Quenya 

matl

food

matl noun "food"; read *matil in LotR-style Quenya (in which language final syllabic -l becomes -il) (QL:59); however, the word matso from a later source may be preferred.

maxe

noun. meat

Quenya [PE 22:120] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

apsa

cooked food, meat

apsa noun "cooked food, meat" (AP)

sangapsa

noun. sausage, (lit.) compressed meat

A neologism for “sausage” coined by Luinyelle posted on 2025-01-30 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination sanga “[com]pressed” and [ᴹQ.] apsa “meat”, so more literally “compressed meat”.

Quenya Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

malaqua

adjective. soft, yielding, tender (of meat, substances, etc.)

tarquin(a)

noun/adjective. salt meat; salted, dried, *(orig.) preserved

matso

food

matso noun "food" (PE16:141)

matta

noun. food

Quenya [PE 22:136] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

matta

noun. food

A noun for “food” from the Common Eldarin: Verb Structure (EVS2) of the early 1950s, derived from primitive ✶matnā, originally an ancient adjective meaning “eaten” (PE22/136).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s the word for “food” was ᴱQ. matl under the early root ᴱ√MATA (QL/59). This became ᴱQ. {masta} >> matso in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/141). In EVS2 the word was originally manna “food”, but this was struck through and replaced by matta (PE22/136 note #36), which likely reflects Tolkien’s shift in the phonetic developments of primitive tn, so that tn became tt rather than nn as it did in Tolkien’s earlier writings (PE19/85 and note #79).

Neo-Quenya: I find the phonetic developments associated with the above sound change to be problematic for various reasons. Therefore, I prefer to assume the primitive form of this word was an ancient noun: ✱mattā.

milya

soft, gentle, weak

milya (1) adj. "soft, gentle, weak" (VT45:34)

milyar

noun. soft

soft [sonants]

Quenya [PE 18:30] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

miquelis

soft, sweet kiss

miquelis (miquelis(s)-) noun "soft, sweet kiss" (PE16:96)

mussë

soft

mussë adj. "soft" (VT:39:17), also used as a noun (perhaps primarily in the pl. form mussi) with the same meaning as mussë tengwi, see below. (VT39:17)

mussë

adjective. soft

Noldorin 

aes

noun. cooked food, meat

A noun for “cooked food, meat” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√AP, likely from primitive ✱apsā given its Quenya cognate ᴹQ. apsa (Ety/AP). If so, the ae is the result of the vocalization of the ancient ap to ai, after which the diphthong ai became ae.

Neo-Sindarin: This 1930s Noldorin word presents two problems for its adaptation to Sindarin. First, the Sindarin vocalization of ancient p seems to be u rather than i, as in S. leutha- “pick up” < ✱lepta- (VT47/10). Second, it seems spirants no longer vocalized before s, as in S. ach “neck” < aks (PE17/92). Nevertheless, I would retain this word for purposes of Neo-Sindarin and assume it was the result of dialectical variations in Sindarin of the First Age.

aes

noun. cooked food, meat

Noldorin [Ety/349] Group: SINDICT. Published by

mann

noun. food

The earliest word for “food” in precursors to the Sindarin language was G. môs “food (of men)” (GL/56, 58), probably based on the early root ᴱ√M(B)ASA “cook, bake” (QL/59). This became ᴱN. math “food” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s, appearing only in its lenited form vath as an element in ᴱN. orvath “foodless” (PE13/155). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had N. mann “food” as a derivative of primitive ᴹ✶matna under the root ᴹ√MAT “eat”, but the version of the entry where this form appeared was struck out (EtyAC/MAT). The primitive form ✶matnā “food” did reappear in the early 1950s, however (PE22/136).

Neo-Sindarin: Of the above, I prefer ᴺS. math for “food”. I first saw math proposed as the Neo-Sindarin word for “food” in a list of neologisms by Elaran on the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) from 2018. I prefer math because I tend to assume Q. matta is derived from ✱mattā rather than ✶matnā to avoid certain phonological difficulties; see that entry for discussion. If you are not concerned with those difficulties, ᴺS. mann “food” is also viable.

Noldorin [EtyAC/MAT] Group: Eldamo. Published by

liss

noun. soft

Noldorin [PE23/021] Group: Eldamo. Published by

moe

adjective. soft

Noldorin [Ety/371] Group: SINDICT. Published by

Sindarin 

math

noun. food

aes

meat

aes (cooked food). No distinct pl. form.

aes

meat

(cooked food). No distinct pl. form.

blê

noun/adjective. fat of meat; *fatty, oily, greasy

aes

cooked food

aes (meat). No distinct pl. form.

aes

cooked food

aes (meat). No distinct pl. form.

aes

cooked food

(meat). No distinct pl. form.

mae

soft

mae (lenited vae; no distinct pl. form). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” moe. Note: a homophone is the adverb mae = ”well”.

mae

soft

(lenited vae; no distinct pl. form). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” moe. Note: a homophone is the adverb mae = ”well”.

mann

food

mann (i vann, construct man), pl. main (i main) (VT45:35).

mann

noun. food

mann

food

(i vann, construct man), pl. main (i main) (VT45:35).

salph

liquid food

(i halph, o salph) (soup, broth), pl. seilph (if the word goes like alph ”swan”), with article i seilph.


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!

Early Noldorin

math

noun. food

Early Noldorin [PE13/155] Group: Eldamo. Published by

blé

noun/adjective. fat of meat

A word appearing as ᴱN. blé “fat (n. & adj.) of meat” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s, likely derived from some variant of ᴱ✶mḷgo; compare to ᴱN. bliw “oil” on the same page (PE13/139).

Conceptual Development: Possible precursors include the noun G. ilm “oil, fat, grease” and the adjective G. ilbrin “oily, fat, greasy” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/50), likely derived from the early root ᴱ√ILI “shine oily” (QL/42).

Neo-Sindarin: I think it is worth retaining ᴺS. blê for purposes of Neo-Sindarin as both an adjective meaning “✱fatty, oily, greasy” and a noun meaning “fat (of meat)”, derived from the Neo-Root ᴺ√MILIG “oil”. It could perhaps be from a primitive form m’ligā where the initial ml- became bl- and the e is the result of a-affection of the i to e.

Early Noldorin [PE13/139] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gwag

adjective. soft

Early Noldorin [PE13/146] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

matl

noun. food

Early Quenya [QL/059] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tarqin(a)

noun/adjective. salted, dried; salt meat

A word appearing as ᴱQ. tarqin or tarqina “adj. salted, dried; (n.) salt meat” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, an adjectival form of ᴱQ. tarqa- “dry, preserve; pickle” under the early root ᴱ√TṚQṚ (QL/94). As such, it was probably originally an adjective, and its noun use for “salt meat” was based on that (= “✱preserves”).

Neo-Quenya: I’d retain ᴺQ. tarquin(a) “salt meat; salted, dried, ✱(orig.) preserved” for purposes of Neo-Quenya based on the Neo-Root ᴺ√TARKWA.

Early Quenya [QL/094] Group: Eldamo. Published by

hara(nda)

noun. flesh-meat

Early Quenya [PME/039; QL/039] Group: Eldamo. Published by

malaqa

adjective. soft, yielding, tender (of meat, substances, etc.)

Early Quenya [QL/058] Group: Eldamo. Published by

matso

noun. food

Early Quenya [PE16/141] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Qenya 

makse

noun. meat

A noun for “meat” appearing in the Quenya Verbal System written in 1948.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I stick to the better-known word ᴹQ. apsa “meat” from The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/AP). This help avoids a conflict with ᴹQ. makse “dough”, also from The Etymologies (Ety/MASAG).

apsa

noun. meat, cooked food

A noun for “cooked food, meat” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√AP (Ety/AP). The word apsa “meat” also appeared in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1930s and 40s (PE22/21, 50), though in the 1940s version its gloss was revised to “juice” (PE22/50 note #181).

Neo-Quenya: For purposed of Neo-Quenya, I’d stick to the better-known meaning “(cooked) meat” from The Etymologies. I would use it for “meat” used in cooking and eating, as opposed to Q. hrávë “flesh” as part of a body.

Qenya [Ety/AP; PE22/021; PE22/022; PE22/050] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nila tyaze matie makse

I do not like eating meat

Doriathrin

ass

noun. cooked food, meat

A noun meaning “cooked food, meat” (Ety/AP). Given its Quenya cognate ᴹQ. apsa, it seems to be an example of how [[ilk|voiceless stops became [s] before [s]]] in Ilkorin.

Doriathrin [Ety/AP] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

hara

noun. flesh meat, meat

A noun in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “flesh meat, meat” (GL/48), likely related to ᴱQ. hara(nda) “flesh-meat” from the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon (QL/39).

i·fast·a·mabion

washing of hands [before meat]

Solosimpi

milga

noun/adjective. fat of meat

Solosimpi [PE13/139] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

matna

noun. food

Middle Primitive Elvish [EtyAC/MAT] Group: Eldamo. Published by