lempëa

ordinal. fifth

Cognates

• S. levnui “fifth” ✧ VT42/25
• T. lepenya “fifth” ✧ VT42/25; VT42/26
• Van. lepenya “fifth” ✧ VT42/26

Elements

Word	Gloss
lempë	“five”
-ëa	“ordinal suffix”

Variations

• lempea ✧ VT42/25; VT42/26

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

• Q. lempëa “fifth” ✧ VT42/26
• ᴺQ. lepenquain “fifty”
• ᴺQ. lepenquëan “fifty”
• Q. lepenquë “*fifteen”
• Q. lepesta “one fifth”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√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

lemenya

fifth

lemenya archaic ordinal adj. "fifth", replaced by lempëa (VT42:25)

lemenya

ordinal. fifth

lepenya

ordinal. fifth

Changes

• lemenya → lepenya ✧ VT42/26

Derivations

• ✶lepenya “5th” ✧ VT42/26

Derivatives

• T. lepenya “fifth” ✧ VT42/26
• Van. lepenya “fifth” ✧ VT42/26

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶lepenya > lepenya	[lepenja]	✧ VT42/26

Variations

• lemenya ✧ VT42/25 (lemenya); VT42/25 (lemenya); VT42/26 (lemenya)

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

per-

prefix. half, half, [ᴹQ.] semi

Cognates

• S. per- “half”

Derivations

• √PER “half, half; [ᴹ√] divide in middle, halve”

Element in

• ᴺQ. pellauca “lukewarm”
• ᴺQ. pellopë “donkey, ass”
• ᴺQ. percoron “hemisphere”
• Q. Pereldar “Half-elven” ✧ Let/386
• Q. peresta “one half”
• ᴺQ. perranga “cubit”
• ᴺQ. pertol “peninsula”

Variations

• Per- ✧ Let/386 (Per-)

leben

cardinal. five

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

• S. Lebennin “Five Rivers” ✧ PE17/095
• ᴺS. lephaen “fifty”
• S. levnui “fifth” ✧ VT42/25
• ᴺS. paeleben “fifteen”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶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

per-

prefix. half

Cognates

• Q. per- “half, half, [ᴹQ.] semi”

Derivations

• √PER “half, half; [ᴹ√] divide in middle, halve”

Element in

• S. Peredhel “Half-elf”
• S. Perhael “Samwise, (lit.) Half-wise” ✧ PE17/102
• S. Perian “Halfling, Hobbit”
• ᴺS. perthol “peninsula”

Variations

• Per- ✧ PE17/102 (Per-)

lefnui

ordinal. fifth

lefnui

place name. Fifth

A river in Gondor, the fifth in the region of Lebennin (LotR/750), and so translated “Fifth” (VT42/14). It is simply lefnui “fifth” uses as a name and was thus pronounced [levnui], but Tolkien preferred the spelling Lefnui because “v” rarely appears before consonants in English (VT42/14).

Conceptual Development: When first mentioned in maps for the Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name was first given as N. Lhefned >> Lhefneg (WR/437, TI/312), apparently earlier Noldorin words for “fifth”.

Elements

Word	Gloss
levnui	“fifth”

Variations

• Levnui ✧ VT42/09; VT42/14

lefnui

ordinal. fifth

levnui

ordinal. fifth

Cognates

• Q. lempëa “fifth” ✧ VT42/25

Derivations

• Os. lepni(a) “fifth” ✧ VT42/26
  • ✶lepenya “5th” ✧ VT42/26

Element in

• S. Lefnui “Fifth”

Elements

Word	Gloss
leben	“five”
-ui	“-ful, having quality, adjective suffix; possibility, suitability [as verbal suffix], *-able”

Variations

• lefnui ✧ VT42/10

leben

cardinal. five

leben;

leben

five

;

lemmui

ordinal. fifth

per

half

(adj. prefix) per-.

per

half

.

lefnui

fifth

lefnui

lefnui

fifth

lefnui

lefnui

fifth

peringol

half-elf

(i beringol, o pheringol), pl. peringyl (i pheringyl), coll. pl. ?peringollath

lepenya

ordinal. fifth

Cognates

• Q. lempëa “fifth” ✧ VT42/25; VT42/26

Derivations

• Q. lepenya “fifth” ✧ VT42/26
  • ✶lepenya “5th” ✧ VT42/26

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

• T. lepenya “fifth” ✧ VT42/25

lepenya

ordinal. fifth

Cognates

• Q. lempëa “fifth” ✧ VT42/26

Derivations

• Q. lepenya “fifth” ✧ VT42/26
  • ✶lepenya “5th” ✧ VT42/26

lepem

root. five

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

• ✶lepenya “5th” ✧ VT42/26

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

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

• ᴺQ. lempellumë “five times”
• ᴺQ. lependórë “quintillion”

Variations

• lepen ✧ PE17/095
• lepenē̆ ✧ VT47/24

lenep

root. five

per

root. half, half; [ᴹ√] divide in middle, halve

This root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√PER “divide in middle, halve” with derivatives like ᴹQ. perya- “halve” and N. perin “half” (Ety/PER). It reappeared in notes from around 1959-60 as √PER “half” (PE17/171, 173). In Tolkien’s earliest writings, the sense “half” was assigned to the root ᴱ√LEHE or ᴱ√LEFE² instead (QL/52; GL/53).

Derivatives

• Q. per- “half, half, [ᴹQ.] semi”
• ᴺQ. permë “half; side (of person or shape)”
• S. per- “half”

lheben

cardinal. five

lheben

cardinal. five

Cognates

• ᴹQ. lempe “five” ✧ Ety/LEP

Derivations

• ᴹ√LEPEN “five” ✧ Ety/LEP

Element in

• N. Lebennin “Seven Streams”
• N. Lhefneg “Fifth”
• N. lheben teil brann i annon ar neledh neledhi gar godrebh “five foot high the door and three may walk abreast” ✧ TAI/150

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√LEPEN > lheben	[lepene] > [lepen] > [l̥epen] > [l̥eben]	✧ Ety/LEP

lhefneg

ordinal. fifth

lhefneg

place name. Fifth

Changes

• Lhefneg → Lefnui “Fifth” ✧ TI/312
• Lhefneg → Lefnui “Fifth” ✧ TII/Lefnui
• Lhefned → Lhefneg ✧ WR/436
• Lhefneg → Lefnui ✧ WRI/Lhefneg

Elements

Word	Gloss
lheben	“five”
-eg	“suffix for ordinal numbers”

Variations

• Lhefned ✧ WR/437 (Lhefned)

per-

prefix. half, divided in middle

per-

prefix. half

Derivations

• ᴹ√PER “divide in middle, halve”

Element in

• N. Perhail “Halfwise” ✧ SD/118

Variations

• Per ✧ SD/118 (Per)

perin

adjective. half, divided in middle

perin

adjective. half

Cognates

• ᴹQ. perya- “to divide in middle, halve” ✧ Ety/PER

Derivations

• ᴹ√PER “divide in middle, halve” ✧ Ety/PER

Element in

• N. Peringol “Half-elven, (lit.) Half-Noldo” ✧ Ety/PER; Ety/PER

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√PER > perin	[perine] > [perin]	✧ Ety/PER