Quenya 

narta-

verb. kindle

narta- vb. "kindle" (VT45:37)

tunda-

verb. kindle

tunda- vb. "kindle" (LT1:270; rather tinta- or narta- in Tolkien's later Quenya)

turu-

verb. kindle

turu- (2) vb. "kindle" (a "Qenya" form from LT1:270; rather narta- or tinta- in LotR-style Quenya)

calta-

verb. to kindle, to kindle, [ᴹQ.] (cause to) shine, light up, [ᴱQ.] set light to

This causative verb meaning “kindle, cause to shine” was based on the root √KAL “light; shine” and had a lengthy history in Tolkien’s Elvish languages. ᴱQ. kalta- “kindle, set light to” first appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√KALA “shine golden” (QL/44), but in The Etymologies of the 1930s ᴹQ. kalta- was only glossed “shine” (Ety/KAL). However in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948 kaltā́ was given as an example of causative verbs and glossed “cause to shine, light up, or kindle (lamp etc.)” (PE22/114). In Common Eldarin: Verb Structure from the early 1950s (primitive) kalta- was glossed “cause to shine, kindle” (PE22/156). This verb also appeared in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 as an element in the adjective Q. lacaltaima “not possible to be kindled”.

tinta-

verb. to kindle, cause to spark, to kindle, cause to spark, [ᴹQ.] make to spark

A word for “to kindle, cause to spark” (MR/388; PE17/69), a causative verb form based on the root √TIN (PE17/22, 69). Its most notable use is in the name Tintallë “(Star) Kindler” for Varda.

Conceptual Development: ᴹQ. tinta- “to kindle, make to spark” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the same derivation (Ety/TIN), and the verb’s introduction probably coincided with Tolkien’s invention of Varda’s sobriquet.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d limit this verb’s use to “kindle” = “make a spark”. For “kindle” = “set on fire” I’d instead use [ᴹQ.] narta-.

Quenya [MR/388; MR/471; PE17/022; PE17/069; SA/tin] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tinta-

verb. kindle, cause to sparkle

tinta- vb. "kindle, cause to sparkle", cf. Tintallë (TIN, SA:tin, MR:388)

Tintallë

kindler

Tintallë noun "Kindler", a title of Varda who kindled the stars (TIN, Nam, RGEO:67). From tinta- "kindle, make to sparkle" (MR:388). According to PE17:69, the form "should be Tintalde", apparently because -llë was at the time the ending for plural "you" and Tintallë could be taken as meaning *"you kindle" rather than as a noun "Kindler". However, Tolkien later changed the pronominal suffix, eliminating the clash of forms while leaving Tintallë correct (after the revision, it was *tintaldë itself that would be the verb "you kindle").

-ldë

kindler

-ldë (2) feminine agental suffix. Tolkien at one point commented that Vardas title Tintallë "Kindler" should be Tintaldë because the ending -llë was rather the suffix for plural "you" (PE17:69). Since this pronominal suffix -llë was later revised to -ldë, it is now the ending of Tintaldë itself that would be potentially problematic.

Tintanië

kindler

Tintanië noun "Kindler" = Varda (TIN; Tintánië under TAN, which according to VT46:17 Tolkien interpreted both as "Star-maker" and "Star-making")

-llë

one of several suffixes indicating feminine agent

-llë (1) "one of several suffixes indicating feminine agent", as in Tintallë "kindler" vs. the verb tinta- "to kindle". In the source _(PE17:69) _Tolkien noted that -llë was little used because of the clash with the pronominal ending -llë (see #2 below), but the latter ending was later revised.

accal(a)-

verb. shine

shine (suddenly and) brilliantly, blaze

Quenya [PE 18:35, 61 PE 18:85] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

cal-

verb. shine

#cal- vb. "shine", future tense caluva ("k") "shall shine" _(UT:22 cf. 51). Compare also early "Qenya" cala- ("k")"shine" (LT1:254)_. It is possible that the verbal stem should have a final -a in later Quenya as well, since this vowel would not appear in the future tense caluva (compare valuvar as the pl. future tense of vala-, WJ:404).

calta-

verb. shine

calta- ("k")vb. "shine" (KAL)

sil-

verb. shine

sil- vb. "shine" (white), present tense síla "shines, is shining" (FG); aorist silë, pl. silir (RS:324), frequentative sisíla- (Markirya comments), future tense siluva (VT49:38), dual future siluvat (VT49:44, 45)

Noldorin 

nartha-

verb. to kindle, to kindle, *ignite, inflame, set fire to

A verb in The Etymologies of the 1930s for “kindle” given in the Noldorin-style infinitive form nartho and derived from the root ᴹ√NARTA of the same meaning (EtyAC/NARTA). This root is probably just a causative verb formation from ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire”, and thus more literally “✱make fire”. Hence I think this verb can be used in the general sense of “✱ignite, inflame, set fire to”, etc.

Noldorin [EtyAC/NARTA] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nartha-

verb. to kindle

Noldorin [VT/45:37] Group: SINDICT. Published by

síla-

verb. to shine white

Noldorin Group: SINDICT. Published by

Primitive elvish

than

root. kindle, set light to, fire, light

Tolkien used this root primarily to explain the name S. Gilthoniel “Star-kindler”. In a 1955 letter to David Masson, Tolkien gave √THAN “kindle” as the basis for the perfect participle S. thoniel “kindler”, in contrast to S. thôn < ✶stŏna (PE17/82). In Words, Phrases and Passages in the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien gave {√TON >> √TÁN >>} √THĂN/THĀN as the basis for the same name, but with the suffix S. -iel being a feminine suffix (PE17/23; MR/388).

The root √THAN from the 1950s might be a restoration of the unglossed root ᴱ√tan- from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like G. tan “firewood” and G. tantha- “set light to, kindle” (GL/69), along with other forms like G. tôn “fire (on a hearth)” and G. tortha- “scorch” (GL/71). This may be reflected in the deleted forms in the aforementioned note: {√TON >> √TÁN >>} √THĂN/THĀN.

Primitive elvish [MR/388; PE17/023; PE17/082; PE17/187] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kalta-

verb. cause to shine, kindle

Primitive elvish [PE22/129] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Sindarin 

toniel

noun. kindler

Sindarin [Gilthoniel LotR/II:I, LotR/IV:X, RGEO/72-74] Group: SINDICT. Published by

nartha

kindle

(i nartha, in narthar) (VT45:37)

nartha

kindle

nartha- (i nartha, in narthar) (VT45:37)

nethan-

verb. to inspire, kindle inside

Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

thoniel

kindler

(feminine) #thoniel (pl. thonil). Isolated from Vardas title Gilthoniel, Star-kindler.

Sindarin [Parviphith] Published by

glóren

shining with golden light

(glórin-) (golden), lenited ’lóren; pl. glórin.

silef

shining white

is listed in LR:385 s.v. SIL as the cognate of Quenya silma of this meaning, but silef is there asterisked, apparently to indicate that it only appears as part of the word Silevril ”Silmaril”. The word silef may also be used = Quenya silima (noun), the crystal substance of the Silmarils.

síla

shine white

(i híla, i sílar) Adj.

Adûnaic

nitir- Reconstructed

verb. to kindle

A verb attested only as an agental-formation in the names Gimilnitîr “Star-kindler” and gimlu-nitîr “kindler of a (particular) star” (SD/428). Thorsten Renk suggested (NBA/32) the base verb is nitir-, and this seems to me to be the likeliest possibility. Andreas Moehn instead suggested (EotAL/NIT’Y) that the verb stem may be nit-, and that the -îr is some kind of feminine agental suffix.


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 Primitive Elvish

tuðu

root. kindle

The root ᴱ√TUŘU “kindle” [TUÐU] appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with variant forms ᴱ√TUSO and ᴱ√TUSU as well as derivatives like ᴱQ. tunda- “kindle”, ᴱQ. turu “wood, properly firewood”, and ᴱQ. tusturin “match” (QL/96). The contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon had a similar primitive form tudh- with derivatives like G. tund “log for the fire”, G. tusta- “inflame, kindle, set light to, burn”, and G. tuthli “match” (GL/72). However, the Gnomish Lexicon also had words like G. drui “wood, forest” and G. duru “wood; a pole, beam, or log” (GL/31). Since initial d- &gt; t- in Early Qenya, it seems likely that ᴱ√TUŘU “kindle” may also represent a blending with an unattested root ✱ᴱ√DURU “wood”.

Many years later Tolkien gave a hypothetical root √TUD in contrasted to √TUL to illustrate certain principles of etymological variations (VT48/25). It is not clear whether this √TUD is related to earlier ᴱ√TUÐU “kindle”. Nevertheless, I think it is worth positing a Neo-Root ᴺ√TUD “firewood, kindling” to salvage Early Qenya and Gnomish words of similar meaning.

Early Primitive Elvish [GL/72; LT1A/Turuhalmë; QL/096] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tana

root. *fire, kindle

Early Primitive Elvish [GL/69; GL/71] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kṇðṇ

root. shine

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s given as ᴱ√KṆŘṆ “shine” with derivatives in both Qenya and Gnomish, such as ᴱQ. kanda- “blaze”, G. cintha- “to light, set alight”, ᴱQ. kanwa “lurid”, and G. cantha “flame” (QL/47; GL/25-26). It may be a variant of ᴱ√KṚN “✱red” (QL/48). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing.

Early Primitive Elvish [PME/047; QL/044; QL/047] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kṇřṇ

root. shine

Early Primitive Elvish Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

narta

root. kindle

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “kindle”, with derivatives ᴹQ. narta- and N. nartha- of the same meaning (EtyAC/NARTA). There is a mark above the final A that might be a partially formed macron (NARTĀ), so this “root” may just be an ordinary causative verb “✱make fire” = ᴹ√NAR + ᴹ✶-tā. The root was originally glossed “spear point, gore, triangle” with a derivative [N.] Narthas “gore”, a name that appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts but was eventually replaced by N./S. Naith “angle” (TI/244 note #50).

Middle Primitive Elvish [EtyAC/NARTA] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kal

root. shine

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/AKLA-R; Ety/AY; Ety/GAL; Ety/KAL; Ety/YŪ; EtyAC/GAL¹; EtyAC/GYEL; EtyAC/MAN; PE18/035; PE18/036; PE18/038; PE18/058; PE18/061] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gal

root. shine

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/GAL; Ety/GYEL; Ety/KAL; EtyAC/GAL¹] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

tantha-

verb. to set light to, kindle

A verb in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “set light to, kindle”, appearing under the early root ᴱ√tan-, with a variant form tanga- nearby (GL/69).

Gnomish [GL/69; LT1A/Tanyasalpë] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tusta-

verb. to inflame, kindle, set light to, burn (tr.)

A verb in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “inflame, kindle, set light to; burn, tr.” derived from primitive early root ᴱ√tudh- (GL/72), where ð became s before stops like t in Gnomish.

galtha-

verb. to kindle

A verb in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s given as {galta- >>} galtha- “kindle”, apparently a transitive or causative variant of G. gal- “shine (golden)” (GL/37).

tanga-

verb. to set light to, kindle

Early Quenya

tunda-

verb. to kindle

A verb in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “kindle” with variants tunda- and turu- (the latter marked † as archaic), appearing under the early root ᴱ√TUŘU [TUÐU] of the same meaning (QL/96).

Early Quenya [LT1A/Turuhalmë; QL/096] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kalta-

verb. to kindle, set light to

Early Quenya [QL/044] Group: Eldamo. Published by

turu-

verb. to kindle

Qenya 

narta-

verb. to kindle, to kindle, *ignite, inflame, set fire to

A verb in The Etymologies of the 1930s for “kindle” derived from the root ᴹ√NARTA of the same meaning (EtyAC/NARTA). This root is probably just a causative verb formation from ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire”, more literally “✱make fire”. Hence I think this verb can be used in the general sense of “✱ignite, inflame, set fire to”, etc.

Qenya [EtyAC/NARTA] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tinta-

verb. to kindle, make to spark

kalta-

verb. to (cause to) shine, light up, kindle (lamp etc.)

Qenya [Ety/KAL; PE22/114; PE22/117] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Primitive adûnaic

nimir

root. shine

A Primitive Adûnaic root glossed “shine” (SD/416), apparently the basis for Nimir “Elf”.

Primitive adûnaic [SD/416] Group: Eldamo. Published by