An adjective for “having many leaves” in Markirya “poem” of the 1960s, a combination of an assimilated form of li(n)- “many” and an adjectival form of lassë “leaf” (MC/223).
Quenya
lillassëa
having many leaves
lillassëa
adjective. having many leaves
Element in
- Q. ve tauri lillassië “like leaves of forests” ✧ MC/222
Elements
Word Gloss li(n)- “many” lassë “leaf, leaf; [ᴱQ.] petal” -a “adjectival suffix”
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.
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”.
Cognates
Derivations
Element in
- Q. ai! laurië lantar lassi súrinen “ah! like gold fall the leaves in the wind” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
- Q. ai! lassi lantar laurië súrinen “ah! leaves fall golden in [by means of] the wind” ✧ RGEO/58
- Q. laicalassë “green-leaf, green as leaves”
- ᴺQ. lassëa “with leaves, leafy”
- Q. lasselanta “(late) autumn, (lit.) leaf-fall, (late) autumn, (lit.) leaf-fall; [ᴹQ.] October” ✧ LotR/1107
- Q. Lassemista “Leaf-Grey”
- Q. lassewinta “leaf fall, autumn, *(lit.) leaf blowing”
- Q. lillassëa “having many leaves”
- ᴺQ. lótelas “petal, (lit.) flower-leaf”
- ᴺQ. nornolassëa “having oak-leaves”
- Q. olass(i)ë “foliage, collection of leaves”
- ᴺQ. parmalas(së) “page, (lit.) leaf of book”
- Q. táli lantalasselingië “*with feet like the music of falling leaves” ✧ PE16/096; PE16/096
- Q. taniquelassë “*high-white-leaf”
- ᴺQ. tyávelassë “spice, (lit.) taste-leaf”
- ᴺQ. yullas “tea”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶lassē > lasse [lassē] > [lasse] ✧ Let/282 ✶lassḗi > lássei > lassī [lassei] > [lassī] > [lassi] ✧ PE19/106 ✶lasséinen > lassēnen > lassī́nen [lasseinen] > [lassīnen] ✧ PE19/106 ✶lassē > lasse [lassē] > [lasse] ✧ VT39/09 Variations
- lasse ✧ Let/282; LotR/1107; PE16/096; PE16/096; PE17/062; PE17/062; Plotz/11; VT39/09
taniquelassë
leaf
taniquelassë noun name of tree (UT:167), perhaps Tanique(til) + lassë "leaf"
limbë
many
limbë (2) adj. "many", probably obsoleted by #1 above (LT2:342)
lin-
many
lin- (1) (prefix) "many" (LI), seen in lindornëa, lintyulussëa; assimilated lil- in lillassëa.
li(n)-
prefix. many
Derivations
- √LI “many”
Element in
- Q. lillassëa “having many leaves”
- ᴺQ. lillumë “many times, often”
- Q. lilómëa “very dark, full of darkness” ✧ PE17/081
- Q. lilótëa “having many flowers” ✧ VT42/18
- ᴺQ. lincantëa “diverse, (lit.) many shaped”
- ᴺQ. lindóra “millions of, many millions”
- ᴺQ. linima “of many kinds, manifold”
- ᴺQ. linitë “plural”
- ᴺQ. linquilea “having many colours”
- ᴺQ. linvainëa “onion, (lit.) many-sheathed”
- Q. liyúmë “host” ✧ VT48/32
Variations
- li- ✧ PE17/081 (li-); VT42/18 (li-); VT48/32 (li-)
lina
adjective. many
A neologism for the adjective “many” derived from the root √LI, typically appearing in its plural form linë. Like English, it has the sense “many but not all, a majority (of)”: compare with nótima which can be used with the “some”. Early versions of this lexicon recommended using ᴱQ. lia, but that word’s plural form collides with Q. lië “people”.
Derivations
- √LI “many”
lillassëa adj. "having many leaves", pl. lillassië in Markirya (ve tauri lillassië, lit. *"like many-leaved forests", is translated "like leaves of forests" in MC:215). The lil- element is clearly an assimilated form of lin-, # 1, q.v.