cainë

lay

cainë "lay", pa.t. of caita- "lie", q.v.

cairë

lay

cairë _("k")_vb. "lay" (pa.t. of "lie") (MC:221; this is "Qenya" - in LotR-style Quenya cainë pa.t. of caita?) An word cairë with no clear definition appears in PE17:101; see cëa, cairë.

tindon

lay

tindon pa.t. vb? "lay" (???) (MC:220; this is "Qenya")

lairë

poem

lairë (2) noun "poem" (GLIR)

lirilla

lay, song

lirilla noun "lay, song" (LT1:258)

lirit

poem

lirit noun "poem" (LT1:258)

lírë

song

lírë noun "song", stem #líri- in the instrumental form lírinen "in [the] song" or *"by [the] song" (Nam, RGEO:67)

lírë

noun. song

Derivations

• √LIR “sing, warble, sing, warble, [ᴹ√] trill” ✧ PE17/067

Element in

• ᴺQ. airilírë “hymn”
• Q. ómaryo airetári-lírinen “in the song of her voice, holy and queenly” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
• Q. ómaryo lírinen airetário “in [by means of] her voice’s song, of the holy-queen” ✧ RGEO/59
• Q. lírinen ómo i·aire tário “by the song of the voice of the holy queen” ✧ PE17/076
• Q. lírinen ómo i·aire táríva “by the song of the voice of the holy queen” ✧ PE17/076
• Q. tintilar lirinen ómaryo Airë-tário ✧ PM/364

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√LIR > līrĭ-	[līri] > [līre]	✧ PE17/067

Variations

• líre ✧ PE17/067

laer

noun. song, long lay

laer

noun. song

Element in

• S. Laer Cú Beleg “Song of the Great Bow”

lîr

noun. song, poem, lay

aerlinn

noun. (unknown meaning, perhaps a song about the sea, or possibly holy song)

glîr

lay

glîr (i **lîr, construct glir) (poem, song), no distinct pl. form except with article (in glîr), coll. pl. glíriath**;

glîr

lay

(i ’lîr, construct glir) (poem, song), no distinct pl. form except with article (in glîr), coll. pl. glíriath;

glaer

long lay

(i ’laer) (narrative poem), no distinct pl. form except with article (in glaer)

glaer

narrative poem

(i ’laer) (long lay), no distinct pl. form except with article (in glaer). Verb

glir

recite poem

(i ’lîr, in glirir) (sing)

hoda-

verb. to lay, stretch out, lay flat on ground

Derivations

• √KHAW “cover up, hide away, lay in store, [ᴹ√] rest, lie at ease; [√] cover up, hide away, lay in store”

glîr

poem

glîr (i **lîr, construct glir) (song, lay), no distinct pl. form except with article (in glîr), coll. pl. glíriath**.

glîr

poem

(i ’lîr, construct glir) (song, lay), no distinct pl. form except with article (in glîr), coll. pl. glíriath.

glîr

song

1) glîr (i **lîr, construct glir) (poem, lay), no distinct pl. form except with article (in glîr), coll. pl. glíriath. 2) laer (no distinct pl. form). Note: a homophone means ”summer”. 3) lind (air, tune; also = singer, in the latter sense also used of rivers), no distinct pl. form (WJ.309). See also HYMN regarding the word aerlinn**.

glîr

song

(i ’lîr, construct glir) (poem, lay), no distinct pl. form except with article (in glîr), coll. pl. glíriath. 2)  laer (no distinct pl. form). Note: a homophone means ”summer”. 3) lind (air, tune; also = singer, in the latter sense also used of rivers), no distinct pl. form (WJ.309). See also

lay

root. *be alive, flourish, [ᴱ√] be alive, flourish

This root was primarily used as the basis for Elvish words for summer and, via its extended root √LAYAK, freshness and greenness. Its earliest appearance was as ᴱ√LAẎA “be alive, flourish” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/52) where the Ẏ indicated an ancient palatal spirant, [c] or [ɟ]. In this period it had derivatives like ᴱQ. laiqa/G. laib “green” and ᴱQ. laire/G. glair “meadow” (QL/52; GL/39, 52).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s ᴹ√LAYA was unglossed with a single derivative ᴹQ. laire “summer”, appearing in a marginal note next to more detailed ᴹ√LAYAK (EtyAC/LAYA). In this document, Tolkien gave the derivatives of ᴹ√LAYAK as ᴹQ. laiqa “green” vs. N. lhoeb “fresh” (Ety/LAYAK). The Ilkorin form laig “fresh, lively; keen, sharp” was said to be blended with ᴹ√LAIK “keen, sharp, acute” (Ety/LAIK), so “✱fresh” was probably the original meaning of ᴹ√LAYAK.

The root √LAY appeared quite regularly in Tolkien’s later writings, but was never glossed. It was mentioned in the second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa from around 1950 as an example of a bi-consonantal root (PE18/97). It appeared in 1957 etymological notes as the basis for “summer” and “green”: the former still Q. lairë but the latter now Q. laika (PE17/145, 159). It was mentioned again in a 1958 letter to Rhona Beare as the basis for “summer” and ”green”, with the Sindarin form S. laeg having largely been replaced by S. calen “green” (Let/282).

Most likely this root retained the same basic sense as it had in the Qenya Lexicon, connected as it was to words having to do with freshness and liveliness.

Derivatives

• ✶laikā “green” ✧ Let/282
  • Nan. lego “green” ✧ Let/282
  • Q. laica “green” ✧ Let/282
  • S. laeg “fresh and green, viridis, green (of leaves/herbiage), green, viridis, green (of leaves/herbiage), fresh” ✧ Let/282
• ✶lairē “*summer” ✧ PE18/097
  • Q. lairë “summer”
• Q. laica “green” ✧ PE17/159
• Q. laima “plant” ✧ PE17/159
• Q. lairë “summer” ✧ Let/282; PE17/159
• Q. laita- “to praise, bless”
• S. glae “grass”
• ᴺS. laeda- “to refresh, revive”
• S. laeg “fresh and green, viridis, green (of leaves/herbiage), green, viridis, green (of leaves/herbiage), fresh” ✧ PE17/159
• S. laer “summer”
• S. laew “fresh” ✧ PE17/159

Element in

• ᴺQ. lailinquë “beryllium, (lit.) fresh-liquid light”
• Q. laiquë “herb” ✧ PE17/159
• ᴺQ. laivelyávë “(water)melon”
• S. Laewen

Variations

• LAY- ✧ PE17/145

glaer

noun. long lay, narrative poem

Written glær (with ae-ligature) in the Etymologies, rectified here according to VT/45:15

lhaer

noun. song, long lay

glinn

noun. song, poem, lay

Cognates

• ᴹQ. linde “air, tune” ✧ Ety/GLIN

Derivations

• ᴹ√LIN “sing” ✧ Ety/GLIN

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√GLIN > glinn	[glinde] > [glind] > [glinn]	✧ Ety/GLIN

Variations

• glinn ✧ Ety/GLIN (glinn)

glîr

noun. song, poem, lay

glîr

noun. song, poem, lay

Derivations

• ᴹ√LIR “sing, trill” ✧ Ety/GLIR; Ety/LIR¹

Element in

• ᴺS. gwalir “rhyme, rime (the two actual rhyming words), rhyming poem”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√GLIR > glîr	[glir] > [glīr]	✧ Ety/GLIR
ᴹ√LIR¹ > lhîr	[lir] > [līr]	✧ Ety/LIR¹

Variations

• lhîr ✧ EtyAC/LIR¹

lhîr

noun. song, poem, lay

lhîr

noun. song, poem, lay