Quenya 

lúnë

blue

lúnë (stem *lúni-, given the primitive form ¤lugni) adj. "blue" (LUG2, LT1:262; later sources rather give luinë, with pl. form luini_ in Namárië)_. According to VT45:29, lúnë in the Etymologies was changed by Tolkien from lúna.

luinë

blue

luinë adj. "blue", pl. luini (PE17:66, VT48:23, 24, 28, Nam, RGEO:66). Common Eldarin luini- would also be the stem-form in Quenya (VT48:24). Compare luinincë. Apparently -luin in Illuin, the name of one of the Lamps of the Valar (q.v.), Helluin, name of the star Sirius, and Luinil, name of another blue-shining star (or planet). (SA; Luinil is tentatively identified with Neptune, MR:435). Cf. also menelluin "sky-blue", used as noun = "cornflower" (J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator p. 193).

luinë

adjective. blue

Cognates

  • S. luin “blue” ✧ SA/luin; VT48/23; VT48/28
  • T. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/28

Derivations

  • LUY “blue” ✧ VT48/23
  • luini “blue” ✧ VT48/24
    • LUY “blue” ✧ VT48/24

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
LUY > luine[luini] > [luine]✧ VT48/23
luini > luine[luini] > [luine]✧ VT48/24

Variations

  • luine ✧ PE17/066; VT48/23; VT48/24; VT48/28
  • luini ✧ PE17/071
  • luin ✧ SA/luin
Quenya [LotR/0377; PE17/066; PE17/071; RGEO/58; SA/luin; VT48/23; VT48/24; VT48/28] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Illuin

blue

Illuin place-name, name of one of the Lamps of the Valar; apparently incorporating the element luin "blue" (Silm): hence *"all-blue"?

ninwa

blue

ninwa adj. "blue" (LT1:262)

hlón

sound

hlón noun "sound", "a noise" (VT48:29). Also hlóna. The stem of hlón is apparently hlon- if hloni "sounds" in WJ:394 is its plural form.

lamma

sound

lamma noun "sound" (LAM)

láma

noun. sound, sound; [ᴹQ.] ringing sound, echo

Cognates

  • ᴺS. law “sound”

Derivations

  • LAM “(inarticulate voiced) sound” ✧ VT39/20

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
lam > láma[lāma]✧ VT39/20

Variations

  • Láma ✧ PE18/082; PE18/090
Quenya [PE18/082; PE18/090; VT39/20] Group: Eldamo. Published by

láma#

noun. sound

sound

Quenya [PE 18:30, 40 PE 18:8, 70] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

Sindarin 

lhûn

lhûn

applied to rivers always full of water, at all seasons draining from mountains, as ringlo, gwathlo.  

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:137] < S. _slûn_ < adj. _slounā_ full of water in spate < S-LOUNI. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

lhûn

Lhûn

topon. . This gloss was rejected.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:136] < SLOUN, SLŌN or SLŪN. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

lhûn

deep of water

n. deep of water. Tolkien notes that this word was "applied originally to the Gulf".

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:137] < _(s)lōnō-_. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

lhûn

place name. Deep of Water

The Sindarin name of the river Lune (LotR/1134).

Conceptual Development: When this name first appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, N. Lhûn was translated “Blue River” (TI/124), clearly based on the Noldorin word for “blue”: lhûn (Ety/LUG²). Tolkien later changed the Sindarin word for “blue” to luin, so this derivation no longer worked. At one point he even considered renaming the river to Sîr Luin, but decided against it since Lhûn already appeared on the published maps of The Lord of the Rings (VT48/28).

In notes on the nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings from 1966-7, Tolkien considered a variety of derivations for this name (PE17/136-7), ultimately connecting it to the root √(S)LOW “flow freely (fully)” from which l(h)ô “flood” was derived, as well as Q. lóne “(deep) pool”. He translated the name as “deep of water”, saying that the name originally applied to the gulf rather than the river. Later Tolkien invented another derivation, from the Dwarvish words sulûn/salôn “fall, descend swiftly” (VT48/24).

A fuller discussion of these developments can be found in Patrick Wynne’s article “The Problem of Lhûn” (VT48/26-29).

Derivations

  • SLOUN “*descend” ✧ PE17/136; VT48/24; VT48/27
  • slōno “Lhûn” ✧ PE17/136; PE17/137; PE17/137; VT48/27; VT48/28; VT48/28
    • LOW “flow freely (fully)” ✧ PE17/136; PE17/137; VT48/27; VT48/28
    • LON “*haven, harbour” ✧ PE17/137; VT48/28
  • LOW “flow freely (fully)” ✧ PE17/137; VT48/28

Variations

  • lhûn ✧ PE17/137; PE17/137; VT48/28; VT48/28; VT48/28
Sindarin [LotRI/Lune; PE17/136; PE17/137; RC/773; SI/Lhûn; UTI/Lhûn; VT48/24; VT48/27; VT48/28] Group: Eldamo. Published by

luin

adjective. blue

Sindarin [LotR (misc.), S/434, UT/390, Ety/370, VT/48:24] Group: SINDICT. Published by

luin

blue

adj. blue. . This gloss was rejected.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:136] < *_luini-_ blue. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

luin

jhJ5 adjective. blue

Examples: Ered luin, Helluin, Luinil, Mindolluin

Sindarin [Let/448.1013, SA/luin.001, UT/390.0701, VT48/23.1104, VT48/24.2102, VT48/28.3615] Group: Verified and confirmed. Published by

luin

adjective. blue

Cognates

  • Q. luinë “blue” ✧ SA/luin; VT48/23; VT48/28

Derivations

  • LUY “blue” ✧ VT48/23
  • luini “blue” ✧ VT48/24
    • LUY “blue” ✧ VT48/24

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
LUY > Luin[luini] > [luine] > [luin]✧ VT48/23
luini > luin[luini] > [luine] > [luin]✧ VT48/24

Variations

  • Luin ✧ Let/448; VT48/23
Sindarin [Let/448; S/162; SA/luin; UT/390; VT48/23; VT48/24; VT48/28] Group: Eldamo. Published by

noun. loud-sound, trumpet-sound

Sindarin [Ety/384, X/RH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

elu

adjective. (pale) blue

Sindarin [Ety/360, X/W] Group: SINDICT. Published by

blue

adj. blue. . This gloss was rejected.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:136] < _(s)lowā_ < (S)LOW9. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

romru

noun. sound of horns

Sindarin [Ety/384, X/RH] rom+rû. Group: SINDICT. Published by

lhûn

making sound

lenited ?thlûn or ?lûn (the lenition product of lh is uncertain), pl. lhuin. Verb

lhûn

making sound

(a speculative interpretation of this adj.) lhûn, lenited ?thlûn or ?lûn (the lenition product of lh is uncertain), pl. lhuin. Verb

luin

blue

luin (no distinct pl. form, as demonstrated by the name Ered Luin ”Blue Mountains”) (VT48:24)

law

noun. sound

Cognates

  • Q. láma “sound, sound; [ᴹQ.] ringing sound, echo”

Derivations

  • LAM “(inarticulate voiced) sound”
Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

nellad

sound of bells

(pl. nellaid);

romru

sound of horns

pl. remry (idh remry) for archaic römry;

lammad

sound of voices

pl. lemmaid. May also be spelt with a single m.

Telerin 

luinë

adjective. blue

Cognates

  • Q. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/28

Derivations

  • luini “blue” ✧ VT48/24
    • LUY “blue” ✧ VT48/24

Variations

  • luine ✧ VT48/24; VT48/28
Telerin [VT48/24; VT48/28] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Quendya 

ulban

adjective. blue

Primitive elvish

slōno

place name. Lhûn

Derivations

  • LOW “flow freely (fully)” ✧ PE17/136; PE17/137; VT48/27; VT48/28
  • LON “*haven, harbour” ✧ PE17/137; VT48/28

Derivatives

  • Q. lóna “(deep) pool, mere, river-feeding well” ✧ PE17/136; VT48/27
  • S. Lhûn “Deep of Water” ✧ PE17/136; PE17/137; PE17/137; VT48/27; VT48/28; VT48/28

Variations

  • Slōnā ✧ PE17/136 (Slōnā)
  • Slounā ✧ PE17/137
  • (s)lōno ✧ PE17/137; VT48/28
  • slōnā ✧ VT48/27 (slōnā)
  • slounā ✧ VT48/28
Primitive elvish [PE17/136; PE17/137; VT48/27; VT48/28] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lugni

adjective. blue

Primitive elvish [PE21/81] Group: Eldamo. Published by

luini

adjective. blue

Derivations

  • LUY “blue” ✧ VT48/24

Derivatives

  • Q. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/24
  • S. luin “blue” ✧ VT48/24
  • T. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/24

Element in

  • S. Ered Luin “Blue Mountains” ✧ PE17/136; VT48/27

Variations

  • LUINI ✧ PE17/136 (LUINI); PE17/161
  • luini- ✧ PE17/136 (luini-); VT48/27 (luini-)
Primitive elvish [PE17/136; PE17/161; VT48/24; VT48/27] Group: Eldamo. Published by

luy

root. blue

The Elvish words for “blue” remained very similar throughout Tolkien’s life, but underwent a number of minor conceptual shifts. The word ᴱQ. lūne “blue, deep blue” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s in a collection of words along with ᴱQ. lūle “blue stone, sapphire”, but no root was given (QL/55). The word for “blue” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon was G. luim (GL/55). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, the root for “blue” was ᴹ√LUG with derivatives ᴹQ. lúne and N. lhûn (Ety/LUG²).

Meanwhile, the root ᴹ√LUY appeared in The Etymologies with derivatives ᴹQ. luina and Dor. luin “pale” (EtyAC/LUY), probably connected to ᴱN. Draugluin “Werewolf Pale” from the Lays of Beleriand of the 1920s (LB/205). But in The Etymologies the root ᴹ√LUY was rejected, and Dor. luin “pale” was reassigned to ᴹ√LUG² and then revised in form to Dor. lūn (Ety/LUG²; EtyAC/LUG²).

In addition, there was already evidence of a conceptual shift in the Noldorin words for blue in the 1930s, with the name N. Eredluin “Blue Mountains” being given as an alternative to N. Lhúnorodrim and N. Lhúndirien “Blue Towers” (Ety/LUG²), the latter appearing as N. Luindirien in contemporaneous Silmarillion narratives (LR/267). By the 1950s and 60s, the Sindarin and Quenya words for “blue” had firmly become S. luin (Let/448; S/54; UT/390) and Q. luinë (LotR/377; PE17/66, 71). The root √LUY “blue” appeared in notes from the late 1960s serving as the new basis for these “blue” words (VT48/23-24, 26).

All this made a mess for the river name S. Lhûn (LotR/1134) from The Lord of the Rings which was a remnant of Tolkien’s earlier ideas, and he struggled to find a new basis for that name as discussed by Patrick Wynne in his article on The Problem of Lhûn (VT48/26-29).

Derivatives

  • luini “blue” ✧ VT48/24
    • Q. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/24
    • S. luin “blue” ✧ VT48/24
    • T. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/24
  • ᴺQ. luilë “sapphire, blue stone”
  • Q. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/23
  • ᴺS. lui “blueness; livor, livid mark, *bruise”
  • S. luin “blue” ✧ VT48/23
Primitive elvish [VT48/23; VT48/24; VT48/26] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

lhûn

adjective. (unknown meaning)

This word, which also appears on the map of Middle-earth in LotR, is glossed as "blue" in The Etymologies, but Tolkien later rejected this meaning (as luin was already used in that sense). He then proposed several explanations for it, including the possible adaptation of a Dwarvish name into Sindarin, but he apparently never reached a definitive solution.

Noldorin [Ety/370, VT/48:24-29] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lhûn

adjective. blue

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. lúne “blue, blue, [ᴱQ.] deep blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶lugni “blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²
    • ᴹ√LUG “*blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶lugni > lhûn[lugni] > [lugne] > [luŋne] > [lūne] > [lūn] > [l̥ūn]✧ Ety/LUG²
ᴹ✶lugni > luin[lugnī] > [lugni] > [luŋni] > [lūni] > [luin] > [l̥uin]✧ Ety/LUG²
Noldorin [Ety/LUG²] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lhûn

place name. Blue River

Elements

WordGloss
lhûn“blue”
Noldorin [LRI/Lhûn; TI/124; TII/Lhûn] Group: Eldamo. Published by

rhû

noun. loud-sound, trumpet-sound

Noldorin [Ety/384, X/RH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

rhomru

noun. sound of horns

Noldorin [Ety/384, X/RH] rom+rû. Group: SINDICT. Published by

elw

adjective. (pale) blue

Noldorin [Ety/360, X/W] Group: SINDICT. Published by

nella-

verb. to sound (of bells)

Noldorin [Ety/379, VT/46:7] Group: SINDICT. 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 

lúne

adjective. blue, blue, [ᴱQ.] deep blue

Changes

  • lúnalúne ✧ Ety/LUG²

Cognates

  • N. lhûn “blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²
  • Ilk. lûn “pale” ✧ Ety/LUG²
  • Dan. lygn “pale” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶lugni “blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²; EtyAC/LUG²
    • ᴹ√LUG “*blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Element in

  • ᴹQ. Lunoronti “Blue Mountains” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶lugni > lúne[lugni] > [lugne] > [luŋne] > [lūne]✧ Ety/LUG²

Variations

  • lúna ✧ EtyAC/LUG² (lúna)
Qenya [Ety/LUG²; EtyAC/LUG²] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lamma

noun. sound

Derivations

  • ᴹ√LAM “*sound” ✧ Ety/LAM

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√LAM > lamma[lamma]✧ Ety/LAM

Middle Primitive Elvish

lugni

adjective. blue

Changes

  • lugnālugni ✧ Ety/LUG²

Derivations

  • ᴹ√LUG “*blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Derivatives

  • Ilk. lûn “pale” ✧ Ety/LUG²
  • Dan. lygn “pale” ✧ Ety/LUG²
  • ᴹQ. lúne “blue, blue, [ᴱQ.] deep blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²; EtyAC/LUG²
  • N. lhûn “blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Variations

  • lugnā ✧ EtyAC/LUG² (lugnā)
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/LUG²; EtyAC/LUG²] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

luin

adjective. blue

lin

noun. sound

Gnomish [LT1A/Lindelos] Group: Eldamo. Published by

luim

adjective. blue

Cognates

  • Eq. lúne “blue, deep blue” ✧ LT1A/Nielluin

Element in

  • G. Fangluin “Bluebeard” ✧ LT2A/Fangluin
  • G. Niothluimi “the Bee of Azure” ✧ LT1A/Nielluin

Variations

  • luin ✧ LT2A/Fangluin
Gnomish [GL/55; LT1A/Nielluin; LT2A/Fangluin] Group: Eldamo. Published by

fas-

verb. to wash

Derivations

  • ᴱ√FASA “wash”
Gnomish [GL/34; GL/36; LT1A/Faskala-númen] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

lhuv-

verb. to wash

Derivations

  • ᴱ√ALU “cleanse, dress”

Variations

  • lub- ✧ PE13/132 (lub-)
Early Noldorin [PE13/132] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nainn

adjective. blue

Cognates

  • Eq. ninwa “blue” ✧ PE13/164

Derivations

  • ᴱ✶nindyā “blue” ✧ PE13/150; PE13/164
    • ᴱ√NINI “*blue”

Variations

  • neinn ✧ PE13/164 (neinn)
Early Noldorin [PE13/150; PE13/164] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

nindyā

adjective. blue

Derivations

  • ᴱ√NINI “*blue”

Derivatives

  • Eq. ninwa “blue” ✧ PE13/164
  • En. nainn “blue” ✧ PE13/150; PE13/164

Variations

  • nindyá ✧ PE13/150
Early Primitive Elvish [PE13/150; PE13/164] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

ninda

adjective. blue

ninwa

adjective. blue

Changes

  • ninyaninda ✧ PE16/138

Cognates

  • En. nainn “blue” ✧ PE13/164

Derivations

  • ᴱ✶nindyā “blue” ✧ PE13/164
    • ᴱ√NINI “*blue”
  • ᴱ√NINI “*blue” ✧ QL/066

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ✶nindyā > ninya[nindʲā] > [nindʲa] > [ninja]✧ PE13/164
ᴱ√NINI > ninwa[ninwā] > [ninwa]✧ QL/066

Variations

  • ninya ✧ PE13/164; PE16/138 (ninya)
Early Quenya [LT1A/Nielluin; PE13/164; PE16/138; PME/066; QL/066; VT40/08] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ninya

adjective. blue

allu-

verb. to wash

Derivations

  • ᴱ√ALU “cleanse, dress” ✧ QL/030

Element in

  • Eq. allume “washing” ✧ QL/030
  • Eq. alluva “clean” ✧ QL/030

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√ALU > allu-[allu-]✧ QL/030

Variations

  • alnu- ✧ QL/030
Early Quenya [QL/030] Group: Eldamo. Published by

alnu-

verb. to wash

sovo-

verb. to wash

Cognates

  • G. sô- “to wash, clean, bathe”

Derivations

  • ᴱ√SOVO “wash” ✧ QL/086

Element in

  • Eq. sovalle “washing, bathing” ✧ QL/086

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√SOVO > sovo-[soβo-] > [sovo-]✧ QL/086
Early Quenya [QL/086] Group: Eldamo. Published by