_n._flower, a single bloom. Q. lóte, lōs.
Sindarin
loth
noun. flower, inflorescence, a head of small flowers
loth
noun. flower
loth
noun. a flower
a flower (of defined shape). Q. lóte. >> Lothlórien, Lothlúrien, Lothlýrian
loth
noun. flower, single blossom; inflorescence, head of small flowers
The best known Sindarin word for “flower”, usable individually or collectively. It behaves somewhat like the English word “sheep” that is its own plural, since loth can likewise refer to a single flower or a group of flowers. It occasionally takes the form -los in compounds like Edhellos “Elven-flower” (PM/346) and mallos “golden flower” (PE17/100).
Conceptual Development: The earliest iteration of this word was G. lôs “flower” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, which Tolkien said was related to G. lass “leaf, petal” (GL/52, 55). This word also appeared in the Name-list to the Fall of Gondolin (PE15/28). In drafts to the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s, Tolkien had ᴱN. loth “flower”, also translated “lily” in the name ᴱN. Loth-a-ladwen “Lily of the Plain” (LB/149).
In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had N. lhoth “flower(s)” under the root ᴹ√LOT(H) (Ety/LOT(H); EtyAC/LOT(H)). In The Etymologies as published in The Lost Road the gloss was “flower” (LR/370). Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne indicated the actual gloss was “flower(s)” in their Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies so that lhoth could be use singly or collectively, and it was followed by a specifically singular form N. lhothod (VT45/29).
In Tolkien’s later writings it became S. loth and was mostly glossed “flower” (PE17/26, 48, 161) but the notion that it could be used collectively appeared in some notes from the late 1960s where Tolkien said:
> ... loth, meaning “inflorescence, a head of small flowers”. Loth is actually most often used collectively in Sindarin, equivalent to goloth; and a single flower denoted by elloth (er-loth) or lotheg (VT42/18).
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I assume loth can be used individually or collectively and thus functinos as its own plural, though in compounds it is generally singular. If necessary, a collection of flowers may be designated goloth, and an individual flower by elloth or lotheg.
Cognates
Derivations
Element in
- S. amloth “helm crest, (orig.) uprising flower”
- S. Edhellos “Elven-flower” ✧ PM/346
- ᴺS. edlothia- “to flower, blossom”
- S. elloth “single flower” ✧ VT42/18
- S. goloth “inflorescence, *collection of flowers”
- S. Gwingloth “Foam-flower”
- S. Imloth Melui “Lovely or Sweet Flower-valley” ✧ VT42/18
- S. lotheg “single flower, single [small] flower, *floret” ✧ VT42/18
- S. Lothíriel
- S. Lothlórien “Dreamflower, (lit.) Lórien of the Blossom” ✧ PE17/048; SA/loth; SI/Lórien²; UTI/Lothlórien
- S. Lothron “May, *Flower-ness”
- ᴺS. lurlos “poppy, (lit.) flower of sleep”
- S. mallos “golden flower”
- S. Nimloth “White Blossom, Pale Blossom” ✧ SA/loth
- S. si loth a galadh lasto dîn “*here flower and tree listen [in] silence” ✧ LB/354
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶lotho/a > loth [lotʰo] > [loθo] > [loθ] ✧ PE17/026 √LOT > loth [lotta] > [lottʰa] > [loθθa] > [loθθ] > [loθ] ✧ PE17/160 ✶lotse > loth [lotse] > [loθθe] > [loθθ] > [loθ] ✧ VT42/18 ✶lotta- > loth [lotta] > [lottʰa] > [loθθa] > [loθθ] > [loθ] ✧ VT42/18 Variations
- Loth ✧ PE17/048
elloth
noun. (single) flower
goloth
noun. inflorescence, a head of small flowers
lotheg
noun. (single) flower
lúth
noun. blossom
_ n. Bot. _blossom, inflorescence. >> Lúthien
edlothia-
verb. to blossom, flower
The sentence from WR/293 is hardly legible and is not translated, but this word is however a plausible form
los
noun. snow
loss
noun. snow
The usual Sindarin word for “snow” (Let/278; PE17/161; RGEO/62), especially fallen and long-lying snow (VT42/18), derived from primitive ✶lossē (PE17/161) based on the root √(G)LOS (PE17/26; RGEO/62). It sometimes appeared in a shorter form los (PE17/26, 161). See the entry on [s] for a discussion of these long vs. short variations; for purposes of Neo-Sindarin loss is probably preferable.
Conceptual Development: Perhaps the earliest iteration of this word was G. glui “snow” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, likely related to nearby words like G. gloss “white” (GL/40). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. gloss from the root ᴹ√GOLOS was both noun “snow” and adjective “snow-white” (Ety/GOLÓS), but in later writing Tolkien split these into S loss “snow” (see above) and S. gloss “(dazzling) white” (RGEO/62; VT42/18).
Cognates
- Q. lossë “snow, fallen snow; snow-white, snowy” ✧ PE17/026; PE17/161; SA/los; RGEO/61
Derivations
Element in
- S. Aeglos “Snow-point” ✧ SA/los
- S. aeglos “icicle, (lit.) snow-point; snowthorn (a plant)”
- S. Amon Uilos “Hill of Ever-snow” ✧ SA/los
- S. Fanuilos “Bright (Angelic) Figure upon Uilos” ✧ Let/278
- S. Lossarnach “Flowery Arnarch” ✧ VT42/18
- S. lossen “snowy” ✧ RGEO/62
- S. Lossoth “Snowmen” ✧ PE17/161; RGEO/62
- S. Nimphelos “Pale ?Snow”
- S. Uilos “Ever-snow”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √LŎS > los [lossē] > [losse] > [loss] ✧ PE17/026 ✶lossē > loss [lossē] > [losse] > [loss] ✧ PE17/161 √los > loss [lossē] > [losse] > [loss] ✧ RGEO/61 √los > loss [lossē] > [losse] > [loss] ✧ SA/los √(G)LOS > loss [lossē] > [losse] > [loss] ✧ VT42/18 Variations
- los ✧ PE17/026
- lŏs ✧ PE17/161
- Loss ✧ VT42/18
alf
noun. flower
Cognates
- Q. alma “flower” ✧ PE17/153
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √GAL-AB > alf [alba] > [alva] > [alv] ✧ PE17/153
elanor
noun. a flower, a kind of enlarged pimpernel bearing golden and silver flowers
mallos
noun. a golden flower
glawar
blossom
n. (golden) blossom. Q. loar, lávar.
ninglor
noun. golden water-flower, gladden
rhovan
noun. wilderness
niphredil
noun. a pale winter flower, snowdrop
loth
flower
loth, pl. lyth (but loth is also glossed ”blossom” and may itself function as a collective term: all the flowers of a plant. For individual flowers cf. the following:)
loth
flower
pl. lyth (but loth is also glossed ”blossom” and may itself function as a collective term: all the flowers of a plant. For individual flowers cf. the following:)
loth
blossom
loth (see
loth
blossom
(see
goloth
flower
(i ’oloth) (collection of flowers), pl. gelyth (i ngelyth = i ñelyth). Archaic pl. gölyth. Also in the form gwaloth (i ’waloth), pl. gwelyth (in gwelyth). Also goloth.
lotheg
single flower
lothod (”singulars” derived from the more collective term loth; it is unclear whether lotheg, lothod can themselves have ”plural” forms. If so it would be lethig, lethyd, for archaic löthig, löthyd.) (VT42:18, VT45:29) Another word for a single flower is elloth (pl. ellyth) (VT42:18). An alternative to loth is loss (construct los; pl. lyss), but the form loth seems to be more common (and loss also means ”fallen snow” and ”wilderness”).
gwaloth
collection of flowers
(i ’waloth) (blossom), pl. gwelyth (in gwelyth). Also goloth (i ’oloth) (blossom), pl. gelyth (i ngelyth = i ñelyth). Archaic pl. gölyth. (VT42:18). Specific flowers, see
lossoth
snow-men
(a coll. pl.)
edlothia
flower
(verb) #edlothia- (i edlothia, in edlothiar) (to blossom);
edlothia
flower
(i edlothia, in edlothiar) (to blossom);
edlothia
blossom
(verb) #edlothia- (i edlothia, in edlothiar) (flower);
edlothia
blossom
(i edlothia, in edlothiar) (flower);
edlothiad
flowering
(blossoming), pl. edlothiaid if there is a pl.**
edlothiad
blossoming
(flowering), pl. edlothiaid if there is a pl.
loss
snow
(construct los; pl. lyss if there is a pl.) (RGEO:61-62, Letters:278, VT42:18) (Note: homophones mean ”flower” [more commonly loth] and ”wilderness”.).
loss
fallen snow
(construct los; pl. lyss if there is a pl.) (RGEO:61-62, Letters:278, VT42:18) (Note: homophones mean ”flower” [more commonly loth] and ”wilderness”.)
loss
wilderness
(construct los; pl. lyss). (Note: homophones mean ”flower” [more commonly loth] and ”fallen snow”.)
gloss
white as snow, dazzling white
(in compounds -los), lenited ’loss; pl. glyss.
gwaith
wilderness
(i ’waith) (also meaning manhood, manpower, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, people, region), no distinct pl. form except when marked as pl. by article (in gwaith).
lossen
snowy
(pl. lessin, for archaic lössin). Adj.
dannen
fall
”ebb, low tide”, which however has different mutations.
dannen
fallen
dannen (lenited dhannen, pl. dennin); see FALL. Notice the homophone dannen ”ebb, low tide”, which however has different mutations.
dannen
fallen
(lenited dhannen, pl. dennin); see
eriador
wilderness
(a region in Middle-earth), pl. eriadyr if there is a pl.
nínim
snowdrop
(”white tear”), no distinct pl. form; coll. pl. nínimmath. – The niphredil seems to be a flower similar to the snowdrop (no distinct pl. form; coll. pl. niphrediliath)
rhovannor
wilderness
1) rhovannor (?i throvannor or ?i rovannor the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhovennyr (?idh rovennyr) (VT46:10); 2) Eriador (a region in Middle-earth), pl. eriadyr if there is a pl.; 3) gwaith (i **waith) (also meaning manhood, manpower, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, people, region), no distinct pl. form except when marked as pl. by article (in gwaith). 4) loss (construct los; pl. lyss). (Note: homophones mean ”flower” [more commonly loth**] and ”fallen snow”.)
rhovannor
wilderness
(?i throvannor or ?i rovannor – the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhovennyr (?idh rovennyr) (VT46:10)
The noun is collective, a single flower being lotheg