mal

but

mal conj. "but" (VT43:23)

mal

conjunction. but

Element in

• Q. násië “but deliver us from evil: Amen” ✧ VT43/23

malo

pollen, yellow powder

malo (1) (stem *malu-, given the primitive form ¤smalu) noun "pollen, yellow powder" (SMAL)

malda

yellow, of golden colour

malda adj. "yellow, of golden colour" (PE17:51), variant of malina. An earlier source (the Etymologies, entry SMAL) has malda as the noun "gold" but LotR gives malta, q.v., and according to VT46:14 the form malta originally appeared in the Etymologies as well. Since Quenya sometimes uses adjectives as nouns (see for instance fanya), malda could still be regarded as a valid side-form of the noun malta "gold".

malta

gold

malta noun "gold", also name of tengwa #18 (Appendix E). The Etymologies (entry SMAL) instead has malda, q.v. for discussion, but according to VT46:14, the form malta originally appeared in the Etymologies as well. Also compare the root MALAT listed in PM:366.

malina

yellow

malina adj. "yellow" (SMAL, Letters:308), "yellow, of golden colour" (PE17:51). Malinalda *"Yellow-tree", a name of Laurelin (SA:mal-; evidently malina + alda), translated "Tree of Gold" in the Silmarillion index. Cf. also malinornë.

Tar-culu

gold

Tar-culu ("k"), name listed in the Etymologies but not elsewhere attested. The second element is apparently culu "gold" (a word Tolkien seems to have abandoned); Hostetter and Wynne suggest that this may be an alternative name of Tar-Calion (= Ar-Pharazôn "the Golden"); see VT45:24.

apa

but

apa (3) conj. "but": melinyes apa la hé "I love him but not him" (another) (VT49:15)

apa

conjunction. but

Element in

• Q. melin sé apa lanyë hé “I love him but not him (the other)” ✧ VT49/15
• Q. melinyes apa la hé “I love him but not him (the other)” ✧ VT49/15

Variations

• apa ✧ VT49/15

nan

but

nan conj. "but" (FS); the Etymologies also gives ná, nán (NDAN), but these words may be confused with forms of the verb "to be", so nan should perhaps be preferred, unless for "but" one uses the wholly distinct word mal. In Tolkien's later Quenya, it may be that he introduced new words for "but" to free up nan for another meaning (perhaps the adverb "back", compare the prefix nan-).

ná

but, on the contrary, on the other hand

ná (2), also nán, conj. "but, on the contrary, on the other hand" (NDAN; the form nan, q.v., is probably to be preferred to avoid confusion with ná "is", *nán "I am").

anat

but

anat conj. "but" (VT43:23; possibly an ephemeral form)

culo

gold

[culo, culu ("k")noun "gold" (substance)] (KUL, VT49:47; the word culu_ also occurred in early "Qenya" [LT1:258], but in the Etymologies it was struck out; the regular Quenya word for "gold" is apparently _malta. In another version, culo meant "flame" [VT45:24], but this is apparently also a word Tolkien abandoned.)

laurë

gold

†laurë noun "gold", but of golden light and colour, not of the metal: "golden light" (according to PE17:61 a poetic word). Nai laurë lantuva parmastanna lúmissen tengwiesto "may (a) golden light fall on your book at the times of your reading" (VT49:47). In Etym defined as "light of the golden Tree Laurelin, gold", not properly used of the metal gold (LÁWAR/GLÁWAR, GLAW(-R), VT27:20, 27, PE17:159). In early "Qenya", however, laurë was defined as "(the mystic name of) gold" (LT1:255, 258) or simply "gold" (LT1:248, 268). In Laurelin and Laurefindil, q.v., Laurenandë "Gold-valley" = Lórien (the land, not the Vala) (UT:253) and laurinquë name of a tree, possibly *"Gold-full one" (UT:168). Laurendon "like gold" or "in gold fashion" (but after citing this form, Tolkien decided to abandon the similative ending -ndon, PE17:58).

tulca

yellow

tulca (3) ("k") adj. "yellow". Adopted and adapted from Valarin; the normal Quenya word for "yellow" is rather malina (WJ:399)

nó

but

nó (2) conj. "but" (VT41:13)

nó

conjunction. but

ono

but

ono conj. "but" (VT43:23, VT44:5/9)

ono

conjunction. but

Changes

• anat → one “*but” ✧ VT43/23

Element in

• Q. násië “but deliver us from evil: Amen” ✧ VT43/23; VT43/23; VT43/23; VT43/23
• Q. ono alyë eterúna me illumë ilya raxellor “but deliver us always from all dangers” ✧ VT44/09
• Q. orë nin caritas nó namin alasaila “I would like / feel moved to do so but judge it unwise” ✧ VT41/13

Variations

• nō ✧ VT41/13
• anat ✧ VT43/23 (anat)
• one ✧ VT43/23

onë

but

onë conj. "but" (VT43:23)

onë

conjunction. but

malt

noun. gold, gold (as metal)

Cognates

• Q. malta “gold (metal), gold as material” ✧ PE17/050

Derivations

• √MALAT “gold”

Element in

• S. Araval
• S. Malbeth “*Golden Word”
• S. mallorn “gold tree, yellow tree”
• S. mallos “golden flower”
• ᴺS. malthos “butter cup”
• S. Malvegil “?Sword of Gold”
• Os. malthorn “gold tree” ✧ PE17/050; VT42/27

mall

gold

(i vall), pl. mail (i mail) if there is a pl. – Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” malt.

malt

gold

(i valt), pl. melt (i melt) if there is a pl. (VT42:27). ”Gold” in extended senses: glawar (i ’lawar) (sunlight, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair) (VT41:10)

malad

gold

(as metal) 1) malad (i valad), pl. melaid (i melaid) if there is a pl. 2) malt (i valt), pl. melt (i melt) if there is a pl. (VT42:27). ”Gold” in extended senses: glawar (i **lawar) (sunlight, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair**) (VT41:10) GOLD (COLOUR?) *mall (i vall), pl. mail (i mail) if there is a pl. Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” malt.

malad

gold

(i valad), pl. melaid (i melaid) if there is a pl.

malen

yellow

malen (lenited valen; pl. melin).

malen

yellow

(lenited valen; pl. melin).

mâl

yellow powder

(i vâl; construct mal) (pollen), pl. mail or archaic mely (i mail, i mely). Older pl. meil (LR:386 s.v. SMAL).

mâl

pollen

mâl (i vâl; construct mal) (yellow powder), pl. mail or archaic mely (i mail, i mely). Older pl. meil (LR:386 s.v. SMAL).

mâl

pollen

(i vâl; construct mal) (yellow powder), pl. mail or archaic mely (i mail, i mely). Older pl. meil (LR:386 s.v. SMAL).

mâl

powder

(yellow powder) mâl (i vâl; construct mal) (pollen), pl. mail or archaic mely (i mail, i mely). Older pl. meil (LR:386 s.v. SMAL).

mâl

powder

(i vâl; construct mal) (pollen), pl. mail or archaic mely (i mail, i mely). Older pl. meil (LR:386 s.v. SMAL).

ach

conjunction. but

[it] appears that ach is the contrastive coordinating conjunction 'but'.

ach

conjunction. but

[it] appears that ach is the contrastive coordinating conjunction 'but'.

baran

yellow brown

(swart, dark brown, golden-brown), pl. berain.

tulka

adjective. yellow

Derivations

• Val. tuluk-ha(n) “yellow” ✧ WJ/399

lóri

noun. gold

Cognates

• Q. laurë “gold (light or colour)” ✧ NM/347; PE17/048
• T. glavarë “golden light”

Element in

• Nan. Lórinand “Valley of Gold(en Light)” ✧ NM/347; PE17/048

Variations

• lōri ✧ NM/347
• lór- ✧ PE17/048

pharaz

noun. gold

A noun meaning “gold”, the only Adûnaic word defined in The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1114).

Conceptual Development: This noun also appears in “Lowdham’s Report on the Adunaic Language” from the 1940s (SD/426).

Element in

• Ad. Pharazôn “Golden” ✧ LotR/1114

mal

root. gold, yellow, gold

This was the root for Elvish words meaning “yellow” for much of Tolkien’s life, though with some minor variations. It appeared as ᴱ√MALA “yellow” (usually mali-) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. malina “yellow” and ᴱQ. malikon “amber” (QL/58). It also appeared in a list of M-roots at the end of that section (QL/63). It had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. malon “yellow” and G. malthos “butter cup” (GL/56).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s it seems Tolkien first gave this root as ᴹ√MAL (EtyAC/MAL) but rejected this and replaced it with ᴹ√SMAL “yellow” (Ety/SMAL). It had derivatives like ᴹQ. malina/N. malen “yellow”, ᴹQ. malta/N. malt “gold (as metal)” and ᴹQ. malo/N. hmâl “pollen, yellow powder” (< ᴹ✶smalu), with some revisions in Noldorin forms as Tolkien vacillated on whether or not primitive sm- resulted in voiceless nasal hm- or a voiced nasal m-.

This √SMAL vs. √MAL variation seems to have continued into Tolkien’s later writings, as seen in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s where ✶malu >> ✶smalu “dust, grit” (PE21/80), probably a later iteration of ᴹ✶smalu “pollen, yellow powder” from The Etymologies. But it seems Tolkien settled on √MAL as evidenced by the extended root √MALAT “gold” from The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968 (PM/366).

Derivatives

• ✶malnā “yellow, of golden colour”
  • Q. malina “yellow, of golden colour” ✧ PE17/051
• ✶malu “dust”
• ✶smalu “dust, grit, [ᴹ✶] pollen, yellow powder; [✶] dust, grit”
• S. mallen “golden, golden, [N.] of gold”

Element in

• ✶Malaphinde “Goldlocks”
• √MALAT “gold”
• Q. culumalda “laburnum, *(lit.) orange-tree” ✧ SA/mal
• ᴺQ. malicon “amber”
• Q. Malinalda “Tree of Gold” ✧ SA/mal
• ᴺQ. malma “lemon”
• S. Cormallen “Golden Circle” ✧ SA/mal
• S. Malduin “Yellow River” ✧ SA/mal
• S. Malgalad “?yellow radiance”
• S. Mallor
• S. mallorn “gold tree, yellow tree” ✧ SA/mal

Variations

• mal- ✧ SA/mal

malat

root. gold

Derivatives

• ✶mal(a)tā “gold (as metal)”
  • Q. malta “gold (metal), gold as material”
• S. malt “gold, gold (as metal)”

Elements

Word	Gloss
MAL	“gold, yellow, gold”

malt

noun. gold (as metal)

malen

adjective. yellow

malen

adjective. yellow, yellow, [ᴱN.] yellowish, pale, wan, sickly

Cognates

• ᴹQ. malina “yellow” ✧ Ety/SMAL

Derivations

• On. malina “yellow” ✧ Ety/SMAL
  • ᴹ✶smalinā “yellow” ✧ Ety/SMAL
  • ᴹ√SMAL “yellow” ✧ Ety/SMAL

Element in

• ᴺS. melillin “daffodil, (orig.) yellow song”
• ᴺS. melingarn “orange, tawny”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. malina > malen	[m̥alina] > [m̥alena] > [m̥alen] > [malen]	✧ Ety/SMAL
On. malina > melin	[m̥alini] > [m̥elini] > [m̥elin] > [melin]	✧ Ety/SMAL

mâl

noun. pollen, yellow powder

mallen

adjective. of gold, golden

malthen

adjective. of gold, golden

côl

noun. gold (metal)

glaur

noun. gold

Cognates

• ᴹQ. laure “gold” ✧ Ety/GLAW(-R); Ety/LÁWAR

Derivations

• ᴹ√(G)LAWAR “*gold” ✧ Ety/GLAW(-R); Ety/LÁWAR

Element in

• N. Glorfindel ✧ Ety/LÁWAR
• N. gloriel “golden” ✧ Ety/LÁWAR
• N. Inglor “*Heart of Gold” ✧ Ety/LÁWAR
• N. Maglor “Gold-cleaver” ✧ Ety/MAK

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√GLAW(-R) > glaur	[glawre] > [glaure] > [glǭre] > [gloure] > [glaure] > [glaur]	✧ Ety/GLAW(-R)
ᴹ√GLÁWAR > glaur	[glawre] > [glaure] > [glǭre] > [gloure] > [glaure] > [glaur]	✧ Ety/LÁWAR

Variations

• glor-/lor- ✧ EtyAC/LÁWAR