Quenya 

la

no, not

la negation "no, not" (see ); also prefix la- as in lacarë, q.v. (VT45:25)

ala

not

ala, #ála (1) imperative particle á, a combined with the negation , -la "not" to express a prohibition (VT43:22; see #1). Also with 1st person suffix -lyë (alalyë and álalyë, VT43:10, 22, VT44:8) and 1st person pl. object suffix - (alamë and álamë, "do not [do something to] us", as in ála tulya, "do not lead us", VT43:12, 22). In the essay Quendi and Eldar, negative imperatives are rather indicated by áva, q.v., but this form can well coexist with ala, #ála.

la-

prefix. not, in-, un-

Derivations

  • LA “no, not; negative; not to be”

Element in

  • Q. lacalima “not possible to be kindled (made to shine)” ✧ PE22/155
  • Q. lacaltaima “not possible to be kindled” ✧ PE22/155
  • Q. lacaraitë “impossible, *inactive; impossible”
  • Q. lacarë “not-doing, inaction”
  • ᴺQ. lacárima “not feasible, impossible”
  • Q. lacárima “not feasible, impossible” ✧ PE22/153
  • Q. lacarina “undone, undone, *unfinished” ✧ PE22/156
  • Q. lacenítë “unseeing, blind” ✧ PE22/153
  • ᴺQ. lahlaraitë “deaf, (lit.) unable to hear”
  • Q. laista “ignorance, (lit.) not-knowing” ✧ PE22/153
  • ᴺQ. lalevítë “lame”
  • Q. lamate “fasting, a fast”
  • Q. lamélima “unlovable” ✧ PE22/156
  • ᴺQ. lanéya “recently, not long ago”
  • Q. lanotoitë “innumerable”
  • ᴺQ. latanca “unsure, insecure”
  • ᴺQ. lavéla “different, dissimilar”

Variations

  • la ✧ PE22/153; PE22/153 (la)
  • ✧ PE22/156 ()
Quenya [PE22/153; PE22/155; PE22/156] Group: Eldamo. Published by

no, not

(1) adv. "no, not" (LA, VT45:25) According to VT42:33, is the stressed form, alternating with la when the negation is unstressed. In another conceptual phase of Tolkien's, had the opposite meaning "yes" (VT42:32-33), but this idea is contradicted by both earlier and later material: usually is conceived as a negation. The negation can receive tense markers and be used as a negative verb "when [another] verb is not expressed" (VT49:13), apparently where the phrase "is not" is followed by a noun or an adjective as a predicate, or where some verb is understood, as in English "I do not" (i.e. "I do not do whatever the context indicates"). With pronominal endings la- in the aorist, e.g. lanyë "I do not, am not" (etc.) (Tolkien abandoned the form lamin.) Exemplified in the sentence melin sé apa lanyë *"I love him but I do not [love] him" (another person) (VT49:15). Present tense laia, past lánë, perfect alaië, future lauva.

adverb. no, not

Derivations

  • LA “no, not; negative; not to be” ✧ PE22/153; VT42/33

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ALA > [lā]✧ PE22/153
ala > la[lā]✧ VT42/33

Variations

  • ✧ PE22/153; VT49/13
  • la ✧ PE22/154; PE22/158 (la); PE22/160; PE22/162; VT42/33; VT49/18
  • ✧ PE22/154; PE22/158; PE22/160; PE22/161; PE22/166; PE22/166; VT42/33; VT42/33
Quenya [PE22/153; PE22/154; PE22/158; PE22/160; PE22/161; PE22/162; PE22/166; VT42/33; VT49/13; VT49/18] Group: Eldamo. Published by

preposition. beyond, over, across, athwart

Changes

  • “beyond” ✧ PE17/065

Derivations

  • lā̆ “beyond” ✧ PE17/065; PE17/065
    • LAƷ “cross, pass over, go beyond” ✧ PE17/065
  • LAƷ “cross, pass over, go beyond” ✧ PE17/065; PE17/090; PE17/091

Element in

  • Q. ambela “further still beyond, far away beyond” ✧ PE17/090
  • Q. A (ná) calima lá B “A is brighter than B; (lit.) A is bright beyond B” ✧ PE17/090; PE17/090; PE17/091; VT42/32
  • Q. caitas lá i sír “it is beyond the river” ✧ PE17/065
  • Q. haila “far beyond” ✧ PE17/065
  • Q. lanna “athwart, (to a point) beyond, athwart, (to a point) beyond, *across” ✧ PE17/065; PE17/065
  • Q. núla “under [beyond]” ✧ PE17/065
  • Q. olla “over [beyond]” ✧ PE17/065
  • Q. palla “far beyond” ✧ PE17/065
  • Q. pella “beyond (boundary or limit)” ✧ PE17/065

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
lā̆ > [lā]✧ PE17/065
laŋa > [laŋa] > [laɣa] > [lā]✧ PE17/065
LAŊ > la[laŋa] > [laɣa] > [lā]✧ PE17/065
ALA/LA > [lā]✧ PE17/090
LAƷA > [laɣa] > [lā]✧ PE17/091

Variations

  • ✧ PE17/065 (); PE17/065 (); PE17/065; PE17/090; PE17/090; PE17/091; VT42/32; VT44/04
  • ✧ PE17/065; PE17/065
  • la ✧ PE17/065
Quenya [PE17/065; PE17/090; PE17/091; VT42/32; VT44/04] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ala-

not

ala- (2) negative prefix "not", "un-", reduced to al- before a vowel (VT42:33, GALA, VT45:25), though the example Alcorin would suggest that al- can sometimes appear before a consonant as well. In a deleted entry in Etym, al(a)- was defined as "not" and said to be a "pure negative" (VT45:5). In alahasta, Alamanyar, alasaila, Alcorin.

lá-

verb. to not be

Changes

  • laminlanye ✧ VT49/13

Derivations

  • lā- “to not be” ✧ PE22/153; PE22/153; VT49/13
    • LA “no, not; negative; not to be” ✧ PE22/153
  • LA “no, not; negative; not to be” ✧ PE22/156; VT42/33; VT49/13

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
> lanye[lanye]✧ PE22/153
lājā > laia[lājā] > [laijā] > [laija] > [laia]✧ PE22/153
(A)LA > lā-[lā-]✧ PE22/156
ala > [lā-]✧ VT42/33
ala > [lā-]✧ VT49/13
lājā > laia[lājā] > [laijā] > [laija] > [laia]✧ VT49/13

Variations

  • la ✧ PE22/154; VT43/22; VT49/15
  • lā- ✧ PE22/156
  • ✧ VT42/33; VT49/13; VT49/13
  • ✧ VT49/13
  • lamin ✧ VT49/13 (lamin)
Quenya [PE22/153; PE22/154; PE22/156; PE22/160; VT42/33; VT43/22; VT49/13; VT49/15] Group: Eldamo. Published by

pella

beyond

pella "beyond", apparently a postposition rather than a preposition: Andúnë pella "beyond the West", elenillor pella "from beyond the stars" (Nam, RGEO:66, Markirya) In one version of the Quenya Lord's Prayer, Tolkien used pell' (evidently an elided form of pella) as a _preposition, but this version was abandoned (VT43:13)_

han

beyond

han prep. "beyond" (compare the _postposition pella of similar meaning) (VT43:14)_

han

preposition. beyond

Derivations

  • HAN “add to, increase, enhance, enrich, honour (especially by gift); give” ✧ VT43/14

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
HAN > han[han]✧ VT43/14

il-

verb. no, *un-

il- (prefix) "no, *un-" (LA); cf. ilfirin "immortal" (vs. firin "dead"). This prefix "denotes the opposite, the reversal, i.e. more than the mere negation" (VT42:32). But il- can also mean "all, every"; see ilaurëa, ilqua, ilquen.

tar

beyond

tar (2) prep. "beyond" (FS)

tarwë

cross, crucifix

tarwë noun "cross, Crucifix" (QL:89)

opo

before, ahead, in front of

Quenya [PE 22:168] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

epë

before

epë prep. "before" ("in all relations but time", VT49:32), though the word was glossed "after" when first published (VT42:32; Bill Welden, the writer of the article in question, later presented this correction in VT44:38). The preposition can indeed express "after" when used of time, since the Eldar imagined future time (time that comes after the present) as being "before" them (VT49:12, 32); epë is in this respect a variant of apa, q.v. (Cf. VT49:22.) Compare epessë, q.v. Epë "before" may also be used in comparison (PE17:56, 57), apparently in much the same way as #2 (q.v.) (VT42:32)

before

(3) prep. "before" (of time, compare nóvo), "at back" (of spatial relationships). In other conceptual phases, Tolkien also let the word have the opposite meaning "after" (of time) or "in front" (of space). (VT49:32).

opo

before, in front of

opo prep. "before, in front of" (of spatial relationships); "after" (of time), also , po or pono, poto (VT49:12, VT44:36, evidently a variant of apa).

po

before, in front of

po, prep. "before, in front of" (of spatial relationships) "after" (of time), also opo or pono, poto- (VT49:12, 32, VT44:36; evidently a variant of apa)

ui

no

ui interjection "no" (originally an endingless negative verb in the 3rd person aorist: "it is not [so]"; see #u-). Apparently this is the word for "no" used to deny that something is true (compare , which is rather used to reject orders, or to issue negative orders). (VT49:28) Compare uito.

Sindarin 

al-

prefix. not

pref. not. >> alfirin

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:101:146] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

al-

prefix. no, not

Cognates

  • Q. al(a)- “in-, un-, not; †-less, without”

Derivations

  • LA “no, not; negative; not to be”

Element in

  • S. alfirin “immortal, (lit.) not dying; a species of flower” ✧ PE17/101
  • ᴺS. alhad “nowhere”
  • ᴺS. allu “never”
  • ᴺS. alnad “nothing”
  • ᴺS. alphen “no one, nobody”
  • ᴺS. alben “no one”

Variations

  • al- ✧ PE17/101
Sindarin [PE17/101] Group: Eldamo. Published by

baw

interjection. no, don't!

Sindarin [WJ/371] Group: SINDICT. Published by

athan

preposition. beyond

Sindarin [SD/62] Group: SINDICT. Published by

ú

prefix. no, not (negative prefix or particle)

Sindarin [WJ/369, LotR/A(v)] Group: SINDICT. Published by

no, not

also ú

no, not

-, also ú-

ú

not

(adverbial prefix) ú-, u- (followed by lenition, e.g. ú-chebin ”I do not keep”) (without). Verb

ú

not

u- (followed by lenition, e.g. ú-chebin

û

interjection. no

adv. or interj. no, not (of fact).

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:144] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

û

adverb/interjection. no, not, no, not, [G.] nor

Derivations

  • ū “primitive negative interjection” ✧ PE17/144
    • Ū “denial of fact, privation, negative element, denial of fact, privation, negative element, [ᴱ√] not” ✧ PE17/143

Element in

  • S. ú- “no, not, negative; impossible, no, not, negative; impossible; [N.] bad-” ✧ PE17/144

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ū > û[ū]✧ PE17/144
Sindarin [PE17/144] Group: Eldamo. Published by

law

adverb. not

Derivations

  • LA “no, not; negative; not to be”
Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

lae-

verb. to not be

Derivations

  • lā- “to not be”
    • LA “no, not; negative; not to be” ✧ PE22/153
Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

pelia

spread

pelia- (i belia, i pheliar)

pelia

spread

(i belia, i pheliar)

al

not

al- (prefix) as in alfirin "not-mortal", immortal.

al

not

(prefix) as in alfirin "not-mortal", immortal.

ava

will not

(i ava, in avar).

baw!

no

! (interjection expressing refusal or prohibition, not denying facts) baw! (dont!) Prefix

baw!

no

(don’t!) Prefix

said

not common

(lenited haid; no distinct pl. form) (separate, private, excluded) (VT42:20)

thar

beyond

(across, athwart, over)

athar

beyond

1) *athar (across). Suggested correction of the reading "athan" in SD:62. As prep. probably followed by soft mutation. 2) (adverbial prefix) thar- (across, athwart, over)

athar

beyond

(across). Suggested correction of the reading "athan" in SD:62. As prep. probably followed by soft mutation.

athra

cross

(verb) #athra- (isolated from the gerund athrad "crossing") (i athra, in athrar), also athrada- (traverse) (i athrada, in athradar)

athra

cross

(isolated from the gerund athrad "crossing") (i athra, in athrar), also athrada- (traverse) (i athrada, in athradar)

Telerin 

aba-

prefix. not

Cognates

  • Q. ava- “negation (refusing or forbidden)” ✧ WJ/370

Derivations

  • BĀ/ABA “refuse, forbid, prohibit, say nay (in refusal or denial), refuse, forbid, prohibit, say nay (in refusal or denial), [ᴹ√] deny; away, go away, depart” ✧ WJ/370

Element in

Variations

  • aba- ✧ WJ/371

abá

don’t

Cognates

  • Q. áva “don’t, negative imperative” ✧ WJ/371

Element in

Adûnaic

particle. don’t

A particle glossed “don’t” in the phrase bâ kitabdahê “Don’t touch me!”. It may be a derivative of the Elvish root ᴹ√AB “refuse, deny, say no”, as suggested by Helge Fauskanger (AL/Adûnaic). Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne suggested (VSH/25, AAD/13) it is an example of the optative mood mentioned by Tolkien SD/439, where “optative” is an expression of a desire or wish. If so, it expresses a negative wish. A positive wish might be expressed by the particle du.

Cognates

  • Q. “will not, do not, shall not”
  • S. baw “no, do not!”
  • T. “I will not, Do not!”

Derivations

  • BĀ/ABA “refuse, forbid, prohibit, say nay (in refusal or denial), refuse, forbid, prohibit, say nay (in refusal or denial), [ᴹ√] deny; away, go away, depart”

Element in

Variations

  • ✧ SD/250

Primitive elvish

la

root. no, not; negative; not to be

An invertible root, √LA or √ALA, used for negation. Its earliest iteration was as the primitive negative prefix ᴱ✶ḷ- from the 1910s (GL/50; PE12/11; QL/97). Its first appearance as ᴹ√LA “no, not” was in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/LA), and it regularly appeared in documents from the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Tolkien then abandoned this form of negation in 1959 (PE17/143), but restored it again around 1969 (PE22/160) only to abandon it again shortly after (VT44/4). For a full history of Tolkien’s shifting conceptions of negation in Elvish, see the Quenya entry on the negative.

Derivatives

  • lā- “to not be” ✧ PE22/153
    • Q. lá- “to not be” ✧ PE22/153; PE22/153; VT49/13
    • ᴺS. lae- “to not be”
  • Q. al(a)- “in-, un-, not; †-less, without” ✧ PE22/153; VT42/33
  • Q. ala- “to deny”
  • Q. la- “not, in-, un-”
  • Q. lá- “to not be” ✧ PE22/156; VT42/33; VT49/13
  • Q. “no, not” ✧ PE22/153; VT42/33
  • ᴺQ. lana “no, not any, not (a); none”
  • S. al- “no, not”
  • ᴺS. lad “nothing, zero”
  • ᴺS. law “not”

Variations

  • AL ✧ PE17/143 (AL); PE17/146; PE22/140
  • al ✧ PE18/088; PE22/140; VT42/32 (al)
  • la ✧ PE18/088; VT42/32 (la)
  • ✧ PE22/140
  • ✧ PE22/153
  • ALA ✧ PE22/153
  • (A)LA ✧ PE22/156
  • ala ✧ VT42/33; VT49/13
  • al/la ✧ VT48/25
Primitive elvish [PE17/143; PE17/146; PE17/158; PE18/084; PE18/088; PE22/140; PE22/153; PE22/156; VT42/32; VT42/33; VT48/25; VT49/13] Group: Eldamo. Published by

root. interjection of pleasure/assent

A root appearing in 1959 notes as a variant of √AL(A) “good” with a single derivative: Q. or alá “yes” (PE17/158). A possible precursor is the rejected root ᴹ√LAƷ from The Etymologies of the 1930s, unglossed but with one derivative ᴹQ. whose gloss is difficult to read by might be “please” (EtyAC/LAƷ). I recommend against using this root for purposes of Neo-Eldarin, as it is easily confused with the negative root √LA.

Derivations

  • AL(A) “good (physically), blessed, fortunate, prosperous, health(y)”

Derivatives

  • Q. (a)lá “yes” ✧ PE17/158; VT42/33

Variations

  • ✧ VT42/33
Primitive elvish [PE17/158; VT42/33] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lā̆

preposition/adverb. beyond

Derivations

  • LAƷ “cross, pass over, go beyond” ✧ PE17/065

Derivatives

  • Q. “beyond, over, across, athwart” ✧ PE17/065; PE17/065

Element in

  • orlā “over” ✧ PE17/065
  • pelola “beyond (the boundary)” ✧ PE17/065

Variations

  • laŋa ✧ PE17/065
Primitive elvish [PE17/065] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ala

root. no, not; negative; not to be

lā-

verb. to not be

Derivations

  • LA “no, not; negative; not to be” ✧ PE22/153

Derivatives

  • Q. lá- “to not be” ✧ PE22/153; PE22/153; VT49/13
  • ᴺS. lae- “to not be”

Element in

Variations

  • la ✧ PE22/140
  • ✧ PE22/153
Primitive elvish [PE22/140; PE22/153; VT49/13] Group: Eldamo. Published by

laʒ

root. cross, pass over, go beyond

Tolkien considered several similar roots for the Elvish words “neck”, “throat” and “beyond”.

In The Etymologies, the words for “throat” were ᴹQ. lanko and N. lhanc from the root ᴹ√LAK with nasal-infixion (Ety/LAK, Ety/TARAG). The Noldorin form also appeared as an element in the adjective N. tarlanc “stiff-necked, obstinate”. In The Lord of the Rings, it seems that this last word had shifted to S. tarlang, as in the place name Tarlang (LotR/790). The earlier words reappeared as S. lang and Q. lango “neck, passage”, whose roots were either √LAG (PE17/65) or √LAƷA (PE17/91-92).

Tolkien also established the word Q. as the Quenya element meaning “beyond”, most notably in the preposition pella (the Namárië poem, LotR/377), whose literal meaning was “beyond the border”. There is an early hint of this sense in The Etymologies in the root ᴹ√, unglossed but said to be related to the “ablative element” ᴹ√ (EtyAC/LŌ). Other possible precursors are ᴱ√ALA “spread” and related ᴱ√LAHA or ᴱ√ from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/29, 32, 50).

In notes from 1965, Tolkien stated that the root of “beyond” was √LAŊ, distinct from the root √LAG of lango (PE17/65). But in notes from 1967, Tolkien briefly considered using the root √ALA/LA for “beyond” (PE17/90), but quickly changed it to √LAƷA “cross, pass over, go beyond” (PE17/91-92), the same as the root of Q. lango “neck” as noted above. This leaves us with two scenarios: that lango “neck” and “beyond” had distinct origins from the roots √LAG and √LAÑ respectively (1965: PE17/65), or that lango “neck” and “beyond” had the same origin in the root √LAƷ “cross, pass over, go beyond” (1967: PE17/91-92).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin I prefer the 1967 scenario with the root √LAƷA “cross, pass over, go beyond”, and would assume “neck” is based on the sense “passage”, since it frees up the root √LAG to retain its meaning from The Etymologies: ᴹ√LAG “✱cut” (Ety/LAG). For “throat” words, see the discusssion in the entry for ᴹ√LAK.

Derivatives

  • lā̆ “beyond” ✧ PE17/065
    • Q. “beyond, over, across, athwart” ✧ PE17/065; PE17/065
  • langa ✧ PE17/091
    • Q. langë “surpassingly, superlatively, extremely” ✧ PE17/091
  • langō “route or connection between to places; neck” ✧ PE17/091
    • Q. lango “neck, neck, [ᴹQ.] throat” ✧ PE17/092
    • S. lang “passage; neck, passage; neck, *throat” ✧ PE17/092
  • lañna “athwart” ✧ PE17/065
    • Q. lanna “athwart, (to a point) beyond, athwart, (to a point) beyond, *across” ✧ PE17/065
  • Q. “beyond, over, across, athwart” ✧ PE17/065; PE17/090; PE17/091
  • Q. lahta- “to cross, pass over, go over; to surpass, excel” ✧ PE17/065; PE17/092
  • Q. lan “*while”
  • Q. langa “thing that crosses, ferry, ford, crossway, bridge, cross-bar” ✧ PE17/065
  • Q. lango “neck, neck, [ᴹQ.] throat” ✧ PE17/065
  • Q. lanna “athwart, (to a point) beyond, athwart, (to a point) beyond, *across” ✧ PE17/065
  • ᴺS. lo “while”

Element in

  • ᴺQ. lancanta- “to transform, turn into (trans.)”
  • ᴺQ. lanquet- “to converse, debate, *discuss”
  • ᴺQ. lanquetta “conversation, debate, interchange of words”
  • ᴺQ. lanquinga “crossbow”
  • Q. pella “beyond (boundary or limit)” ✧ PE17/090

Variations

  • LAŊ ✧ PE17/065; PE17/159
  • LAG ✧ PE17/065; PE17/159
  • ALA/LA ✧ PE17/090; PE17/146
  • LAƷA ✧ PE17/091; PE17/092; PE17/159
  • LA ✧ PE17/158
Primitive elvish [PE17/065; PE17/090; PE17/091; PE17/092; PE17/146; PE17/158; PE17/159] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

pelia-

verb. to spread

Noldorin [Ety/380] Group: SINDICT. Published by

al-

prefix. no, not

Noldorin [Ety/367] Group: SINDICT. Published by

al-

prefix. no, not

@@@ the phrase “the only place in Noldorin where the primitive prefix is preserved” was deleted (EtyAC/AR²)

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. il- “no, not” ✧ Ety/LA

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶al “without”
    • ᴹ√LA “no, not; to be not” ✧ Ety/AR²
  • ᴹ✶la- “no, not, negative prefix” ✧ Ety/LA
    • ᴹ√LA “no, not; to be not” ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA

Element in

  • N. Alchorin “Not-of-Kôr” ✧ Ety/LA

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶la- > al[la-] > [al-]✧ Ety/LA

Variations

  • al ✧ Ety/LA

athan

preposition. beyond

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
ath-“on both sides, across”

athrada-

verb. to cross, traverse

Noldorin [Ety/383] ath-+rada-. Group: SINDICT. Published by

interjection. no

Derivations

  • ᴹ√ “no, not” ✧ Ety/MŪ

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ > [mū]✧ Ety/MŪ
Noldorin [EtyAC/MŪ] 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 

adverb. no, not

Derivations

  • ᴹ√LA “no, not; to be not” ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√LA > [lā]✧ Ety/LA

Variations

  • ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA ()
  • lala ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA (lala)
  • la ✧ PE22/119; PE22/120; PE22/122
Qenya [Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA; PE22/119; PE22/120; PE22/122] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lala

adverb. no, not

lá-

verb. to not be

Derivations

  • ᴹ√LA “no, not; to be not” ✧ PE22/126

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ > [lā-]✧ PE22/126

Variations

  • la ✧ PE22/121; PE22/126; PE22/127
  • ✧ PE22/126
Qenya [PE22/106; PE22/119; PE22/121; PE22/126; PE22/127] Group: Eldamo. Published by

il-

prefix. no, not

Cognates

  • N. al- “no, not” ✧ Ety/LA

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶la- “no, not, negative prefix” ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA
    • ᴹ√LA “no, not; to be not” ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA

Element in

  • ᴹQ. ilfirin “immortal”
  • ᴹQ. Ilkorin “Not of Kôr” ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA (Ilkorin)

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶la- > il[ḷ-] > [il-]✧ Ety/LA
ᴹ✶la > > > il[ḷ-] > [il-]✧ EtyAC/LA

Variations

  • il ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA (il)
Qenya [Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

la

root. no, not; to be not

Derivatives

  • ᴹ✶al “without” ✧ Ety/AR²
    • N. al- “no, not”
  • ᴹ✶la- “no, not, negative prefix” ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA
    • ᴹQ. al(a)- “not, negative prefix” ✧ PE19/056
    • ᴹQ. il- “no, not” ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA
    • N. al- “no, not” ✧ Ety/LA
  • ᴹQ. al(a)- “not, negative prefix” ✧ EtyAC/ALA; EtyAC/LA
  • ᴹQ. lá- “to not be” ✧ PE22/126
  • ᴹQ. “no, not” ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA
  • ᴹQ. lala- “to deny” ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA

Element in

  • ᴹQ. [[mq|laqe[t]-]] “[unglossed]” ✧ EtyAC/LA (laqe[t])

Variations

  • ALA ✧ EtyAC/ALA (ALA); EtyAC/LA (ALA); EtyAC/LA (ALA); PE22/126
  • ✧ EtyAC/ALA (); PE22/126
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/AR²; Ety/LA; EtyAC/ALA; EtyAC/LA; PE18/060; PE22/126] Group: Eldamo. Published by

root.

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

ala

root. no, not; to be not

Middle Primitive Elvish Group: Eldamo. Published by

la-

prefix. no, not, negative prefix

Derivations

  • ᴹ√LA “no, not; to be not” ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. al(a)- “not, negative prefix” ✧ PE19/056
  • ᴹQ. il- “no, not” ✧ Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA
  • N. al- “no, not” ✧ Ety/LA

Element in

  • N. Alchorin “Not-of-Kôr” ✧ EtyAC/LA (Alchoron)

Variations

  • ✧ Ety/LA
  • l ✧ EtyAC/LA
  • la ✧ EtyAC/LA (la)
  • ✧ PE19/056
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/LA; EtyAC/LA; PE19/056] Group: Eldamo. Published by

pat

root. *open, [ᴱ√] open, wide, spreading

An unglossed root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. panta- “to unfurl, spread out, open” and N. panna- “to open, enlarge”, along with ᴹQ. panta “open” and N. pann “wide” (Ety/PAT). It seems to be a later iteration of ᴱ√PATA² or ᴱ√PṆTṆ from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “open, spread out, show” with very similar derivatives like ᴱQ. panta “open, wide, spreading” and ᴱQ. panta- “open, unfold, spread” (QL/72). In Tolkien’s later writings, ✱√PAT seems to mean “step” or “walk”; see that entry for details.

Neo-Eldarin: Despite the later shift in meaning for √PAT, I think this earlier sense “open (wide)” can be salvaged by assuming that form of the root is actually ✱√PANAT or ✱√PANTA, which is consistent with most of its derivatives. For the non-verbal senses of “open”, I think √LAT is generally better.

Derivatives

  • ᴹ✶pantā “open” ✧ Ety/PAT
    • ᴹQ. panta “open, open, [ᴱQ.] wide, spreading” ✧ Ety/PAT
  • ᴹ✶patnā “wide” ✧ Ety/PAT
    • N. pann “wide” ✧ Ety/PAT
  • ᴺQ. patil “key”
  • ᴹQ. panta- “to unfurl, spread out, open” ✧ Ety/PAT
  • ᴺS. padol “key”
  • N. panna- “to open, enlarge” ✧ Ety/PAT
  • ᴺS. patha- “to reveal, show”
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/PAT; EtyAC/PATH] Group: Eldamo. Published by

root. no, not

Changes

  • GŪ/GUMU ✧ Ety/GŪ

Derivatives

  • ᴹ✶gū̆- “no, not” ✧ Ety/GŪ
    • ᴹQ. ú- “not, un-, in-” ✧ Ety/GŪ; Ety/UGU
    • N. ú- “un, bad-” ✧ Ety/UGU
  • ᴹ√UMU “negative stems” ✧ Ety/UGU; Ety/GŪ
    • ᴹ✶gū̆- “no, not” ✧ Ety/UGU
    • ᴹQ. ú- “not, un-, in-” ✧ Ety/GŪ; Ety/UGU
    • N. ú- “un, bad-” ✧ Ety/UGU
    • ᴹQ. um- “to not be, to not do” ✧ Ety/LA; Ety/UGU
    • ᴹQ. úmea “evil” ✧ EtyAC/UGU
    • ᴺS. ummas “evil”
  • ᴹQ. ú- “not, un-, in-” ✧ EtyAC/ƷŪ
  • ᴹQ. um- “to not be, to not do” ✧ EtyAC/ƷŪ
  • N. “no” ✧ Ety/MŪ

Element in

  • ᴹ√UMU “negative stems” ✧ Ety/UGU; Ety/UGU

Variations

  • ✧ Ety/MŪ; Ety/UGU
  • GŪ/GUMU ✧ EtyAC/GŪ (GŪ/GUMU)
  • ƷŪ ✧ EtyAC/ƷŪ (ƷŪ)
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/GŪ; Ety/MŪ; Ety/UGU; EtyAC/GŪ; EtyAC/ƷŪ] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gū̆-

interjection. no, not

Derivations

  • ᴹ√ “no, not” ✧ Ety/GŪ
  • ᴹ√UMU “negative stems” ✧ Ety/UGU
    • ᴹ√ “no, not” ✧ Ety/UGU; Ety/GŪ

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. ú- “not, un-, in-” ✧ Ety/GŪ; Ety/UGU
  • N. ú- “un, bad-” ✧ Ety/UGU

Variations

  • ugu/gū ✧ Ety/UGU
  • gū- ✧ EtyAC/GŪ
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/GŪ; Ety/UGU; EtyAC/GŪ] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

root. spread‽

Early Primitive Elvish Group: Eldamo. Published by

ala

root. spread‽

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “spread”, though Tolkien marked the gloss with a question mark (QL/29). Its most notable derivative was ᴱQ. alda “tree”, and the Gnomish cognates of this word likewise began with a. In later writings, Tolkien gave a new etymology for this Quenya word from the root ᴹ√GALAD with Sindarin/Noldorin cognate galadh (Ety/GALAD; Let/426). The basic sense of the early root ᴱ√ALA² “spread” may have evolved into the later root √GAL “grow, flourish”.

Derivatives

  • ᴹ✶ala- “very”
  • ᴱ✶alassē
  • ᴱ✶alda
    • G. âl “wood (material)” ✧ PE13/109
  • ᴱ✶aldamǝ
    • G. alan “shoulder” ✧ PE13/109; PE13/109
  • ᴱ✶alwa “*lofty”
    • Eq. alva “?lofty”
    • G. alw(eg) “lofty (of living things, trees, men)” ✧ PE13/109
  • ᴱ✶alyan-
    • G. eilian “branch” ✧ PE13/113
  • ᴱ✶alđam-
    • En. alm “back (from shoulder [to shoulder]), back (from shoulder to shoulder), [G.] shoulders”
    • G. alm “back (from shoulder to shoulder), shoulders” ✧ GL/19; LT2A/Egalmoth; PE13/109
  • ᴱ✶ʒaldá “wide, broad”
    • Eq. halda “wide, broad” ✧ PE13/136; PE13/144
    • En. gall “wide, broad” ✧ PE13/136; PE13/144
  • Eq. ala- “?to grow”
  • Eq. ala “beyond, after; before”
  • Eq. alda “tree, branch” ✧ LT1A/Aldaron; QL/029
  • Eq. almo “shoulder(s), back” ✧ QL/029
  • Eq. alalme “elm (tree)” ✧ LT1A/Aldaron; QL/029
  • Eq. ala “wing”
  • Eq. aldare “wood”
  • G. lalm “elm, elm-wood” ✧ LT1A/Aldaron
  • G. Aldor ✧ LT1A/Aldaron
  • G. ôl “forearm; bough”
  • G. âl “wood (material)” ✧ LT1A/Aldaron

Element in

Variations

  • ALA ✧ LT1A/Aldaron; QL/032
Early Primitive Elvish [LT1A/Aldaron; QL/029; QL/032] Group: Eldamo. Published by

laha

root. *open, extend

Derivatives

  • Eq. “moor, heath, open space” ✧ QL/050
  • Eq. la “before; than”
  • Eq. lahta- “‽” ✧ QL/050
  • Eq. láta- “to spread, extend, lie (of country)” ✧ QL/050
  • Eq. latsina “level, smooth” ✧ QL/050
  • G. “space, room, place”
  • G. ladin “level, smooth; fair, equitable” ✧ QL/050

Variations

  • LĀHA ✧ QL/029
  • ✧ QL/032
  • LA’A ✧ QL/050
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/029; QL/032; QL/050] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ū

root. not

Derivatives

  • G. untha “no, none”
  • G. u- “negative prefix”
  • G. û- “not to be, not to do”
  • G. u “no, not, nor”
  • G. ug- “negative verb”
  • G. ub “no, none”
  • G. unt “nothing”

Element in

  • ᴱ√UMU “*negative” ✧ QL/098

Variations

  • Ū- ✧ QL/096
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/096; QL/098] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

la

preposition. before; than

Derivations

  • ᴱ√LAHA “*open, extend”

Element in

Early Quenya [PE14/048; PE14/081; PE15/70; PE15/78] Group: Eldamo. Published by

noun. moor, heath, open space

A noun in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s given as “open space, moor, heath” and derived from the root ᴱ√LAHA (QL/50). It also appeared in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa with the gloss “moor, heath” (PME/50).

Cognates

  • G. “space, room, place”

Derivations

  • ᴱ√LAHA “*open, extend” ✧ QL/050

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√LAHA > [laxa] > [laɣa] > [lā]✧ QL/050

Variations

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