las(s)

noun. leaf, leaf; [G.] petal

The basic Sindarin word for “leaf”, derived from the root √LAS (PE17/62, 153; PE22/166). It appeared as both lass and las, but I believe the latter is the suffixal form, the result of the Sindarin sound change whereby final *ss* shortened in polysyllables (LotR/1115). Its plural form was lais, which is of interest because normally consonant clusters prevent i-intrusion]]; compare nern and resg the plurals of narn and rasg. I am of the opinion that the ss was a particular “weak” cluster and allowed intrusion anyway; see the entry on Sindarin plural nouns for further discussion.

Conceptual Development: G. lass “a leaf” appeared all the way back in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, but there Tolkien said it was sometimes used for “petal” = G. tethlas (GL/52). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s it became ᴱN. lhas “leaf” (PE13/148) and N. lhass “leaf” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶lassē under the root ᴹ√LAS (Ety/LAS¹). These 1920s-30s forms were due to the Noldorin sound change whereby initial *l* was unvoiced to *lh*. Tolkien abandoned this sound change in Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s, so that lass “leaf” was restored.

las

leaf

pl1. lais** **_ n. _leaf. Only applied to certain kinds of leaves, esp. those of trees, and would not e.g. be used of leaf of hyacinth. It is thus possibly related to LAS 'listen', and S-LAS stem of Elvish words for 'ear'. Q. lasse, pl1. lassi.

lass

leaf

_n. _leaf. >> athelas, las

las

noun. leaf

lass

noun. leaf

lasgalen

proper name. Green of Leaf

Another name for Q. Laurelin translated “Green of Leaf” (MR/155), a combination of las(s) “leaf” and the lenited form of calen “green”.

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name appeared as N. Lhasgalen (LR/210), and Lhasgalen also appeared in The Etymologies with the translation “Greenleaf” and essentially the same derivation given above (Ety/LAS¹).

nellas

feminine name. ?Three-leaf

Elf-maid who befriended Túrin in his youth and taught him Sindarin (UT/76). The meaning of her name is unclear, but it might be a combination of [N.] nel- “tri” and las(s) “leaf” (as suggested by David Salo, GS/356).

Finglas

noun. hair-leaf

fînd (“tress”) + lass (“leaf”) #The medial g is not clear, might be left from Gnomish lexicon, where fingl meant “tress”, or fing is a variant of find.

lasgalen

noun. leaf green

n. leaf green.

galenas

noun. pipe-weed (leaf) or "westmansweed", a variety of Nicotiana

lass

leaf

lass (pl. #lais). (Letters:282, PM:135).

lass

leaf

(pl. #lais). (Letters:282, PM:135).

suithlas

noun. tea, *(lit.) drink of leaf

tuilas

noun. petal, (lit.) bud-leaf

yllas

noun. tea, *(lit.) drink of leaf

lasbelin

leaf-withering

” (= autumn) lasbelin (no distinct pl. form).

lasbelin

noun. leaf-fall, autumn

lasbelin

leaf-withering

(no distinct pl. form).

lasgalen

leaf-green

lasgalen (pl. lesgelin).

lasgalen

leaf-green

lasgalen (pl. lesgelin)

lasgalen

leaf-green

(pl. lesgelin).

palt

noun. wide flat leaf; page of book; blade (of swords, knives, oars, etc.)

golas

collection of leaves

(i ’olas) (foliage), pl. gelais (i ngelais = i ñelais), coll. pl. golassath. Archaic pl. göleis. ”

lassë

noun. leaf, leaf; [ᴱQ.] petal

The basic Quenya word for “leaf”, derived from the root √LAS (PE17/62, 153; VT39/9). This word dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s where ᴱQ. lasse “leaf” appeared as its own entry (QL/51). ᴹQ. lasse “leaf” also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√LAS (Ety/LAS¹). In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s Tolkien said that lasse meant both “a leaf or petal” (GL/52). After that Tolkien translated it only as “leaf”. In one set of later notes Tolkien said it was even more restricted in meaning, and “only applied to certain kinds of leaves, especially those of trees, and would not e.g. be used of leaf of a hyacinth (linque)” (PE17/62).

Neo-Quenya: Despite Tolkien late declaration, I would use lassë as the general “leaf” word for purposes of Neo-Quenya, though more specialized words may also exist such as linquë “(leaf of a) hyacinth”. I would also use it metaphorically in its Early Qenya sense as the “petal” of a flower where the context is very clear, such as lassi indilo “leaves of a lily” = “lily petals”. But where ambiguous, I would use the neologism ᴺQ. lótelas for “petal”, more literally “flower leaf”.

lassë

leaf

lassë noun "leaf"; pl. lassi is attested (Nam, RGEO:66, Letters:283, LAS1, LT1:254, VT39:9, Narqelion); gen. lassëo "of a leaf", gen. pl. lassion "of leaves" (earlier lassio) (WJ:407). The word lassë was only applied to certain kinds of leaves, especially those of trees (PE17:62), perhaps particularly _ear-shaped _leaves (cf. the entry _LAS1 _in the Etymologies, where Tolkien comments on the pointed or leaf-shaped Elvish ears and suggests an etymological connection between words for "ear" and "leaf"); see also linquë #3. Compound lasselanta "leaf-fall", used (as was quellë) for the latter part of autumn and the beginning of winter (Appendix D, Letters:428); hence Lasselanta alternative name of October (PM:135). Cf. also lassemista "leaf-grey, grey-leaved" (LotR2:III ch. 4, translated in Letters:224, PE17:62), lassewinta a variant of lasselanta (PM:376). Adj. laicalassë "green as leaves" (PE17:56). See also lillassëa, lantalasselingëa.

taniquelassë

leaf

taniquelassë noun name of tree (UT:167), perhaps Tanique(til) + lassë "leaf"

lassemista

proper name. Leaf-Grey

The name of a tree in Fangorn beloved of the Ent Bregalad (LotR/483). It is a compound of lassë “leaf” and mista “grey” (PE17/83).

taniquelassë

noun. *high-white-leaf

Name of a species of tree in Númenor (UT/167), apparently a combination of the initial part of Taniquetil with lassë “leaf”.

lassecanta

leaf-shaped

lassecanta ("k")adj. "leaf-shaped" (KAT)

lasselanta

leaf-fall = autumn

lasselanta noun "leaf-fall = Autumn" (DAT/DANT, LAS1, Narqelion, LT1:254; "lasse-lanta" in VT45:24, but again lasselanta in VT45:26)

linquë

noun. (leaf of a) hyacinth, (leaf of a) hyacinth, *grass or grass-like leaf

A word appearing as an element in a couple of untranslated labels for 1960s plant drawings by Tolkien: linquë súrissë “?grass in the wind” and ranalinque “?moon-grass” (TMME/184, 198). This word was also mentioned in a discussion of lassë “leaf” in some Notes on Galadriel’s Song (NGS) from the late 1950s or early 1960s, where Tolkien said “It [lasse] is only applied to certain kinds of leaves, especially those of trees, and would not e.g. be used of leaf of a hyacinth (linque)” (PE17/62). As pointed out by Helge Fauskanger, it is not clear from this note whether linque refers to a “hyacinth” or a “leaf of a hyacinth”. Given the grass-like nature of the two drawings where it appears, I think linque likely means “✱grass or grass-like leaf”.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya I would assume linque applies mainly to grass and grass-like leaves but also to “hyacinth” as an example of a plant with such leaves. If you want to distinguish them, though, Tamas Ferencz proposed the neologism ᴺQ. iasintë “hyacinth” as a loan word from Latin “jacintus”.

laicalassë

adjective. green-leaf, green as leaves

lassewinta

noun. leaf fall, autumn, *(lit.) leaf blowing

lasselanta

noun. (late) autumn, (lit.) leaf-fall, (late) autumn, (lit.) leaf-fall; [ᴹQ.] October

lótelas

noun. petal, (lit.) flower-leaf

A neologism for “petal” coined by Paul Strack specifically for Eldamo in 2023, a combination of lótë “flower” and lassë “leaf”, inspired by the alternate meaning of ᴱQ. lasse as both “leaf or petal” in the 1910s (GL/52).

tyávelassë

noun. spice, (lit.) taste-leaf

A neologism for “spice” coined by Helge Fauskanger in his NQNT (NQNT), a combination of tyávë “taste” and lassë “leaf”.

parmalas(së)

noun. page, (lit.) leaf of book

lassī

noun. leaves

PQ. leaves

sononel

noun. pine-needle

las

root. leaf

This root was connected to leaves throughout Tolkien’s life. It did not appear directly in the Qenya or Gnomish lexicons of the 1910s, but ✱ᴱ√LASA “leaf” is implied by ᴱQ. lasse and G. lass “leaf” (QL/51; GL/52). ᴹ√LAS appeared directly in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the derivatives ᴹQ. lasse and N. lhass (Ety/LAS¹), and the root √LAS “leaf” was also mentioned in Tolkien’s later writings (PE17/77; VT39/9).

lassē

noun. leaf

lhass

noun. leaf

lhass

noun. leaf

mindor uilas

place name. *Isolated Mountain of Ever-leaf

One of the beacon hills in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (WR/233). It is a combination of various elements, perhaps mind- “isolated” plus -or “mountain” and ui “ever” plus lhass “leaf”, as suggested by Roman Rausch (3.22).

lhasbelin

noun. leaf-fall, autumn

lhasgalen

proper name. Green of Leaf

las

noun. leaf