n. 'way-bread'. Q. lerembas. >> ledhbas
Sindarin
lembas
noun. way bread
lembas
noun. journey bread made by the Elves
lembas
'way-bread'
lembas
noun. waybread, journey-bread
The name of the special bread used by Elves during travel, more literally “waybread”.
Conceptual Development: This word appeared as N. lembas “waybread” in a marginal entry to The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√LEN “(road?), way” [the first gloss is unclear], a variant of ᴹ√LED “go, fare, travel” (EtyAC/LEN). It second element was probably N. bast “bread” (Ety/MBAS). In the narratives themselves, the word lembas appeared in early drafts of Book 2, Chapter 8 “Farewell to Lórien” from The Lord of the Rings (TI/279), which is where it first appeared in the published version as well.
Possible Etymology: Although its second element was probably originally bast “bread”, it is not clear why this word was lembas and not lembast; Noldorin compounds usually retained final st, as in Orchrist and Camlost. The reduction of the st in lembas could be a remnant of earlier ideas; compare it to G. losbas “ryebread” = G. losc + G. bast from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/22, 54).
Nevertheless, Tolkien considered the etymology of lembas somewhat problematic in his later writings. In notes from the 1950s he derived it from OS. lenn-mbass “journey-bread” (PM/404). In notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s Tolkien derived lembas from lendbas where its initial element was lenda “journey” based on the root √LEN or √LED but he did not explain the second element (PE17/60). In notes from the mid-1960s Tolkien wrote:
> lembas “waybread”. This seems meant to be associated with Primitive Eldarin stems ✱LED “go” and ✱MBAS “bake” but is not readily derived from them according to Sindarin developments. Something like ✱leðbast would be expected (PE17/51).
In these notes, Tolkien initially derived the word from ledme-mbasta but struggled to explain the reduction of st. He then started over, saying:
> Simplify this thus: Assume a Primitive Eldarin derivation ✱mbassē, “(baked) bread” ... Evidently lembas is an old compound < led(e)mbasse “bread taken on leaving home (for a long journey)”, the first element being the bare verbal stem. ... lembas would be a reasonable Sindarin development in an obscured compound though leðbas would be expected if the stem √LED had remained in common use (PE17/52).
This revised etymology is more-or-less compatible with the 1950s derivation from OS. lenn-mbass, which is the derivation Christopher Tolkien presented in the Silmarillion Index (SI/lembas).
Cognates
Derivations
- Os. lenn-mbass “way-bread” ✧ LotRI/Lembas; PE17/060; PM/404; SI/lembas
- ✶le(n)dembassē “bread taken on leaving home (for a long journey)”
- ✶le(n)dembassē “bread taken on leaving home (for a long journey)” ✧ PE17/051; PE17/051; PE17/052
Elements
Word Gloss LED “go, proceed, go, proceed, [ᴹ√] fare, travel” bas(t) “bread” Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources Os. len-bas > Lembas [lenbas] > [lembas] ✧ LotRI/Lembas ✶ledme-mbasta > lenm(e)mbast(a) > lenmbast > lembas [ledmembasta] > [lenmembasta] > [lenmembast] > [lenmbast] > [lenbast] > [lembast] ✧ PE17/051 ✶ledme-mbassē > lembas [ledmembassē] > [ledmembasse] > [lenmembasse] > [lenmembass] > [lenmbass] > [lenbass] > [lembass] > [lembas] ✧ PE17/051 ✶led(e)mbasse > lembas [ledmbasse] > [lenmbasse] > [lenmbasse] > [lenbass] > [lembass] > [lembas] ✧ PE17/052 Os. lendbas > lembas [lendbas] > [lenbas] > [lembas] ✧ PE17/060 Os. lenn-mbass > lembas [lennmbas] > [lenbas] > [lembas] ✧ PM/404 Os. lenn-mbass > lembas [lennmbas] > [lenbas] > [lembas] ✧ SI/lembas Variations
- Lembas ✧ LotRI/Lembas; LotRI/Waybread; PMI/Lembas
- leðbast ✧ PE17/051 (leðbast)
- leðbas ✧ PE17/052 (leðbas)
ledhbas
'way-bread'
{ð} n. 'way-bread'. A form of lembas if the stem LED had remained in common use. >> lembas
ledhbas(t)
noun. waybread
bass
noun. bread
In the Etymologies, the word for "bread" is given as bast , Quenya masta, but it seems that Tolkien later changed his mind and updated the word to bass, as shown in Quenya massánie, Sindarin besain, besoneth "bread-giver", and in the mutated form (i)mbas (apparently prefixed with the article). These latter Sindarin forms are however dubious, as we would rather have expected bessain (as a regular cognate of Quenya massánie) and bassoneth (without i-affection), and possibly a different mutation pattern after the article
bas(t)
noun. bread
This was the word for “bread” in Sindarin and its conceptual precursors for much of Tolkien’s life, derived from the equally long-lived root √MBAS “bake”. The word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s where G. bast “bread” was derived from the early root ᴱ√M(B)ASA “cook, bake” (GL/22). ᴱN. bast “bread” reappeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/138) and appeared again as N. bast “bread” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√MBAS “knead” (Ety/MBAS).
It appeared without a final t in the Sindarin version of the Lord’s Prayer from the 1950s: anno ammen sír i mbas ilaurui vín “give us this day our daily bread” (VT44/21). However the t was restored in the phrase penim vast “we have no bread” from around 1959 (PE17/144). The late vacillations on the presence and absence of t are likely connected to Tolkien challenges with the derivation of lembas; see that entry for discussion. Likewise, the mutated forms mbas vs. vast indicate some late uncertainty on whether the primitive form began with mb- or b-.
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume the normal form was bast “bread” from ancient mbasta, so that lenited forms show mb-.
Cognates
Derivations
- √MBAS “bake, bake, [ᴱ√] cook; [ᴹ√] knead”
Element in
- S. anno ammen sír i mbas ilaurui vín “give us this day our daily bread” ✧ VT44/27
- S. lembas “waybread, journey-bread”
- ᴺS. losbas “ryebread”
- S. penim vast “we have no bread” ✧ PE17/144
bassoneth
noun. bread-giver
See bass for a discussion regarding this word
lend
noun. journey
lenn-
noun. journey
besain
noun. bread-giver
See bass for a discussion regarding this word
bessain
noun. bread-giver
See bass for a discussion regarding this word
besoneth
noun. bread-giver
See bass for a discussion regarding this word
lembas
journey-bread
(way-bread), pl. lembais
lembas
way-bread, journey-bread
pl. lembais.
lembas
way-bread, journey-bread
lembas, pl. lembais.
lembas
journey-bread
lembas (way-bread), pl. lembais
lembas
way-bread
lembas (journey-bread), pl. lembais
lembas
way-bread
(journey-bread), pl. lembais
bass
bread
bass (i mass, o mbass, construct bas), pl. bais (i mbais). The sg. form with article "imbas" in VT44:23 may be seen as archaic Sindarin, for later *i mas(s) as suggested here. In ”Noldorin”, the word for "bread" was bast (LR:372 s.v. MBAS), but otherwise it would have the same mutations.
bass
bread
(i mass, o mbass, construct bas), pl. bais (i mbais). The sg. form with article "imbas" in VT44:23 may be seen as archaic Sindarin, for later ✱i mas(s) as suggested here. – In ”Noldorin”, the word for "bread" was bast (LR:372 s.v. MBAS), but otherwise it would have the same mutations.
lend
journey
lend (way), pl. lind, coll. pl. lennath. Note: a homophone means ”tuneful, sweet”.
lend
journey
(way), pl. lind, coll. pl. lennath. Note: a homophone means ”tuneful, sweet”.
lîdh
noun. journey
From ✱lēde < √LED “go, proceed”, see also N. ledh- “to go”. Noun forms with long vowels that correspond to basic verbs with short vowels are fairly common in Sindarin, for example: N. mîl n. “love” vs. S. mel- v. “to love”; N. glîr n. “song” vs. N. glir- “to sing”. A direct cognate of Q. lenda “journey” would be ᴺS. lend or lenn, but the form ᴺS. lend already exists as an adjective for “tuneful, sweet”.
Cognates
- Q. lenda “journey, journey, *travel, trip”
Derivations
- √LED “go, proceed, go, proceed, [ᴹ√] fare, travel”
lend (“journey”) + (m-)bass (“bread”)