta.

cinnog

adjective. small

_ adj. _small. Q. cinta.

-en

suffix. my

_1st sg. poss. suff. my.See also the paradigm of poss. suff. in PE17:46. Later -nin_. >> lammen, -nin

adar

noun. father

adar

noun. father

The Sindarin word for “father”, derived from the root √AT(AR) (PM/324; VT44/21-22; VT48/19).

Conceptual Development: N. adar “father” also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√ATA of the same meaning (Ety/ATA). In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, however, G. †ador “father” was marked as archaic, and it seems {athon >>} G. nathon was the ordinary word for ”father” (GL/17, 59).

Cognates

• Q. atar “father” ✧ PM/324

Derivations

• Os. atar
  • ✶atar “father”
  • √AT(AR) “father”

Element in

• S. ae Adar nín i vi Menel “our Father who [art] in Heaven” ✧ VT44/22
• S. atheg “[little] father; thumb” ✧ VT48/17 (aderig)
• S. Edenedair “Fathers of Men”
• S. Eladar “Starfather”
• S. Iarwain Ben-adar “Oldest and Fatherless”

Variations

• Adar ✧ VT44/22

atheg

noun. "litte father"

nimp

adjective. small and frail

atheg

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

niben

adjective. small, petty

niben

adjective. little finger (Elvish play-name used by and taught to children)

mîw

tiny

(small, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form

pigen

tiny

(lenited bigen; pl. pigin)

tithen

tiny

1) tithen (lenited dithen, pl. tithin) (little), 2) mîw (small, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form; 3) pigen (lenited bigen; pl. pigin)

tithen

tiny

(lenited dithen, pl. tithin) (little)

inu

female

inu (analogical pl. iny)

inu

noun/adjective. female

Derivations

• √NĪ/INI “*female, [ᴹ√] female”

Element in

• ᴺS. inwas “feminity, womanhood”

inu

female

(analogical pl. iny)**

nín

my

nín (following a noun with article: i adar nín, ”my father”). Not to be confused with nîn ”watery, wet” or as noun ”tear”, or the pl. form of nên ”water”. In a very few attested cases, the pronoun ”my” appears as an ending -en added to a noun (lammen ”my tongue”, guren ”my heart”).

nín

my

(following a noun with article: i adar nín, ”my father”). Not to be confused with nîn ”watery, wet” or as noun ”tear”, or the pl. form of nên ”water”. – In a very few attested cases, the pronoun ”my” appears as an ending -en added to a noun (lammen ”my tongue”, guren ”my heart”).

tinu

small star

(i** dinu, o thinu; also -din at the end of compounds) (spark), analogical pl. tiny (i** thiny). Archaic tinw, so the coll. pl. is likely  tinwath.

ada

father

(pl. edai)

aew

small bird

. No distinct pl. form.

adar

father

adar (pl. edair);

adar

father

(pl. edair);

nimp

small

no distinct pl. form (VT48:18)

mîw

small

1) mîw (tiny, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form, 2) niben (petty), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger. (VT48:6) 3) SMALL (and frail) nimp, no distinct pl. form (VT48:18)

mîw

small

(tiny, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form

niben

small

(petty), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger. (VT48:6) 

glâd

small forest

(i ’lâd, construct glad) (wood), pl. glaid (in glaid).

adanadar

father of men

normally pl. Edenedair "Fathers of Men", the early Edain.

pêg

small spot

(i** bêg, construct peg) (dot), pl. pîg (i** phîg) 

hûb

small landlocked bay

(i chûb, o chûb, construct hub) (harbour, haven), pl. huib (i chuib).

nia

pronoun. my

Derivations

• ✶ni “I, me”

Element in

• T. óre nia pete nin “my heart tells me” ✧ VT41/11

atta

noun. father

Cognates

• Q. atto “daddy, father (familiar/family)” ✧ VT48/06

Element in

• T. attacë “father [diminutive]; *daddy” ✧ VT48/06

zinî

noun. female

A noun translated “female” and fully declined as an example of an (archaic) feminine Strong II noun (SD/437). The archaic form of this word is †zini which is a Strong II noun since it ends in a single short vowel. Its non-archaic form is zinî, which is presumably declined as a Weak II noun; most masculine and feminine nouns became weak in Classical Adûnaic (SD/436).

Variations

• zini ✧ SD/437 (zini)
• zinī ✧ SD/437

attô

noun. father

A noun for “father” (SD/434). Tolkien gave two forms of this word, attû and attô, with no indication as to which would be preferred. For reasons similar to those given in the entry for ammê “mother”, my guess is that attû is an archaic form, and attô was preferred by the time of Classical Adûnaic. This word is probably related to the Elvish root √AT(AR) “father”, perhaps from Primitive Elvish ᴹ✶atū.

Derivations

• √AT(AR) “father”

Variations

• attū/attō ✧ SD/434

yenā

adjective. female

Derivations

• √EYE “feminine” ✧ PE21/83

Variations

• jēnā ✧ PE21/83 (jēnā)

ninkĭ

adjective. small

Derivations

• √NIK “small” ✧ VT48/18

nik

root. small

One of various roots for “small” Tolkien used in his later writings. The root √NIK “small” first appeared in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s (VT47/26; VT48/18), but was connected to the diminutive suffix ✶-i(n)ki which had a much longer conceptual history. One of the earliest known diminutive suffix was ᴱQ. -íne(a) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s from the root ᴱ√INI “small” (QL/42), which might be a precursor to √NIK; these suffixes reappeared in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s (PE14/49, 81). In the Gnomish Grammar of the 1910s, the word G. inc “small” was used as the basis for the “diminutive superlative” -inci (PE11/16).

In the Qenya Lexicon, Tolkien connected ᴱ√INI “small” to the root ᴱ√MINI of similar meaning (QL/42, 61). There are no signs of ᴱ√MINI “small” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, but the word G. migin “little” (GL/57) hints at a (hypothetical) variant root ✱ᴱ√MIKI. Further support for ✱ᴱ√MIKI can be found in other diminutive forms in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s such as prefixal diminutive ᴱQ. mike- along adverbial ᴱQ. mike “little” (QL/48, 81), the latter appearing with the gloss “a bit” in the English-Qenya Dictionary from this period (PE15/70) along with other similar words in both the dictionary and the grammar. This ✱ᴱ√MIKI might be another precursor to √NIK. An early hint at √NIK itself might appear in the word ᴹQ. nikse “minnow, little fish” from the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s (PE21/27).

In Noldorin and Sindarin, the primary diminutive suffix became -eg, which was connected to the Common Eldarin suffix -iki elsewhere in notes on hands and fingers (VT47/14 note #21). In the notes where √NIK “small” appeared in the late 1960s, Tolkien gave the primitive diminutive as -inkĭ along with variants ikki, -iksi, -si, -ensi, -ki.

One of the main competing roots for “small” was ᴹ√PIK [see the entry for √PI(N)], itself with a lengthy conceptual history. The shift of pitya >> nitya “little” in the father name of Amrod from the late 1960s may represent a replacement of √PIK by √NIK (PM/365), but I think it is likelier the two roots coexisted with slightly different meanings, as was the case for their earlier precursors. In the notes from the late 1960s, √NIK was also contrasted with √NIP “small (usually with connotation of weakness)” (VT48/18), from which the word S. niben “petty” was derived, as in S. Nogoth Niben (WJ/388).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume √NIK meant “small” in a neutral sense, √PIK “tiny” (along with variants √PĪ and √PIN) and √NIP “small and weak”. I would use these as the major Eldarin roots for “small” words, along with a number of other more specialized roots.

Derivatives

• ✶-i(n)ki “diminutive suffix” ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18
  • Q. -incë “diminutive ending”
  • S. -eg “diminutive/singular ending”
• ✶ninkĭ “small” ✧ VT48/18
• Q. níca “little, small” ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18
• ᴺQ. nihta “piece, bit (of indeterminate size)”
• ᴺQ. nihta- “to reduce, make small”
• ᴹQ. nikse “minnow, little fish”
• Q. nitya “little”
• S. niged “little finger”
• ᴺS. nigol “mouse, (lit.) small one”
• ᴺS. nítha- “to reduce, make small”
• T. nícë “little finger”

Element in

• ✶niktil “little [finger]” ✧ VT47/26

Variations

• nik ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18

atar

noun. father

Derivations

• √AT(AR) “father”

Derivatives

• Q. atar “father”
• Os. atar
  • S. adar “father”

Variations

• atan ✧ PE21/71; PE21/83
• átar ✧ PE21/74; PE21/75; PE21/76
• atta ✧ PE21/83
• atto ✧ PE21/83

nimpĭ

adjective. small

Derivations

• √NIP “small (usually with connotation of weakness)” ✧ VT48/18

Derivatives

• S. nimp “pale, pallid, white, pale, pallid, white; small and frail, [ᴱN.] wan, sickly” ✧ VT48/18
  • S. nim “white” ✧ SA/nim

at(ar)

root. father

As the basis for “father” words, √AT and its extended form √ATAR date all the way back to Tolkien’s earliest ideas. The root itself did not explicitly appear in the Qenya or Gnomish Lexicons of the 1910s, but forms like ᴱQ. atar, G. †ador “father” indicate its presence (QL/33; GL/17). The root ᴹ√ATA “father” did appear in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives ᴹQ. atar, N. adar (Ety/ATA) and the base √AT(AR) “father” was mentioned again in late 1960s notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals (VT48/19). In this late period, the Elvish words for “father” remained Q. atar and S. adar (PM/324).

Derivatives

• Ad. attô “father”
• ✶atar “father”
  • Q. atar “father”
  • Os. atar
  • S. adar “father”
• Q. atto “daddy, father (familiar/family)” ✧ VT48/19
• Q. tata “*daddy”

Element in

• Q. atamir “heirloom”
• Q. atya “daddy, (my) father” ✧ VT48/19
• S. advir “heirloom”

Variations

• at/atar ✧ VT48/19

pigen

adjective. tiny

pigen

adjective. tiny

Derivations

• On. pikina “tiny” ✧ Ety/PIK
  • ᴹ√PIK “*tiny” ✧ Ety/PIK

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. pikina > pigen	[pikina] > [pikena] > [piken] > [pigen]	✧ Ety/PIK

inw

adjective. female

inw

noun/adjective. female

A word appearing as N. inw “female” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√INI of the same meaning, the equivalent of the Quenya adjective ᴹQ. inya but altered in form to match N. anw “male” (Ety/INI).

Conceptual Development: The word for “female” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s was G. gwinwed, an adjectival form of G. gwin “woman, female” (GL/45). In Gnomish Lexicon Slips from the 1910s the adjective for “fem[ale]” became G. gwineth based on primitive {ᴱ✶u̯eniı̯ásta >>} ᴱ✶u̯eniı̯ássa (PE13/118).

Neo-Sindarin: Many Neo-Sindarin writers adapt this word as ᴺS. inu to better fit Sindarin phonology, as suggested in HSD (HSD). It seems likely the Noldorin form was intended to be an adjective, but for purposes of Neo-Sindarin I think it is acceptable to use it as both an adjective or a noun, like its male equivalent ᴺS. anu.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. inya “female” ✧ Ety/INI

Derivations

• ᴹ√NĪ/INI “female” ✧ Ety/INI

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√INI > inw	[?]	✧ Ety/INI

mithren

adjective. small

Cognates

• ᴹQ. mitsa “small” ✧ EtyAC/MIT; EtyAC/MIT

Derivations

• ᴹ√MIT “small” ✧ EtyAC/MIT
• ᴹ✶mitra “small” ✧ EtyAC/MIT
  • ᴹ√MIT “small” ✧ EtyAC/MIT

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√MIT > mint	[minte] > [mintʰe] > [minθe] > [minθ] > [mint]	✧ EtyAC/MIT
ᴹ✶mitra > mithren	[?]	✧ EtyAC/MIT

Variations

• mint ✧ EtyAC/MIT (mint)

mîw

adjective. small, tiny, frail

ada

noun. father, daddy

adar

noun. father

adar

noun. father

Cognates

• ᴹQ. atar “father” ✧ Ety/ATA

Derivations

• ᴹ✶atar “father” ✧ Ety/ATA
  • ᴹ√ATA “father” ✧ Ety/ATA

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶atar > adar	[atar] > [adar]	✧ Ety/ATA
ᴹ✶atar > edeir > eder	[atarī] > [atari] > [eteri] > [eteir] > [edeir] > [eder]	✧ Ety/ATA