Quenya 

nengwë

nose

nengwë (stem *nengwi-, given the primitive form ¤neñ-wi) noun "nose", pl. nengwi given (NEÑ-WI)

anto

mouth

anto (1) noun "mouth", also name of tengwa #13 (Appendix E)

anto

noun. mouth, mouth [as a thing for eating]; [ᴱQ.] jaw

The basic Quenya word for “mouth”, appearing as the name of tengwa #13 (4) in The Lord of the Rings Appendix E (LotR/1123). It is likely derived from the root √MAT “eat” from primitive ✱amtō, and hence refers to the mouth as a thing for eating. Quenya has a number of other more specialized words for the mouth, however, such as Q. pé for the closed mouth, Q. ópa for the mouth opening, Q. songa for the interior of the mouth and Q. náva for the entire mouth apparatus (tongue, lips and teeth) used for speech.

Conceptual Development: ᴹQ. anto “mouth” first appeared in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1940s, where it replaced ᴹQ. anta “jaws” (PE22/50 note #50). In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, ᴱQ. anto (antu-) was itself glossed “jaw” and was based on the early root ᴱ√MATA “eat” (QL/31, 59).

Derivations

  • √MAT “eat”

Element in

  • ᴺQ. antolatta “bridle, (lit.) mouth-strap”

carpa

mouth

carpa ("k") (1) noun "mouth", including lips, teeth, tongue etc. (PE17:126); also used for "language", in particular the phonetic system.Cf. náva and páva.

náva

mouth

náva ("ñ")noun "mouth", apparently not only the lips but also the inside of the mouth (VT39:13 cf. 8). Possibly, but probably not, the same element that is translated "hollow" in Návarot, q.v.

páva

mouth

páva noun "mouth" (including tongue, lips and teeth). Apparently changed by Tolkien to náva, q.v. (VT39:19)

páva

noun. mouth

Element in

songa

mouth

songa noun "mouth", in the sense of "interior cavity behind the teeth, containing tongue" (PE17:126)

ópa

mouth

ópa noun "mouth", in the sense of mouth-opening with lips as the edges (PE17:126)

Sindarin 

ethir

noun. mouth (of a river), estuary

Sindarin [LotR/II:X, Ety/356, RC/350] ed+sîr "outflow". Group: SINDICT. Published by

nem

nose

1) nem (pl. nim; coll. pl. nemmath), 2) bund (i mund, o mbund, construct mun) (snout, cape [of land]), pl. bynd (i mbynd)

nem

nose

(pl. nim; coll. pl. nemmath)

gobem

noun. mouth

Elements

WordGloss
go-“together, co-, com-”
pemp“lip”
Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

bund

nose

(i mund, o mbund, construct mun) (snout, cape [of land]), pl. bynd (i mbynd)

Noldorin 

nem

noun. nose

Noldorin [Ety/376] Group: SINDICT. Published by

nem

noun. nose

A word for “nose” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, with archaic form nemb and derived from ᴹ√NEÑ-WI (Ety/NEÑ-WI), an elaboration of the shorter root ᴹ√NEÑ (EtyAC/NEÑ-WI). The mb is a result of the Old Noldorin change of labialized velars into labials (ñw > ñgw > mb), a sound change that also occurred in Sindarin.

Conceptual Development: Similar but earlier “nose” words include G. nûn {“a nostril” >>} “a nose (of men only)” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/61) and ᴱN. {nheth >>} neth “nose” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/151).

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. nengwe “nose” ✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶neñwi “nose” ✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI
    • ᴹ√NEÑ “*nose” ✧ EtyAC/NEÑ-WI

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶NEÑ-WI > nemb > nem[neŋwi] > [neŋgwi] > [neŋgwe] > [nembe] > [nemb] > [nemb] > [nemm] > [nem]✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI
Noldorin [Ety/NEÑ-WI] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nemb

noun. nose

Noldorin [Ety/376] Group: SINDICT. Published by

ethir

noun. mouth (of a river), estuary

Noldorin [LotR/II:X, Ety/356, RC/350] ed+sîr "outflow". Group: SINDICT. Published by

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!

Qenya 

pé

noun. mouth

Derivations

  • ᴹ√PEG “(?outer) mouth” ✧ Ety/PEG
  • ᴹ✶pē “mouth, lips” ✧ PE21/38
    • ᴹ√PEG “(?outer) mouth”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√PEG > pē[pege] > [peɣe] > [pē]✧ Ety/PEG
ᴹ✶pē- > pē[pē]✧ PE21/38

Variations

  • pē ✧ Ety/PEG; PE21/41
Qenya [Ety/PEG; PE21/38; PE21/41] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nengwe

noun. nose

A word for “nose” in The Etymologies written around 1937, derived from ᴹ√NEÑ-WI (Ety/NEÑ-WI), an elaboration of the shorter root ᴹ√NEÑ (EtyAC/NEÑ-WI). Given its primitive form, its stem ought to be nengwi-, but in attested compounds this word is consistently nengwe-, so perhaps Tolkien changed his mind on its primitive form.

Conceptual Development: The earliest percursor to this word seems to be ᴱQ. nen (neng-) “nostril” in several documents from the 1920s (PE14/72; PE15/75; PE16/113), whose dual nenqi was also used for a “nose” of one person (PE14/76; PE15/75). In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, Tolkien had nin (ning-) “beak, nose” < ᴹ✶nengǝ (PE21/26), though this phonetic shift of short e to i is rather unusual and seems to be limited to this document.

Cognates

  • N. nem “nose” ✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI
  • Ilk. nîw “nose” ✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶neñwi “nose” ✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI
    • ᴹ√NEÑ “*nose” ✧ EtyAC/NEÑ-WI

Element in

  • ᴹQ. nengwea “nasal” ✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI
  • ᴹQ. nengwetanwa “nasal-infixed”
  • ᴹQ. nengwetehta “nasal sign” ✧ PE22/011
  • ᴺQ. nenquet- “to condescend, (orig.) speak down the nose”
  • ᴺQ. nungwë “cold (in the nose or head)”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶NEÑ-WI > nengwe[neŋwi] > [neŋgwi] > [neŋgwe]✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI
Qenya [Ety/NEÑ-WI; PE22/011; PE22/022; PE22/050] Group: Eldamo. Published by

anto

noun. mouth

Variations

  • anto ✧ PE22/050

Doriathrin

nîw

noun. nose

A Doriathrin noun for “nose” derived from ᴹ✶neñwi (Ety/LIW). It is likely an example of how [[ilk|[ŋg] vanished before [w] lengthening the preceding vowel]], especially if the [[ilk|[e] first became [i] before the [ŋg]]], as suggested by Helge Fauskanger (AL-Doriathrin/nîw).

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. nengwe “nose” ✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶neñwi “nose” ✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI
    • ᴹ√NEÑ “*nose” ✧ EtyAC/NEÑ-WI

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶NEÑ-WI > nîw[neŋwi] > [neŋgwi] > [neŋgwe] > [niŋgwe] > [nīwe] > [nīw]✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI
Doriathrin [Ety/NEÑ-WI] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

neñwi

noun. nose

Derivations

  • ᴹ√NEÑ “*nose” ✧ EtyAC/NEÑ-WI

Derivatives

  • Ilk. nîw “nose” ✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI
  • ᴹQ. nengwe “nose” ✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI
  • N. nem “nose” ✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI

Variations

  • NEÑ-WI ✧ Ety/NEÑ-WI
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/NEÑ-WI] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

mem

noun. mouth

Derivations

  • ᴱ√BĒ “‽”

gogail

noun. mouth

A noun appearing as G. gogel “mouth” in The Gnomish Grammar (GG/8) and as {gogel >} gogíl or gogail “mouth” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/40). In the latter document, Tolkien said it was a combination of G. go- “together” and G. cail “lip”, from more archaic forms gwa-caíl, gwa-cil. An unrelated word G. mem “mouth” also appeared in Gnomish Lexicon (GL/57), perhaps related to G. beg “chin” which Tolkien connected to ᴱQ. pé “(closed) mouth” = “the two lips” (GL/57; QL/72).

Neo-Sindarin: I’ve used these Gnomish words as the inspiration for a neologism ᴺS. gobem “mouth”, based on the (neologism) ᴺS. pemp “lip”, where the reduction of -mp to -m finally is an irregular assimilation to the preceding voiced b: -mp > -mb > -m.

Elements

WordGloss
gwa-“together, in one; with”
cail“lip”

Variations

  • gogel ✧ GG/08
  • gogìl ✧ GL/40
  • gwa-caíl ✧ GL/40 (gwa-caíl)
  • gwa-cil ✧ GL/40 (gwa-cil)
  • gògil ✧ GL/40 (gògil)
Gnomish [GG/08; GL/24; GL/40] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gogel

noun. mouth

gogìl

noun. mouth

Early Noldorin

neth

noun. nose

Changes

  • nheth → neth ✧ PE13/151

Variations

  • nheth ✧ PE13/151 (nheth)
Early Noldorin [PE13/151] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

ó(vo)

noun. mouth

Variations

  • óvo ✧ PE16/136
  • ó ✧ PE16/136
Early Quenya [PE16/136] Group: Eldamo. Published by