lin-

many

lin- (1) (prefix) "many" (LI), seen in lindornëa, lintyulussëa; assimilated lil- in lillassëa.

lin-

sing

[lin- (2) vb. "sing" (GLIN, struck out)]

li-

verb. li-

li-, lin- a multiplicative prefix (LT1:269)

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-)

lindë-

sing

lindë- vb. ?"sing" (LT1:258; in LotR-style Quenya lir- or #linda-)

lir-

verb. to sing, to sing, [ᴹQ.] chant

Derivations

• √LIR “sing, warble, sing, warble, [ᴹ√] trill”

Element in

• Q. á lirë amlírië “sing harder / better / with more vigour or with more vocalic art” ✧ PE17/094; PE17/094
• ᴺQ. olirië “concert”

liru-

verb. to sing, to sing (gaily)

Derivations

• ✶liru- “to sing gaily”
  • √LIR “sing, warble, sing, warble, [ᴹ√] trill”

Lindissë

woman

Lindissë fem.name, perhaps lin- (root of words having to do with song/music) + (n)dissë "woman" (see nís). (UT:210)

limbë

many

limbë (2) adj. "many", probably obsoleted by #1 above (LT2:342)

nína

woman

#nína (gen.pl. nínaron attested) noun "woman" (VT43:31; this word, as well as some other experimental forms listed in the same source, seem ephemeral: several sources agree that the Quenya word for "woman" is nís, nis [q.v.])

lillassëa

having many leaves

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.

lillassëa

adjective. having many leaves

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).

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”

ní

woman, female

†ní (2) noun "woman, female" (NI1, INI (NĒR ) ). Not to be confused with ní as a stressed form of the pronoun ni "I".

nís

woman

nís (niss-, as in pl. nissi) noun "woman" _(MR:213. The Etymologies gives _nis (or nissë), pl. nissi: see the stems NDIS-SĒ/SĀ, NI1, NIS (NĒR), VT46:4; compare VT47:33. In Tolkien's Quenya rendering of Hail Mary, the plural nísi occurs instead of nissi; this form is curious, since nísi would be expected to turn into *nízi, *_níri** (VT43:31). VT47:33 suggests that Tolkien at one point considered _niþ- as the older form of the stem, which etymology would solve this problem (since s from older þ does not become z > r). Even so, the MR forms, nís with stem niss-, may be preferred. - Compare †ní, #nína, nisto, Lindissë.

nís

noun. woman

The usual Quenya word for “woman” or more exactly a “female person” of any race, in later writings appearing as both nís (MR/213, 226, 229) and nisse (VT47/18, 33). Even in the cases where its singular was nís, its plural form was given as nissi, indicating a stem form of niss-. In rough notes from 1968 Tolkien said “The monosyllabic nouns (especially those with only one stem-consonant) were a small dwindling class often replaced by strengthened forms (as nis- was [by] nisse)” (VT47/18).

Thus it seems the ancient form was ✱nis- from the root √NIS, which like its male counterpart Q. nér “man” inherited a long vowel from the ancient subjective form ✱nīs. But the voiceless s was felt to be intrinsic to word, and it was thus strengthened to niss- in inflected forms to avoid the sound changes associated with an isolated s. From this a longer form nisse was generalized. In practice I think either form can be used, with singular nís being preserved by analogy with nér. However, I think inflected forms are probably all based on nisse, such as genitive nisseo “of a woman” rather than ✱✱nisso.

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had both ᴹQ. nis and nisse “woman” derived the root ᴹ√NIS, with plural nissi in both cases (Ety/NIS, NDIS). He explained this variation as follows: “nis was a blend of old nīs (nisen) and the elab[orated] form ✱nis-sē” (EtyAC/NĪ¹). Hence it is was essentially the same as the scenario described above, but in the 1930s the long vowel in ancient nīs did not survive in the later short form nis.

In Quenya prayers of the 1950s, Tolkien experimented with some alternate plural forms nínaron [genitive plural] >> nísi [ordinary plural] (VT43/26-29, 31), the former apparently representing a variant singular form ✱nína, but in later writings plural nissi was restored.

Derivations

• ✶nīs “woman, female person”
  • √NIS “woman”
  • √NĪ/INI “*female, [ᴹ√] female” ✧ PE21/71
• √NIS “woman” ✧ VT47/18; VT47/33

Element in

• Q. aistana elyë imíca nísi “blessed art thou amongst women” ✧ VT43/31; VT43/31
• Q. Artanis “Noble Woman”
• Q. Hávanissi “Bread-women”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√nis- > nisse	[nisse]	✧ VT47/18
√nis > nisse	[nisse]	✧ VT47/33

Variations

• nisse ✧ VT47/18; VT47/33

nissë

woman

nissë noun "woman" (NDIS-SĒ/SĀ, NI1, NIS, VT47:33); see nís. Note: nissë could apparently also mean "in me", the locative form of the 1st person pronoun ni, q.v.

nissë

noun. woman

wenci

woman, maiden

wenci ("k") noun, apparently a diminutive form of the stem wēn- "woman, maiden". It is possible that this is meant to be Common Eldarin rather than Quenya; if so the Quenya form would be *wencë (compare nercë "little man") (VT48:18)

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”

linna-

verb. to sing

linna-

verb. sing

linnon

verb. I sing

linnathon

verb. I will sing, I will chant

bess

noun. wife

arwen

noun. noble woman

adaneth

noun. (mortal) woman

bess

noun. (young) woman

linna

sing

(i linna, i linnar) (chant)

glir

sing

1) glir- (i **lîr, in glirir) (recite poem), 2) linna- (i linna, i linnar**) (chant)

glir

sing

(i ’lîr, in glirir) (recite poem)

gwanur

kinsman

(i ’wanur) (brother), pl. gwenyr (in gwenyr). Note: a homophone of the sg. means ”pair of twins”.

adaneth

mortal woman

(pl. edenith), also firieth (pl. firith).

laew

many

laew (frequent); no distinct pl. form.

laew

many

(frequent); no distinct pl. form.

bess

woman

bess (i vess, construct bes) (wife), pl. biss (i miss). The word etymologically means ”wife”, but the meaning was generalized.

bess

woman

(i vess, construct bes) (wife), pl. biss (i miss). The word etymologically means ”wife”, but the meaning was generalized.

dess

young woman

(i ness, o ndess, constuct des), pl. diss (i ndiss).

kali

noun. woman

A noun translated “woman” (SD/434).

lin

root. sing, make a musical sound, sing, make a musical sound, [ᴱ√] gentle

This root was conceptually intermingled with √LIR “sing”, both of which had to do with music. The earliest iteration of this root was ᴱ√LINI “gentle” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. linda “gentle, kind; soft” and ᴱQ. linta- “soothe” (QL/54). According to Tolkien this early root was confused with ᴱ√LIŘI “sing” (PME/54), which itself was the earliest precursor to √LIR; this early root √LIŘI [LIÐI] had derivatives like ᴱQ. liri- “to sing” and ᴱQ. lindele “song, music” (QL/54). The picture in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon is more muddled, with words like G. lin- “sound” (as well as lintha- “ring bell, play an instrument”) and G. lir- “sing” hinting at two distinct musical roots ✱ᴱ√LINI and ✱ᴱ√LIRI.

Indeed, in The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien reorganized the two roots into ᴹ√LIN “sing” and ᴹ√LIR “sing, trill”, the former taking on music words beginning with lind- and the latter musical words beginning with lir- (Ety/LIN², LIR¹). Both these had strengthened forms ᴹ√GLIN and ᴹ√GLIR used in Noldorin words like N. glinn “song, poem, lay” and N. glaer “long lay, narrative poem”, but entry for the root ᴹ√GLIN was struck through and its Noldorin words adapted to unstrengthened ᴹ√LIN, as in N. lhinn “air, tune” (Ety/GLIN, GLIR). The Etymologies also had another strengthened root ᴹ√LINDĀ “fair (especially of voice)”, with a line indicating it was derived from ᴹ√LIN (Ety/LIND; EtyAC/LIND); this strengthened root in turn was blended with ᴹ√SLIN, unglossed but apparently meaning something like “✱fine, delicate” (Ety/SLIN).

Both root √LIN “sing” (PE17/27, UT/253) and √LIR “sing, warble” (PE17/27, 67) continued to appear in Tolkien’s later writings, along with derivatives like Q. lindalë “music” and Q. lírë “song”. Tolkien discussed the root √LIN at length in the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60, where he said:

> The name ✱Lindā is therefore clearly a derivative of the primitive stem ✱LIN (showing reinforcement of the medial N and adjectival -ā). This stem was possibly one of the contributions of the Nelyar [Teleri] to Primitive Quendian, for it reflects their predilections and associations, and produces more derivatives in Lindarin [Telerin] tongues than in others. Its primary reference was to melodious or pleasing sound, but it also refers (especially in Lindarin) to water, the motions of which were always by the Lindar associated with vocal (Elvish) sound. The reinforcements, either medial lind- or initial glin-, glind-, were however almost solely used of musical, especially vocal, sounds produced with intent to please (WJ/382).

Tolkien’s statement that it “also refers (especially in Lindarin) to water” is probably an allusion to √LIN “pool, mere, lake” (Ety/LIN¹; PE17/160). In a footnote in Quendi and Eldar essay Tolkien added: “Though this clan-name [S. Glinnel] has ✱glind- in Sindarin, the g- does not appear in Amanya Telerin, nor in Nandorin, so that in this case it may be an addition in Sindarin, which favoured and much increased initial groups of this kind” (WJ/411 note #13). Despite this statement, Sindarin had several derivatives from the base root √LIN(D)-, such as S. linna- “sing, chant” (LotR/238; RGEO/64; PE17/27). The sense “gentle” from the 1910s root ᴱ√LINI also seems to have survived in Tolkien’s later writings, since the adjective Q. linda “soft, gentle, light” appears in notes associated with the 1955 version of the poem Nieninquë (PE16/96).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is best to assume √LIN referred to melodious sounds, as well as pools of water (√LIN) by way of the pleasant sounds that water makes, and gentleness (Q. linda) by way of the affect such sounds have on one’s mood. However, I think √LIR more directly referred to vocal music (song) and other rhythmic vocal sounds (chanting) such as poetry, as in Q. [ᴹQ] laire/S. glaer “poem”.

Derivatives

• ✶linde “singer, singing”
  • S. lind “song, chant, singing; singer, song, chant, singing, [N.] air, tune; [N. and S.] singer” ✧ WJ/309
• Q. Linda “Singer” ✧ SA/lin²
• ᴺQ. linda- “to make music”
• Q. lindë “singing, song, musical sound, singing, song, musical sound; [ᴹQ.] air, tune”
• Q. lingë “musical sound”
• ᴺQ. linta- “to soothe”
• S. lind “song, chant, singing; singer, song, chant, singing, [N.] air, tune; [N. and S.] singer” ✧ PE17/027
• S. lind “fair”

Element in

• ✶lindā “*sweet sounding” ✧ WJ/382
• Q. Ainulindalë “Music of the Ainur” ✧ SA/lin²
• ᴺQ. airelinna “hymn, (lit.) holy song”
• Q. Laurelin “Song of Gold, Singing Gold” ✧ SA/lin²
• Q. Laurelindórenan “(Land of the) Valley of Singing Gold” ✧ UT/253
• Q. lirulin “lark”
• Q. lómelindë “nightingale, (lit.) dusk-singer” ✧ SA/lin²
• S. Lindon “Land of Music” ✧ SA/lin²

Variations

• LIN ✧ PE17/027; PE17/160; WJ/382
• lin- ✧ SA/lin²; UT/253
• lind- ✧ WJ/382
• glin- ✧ WJ/382
• glind- ✧ WJ/382; WJ/411

lind

root. sing

glin(d)

root. sing

li

root. many

This root was connected to words for “many” throughout Tolkien’s life. In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s it appeared as ᴱ√LĪ, with variant ᴱ√ILI “many” and extended form ᴱ√LIYA (LI + ya) “unite many as one” with derivatives like ᴱQ. lia- “entwine” and ᴱQ. liante “tendril” (QL/42, 53). In later writings there is no sign of the inversion √IL “many” (later √IL meant “all”), whereas ᴱ√LIYA seems to have shifted to unrelated ᴹ√SLIG with derivatives like ᴹQ. lia “fine thread, spider filament” and ᴹQ. liante “spider” (Ety/SLIG).

The base root ᴹ√LI “many” did reappear in The Etymologies of the 1930s, however (Ety/LI), and √LI “many” appeared again in etymological notes from the late 1960s (VT48/25). The long-standing connection between this root and the Quenya (partitive) plural suffixes indicates its stability in Tolkien’s mind.

Derivatives

• Q. -li “partitive plural (suffix); many, some, a lot of”
• Q. lië “people, folk”
• Q. li(n)- “many”
• ᴺQ. lina “many”
• ᴺQ. lio “much”
• S. lî “people (of one kind or origin), people (of one kind or origin), [G.] folk, many people, crowd of folk”

Element in

• ᴺQ. lita- “to multiply”

nis

root. woman

This root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√NIS “woman”, an extension of ᴹ√NĪ “female” (Ety/NIS). It also had a strengthened form ᴹ√NDIS, unglossed but apparently meaning “bride” based on its derivatives ᴹQ. indis/N. dîs of that meaning (Ety/NDIS). Unstrengthened ᴹ√NIS seems to have survived only in Quenya as the basis for ᴹQ. nis (niss-) “woman”, but this word was also blended with ✱ndis-sē to produce a longer form nisse of the same meaning.

In Tolkien’s later writings, both short Q. nís and longer nissë appeared as words for “woman” (MR/213; VT47/33) and Q. indis reappeared as well, though glossed “wife” (UT/8). As primitive forms, both unstrengthened √nis (VT47/33) and strengthened ✶ndī̆s “woman” also appeared in later writings, the latter given as the feminine equivalent of ✶[[p|n[d]ēr]] “man” (PE19/102).

Derivatives

• ✶ndī̆s “*bride, [ᴹ✶] bride”
  • Q. indis “wife, [ᴹQ.] bride; [Q.] wife”
• ✶nīs “woman, female person”
  • Q. nís “woman”
• Q. nillë “small [woman]” ✧ VT47/33
• Q. nís “woman” ✧ VT47/18; VT47/33
• Q. nisto “large woman” ✧ VT47/33

Variations

• nis- ✧ VT47/18
• nis ✧ VT47/33

glin-

verb. to sing

Cognates

• ᴹQ. lin- “to sing” ✧ Ety/GLIN

Derivations

• ᴹ√LIN “sing” ✧ Ety/GLIN

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√GLIN > glin-	[glin-]	✧ Ety/GLIN

glir-

verb. to sing, trill, to recite a poem

The form glin in the Etymologies is a misreading according to VT/45:15

liria-

verb. to sing

bess

noun. wife

dî

noun. woman, lady

dess

noun. young woman

bess

noun. (young) woman