land

adjective. wide, broad, wide, broad; [N.] open space, level

land

adjective. wide, broad

land

adjective. open space, level

lad

noun. plain, valley

landroval

masculine name. Broad Winged

One of the great eagles (LotR/948), translated “Broad Winged” (PE17/63, 101), a combination of land “broad” and roval “winged”.

Conceptual Development: This character first appeared as N. Lhandroval “Wide-winged” in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/301). The character was still named Lhandroval in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, but this was eventually revised to Landroval (SD/50 note #3).

Landroval

noun. wide wing

land (“wide, broad”) + roval (“great wing”)

Landroval

noun. 'Broad winged'

prop. n. 'Broad winged'. >> raw, rov-, roval

iand

adjective. wide

lann

adjective. wide, broad

gland

noun. boundary

land

space

(open space) land (level), pl. laind, coll. pl. lannath. Also used as adj. ”wide, plain”.

land

level

land (open space), pl. laind, coll. pl. lannath. Also used as adj. ”wide, plain”.

land

open space

land (level), pl. laind. Also used as adj. ”wide, plain”.

land

open space

land (construct lan, pl. laind) (level), also used as adjective ”wide, plain”.

land

open space

(construct lan, pl. laind) (level), also used as adjective ”wide, plain”.

land

wide

(plain), pl. laind. Also used as noun ”open space, level”.

land

space

(level), pl. laind, coll. pl. lannath. Also used as adj. ”wide, plain”.

land

level

(open space), pl. laind, coll. pl. lannath. Also used as adj. ”wide, plain”.

land

open space

(level), pl. laind. Also used as adj. ”wide, plain”.

dôr

noun. land, land, [N.] region where certain people live, [ᴱN.] country; [G.] people of the land

Landroval

Landroval

Landroval is a Sindarin name meaning "broad winged", containing the element roval ("wing").

balannor

place name. Land of the Valar

Sindarin cognate of Q. Valinórë (PE17/26), a compound of BAL “power” (basis for S. Balan “Vala”) with S. dôr “land”.

Conceptual Development: The first cognates of ᴱQ. Valinor appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s: (rejected) G. Dor Banion and G. Gwalien (GL/21, LT2A/Valar). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, the cognate was N. Balannor (Ety/BAL), and this is the source of the derivation given above.

In a letter from 1972, Tolkien stated that Belain (plural of Balan) was not a word in Sindarin (Let/427). Furthermore, in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, he changed the Sindarin name for the “Annals of Valinor” from N. Inias Valannor to S. Ínias Dor-Rodyn (MR/200). It is possible that Tolkien decided that the normal Sindarin word for the Vala was S. Rodon, so that S. Dor-Rodyn was the equivalent of Valinor.

dor-cúarthol

place name. Land of Bow and Helm

The region where Túrin and Beleg campaigned against Morgoth, translated “Land of Bow and Helm” (S/205), a combination dôr “land”, cû “bow”, a variant ar of a “and” with thôl “helm” (SA/cú, thôl).

dor-na-daerachas

place name. Land of Great Dread

A proposed replacement name for Dor Daedeloth in very late notes from 1971 that Tolkien made to The Lord of the Rings maps (WJ/187), translated “Land of Great Dread” (WJ/183). The first few elements seem to be dôr “land”, na(n) “of” and daer “great”. This means the final element achas (perhaps lented from ✱gachas) must mean “dread”, but there are no other clear equivalents to this word in Tolkien’s writing. In a Discord chat from 2022-10-17, Röandil proposed the first element might instead by dae (still meaning “great”), and that the second element rachas might be related to Q. raxë “danger”.

dor-nu-fauglith

place name. Land under Choking Ash

Another name for Anfauglith (S/153), translated “Land under Choking Ash” (WJ/239-240). This name is a combination of dôr “land”, nu “under”, faug “thirsty” and lith “ash” (SA/faug, lith).

Conceptual Development: In the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s, this name was first writen G. Dor na Maiglos, soon revised to ᴱN. Dor-na-Fauglith with na “of” instead of nu “under” (LB/49). In the Lays, this name was translated as “Thirsty Plain” or “Land of Thirst” (LB/39, 275). The name N. Dor-na-Fauglith was retained in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, variously translated as “Plain of Thirst”, “Land of Gasping Thirst” and “Land of Thirst” (SM/26, LR/132, LR/280). In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, Tolkien revised the name to Dor-no-Fauglith >> Dor-nu-Fauglith, and modified the translation to “Land under Choking Ash” (WJ/239-240).

dor-rodyn

place name. *Land of the Valar

A Sindarin name for Q. Valinórë (MR/200). This name is a combination of dôr “land” and the plural Rodyn of Rodon “Vala”, also seen in the Sindarin name for the last day of the Elvish week: Rodyn (LotR/1110). This name may have replaced the earlier name Balannor; see that entry for discussion.

dor caranthir

place name. Land of Caranthir

The realm of Caranthir in Beleriand (S/124), a combination of dôr “land” with his name.

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name first appeared as N. Dor Granthir (LR/265), using the earlier form of his name N. Cranthir, undergoing soft mutation according to the earlier rules of Noldorin, in which both nouns and adjectives are lenited in this position, not just adjectives as in Sindarin.

dor daedeloth

place name. Land of Great Dread; Land of Shadow of Horror

The land of Morgoth (S/127), translated “Land of Great Dread” (WJ/183), a combination of dôr “land”, a form of daer “great” and deloth “abhorrence, detestation, loathing” (SA/del, WJ/187).

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, this name first appeared as G. Ladwen-na-Dhaideloth “Heath of the Sky-roof” (LT2/287), revised to G. Dor-na-Dhaideloth of similar meaning (LT2A/Dor-na-Dhaideloth, LT2/287). In the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s, Tolkien revised the meaning of last element of ᴱN. Dor-na-Dhaideloth to “[Land of the] High Plain” (LB/49).

In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, it generally appeared as N. Dor-Daideloth (SM/269, LR/250) or Dor-Daedeloth (LR/120, LR/256). At this time the name was usually glossed “Land of Dread”, but this was only accurate as a translation of its shorter variant Dor-Deloth (LR/405, WJ/183), which was also translated as “Loathly Land” in The Etymologies (Ety/DYEL). In one place in this period the name appeared as Dor-na-Daideloth “Land of the Shadow of Dread” (LR/405), a better indication of its full meaning. In The Etymologies from the 1930s, there was a word N. dae “shadow”, which appeared as an element in the variant name N. Daedhelos “Shadow of Fear” (Ety/DAY). These factors are probably the source of Christopher Tolkien’s translation in the Silmarillion Index: “Land of Shadow of Horror” (SI/Dor Daedeloth, SA/dae).

However, in revisions to the Silmarillion map from 1950s, J.R.R. Tolkien translated S. Dor Dae-deloth as “Land of Great Dread” (WJ/183), and later still considered changing the name to S. Dor-na-Daerachas of the same meaning (WJ/187). This indicates that he altered the sense of the element dae from “shadow” to “great”, though exactly when he did so is difficult to pin down.

doriath

place name. Land of the Fence

The land ruled by Thingol and Melian, so called because it was protected by the Girdle of Melian (S/97). This name was translated “Land of the Girdle” (S/97) or more literally “Land of the Fence” (WJ/370), and was a combination of dôr “land” and iath “fence” (SA/dôr, iâth).

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, this land was first called G. Dor Athro “Land Beyond” (LT2A/Artanor), revised to G. Doriath (LT2/41), the form it retained thereafter. In The Etymologies from the 1930s, N. Doriath was translated “Land of the Cave”, with the second element being a lenited form of N. gath “cavern” (Ety/GAT(H)). The association of the name with the Girdle of Melian first appeared in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (WJ/16).

dorthonion

place name. Land of Pines

A forested region in northern Beleriand, meaning “Land of Pines”. After its corruption by the forces of Morgoth, the region was renamed to Taur-nu-Fuin.

Possibly Etymology: The name contains the elements S. dôr “land” and thôn “pine”, but its final element -ion is harder to explain. It could be the suffix -ion “-land” appearing in names like Eregion and Rhovanion, but then both the first and final elements of Dorthonion would mean “land”, which seems unlikely.

In one note (PE17/81), Tolkien said that this word was “Sindarin Noldorized”, so perhaps the final element is the Quenya genitive plural -ion, so that -thonion is Quenyarized Sindarin for “of Pines”. In the same note, Tolkien gives Dor i Thuin, apparently as the proper Sindarin name of the region. Since Dorthonion is where many Noldor settled after their arrival in Beleriand, this scenario is plausible.

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the early 1930s, this name first appeared as Taur Danin (SM/107), later revised to Taur-na-Danion “Forest of Pines” (SM/296, LR/145) with variants -Thanion, -Donion, -Thonion. It became Dorthanion >> Dorthonion in Silmarillion drafts from the mid-1930s (LR/145, 257), the last of these forms being used thereafter.

In The Etymologies, Tolkien specified that the name was from the Ilkorin language, Ilk. Dorthonion “Land of Pines”, while its Noldorin form was N. Dor-na-Thuin (Ety/THŌN). Since the Ilkorin language also used -(i)on for is genitive plural, this is an earlier parallel of the Quenyarized Dorthonion versus proper Sindarin Dor i Thuin discussed above.

dorwinion

place name. Young-land country, land of Gwinion

A name applied to various places in the legendarium: a Southern land of wines in the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s (LB/11), the land that produced the wines of the Elven-king in the Hobbit, and finally a region near the sea of Rhûn in the Pauline-Barnes map of Middle-earth (LB/26), all of which may be the same place, conceptually. It was also named as a region in Avallon (Tol Eressea) in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/334, 338). In his Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (WPP) from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien translated the name as “Young-land country, land of Gwinion” (PE17/54), a combination of dôr “country” and Gwinion “Young-land”.

eglador

place name. Land of the Eglir (Forsaken)

A name for region of Beleriand where the people of Círdan dwelled (WJ/379). This name is effectively a combination of the prefixal form Egla- of Eglan “Forsaken (Elf)” and dôr “land”, derived from ancient ✶etlā-ndŏrē (VT42/4).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies from the 1930s, the Ilkorin name Eglador appeared as a name for Doriath translated “Land of the Elves” (Ety/AR², ELED, GAT(H)). This earlier name was derived from the Ilkorin word for “Elf”: Ilk. Egla. After Tolkien abandoned the Ilkorin language, the name reappeared in his Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60, with the revised meaning given above (WJ/379).

@@@ revised etymology

gondor

place name. Stone-land

Southern kingdom of the Dúnedain (LotR/242), a combination of gond “stone” and dôr “land” (SA/gond, dôr).

Conceptual Development: This land was first mentioned as ᴹQ. Ondor in the 1930s in drafts of the tale of the Fall of Númenor (LR/33). While this name could be Noldorin, linguistic notes from the 1940s indicate it was Quenya (PE22/125). In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, it first appeared as ᴹQ. Ond (R/381), revised to Ondor (TI/146) and finally Gondor (TI/423).

ithilien

place name. Land of the Moon

Region of Gondor containing Minas Ithil (LotR/1115) translated “Land of the Moon” (RC/233). This name is a combination of Ithil “moon” and the plural form of the suffix -ian(d) “land” (SA/sil, PE17/42).

Conceptual Development: This name was already N. Ithilien when it first appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (TI/318, WR/133).

ossiriand

place name. Land of Seven Rivers

A region in eastern Beleriand translated Ossiriand glossed “Land of Seven Rivers” (S/94), a reduction of primitive otoso “seven” combined with sîr “river” and the suffix -ian(d) “-land” (RC/384).

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name first appeared as Assariad (SM/133) and on early maps as Ossiriath “of the Seven Rivers” (SM/233), but was soon revised to N. Ossiriand “Land of Seven Streams” (SM/116), the form it retained thereafter. Later in the 1930s its gloss was changed to “Land of Seven Rivers” (LR/128).

nan-tathren

place name. Land of Willows, (lit.) Willow-vale

Land where the river Narog met the river Sirion, translated “Land of Willows” (S/120). It is a combination of nan(d) “valley” and the adjective tathren “of willow” (SA/nan(d), tathar).

Conceptual Development: This name appears as G. Nantathrin with an i in the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s, and as G. Nan Tathrin in Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s (LB/61). It also appeared as N. Nan-Tathrin in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, at one place translated “Valley of Willows” (SM/35) but generally translated “Land of Willows” (SM/141, LR/126). Later in the 1930s Tolkien revised the name to N. Nan-tathren with an e (LR/145), a form that also appeared in The Etymologies with the same derivation as given above (Ety/NAD, TATHAR).

dor firn-i-guinar

place name. Land of the Dead that Live

Home of Beren and Lúthien after their return to life, translated “Land of the Dead that Live” (S/188). This name is a combination of dôr “land”, the plural firn of fern “dead”, the relative pronoun i “who” and the present plural inflection of the cuina- “live”, lenited to guinar by the preceding pronoun.

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, this name first appeared as G. (i·)Cuilwarthon “(The) Dead That Live Again” (LT2/41, 51). In the earliest Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s this form first persisted as Cuilwarthien (SM/133), but was soon revised to N. Gwerth-i-Cuina “(Land of) the Dead that Live” (SM/135). This name N. Dor Firn i Guinar first appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/KUY, PHIR). Nevertheless, the form Gwerth-i-guinar appeared in the initial Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (WJ/71) before Tolkien settled on its final form.

In both the 1930s and later, Tolkien occasionally used Gyrth as the word for “The Dead”, in N. Gyrth-i-Guinar (LR/305) and S. Dor Gyrth i Chuinar. See those entries for further discussion.

Balannor

noun. land of Gods

Balan (“power, god”) + (n-)dor (“land, dwelling”)

Dor-Cúartho

noun. land of bow and Helm

(n-)dôr (“land, dwelling-place”), cû (“bow”) + ar (“and”) + thôl (“helm”)

Dor-nu-Fauglith

noun. land under choking ash

(n-)dôr (“land, dwelling”) + nu (prep. “under”) + faug (“thirst”) + lith (“ash, sand, dust”)

Dor Daedelos

noun. land of great / shadow of fear

(n-)dôr (“land, dwelling-place”), dae (“shadow”) #or daer (“great”) + delos (“abhorrence, loathing, detestation”) [Etym. DYEL-] probably del (“fear”) + gos, goth (#gost? “dread”)

Dor Firn-i-Chuinar

noun. land of the dead who live

(n-)dôr (“land, dwelling-place”), firn (pl. of fern “mortal”) + in (here: plural relative pronoun) + cuinar (3p pl. of cuina - “be alive”)

Doriath

noun. land of the fence

(n-)dôr (“land,dwelling”) + iâth (“fence”); genitival sequences with possessor or qualifier second in the later period became fixed compounds, as Dóriath; #probably reinterpreted by Tolkien from earlier ” land of the cave” < (n-)dôr (“land, dwelling-place”) + #i (sing or genitive article) + gath (“cavern”) [Etym. GATH-]

Dorthonion

noun. land of pines

(n-)dôr (“land, dwelling-place”) + thôn (“pine-tree”) + ion ([HKF] Dor. plural gen. suffix)

Eglador

noun. land of the Elves (Doriath)

eglan (“elf, Falathrim”) + (n-)dor (“land, dwelling place”)

Dor I thoen

place name. 'Land of Pines'

topon. 'Land of Pines'. . This gloss was rejected.

Dorthonion

place name. 'Land of Pines'

topon. 'Land of Pines'. Noldorized S. form.

Ossiriand

place name. 'Land of Seven Rivers'

topon. 'Land of Seven Rivers'.

dor-en-ernil

place name. Land of the Prince

The Gondorian province ruled by the Prince of Dol Amroth, translated “Land of the Prince” (UT/245), a combination dôr “land”, en “of the” and ernil “prince”.

lindon

place name. Land of Music

Land of the Nandor in eastern Beleriand, translated “Land of Music” (S/123), based on lind “song”. This name was originally Nandorin, adopted into Sindarin (WJ/385), because normally [[s|[nd] became [nn]]] in Sindarin.

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, the name Ilk. Lindon was translated “Region of Music” and provided a new explanation for the name of the mountain range Eredlindon (LR/267). In The Etymologies, it was translated “Musical Land” and designated Ilkorin, appearing beside a variant Lhinnon which is probably the Noldorin form of the name (Ety/LIN²).

lisgardh

place name. Land of Reeds

Name of the marsh at the mouth of Sirion translated “Land of Reeds” (UT/34), a combination of lisg “reed” and the lenited form of gardh “region”.

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, this name appeared as G. Arlisgion “Place of Reeds” (LT2/153) and in the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s as G. Garlisgion (GL/67). The derivation of these early forms is quite similar to the latter one, with the order of elements reversed: G. gar(th) “place” followed by G. lisg “reed” (in the genitive plural).

thargelion

place name. Land beyond Gelion

The land between river Gelion and the Blue Mountains translated “Land beyond Gelion” (S/124), a combination of thar “across” and the river name Gelion (SA/thar, PE17/34).

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, the name first appeared as N. Targelion >> Thargelion (LR/265, 268), and also in The Etymologies with the same derivation as given above (Ety/THAR). In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, Tolkien also considered the forms Thargelian (WJ/320) and Thorewilan (WJ/336).

nand

wide grassland

(construct nan) (valley), pl. naind, coll. pl. **nannath **(VT45:36);

dor-i-ndainn

place name. *Land of the Nandor

Brithombar

noun. land of river Brithon

Brithon (name of the river “pebbly” [HKF]) + (m-)bar (“dwell, inhabit”)

Eregion

noun. land of holly trees

ereg (“holly tree”) + ion (#-ond commonly used suffix in the names of regions and countries) #The suffix could be reinterpreted or might have blended with Dor. -ion - plural genitive suffix, as in Dor. Region

Ithilien

noun. moon land

Ithil (“moon”) + end (commonly used suffix in the names of regions and countries)

Ossiriand

noun. land of seven rivers

od (from odog, Q otso “seven”) + sîr (“river”) + and (commonly used suffix in the names of regions and countries)

dor

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

dor gyrth i chuinar

place name. Land of the Dead that Live

A variant form of Dor Firn-i-Guinar appearing in one of Tolkien’s letters from 1972 (Let/417). It differs from the common form in that it uses the plural gyrth of gorth for “The Dead” and that the verb inflection of cuina- “live” undergoes nasal mutation instead of soft mutation. The latter implies that the relative pronoun i is elided from a plural form in.

Conceptual Development: A similar variation N. Gyrth-i-Guinar appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/305).

dôr

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

talath

noun. flat land, plain, (wide) valley

talf

noun. flat field, flat land

gland

boundary

1) gland (i **land, construct glan), pl. glaind (i glaind), coll. pl. glannath, 2) lest (girdle, fence), pl. list**; 3)

gland

boundary

(i ’land, construct glan), pl. glaind (i glaind), coll. pl. glannath

ennorath

place name. (All) the Middle-lands

A variant form of Ennor with the class-plural suffix -ath added, meaning “lands of Middle-earth” or “(All) the Middle-lands” (LotR/1115, PE17/25-6).

ennorath

noun. central lands, middle-earth

na-chaered palan-díriel

to lands remote I have looked afar

parth

noun. field, enclosed grassland, sward

bâr

land

(dwelling, house, home, family; earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

dôr

land

1) dôr (i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr), coll. pl. dorath (WJ:413), 2) bâr (dwelling, house, home, family; earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

dôr

land

(i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr), coll. pl. dorath (WJ:413)

Arnor

Land of the King

Arnor was the colloquial name for the North Kingdom. The North Kingdom, as the land was called at its conception, was also known as Turmen Follondiéva in Quenya and Arthor na Forlonnas in Sindarin. These names quickly fell out of use, in favor of Arnor: the Land of the King, so called for the kingship of Elendil, and to seal its precedence over the southern realm. In full, poetic Sindarin, it was called Arannor, which mirrored its Quenya name, Arandórë. Though technically Arandórë would have a Sindarin form Ardor, Tolkien chose Arnor because it sounded better. This linguistic change was ascribed to a later, Mannish development of Sindarin. The form Arnanórë is also seen.

Dor-lómin

place name. Land of Echoes

Dor-lómin is a Sindarin name meaning "Land of Echoes". Its Quenya name was Lóminórë.

Dor Firn-i-Guinar

Land of the dead that live

Dor Firn-i-Guinar is the name appearing in the published Silmarillion, apparently consisting of the Sindarin elements dor "land" + firn "dead" + in "who, that" + cuinar "live".

In his manuscripts, Tolkien experimented with many variations on how to translate Land of the Dead that Live: I·Cuilwarthon, I·Guilwarthon, Cuilwarthien, Gwerth-i-cuina, and Gwerth-i-guinar. In a 1972 letter, Tolkien used the name Dor Gyrth i chuinar.

Doriath

place name. Land of the Fence

Doriath is a Sindarin name meaning "Land of the Fence" or "Land of the Girdle". The name consists of the elements dôr + iâth.

Dorthonion

place name. Land of the Pine Trees

Dorthonion means "Land of the Pine Trees" in Sindarin (from dôr = "land, dwelling-place" and thôn = "pine tree").

Eglador

place name. Land of the Forsaken

Probably meaning 'Land of the Forsaken', Eglador was the name of the land of Doriath before it was protected by the Girdle of Melian.

dorem

 noun. land picture, map

This word consists of two parts: dôr "land" + em "picture"

dorgant

noun. landscape, scene, *(lit.) land-shape

ennor

place name. central land, middle-earth

plador

noun. [G.] oar; [ᴱN.] surf, land’s edge

Arnor

noun. Arnor

royal land; ar (prefix “high, noble, royal”) + (n-)dor (“land, dwelling”) Arnor was retained to avoid Ardor and was later explained as the blending of Quenya Arnanóre with S arn(a)dor > ardor

hûb

landlocked bay

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

hûb

landlocked bay

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

lâd

plain

(valley, lowland), construct lad, pl. laid

talath

plain

(noun) 1) talath (i dalath, o thalath) (flat surface, plane, flatlands, [wide] valley), pl. telaith (i thelaith). Tolkien changed this word from ”Noldorin” dalath_, LR:353 s.v.

talath

plain

(i dalath, o thalath) (flat surface, plane, flatlands, [wide] valley), pl. telaith (i thelaith). *Tolkien changed this word from ”Noldorin” dalath, LR:353 s.v. DAL. Compare the Talath Dirnen or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the *Silmarillion.

laden

plain

(adjective) laden (flat, wide, open, cleared), pl. ledin (suggested Sindarin forms for ”Noldorin” lhaden pl. lhedin, LR:368 s.v. LAT)

laden

plain

(flat,  wide, open, cleared), pl. ledin (suggested Sindarin forms for ”Noldorin” lhaden pl. lhedin, LR:368 s.v. LAT)

parth

enclosed grassland

(i barth, o pharth) (field, sward), pl. perth (i pherth);

Dor-lómin

Dor-lómin

Dor-lómin is a Sindarin name meaning "Land of Echoes".[source?] Its Quenya name was Lóminórë.

Dor Firn-i-Guinar

Dor Firn-i-Guinar

Dor Firn-i-Guinar is the name appearing in the published Silmarillion, apparently consisting of the Sindarin elements dor "land" + firn "dead" + in "who, that" + cuinar "live". In his manuscripts, Tolkien experimented with many variations on how to translate Land of the Dead that Live: I·Cuilwarthon, I·Guilwarthon, Cuilwarthien, Gwerth-i-cuina, and Gwerth-i-guinar. In a [] letter, Tolkien used the name Dor Gyrth i chuinar.

Doriath

Doriath

Doriath is a Sindarin name meaning "Land of the Fence" or "Land of the Girdle". The name consists of the elements dôr + iâth. The earlier name of Doriath, Eglador, probably means either "Land of the Forsaken" or "Land of the Elves"[source?] in Sindarin.

Ithilien

Ithilien

Ithilien is a Sindarin name meaning "land of the moon". It has been suggested that the name consists of the elements Ithil ("moon") + the affix end.

Nan-tathren

Nan-tathren

Nan-tathren is a Sindarin name, meaning "vale of willows" or "land of willows".

ardh

region

1) ardh (realm), pl. erdh, also in augmented form ardhon (great region, great province, world), pl. erdhyn, coll. pl. ardhonnath. 2) dôr (i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, land), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr) (WJ:413), 3) gardh (i **ardh) (bounded or defined place), pl. gerdh (i ngerdh = i ñerdh), 4) gwaith (i **waith) (manhood, manpower, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, people, wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith).

bâr

earth

(dwelling, house, home, family; land) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

bâr

home

bâr (dwelling, house, family; land, earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

bâr

home

(dwelling, house, family; land, earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

ceven

earth

1) ceven (i geven, o cheven), pl. cevin (i chevin) (VT48:23), 2) (world) Amar (archaic Ambar), pl. Emair; 3) bâr (dwelling, house, home, family; land) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds. 4) (maybe ”earth” as substance) cae (i gae, o chae). No distinct pl. form even if there is a pl., except with article (i chae). For ”earth” as a substance, see also SOIL.

dôr

region

(i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, land), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr) (WJ:413)

laden

wide

1) laden (plain, flat, open, cleared), pl. ledin (for ”N” lhaden pl. lhedin, LR:368 s.v. LAT), 2) land (plain), pl. laind. Also used as noun ”open space, level”. 3) pann (i bann, o phann, construct pan), pl. pain (i phain). Since the pl. form clashes with *pain ”all” (mutated phain, SD:129), other terms may be preferred for clarity. 4) ûr (pl. uir). Notice the homophone ûr ”fire, heat”.

gardh

noun. region

palath

surface

1) palath (i balath, o phalath), pl. pelaith (i phelaith). 2) (flat surface) talath (i dalath, o thalath) (plane, flatlands, plain, [wide] valley), pl. telaith (i thelaith). Tolkien changed this word from ”Noldorin” dalath_, LR:353 s.v.

parth

field

1) parth (i barth, o pharth) (sward, enclosed grassland), pl. perth (i pherth), 2) (low, flat field, or wetland) talf (i dalf, o thalf), pl. telf (i thelf), coll. pl. talvath. _(Names:195). Note: a homophone means ”palm”. 3) sant (i hant, o sant) (garden, yard, or other privately owned place), pl. saint (i saint) (VT42:20)_

parth

field

(i barth, o pharth) (sward, enclosed grassland), pl. perth (i pherth)

talath

surface

(i dalath, o thalath) (plane, flatlands, plain, [wide] valley), pl. telaith (i thelaith). *Tolkien changed this word from ”Noldorin” dalath, LR:353 s.v. DAL. Compare the Talath Dirnen or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the *Silmarillion.

glan(n)

noun. boundary

glann

noun. boundary

Hithlum

noun. misty shade

hîth (“mist, fog”) + lum (“shade”)

Thargelion

noun. Thargelion

crossing of Gelion; thar (prefix “across”) + Gelion (river name) Thingol - grey cloak; thind (Dor, S “grey, pale”) + coll (“cloak, mantle”); S form of Q Sindikollo; the second element was reinterpreted from earlier gôl “wise” [Etym. THIN-].

region

noun. holly-tree area

[HKF] reg (Dor. regorn “holly tree”) + ion (Dor. gen. pl. suffix) = Dor. Regornion [Etym. ERÉK-]

Doriath

Doriath

topon.

Eregion

place name. Hollin

_ topon. _Hollin. >> ereg, -ion

ardhon

noun. great region, province

ardhon

noun. world

bardh

home

{ð}_ n. _home, the (proper) place for one (or a community) to dwell in.

bardh

noun. home

A word for “home” appearing in draft notes from the 1960s discussing the root √MBAR, where it was contrasted with bâr “house, dwelling”:

> In Sindarin bar [< ✱mbăr-] (pl. bair) was used for a single house or dwelling, especially of the larger and more permanent sort; barð [< ✱mbardā̆] was much as English “home”, the (proper) place for one (or a community) to dwell in (PE17/164).

It was also contrasted with milbar “dear home” which was used for the “emotional senses ‘home’ as the place of one’s birth, or desire, or one’s home returned to after journey or exile” (PE17/164). In later versions of these notes on √MBAR, Tolkien mentioned bâr and milbar but not bardh (PE17/109).

Neo-Sindarin: Given its absence from the final version of the √MBAR notes, it is possible Tolkien abandoned bardh “home”. However, I prefer to retain it for purposes of Neo-Sindarin for the ordinary sense of “home”, and reserve milbar for one’s “emotional home” or “✱true home” from which one is currently separated, as opposed to the home that you are living now = bardh. I would use bâr primarily in the sense “house, dwelling”.

cae

noun. earth

This word is indeclinable, according to the Etymologies

ceven

noun. Earth

gardh

noun. bounded or defined region

gardh

noun. world

gladh-

verb. to laugh

haered

noun. remoteness

_n._remoteness. >> hae, haer, na-chaered

harad

place name. The South

The southern regions of Middle-earth (LotR/248), it is simply harad “south” used as a name.

Conceptual Development: The name was already N. Harad when it first appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (TI/333).

harn

noun. the South

_n. _the South. Q. hyarmen. >> forn, har-

pathu

noun. level space, sward

taeg

noun. boundary, limit, boundary line

talath

noun. flat surface, plane

Hithlum

Mist-shadow

Hithlum is a North Sindarin word, meaning "Mist-shadow" (hith + lum); its Quenya counterpart is Hisilómë (pron. , stem Hisilómi-). Its Sindarin name is said to be Hithlũ.

Tolkien initially marked the word as Noldorin; its second element was cognate to Quenya lumbe.

amar

earth

(archaic Ambar), pl. Emair

aran

king of a region

(pl. erain)

ardh

region

(realm), pl. erdh, also in augmented form ardhon (great region, great province, world), pl. erdhyn, coll. pl. ardhonnath.

cae

noun. earth

cae

earth

(i gae, o chae). No distinct pl. form even if there is a pl., except with article (i chae). For ”earth” as a substance, see also

caew

resting place

(i gaew, o chaew) (lair). No distinct pl. form except with article (i chaew).

ceven

earth

(i geven, o cheven), pl. cevin (i chevin) (VT48:23)

falas

surf, line of

(pl. felais) (beach, shore, coast, strand, foaming shore; the word was especially used of the western seaboard of Beleriand). (VT42:15)

gardh

bounded or defined place

(i ’ardh) (region), pl. gerdh (i ngerdh = i ñerdh);

gardh

region

(i ’ardh) (bounded or defined place), pl. gerdh (i ngerdh = i ñerdh)

gilwen

region of stars

(Quenya Ilmen), also Gilith. In the Etymologies, this word is derived from a root GIL (LR:358) and would then have the form ’Ilwen (’Ilwith) when lenited. But in a later source, Tolkien cited the relevant root as ÑGIL (MR:388), and the lenited form would then be Ngilwen (Ngilwith).

gladha

laugh

(verb) gladha- (i **ladha, in gladhar**)

gladha

laugh

(i ’ladha, in gladhar)

gwaith

region

(i ’waith) (manhood, manpower, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, people, wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith).

laden

wide

(plain, flat,  open, cleared), pl. ledin (for ”N” lhaden pl. lhedin, LR:368 s.v. LAT)

lall

noun. laugh

lest

boundary

(girdle, fence), pl. list

palan

over a wide area

(far off)

palath

surface

(i balath, o phalath), pl. pelaith (i phelaith).

pann

wide

(i bann, o phann, construct pan), pl. pain (i phain). Since the pl. form clashes with ✱pain ”all” (mutated phain, SD:129), other terms may be preferred for clarity.

pathu

level place

(i bathu) (sward), analogical pl. pethy (i phethy). Cited in archaic form pathw in the source (LR:380 s.v. PATH); hence the coll. pl. is likely pathwath. In the Etymologies as printed in

pathu

level place

(i bathu) (sward), analogical pl. pethy (i phethy). Cited in archaic form pathw in the source (LR:380 s.v. PATH); hence the coll. pl. is likely pathwath. In the Etymologies as printed in

rîdh

sown field

(acre);  no distinct pl. form except possibly with article (idh rîdh)

sant

privately owned place

(i hant, o sant) (field, garden, yard), pl. saint (i saint) (VT42:20)

sant

field

(i hant, o sant) (garden, yard, or other privately owned place), pl. saint (i saint) (VT42:20) 

sâd

place

sâd (-had; i hâd, o sâd, construct sad) (spot, limited area naturally or artificially defined), pl. said (i said) (UT:314, VT42:20)

sâd

place

(-had; i hâd, o sâd, construct sad) (spot, limited area naturally or artificially defined), pl. said (i said) (UT:314, VT42:20)  

taeg

boundary, boundary line

(i daeg, o thaeg) (limit), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thaeg)

talf

field

(i dalf, o thalf), pl. telf (i thelf), coll. pl. talvath. (Names:195). Note: a homophone means ”palm”.

ûr

wide

(pl. uir). Notice the homophone ûr ”fire, heat”.

lhand

adjective. wide, broad

lhand

adjective. open space, level

lhand

noun. open space, level

lhad

noun. plain

angolonn

place name. Land of the Gnomes

Noldorin equivalent of ᴹQ. Ingolonde “Land of the Gnomes” appearing in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/ÑGOLOD). It seems to be an example of how [[on|initial syllabic [m], [n], [ŋ] became [am], [an], [aŋ]]] in Old Noldorin.

geleidhien

place name. Land of the Gnomes

Noldorin name for the Land of the Gnomes (Ety/ÑGOLOD), a combination of the plurals of Golodh “Gnome” and the suffix -ian(d) “land”.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s, this name was G. Goldobar or Goldomar “Gnomeland” (GL/41). The name ᴱN. Geleidhian emerged in Early Noldorin notes from the 1920s, along with several variants (PE13/145, 162).

gwerth-i-cuina

place name. (Land of) the Dead that Live

An earlier name for S. Dor Firn-i-Guinar appearing in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, glossed “Living Dead” (SM/116) or “Land of the Dead that Live” (LR/305). It is a combination of the plural of G. gwarth “dead (only of persons)”, i “that” and the present form of cuina- “to live”. It is unclear why the verb was not plural or lenited, as it was in other forms of this name (and as it was on WJ/71).

balannor

place name. land of the Gods in the West

dor-daideloth

place name. Land of (the Shadow of) Dread, Loathly Land

dor-na-thuin

place name. Land of Pines

dor firn i guinar

place name. Land of the Dead that Live

doriath

place name. Land of the Cave

dôr

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

hithlum

place name. Land of Mist, (lit.) Mist-and-Dusk

nan-tathren

place name. Land of Willows

ossiriand

place name. Land of Seven Rivers

dalath

noun. flat land, plain, (wide) valley

dor

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

dor-na-fauglith

place name. Land of (Gasping) Thirst

dor granthir

place name. Land of Cranthir

nan-tathrin

place name. Land of Willows

thargelion

place name. Land beyond Gelion

nan-eregdos

place name. Hollin

Earliest Elvish name for “Hollin” (S. Eregion) appearing in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (TI/166), apparently a combination of nann “grassland” and eregdos “holly”.

eregion

place name. Hollin

lhann

noun/adjective. wide; shire, wide, [ᴱN.] broad; shire

coe

noun. earth

An indeclinable word given as {cíw >>} coe “earth” in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√KEM (Ety/KEM; EtyAC/KEM).

Possible Etymology: The primitive form of rejected cíw is given as ᴹ✶kēm and its derivation is clear: the long ē became ī and then the final m reduced to w after i as usual. The derivation of coe is more obscure, however. The likeliest explanation is that Tolkien imagined its ancient form with a slightly lowered vowel which he generally represented as ǣ in this period (in later writings as ę̄). According to the first version of the Tengwesta Qenderinwa and Comparative Vowel Tables from the 1930s (PE18/46; PE19/25), ǣ &gt; ei &gt; ai &gt; ae, and in The Etymologies itself, it seems ai often became oe instead of ae.

Neo-Sindarin: Updating the derivation of hypothetical ✱kę̄m would produced ᴺS. cae in Sindarin phonology. But given the obscurity of its derivation, I recommend using 1950s S. ceven for “earth” instead.

lhann

adjective. wide, broad

amar

noun. earth

amar

noun. Earth

ambar

noun. earth

coe

noun. earth

This word is indeclinable, according to the Etymologies

dalath

noun. flat surface, plane

harad

place name. The South

mordor

place name. Black Country

palath

noun. surface

palath

noun. surface

pann

adjective. wide

pann

adjective. wide

pathw

noun. level space, sward

pel

noun. fenced field (= Old English tún)

poros

place name. Boundary

rîdh

noun. sown field, acre

ûr

noun. wide

ûr

adjective. wide

Brithombar

Brithombar (name)

Brithombar comes from the name of the river Brithon, which means "pebbly".

landa

boundary

landa (1) noun "boundary" (VT42:8)

landa

wide

landa (2) adj. "wide" (LAD). Maybe in landatavárë = *"wide-wood"? (TI:415)

landa

adjective. wide, wide, [ᴱQ.] broad

landa

noun. boundary

landa, lanna

noun. a plain

valandor

place name. Land of the Valar

An archaic name for Valinórë (SA/dôr, PE17/26), a compound of Vala and the suffix -ndor “land”.

nór

noun. land

A term for “land” as in “(dry) land as opposed to the sea”, mentioned in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (WJ/413) and again in notes from around 1968 (PE17/106-107).

Possible Etymology: In the Quendi and Eldar essay this term was derived from primitive ✶ndōro, but in the aforementioned 1968 notes Tolkien clarified that its stem form was nŏr-. This means it was probably derived from ancient ✱ndŏr-, where the long vowel in the uninflected form was inherited from the Common Eldarin subjective form ✱ndōr, a phenomenon also seen in words like nér (ner-) “man”. I prefer this second derivation, as it makes the independent word more distinct from the suffixal form -ndor or -nóre used in the names of countries.

-ndor

land

-ndor, final element in compounds: "land" (Letters:308, UT:253)

nór

land

nór noun "land" (stem nor-, PE17:106) this is land as opposed to water and sea (nor in Letters:308). Cf. nórë.

nórë

land

nórë noun "land" (associated with a particular people) (WJ:413), "country, land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live, race, clan" (NŌ, NDOR, BAL), also used = "race, tribe, people" (SA:dôr, PE17:169; however, the normal word for "people" is lië). Early "Qenya" hasnórë "native land, nation, family, country" (in compounds -nor) (LT1:272)

nóre

noun. land

alalvinórë

place name. Land of Many Elms

A name appearing only on PE17/153, probably a later version of ᴱQ. Alalminóre, though this place had not appeared in Tolkien’s stories for many years. The status of this location in later stages of the legendarium is unknown. It is a compound of alalvëa “having many elms” and nórë “land”.

Conceptual Development: In these late notes, this name was first written as alalmi-nóre, identical in form to the Early Quenya name. This form was deleted and replaced by alalbinóre. Later still, the form alalvinore was written nearby in ballpoint (the omission of the accent over the ó probably an oversight).

andor

place name. Land of Gift

A name of Númenor meaning “Land of Gift” (S/260). It is a compound of anna “gift” and -ndor “land”.

Conceptual Development: This name appeared in the earliest tales of Númenor (LR/19). In earlier writings, it often appeared in an extended form: ᴹQ. Andóre (SD/247, 305).

arvernien

place name. Land(s) beside the Verna

A region on the coast of Beleriand (S/244). Tolkien indicated that the name meant “(the land) beside the Verna” (PE17/19, 71), with its initial element ar- “beside” and its middle element being the (otherwise unknown) place Verna. Its final element -ien is seen in the names of other lands, such as Hildórien and Lórien.

Conceptual Development: The name ᴹQ. Arvernien first appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (TI/99) as a place where Eärendil tarried before questing for Valinor, described in Bilbo’s “Song of Eärendil” as recited in Rivendell (LotR/233). It was added to Silmarillion maps and narratives later (WJ/184).

hildórien

place name. *Land of the Followers

The land where Men first awoke (S/103). It clearly contains the Quenya word for Men: Hildor “Followers” (SA/khil). Its final element -ien is seen in the names of other lands, such as Arvernien and Lórien.

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, the name for the land where Men awoke was ᴱQ. Murmenalda (LT1/233). In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, the name changed to ᴹQ. Hildórien (LR/245). This name also appeared in The Etymologies as a derivative of ᴹ√KHIL (Ety/KHIL), and kept the form Hildórien in all later versions of the tales.

hísilómë

place name. Land of Mist, (lit.) Mist-and-Dusk

The Quenya name of NS. Hithlum (S/118). It is usually glossed “Land of Mist”, but it is a compound of hísë (hísi-) “mist” and lómë “dusk”, so a more literal translation would be “Mist-and-Dusk” (given as a translation of Hithlum on LR/406).

Conceptual Development: This name dates back to the earliest Lost Tales, where ᴱQ. Hisilóme was translated “Shadowy Twilights” (LT1/112) or “Misty-gloom” (PE15/63). It was a compound of ᴱQ. híse “dusk” and ᴱQ. lóme “gloom, darkness”, as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Hisilómë). In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, ᴹQ. Hisilóme was translated “Twilit Mist” (SM/4) and “Land of Mist” (SM/101). The name appeared in The Etymologies with the same form but a slightly different derivation, with its second element originally derived from ᴹQ. lumbe “gloom, shadow” (Ety/LUM).

laurelindórenan

place name. (Land of the) Valley of Singing Gold

The full Quenya name of S. Lórien (UT/253), appearing in the even longer Entish description of that land: Laurelindórenan lindelorendor malinornélion ornemalin (LotR/467). The name is a combination of the elements laurë “gold”, lin(dë) “singing”, -ndor “land” and the suffix -nan “valley” (Let/448, UT/253). This name was crafted by Galadriel, and was an allusion to the Golden Tree of Valinor, Laurelin (UT/253).

Conceptual Development: This name appeared as Laurelindórinan in the first edition of The Lord of the Rings, revised to Laurelindórenan in the second (SD/73). It also appeared in a shorter variant Laurelindórë “Land of Singing Gold” (PE17/80). It seems that when Tolkien first conceived of this name, it was merely an extended, Enticized version of Lórien (PE17/80). The idea that it was the full name coined by Galadriel came later, as Tolkien further developed the etymological history of S. Lórien (UT/253).

sindanórië

place name. Grey Country, Land of Greyness

The name of a land mentioned in Galadriel’s Namárië poem (LotR/337). In one place, Tolkien said it was the “name of a mythical region of shadows lying at outer feet of the Mountains of Valinor” (PE17/72). This name is a compound of sinda “grey” and nórë “country”, with the suffix -ië common in abstract nouns. In another note Tolkien said that sindanórië was an archiac formation that meant “land of greyness” and was equivalent to sindie-nóre (PE17/72), so perhaps the -ië suffix at the end was actually associated with the adjective sinda “grey”.

valinórë

place name. Land of the Valar

Land of the Valar within Aman (S/37), a compound of Vali, an archaic plural of Vala, and nórë “land” (SA/val, dôr). It usually appeared in the shorter form Valinor. In older Quenya, this name would have meant “Valian folk”, but it was blended with archaic Valandor to get its current meaning (PE17/20, SA/dôr).

Conceptual Development: The name ᴱQ. Valinor appears in the earliest Lost Tales with essentially the same form and meaning (LT1/70), and its long form Valinōre appeared in the Qenya Lexicon (QL/66). The name ᴹQ. Valinor appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (SM/12, 80; LR/110, 205), and in The Etymologies it already had the same derivation as given above (Ety/BAL, NDOR).

In the earlier stages, the name Aman had not yet been invented, so Valinor referred to the entire land of the West, not just the land of the Valar within it.

See ✶Bali(a)nōrē for a discussion of its complex etymology.

Alalminórë

land (nórë) [of] elms (alalmi)

Alalminórë, untranslated word heading a section of the poem The Trees of Kortirion and also occurring in the poem itself (LT1:39, 41), perhaps *"land (nórë) [of] elms (alalmi)".

Andórë

land of gift

Andórë noun full form of Andor, "land of gift", name of Númenor (SD:247)

Hecel

land of forsaken elves

Hecel ("k") (Heceld-, e.g. pl. Heceldi, WJ:371), noun with same meaning as hecil, q.v., but reformed to match Oarel, especially applied to the Eldar left in Beleriand. Helcelmar and Heceldamar *"Land of Forsaken Elves", the name used by the loremasters of Aman for Beleriand. (WJ:365)

Ingolondë

land of the gnomes

Ingolondë place-name "Land of the Gnomes" (Beleriand, "but before applied to parts of Valinor") (ÑGOLOD)

Númendor

land of the west

Númendor noun "land of the west", confused with and replaced by Númen(n)órë "people of the west" (SA:dôr)

alalvinorë

land of many elms

alalvinorë noun "land of many Elms" (PE17:153), read apparently -nórë as in the alternate form alalbinórë (late pronunciation with lb for lv)

calaciryan

place name. *Land of Calacirya

According to Tolkien: “the region of Eldamar near the entrance to the ravine [Calacirya] where the Light was brighter and more beautiful” (RGEO/62). It seems to be a combination of Calacirya “Pass of Light” with the suffix -yan(de) (from ✶yandē) “-land”. This suffix is rarely used in Quenya, but is commonly seen in Sindarin as the suffix -ian(d). In some places, Tolkien used this name to refer directly to the pass itself (MR/176, WJ/403).

cemi

earth, soil, land

cemi noun "earth, soil, land"; Cémi ("k")"Mother Earth" (LT1:257; the "Qenya" word cemi would correspond to cemen in LotR-style Quenya)

londë

land-locked haven

londë noun "land-locked haven" (cf. #lóndië "harbourage"), "gulf" (TI:423). In Alqualondë "Swan-haven" (SA), "Haven of Swan" (VT45:28), Hirilondë ship-name "Haven-finder" (UT:192). In the Etymologies, londë is glossed "road (in sea), entrance to harbour" (LOD) and also "fairway" (VT45:28), i.e. a navigable channel for ships. In VT42:10, where the stem is given as LON rather than LOD, the gloss is simply "haven".

mar-nu-falmar

place name. Land under the Waves

A name for Númenor after it was drowned beneath the sea (S/281). It is a compound of már “home” (often used of lands), nu “under” and the plural of falma “wave” (SA/bar, falas).

-ndor

suffix. land, country

nórë

noun. land, country; †people, race, tribe, land, country, [ᴹQ.] region where certain people live, [ᴱQ.] nation; [Q.] †people, race, tribe, [ᴹQ.] folk, [ᴱQ.] family

-sta

suffix. land, *part, *part; [ᴹQ.] close grouping, land

-nor

suffix. land, country

nan

woodland

nan (nand-) noun "woodland" (LT1:261)

tavas

woodland

tavas noun "woodland" (LT1:267)

andorya-

verb. to land, dock

A neologism coined by Parmandil and Arael, posted on 2023-11-21 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a verb form of [ᴺQ.] andorië “landing (place), dock”.

andorië

noun. landing (place), dock

A neologism coined by Parmandil and Arael, posted on 2023-11-21 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of an(a) “to, towards” and an abstract form of nór (nor-) “land”.

andormen

noun. landing pad, landing strip

A neologism coined by Orondil posted on 2024-09-14 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of [ᴺQ.] andorya- “to land, dock” and men “place”.

Arnanórë

arnor

Arnanórë, Arnanor place-name "Arnor", Royal Land (so #arna = "royal"?) (Letters:428). Cf. Arandórë.

Hísilómë

hithlum

Hísilómë (þ) place-name "Hithlum", "Land of Mist", more literally *"Mist-night" (SA:hîth, LUM, [VT45:28])

Laurelindórinan

valley of singing gold

Laurelindórinan noun "Valley of Singing Gold", an earlier name of Laurenandë (Lórien) (UT:253); laurelindórenan lindelorendor malinornélion ornemalin *"Goldenlight-music-land-valley music-dream-land of yellow-trees tree-yellow", Quenya elements agglutinated in Entish fashion; this supposedly means something like "the valley where the trees in a golden light sing musically, a land of music and dreams; there are yellow trees there, it is a tree-yellow land" (LotR2:III ch. 4, translated in Letters:308). The last word ornemalin is defined in as "bearing yellow flowers" in PE17:80.

Lestanórë

doriath

Lestanórë place-name "Doriath", gen. Lestanórëo (WJ:369). If this name means the same as the Sindarin name Doriath, "Land of the Fence", #lesta ought to mean "fence" here (but it is obviously not a cognate of the Sindarin term iâth "fence").It may mean "girdle"; compare Sindarin Lest Melian as a name of the Girdle of Melian (WJ:XXX), suggesting*"Girdle-land" as the meaning of Lestanórë.

Númen(n)órë

people of the west

Númen(n)órë noun "people of the west", confused with Númendor "land of the west" (SA:dôr); hence Númenor as the name of the great isle given to the Edain by the Valar (FS, LR:56); full form Númenórë (LR:47, SD:247, NDŪ); allative númenórenna "to Númenor" (LR:56)

Poldor

breaker up of the hard / tough

Poldor, Poldomo noun "breaker up of the hard / tough", Poldor- "land-breaker?", variant forms of Poldórëa, q.v., introduced at a time when Tolkien did not want the root POL to refer to strength or mightiness (PE17:181), cf. polda from an earlier source.

aman

place name. Blessed Realm

The continent in the Uttermost West where the Valar dwelled after the first wars with Morgoth destroyed the world as it was initially created (S/37). Its name is derived from the same root √MAN “blessed, unmarred” as the name of Manwë (PE17/162). The most common translation of this name was the “Blessed Realm” (S/62), though more precisely it describes the “unmarred” state of this land, free from the influence of Morgoth (PE17/162).

Tolkien elsewhere said that Aman was adapted from an (unknown) word from Valarin, meaning “at peace, in accord (with Eru)”, much as Manwë was an adaptation of Val. Mānawenūz (WJ/399). This is not incompatible with its derivation from the root √MAN, which itself may have been adopted into Primitive Elvish from Valarin.

Conceptual Development: According to Christopher Tolkien, the idea for this name first emerged from Ad. Amân, the Adûnaic name for Manwë (SD/376). In Tolkien’s earliest writings, the name for the Land of the Valar was simply ᴱQ. Valinor (LT1/70), but in later writings this became the Elvish name for this land, whereas Aman was its “proper” name (PE17/106).

lala-

laugh

lala-(1) vb. "laugh" (PM:359), possibly with pa.t. *landë because the stem is given as g-lada-.

mar

earth

mar (1) noun "earth" (world), also "home, dwelling, mansion". Stem mard- (VT46:13, PE17:64), also seen in the ablative Mardello "from earth" (FS); the word is used with a more limited sense in oromardi "high halls" (sg. oromar, PM17:64), referring to the dwellings of Manwë and Varda on Mt. Taniquetil (Nam, RGEO:66). The initial element of Mardorunando (q.v.) may be the genitive mardo (distinguish mardo "dweller"). May be more or less identical to már "home, house, dwelling" (of persons or peoples; in names like Val(i)mar, Vinyamar, Mar-nu-Falmar, Mardil) (SA:bar, VT45:33, VT47:6). Már is however unlikely to have the stem-form mard-; a "Qenya" genitive maren appears in the phrase hon-maren, q.v., suggesting that its stem is mar-. A possible convention could therefore be to use már (mar-) for "home, house" (also when = household, family as in Mardil, q.v.), whereas mar (mard-) is used for for "earth, world". Early "Qenya" has mar (mas-) "dwelling of men, the Earth, -land" (LT1:251); notice that in LotR-style Quenya, a word in -r cannot have a stem-form in -s-.

sindië

greyness

sindië (þ) noun "greyness", sindië-nórë *"land of greyness", also (more literally corresponding to the English translation) nórë sindiëo (PE17:72), other names of sindanórië, see sinda.

tavas

noun. woodland

Elendë

elvenhome

Elendë (1) place-name "Elvenhome", regions of Valinor where the Elves dwelt and the stars could be seen (MR:176, ÉLED). Plural ablative elendellor in the phrase et elendellor, evidently *"out of the elf-lands" (VT45:13).

noremma

noun. map

A neologism for “map” suggested by Shihali in 2018 on the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of nórë “land” and emma “picture”. The NQW had ᴺQ. nórihalmë “map” instead, where the second element was [ᴱQ.] halme “drawing”, but that is the wrong kind of “drawing”, meaning “drawing (pulling) wood”, not “a drawing of a picture”.

lindónë

place name. Lindon

The Quenya name for S. Lindon, a “Quenyarization” of that name (WJ/385).

nórihalmë

noun. map

Eldamar

elvenhome

Eldamar place-name "Elvenhome" (ÉLED; found already in Narqelion), according to MR:176 another name of Tirion (see tir-).

Lindon

lindon

Lindon, Lindónë noun "Lindon", place-name (WJ:385)

Sahóra

the south

Sahóra "the South" (LT1:248, 255; rather Hyarmen in LotR-style Quenya)

Yón

region, any (fairly extensive) region between obstacles such as rivers or mountains

yón (2), variant of yondë, q.v. Defined as "a region, any (fairly extensive) region _between obstacles such as rivers or mountains" (PE17:43)_

aica

broad, vast

aica (2) ("k") adj. "broad, vast" (LT2:338 - this early "Qenya" form is probably obsoleted by # 1 above)

eldamar

place name. Elvenhome

The home of the Elves within Valinor (S/59). This name is a compound of Elda “Elf” and már “home”. As noted by Tolkien, it must have been a late compound, otherwise the more primitive form ✶-mbar of the second element would have been preserved as ✱✱Eldambar (PE17/106).

Conceptual Development: This name dates back all the way to the earliest Lost Tales, where it had essentially the same form, meaning and etymology (LT1/19, LTA1/Eldamar).

kemen

earth

kemen noun "earth"; see cemen.

miruvor

mead

miruvor, full form miruvórë noun "mead", "a special wine or cordial"; possessive miruvóreva "of mead" (Nam, RGEO:66; WJ:399).In the "Qenya Lexicon", miruvórë was defined "nectar, drink of the Valar" (LT1:261).

már

home, house, dwelling

már (mar-) (2) noun "home, house, dwelling" (also "house" in the sense of family as in Mardil, q.v.). See mar above for references. In Mar-nu-Falmar, Mardil, and as final element in Eldamar, Fanyamar, Valimar, Vinyamar..

mélamar

home

mélamar noun "home", Exilic Quenya word of emotional sense: place of ones birth or the familiar places from which one has been separated (PE17:109). Mélamarimma noun "Our Home", an expression used by Exilic Noldor for Aman.

ména

region

ména noun "region" (MEN). Not to be confused with the present/continuative tense of #men- "go".

nómë

place

#nómë noun "place", isolated from Nómesseron, q.v. Cf. also sinomë.

nómë

noun. place

A word for “place” appearing as an element in names like Ondonórë Nómesseron Minasurië “Enquiry into the Place-names of Gondor” (VT42/17) and Quentalë Ardanómion “✱History of the Places of Arda” (WJ/206). It is also an element in correlative combinations like sinomë “here, in this place” (LotR/967; PE17/67, 103), where it has a short o as the second element in a compound; compare lúmë “time” vs. silumë “now, at this time”.

Conceptual Development: ᴹQ. nome (or ✱nóme) first appeared in correlative combinations in Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from 1948 as a derivative of ᴹ√NOM “spot, place” (PE23/112), this root replacing ᴹ√MEN of the same meaning (PE23/112 note #141). The rejected root refers back to ᴹQ. men “place, spot” from The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/MEN), which in turn had replaced ᴹQ. esse “place” under the root ᴹ√ES when that root was revised to have derivatives like esse “name” instead (EtyAC/ES). The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. lar “region, place” under the early root ᴱ√LAŘA [LAÐA] (QL/51).

palda

adjective. wide, broad, wide, broad, *expansive

palla

wide, expansive

palla adj. "wide, expansive" (PAL)

palmë

surface

palmë noun "surface" (PAL)

palúrë

surface, bosom, bosom of earth

palúrë noun "surface, bosom, bosom of Earth" (= Old English folde) (PAL); cf. Palúrien.

sindië

noun. greyness

solor

surf

solor noun "surf" (SOL); solor, solossë noun "surf, surge" (LT1:266)

solossë

surf, surge

solossë noun "surf, surge" (LT1:266); also solor

yanda

wide

yanda adj. "wide" (PE17:115); variant of yána #1, q.v.

yanda

adjective. wide

yonda

wide, roomy, extensive

yonda adj."wide, roomy, extensive" (PE17:43), also (as alternative form of yonna) glossed "enclosed", with the latter meaning perhaps intended as the passive participle of the verb yor-

yón

noun. region

lalda

noun. laugh

glanda

noun. a boundary

thâni

noun. land

A noun translated “land” (SD/435) appearing in the Adûnaic names for the Blessed Realm: Amatthâni and thâni’nAmân. Its Primitive Adûnaic form was also ✶thāni, though its primitive was glossed “realm" (SD/420).

zâyan

noun. land

An Adûnaic word for “land” (SD/423). It has an irregular plural form zâin which is the result of the phonetic change (SD/423): [[pad|medial [w] and [j] vanished before [u] and [i]]]. Thus, the archaic plural changed from †zâyîn > zâîn > zâin.

Conceptual Development: In earlier names this word appeared as zen (SD/378, 385).

abarzâyan

place name. Land of Gift

A draft Adûnaic name for the “Land of Gift”, later replaced by Yôzâyan (SD/388). Its final element is zâyan “land”. Its initial element seems to be abâr, which also appeared in its predecessor Zen’nabâr. If so, then abâr probably meant “gift” at this stage, though its later meaning was “strength, endurance, fidelity”.

amatthânê

place name. Land of Gift

A draft Adûnaic name for the “Land of Gift”, later replaced by Zen’nabâr (SD/378). A variant of this name reappeared later as Amatthâni, the Adûnaic name for the Blessed Realm.

athânâtê

place name. Land of Gift

The first-draft Adûnaic name for the “Land of Gift”, later replaced by Amatthânê (SD/312).

yôzâyan

place name. Land of Gift

This is the Adûnaic equivalent of Q. Andor “Land of Gift”, one of the names given to the land of Númenor (UT/184, SD/241). Its final element is zâyan “land”, so its initial element ✱yô most likely means “gift”. Conceptual Development: Tolkien experimented with many variations on this name before settling on Yôzâyan. The development seems to have been Athânâtê >> Amatthânê >> Zen’nabâr >> Abarzâyan >> Yôzâyan, all of which were glossed “Land of Gift”.

zen’nabâr

place name. Land of Gift

A draft Adûnaic name for the “Land of Gift”, later replaced by Abarzâyan (SD/378). Its initial element zen is a draft name for “land” also seen in the draft name Zen’namân for the Blessed Realm. Its final element seems to be abâr, joined to the first element with an elided form of the genitive prefix an- “of”. If so, then at the time abâr may have meant “gift”, but its later meaning was “strength, endurance, fidelity”.

zen’namân

place name. Blessed Realm, Land of Amân

A draft Adûnaic name for the Blessed Realm, later replaced by Amatthâni (SD/385). Its initial element zen is a draft name for “land” also seen in the draft name Zen’nabâr “Land of Gift”. Its final element is Amân, the Adûnaic name of Manwë, joined to the first element with an elided form of the genitive prefix an- “of”. Therefore, the literal meaning of the name is “Land of Amân (Manwë)”.

thâni’namân

Land of Aman

A phrase demonstrating the use of the genitive prefix an-, elided to ’n in this case (SD/435). Earlier in the same discussion, Tolkien gave the non-elided (but less common) variant: thâni anAmân. It may be contrasted with the genitive compound Amatthâni in which the adjective element Amân appears first.

zen Reconstructed

noun. land (draft)

An earlier version of zâyan “land” attested in a few early compounds (SD/378, 385), as suggested by Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynn (AAD/25).

dâira

noun. Earth

A noun translated as “Earth” in the final version of the Lament of Akallabêth (SD/247). It may be related to S. dôr “land”, as suggested by Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynn (AAD/13).

Conceptual Development: In the Lament of Akallabêth (first draft), this noun appeared as kamāt (SD/311).

anadûnê

place name. Westernesse

The Adûnaic name for Númenor (Q. Númenórë), with the same meaning as its Quenya name: “Westernesse” (S/261). In The Silmarillion appendix, Christopher Tolkien stated that is it a loan word from Elvish (SA/andúnë). According to J.R.R. Tolkien’s own writing (SD/426), this is true, albeit not directly. Anadûnê is a feminized form of the adjective anadûni “western, of the west”, which is itself related to S. dûn “west”.

ndorē

noun. land

ndōro

noun. land

ndor

root. land; hard, firm; [ᴹ√] dwell, stay, rest, abide

This root was the basis for “land” words for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared in a deleted note from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s: “Nōre, -nor land is different from family, one = Gnome Dor, other Gor. NᵈOR and NGOR”; the editors indicate that the superscript “ᵈ” was a later addition (QL/67). The Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa also mention nᵈor and ŋor as the basis for ᴱQ. nóre (PE12/66, 67). However in the Qenya Lexicon proper, ᴱQ. nóre “native land, nation, family, country” was given under the root ᴱ√NŌ “become, be born” with variant ᴱ√NDO; the root was originally given as ŊŌ (QL/66). Thus it seems the two roots NDO(R) and ŊO(R) were combined. In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, G. dôr “land, country (inhabited), people of the land” appeared, probably from NDO(R) (GL/30), whereas “family, kinship” was nothri instead, almost certainly from ᴱ√NŌ given its relationship to G. nost “birth” (GL/61).

The two roots were separated again in The Etymologies of the 1930s where the root ᴹ√NDOR “dwell, stay, rest, abide” was the proper basis for “land” words, but in Quenya was blended with nóre “clan, race” from the root ᴹ√NŌ “beget” (Ety/NDOR, NŌ). This derivation allowed Tolkien to retain his preferred suffixes Q. -nóre/-nor vs. N./S. -dor for “-land”, and he mentioned this parallel derivation several times in later writings (PE17/26, 106-107; WJ/413 note #25). The only later change was in the gradual refinement of the meaning of NDOR as more properly referring to (dry) land as opposed to water, seas and swamps (PE17/106, 181), properly a strengthened form of √DOR “hard, tough” (PE17/181; WJ/413).

gondo-ndor-

place name. Stone-land

palad

noun. plain

etlā-ndŏrē

place name. Eglador

gardā

noun. region

lindānā

place name. Lindon

glada-

verb. laugh

keme

noun. earth

kemen

noun. earth

lal

root. laugh

A root for “laugh” appearing in notes written around 1959 (PE17/159), likely connected to S. Lalaith “Laughter”, the name of Túrin’s deceased sister (S/198). Some possible precursors appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s: unglossed ᴱ√LALA whose derivatives had to do with babbling (QL/50), and ᴱ√KAKA “laugh” with derivatives in both Qenya and Gnomish (QL/44; GL/24).

Tolkien gave a different primitive form ✶glada- as the basis for “laugh” words in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from the late 1960s; this produced S. glað- but still resulted in Q. lala- (PM/359). This new primitive had two problems (1) it is not compatible with S. Lalaith and (2) it shows a rather unusual assimilation of primitive d to preceding l in Quenya rather than the normal change to r: ✶(g)lada- > laða- > Q. lala- instead of ✱✱lara-. Elsewhere such assimilation did not occur, for example Q. lerembas < ✶led(e)mbasse (PE17/52).

Thus for purposes of Neo-Eldarin I think it is preferable to assume √LAL was the root for “laugh” words. However, I also think it is worth retaining √GLAD as a Sindarin-only root for similar concepts, perhaps “guffaw” and “joke”, given the limited semantic space we have in Elvish roots.

palnā

adjective. wide, broad

yad

root. wide

dor-lómin

place name. *Echoing-land

hithlum

place name. Land of Mist

norlindon

place name. Land of the Lindar

dóri-

noun. land

Isolated from Lindórinan. The independent form of the word may differ; it is unclear where the i of the compound Lindórinan comes from. In the Etymologies, the Eldarin words for "land" are derived from a stem NDOR "dwell, stay, rest, abide" (LR:376).

No Nandorin word is there listed, but Sindarin dor is derived from primitive ndorê. Notice, however, that Tolkien many years later derived the Eldarin words for "land" from a stem DORO "dried up, hard, unyielding" (WJ:413). However, this later source does confirm that the Primitive Quendian form was ndorê, now thought to be formed by initial enrichment d > nd. This is defined as "the hard, dry land as opposed to water or bog", later developing the meaning "land in general as opposed to sea", and finally also "a land" as a particular region, "with more or less defined bounds".

Whether dóri- actually comes from ndorê is highly doubtful (this would rather yield *dora in Nandorin), but it must be derived from the same set of stems.

Lindon

place name. Lindon

Region in eastern Beleriand where the Green-elves settled, formerly called Ossiriand (WJ:385). The idea that Lindon is a Nandorin word is not found in the Etymologies; here the word is said to be Ilkorin instead, derived from Lindân-d (LR:369 s.v. LIN2) and defined as "musical land" ("because of water and birds"). However, the name Lindon in Tolkien's later conception represents primitive Lindânâ (WJ:385), which is clearly Lindâ "Linda, Elf of the Third Clan" + the well-attested adjectival ending -nâ. Lindânâ therefore means simply "(Land) of the Lindar", "Lindarin (Land)".

Interestingly, this Nandorin word from a source much later than the Etymologies confirms the loss of original final -â seen in many words listed in Etym. Lindon from Lindânâ is also our sole example of how medial â comes out in Nandorin; it seems to become o. (Cf. Doriathrin, in which language primitive medial â becomes ó.)

lindon

place name. Lindon