Quenya 

lemen

cardinal. five

lemen, alternative cardinal "five" (VT48:6, 20); the word normally appears as lempë, but compare lemenya below.

lemen

cardinal. five

lemnë

cardinal. five

lempë

cardinal. five

lempë cardinal "five" (LEP/LEPEN/LEPEK, GL:53, VT42:24, VT47:10, 24); lempëa ordinal "fifth", an analogical formation replacing older lemenya, in turn altered from the historically "correct" form lepenya because of analogy with the cardinal lempë "five" (VT42:25; Vanyarin Quenya maintained lepenya, VT42:26)

lempë

cardinal. five

Cognates

  • S. leben “five” ✧ PE17/095; VT48/06
  • T. lepen “five” ✧ VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24; VT48/06

Derivations

  • LEPEN “five” ✧ PE17/095
  • lepene “five” ✧ PE17/095; VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24
    • LEPEN “five” ✧ VT47/24

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
LEPEN > lepne > lempe[lepne] > [lenpe] > [lempe]✧ PE17/095
lepen > lempe[lepne] > [lenpe] > [lempe]✧ PE17/095
lepene > lepne > lempe[lepene] > [lepne] > [lenpe] > [lempe]✧ VT42/24
lepene > lepne > lempe[lepene] > [lepne] > [lenpe] > [lempe]✧ VT47/10
lepenē̆ > lepnē > lempe[lepenē] > [lepnē] > [lenpē] > [lempē] > [lempe]✧ VT47/24

Variations

  • lempe ✧ PE17/095; PE17/095; VT42/24; VT42/25; VT42/26; VT47/10; VT47/24
  • lemne ✧ PE17/095
  • lemen ✧ VT48/06
Quenya [PE17/095; VT42/24; VT42/25; VT42/26; VT47/10; VT47/24; VT48/06] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Sindarin 

leben

cardinal. five

Sindarin [Ety/368, TAI/150, VT/42:24-25, VT/47:10, VT/47:2] Group: SINDICT. Published by

leben

cardinal. five

Cognates

  • Q. lempë “five” ✧ PE17/095; VT48/06
  • T. lepen “five” ✧ VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24

Derivations

  • lepene “five” ✧ PE17/095; VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24
    • LEPEN “five” ✧ VT47/24

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
lepen > leb(en[lepene] > [lepen] > [leben]✧ PE17/095
lepene > leben[lepene] > [lepen] > [leben]✧ VT42/24
lepene > leben[lepene] > [lepen] > [leben]✧ VT47/10
lepenē̆ > leben[lepene] > [lepen] > [leben]✧ VT47/24

Variations

  • leb(en ✧ PE17/095
Sindarin [PE17/095; VT42/24; VT42/25; VT47/10; VT47/24; VT48/06] Group: Eldamo. Published by

leben

card

_ card. _five. Q. lepen, lempe. >> eneg

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

eneg

card

_ card. _six. Q. enque, enc-. >> odog

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

caen-

card

_ card. _ten. Q. cainen. >> cae, mimp. This gloss was rejected.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

er

card

_ card. _one. Q. er. >> min, tad

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

cae

card

_ card. _ten. Q. cea. >> caen-, mimp. This gloss was rejected.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

can

card

_ card. _four. Q. canta. >> canad, leben

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

min

card

_ card. _one. Q. min. >> er, tad

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

nel

card

_ card. _three. Q. nelde. Fcan, canad, neledh

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

canad

card

_ card. _four. Q. canta. >> can, leben

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

neder

card

_ card. _nine. Q. nerte. >> cae, caen-

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

tolod

card

_ card. _eight. Q. tolto. >> neder

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

odog

card

_ card. _seven. Q. otos. >> tolod

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

tad

card

_ card. _two. Q. atta. Fnel, neledh

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

tad

card

card. two. . This gloss was rejected.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:14] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

leben

cardinal. five

leben;

leben

five

;

Telerin 

lepen

cardinal. five

Cognates

  • Q. lempë “five” ✧ VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24; VT48/06
  • S. leben “five” ✧ VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24

Derivations

  • lepene “five” ✧ VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24
    • LEPEN “five” ✧ VT47/24

Element in

Telerin [VT42/24; VT42/25; VT47/10; VT47/24; VT48/06] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Primitive elvish

lepen

root. five

LEPEN was the most common root for “five” in Tolkien’s writings, but he explored a variety of other options. Its earliest iteration appeared in the Qenya and Gnomish lexicons as ᴱ√LEH (QL/52) or ᴱ√LEF “half” (GL/53), so I think the actual early form was ✱ᴱ√LEǶE [lexʷe]. At this early stage it had derivatives with the meanings “five”, “ten”, and “half”, but in later writings “ten” became ᴹ√KAYAN >> √KWAY(AM) and “half” became √PER.

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root appeared as ᴹ√LEPEN “five” with variant ᴹ√LEPEK, but ᴹ√LEPEK had no derivatives (Ety/LEP). √LEPEN appeared again in a list of numbers from the late 1950s or early 1960s beside a variant √LENEP; again the variant had no clear derivatives (PE17/95). √LEPEN reappeared in numeric discussions from the late 1960s (VT42/24; VT47/10). In these late discussions Tolkien said that “five” most likely originally from ✱lepem as an ancient plural of √LEP, but it seems this became √LEPEN already in Common Eldarin (CE), given that the Sindarin word for “five” remained S. leben; Tolkien gave varying explanations for this CE sound change, either as dissimilation from p (VT47/26 note 2) or with final -m > -n being the regular phonetic development (VT47/24).

Derivatives

  • lepene “five” ✧ VT47/24
    • Q. lempë “five” ✧ PE17/095; VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24
    • S. leben “five” ✧ PE17/095; VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24
    • T. lepen “five” ✧ VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24
  • Q. lempë “five” ✧ PE17/095
  • ᴺS. lebem “fifteen”

Element in

Variations

  • LENEP ✧ PE17/095; PE17/159; PE17/160
  • lepen ✧ VT42/24; VT42/26; VT42/26
  • lepem ✧ VT42/26 (lepem); VT47/16; VT47/24 (lepem); VT47/27
Primitive elvish [PE17/095; PE17/159; PE17/160; VT42/24; VT42/26; VT47/16; VT47/24; VT47/27] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lepene

noun. five

Derivations

  • LEPEN “five” ✧ VT47/24

Derivatives

  • Q. lempë “five” ✧ PE17/095; VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24
  • S. leben “five” ✧ PE17/095; VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24
  • T. lepen “five” ✧ VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24

Element in

Variations

  • lepen ✧ PE17/095
  • lepenē̆ ✧ VT47/24
Primitive elvish [PE17/095; VT42/24; VT47/10; VT47/24] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lenep

root. five

lepem

root. five

Noldorin 

lheben

cardinal. five

Noldorin [Ety/368, TAI/150, VT/42:24-25, VT/47:10, VT/47:2] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lheben

cardinal. five

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. lempe “five” ✧ Ety/LEP

Derivations

  • ᴹ√LEPEN “five” ✧ Ety/LEP

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√LEPEN > lheben[lepene] > [lepen] > [l̥epen] > [l̥eben]✧ Ety/LEP
Noldorin [Ety/LEP; TAI/150] 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 

lempe

cardinal. five

Cognates

  • N. lheben “five” ✧ Ety/LEP

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶lep(e)ne “five” ✧ EtyAC/LEP
    • ᴹ√LEPEN “five” ✧ Ety/LEP

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶lep(e)ne > lempe[lepene] > [lepne] > [lenpe] > [lempe]✧ EtyAC/LEP

Middle Primitive Elvish

lepen

root. five

Derivatives

  • ᴹ✶lepenar “week” ✧ Ety/LEP
    • ᴹQ. lemnar “(Valarin five-day) week” ✧ EtyAC/LEP
    • N. lhevnar “week” ✧ EtyAC/LEP
  • ᴹ✶lep(e)ne “five” ✧ Ety/LEP
    • ᴹQ. lempe “five” ✧ EtyAC/LEP
  • N. lheben “five” ✧ Ety/LEP

Variations

  • LEPEK ✧ Ety/LEP
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/LEP] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lep(e)ne

noun. five

Derivations

  • ᴹ√LEPEN “five” ✧ Ety/LEP

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. lempe “five” ✧ EtyAC/LEP
Middle Primitive Elvish [EtyAC/LEP] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lepek

root. five

Middle Primitive Elvish Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

elf(in)

cardinal. five

Derivations

  • ᴱ√LEǶE “half; *five” ✧ GL/53

Element in

  • G. elfeg “half” ✧ GL/32

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√lef > elf[elxʷ] > [elf]✧ GL/53

Variations

  • elf ✧ GL/53
Gnomish [GL/32; GL/53] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

lempe

cardinal. five