Quenya 

men-

go

#men- (4) vb. "go" (VT47:11, cf. VT42:30, VT49:23), attested in the aorist (menë) in the sentence imbi Menel Cemenyë menë Ráno tië "between Heaven and Earth goes the path of the Moon". In the verb nanwen- "return" (or go/come back), -men- is changed to -wen- following nan- "back" (etymological form cited as nan-men-, PE17:166). In examples from VT49:23, 24, Tolkien used men- in the sense of "go as far as": 1st person sg. aorist menin (menin coaryanna "I arrive at [or come/get to] his house"), endingless aorist menë, present tense ména- "is on point of arrival, is just coming to an end", past tense mennë "arrived, reached", in this tense usually with locative rather than allative (mennen sís "I arrive[d] here"), perfect eménië "has just arrived", future menuva "will arrive". All of these examples were first written with the verb as ten- rather than men-, Tolkien then emending the initial consonant.

men-

verb. to go, proceed, move (generally); to come, arrive

Changes

  • men-men- “go, come” ✧ PE17/013

Derivations

  • MEN “go, move, proceed (in any direction); make for, go towards; have as object, (in)tend; direction, object, point moved toward; region” ✧ VT49/23

Element in

  • Q. alamen “good omen on departure”
  • Q. Haimenar “*Far-farer”
  • Q. Ambarmenië “Way of the World”
  • Q. á menë amménië “proceed with more determination” ✧ PE17/094; PE17/094
  • Q. Ermenië “One Beginning”
  • ᴺQ. etemen- “to go out, go forth”
  • Q. imbi Menel Cemenyë menë Ráno tië “between Heaven and Earth goes the path of the Moon” ✧ VT47/11
  • ᴺQ. menemma “movie, motion picture”
  • Q. mennen sís “I arrive[d] here” ✧ VT49/24
  • Q. menta- “to send, cause to go (in a desired direction)”
  • Q. menta- “have as object[ive], (in)tend, proceed, make for, go towards” ✧ PE17/013
  • Q. mentië “passage, journey, direction of travel” ✧ PE17/013
  • Q. nanwen- “to return, go/come back”
  • Q. omen- “to move to a common point, meet, to meet, move to a common point, *(lit.) move together” ✧ PE17/013
  • Q. omentië “meeting (of pathways), (lit.) coming together of journey-path, meeting or junction of the directions of two people” ✧ PE17/013
  • Q. quiquië menin coaryanna, arsë “whenever I arrive at his house/come to/get to, he is out” ✧ VT49/24
  • Q. vá ménanyë “I am not coming (I say)” ✧ PE22/162
  • Q. vá meninyë ó le “I won’t come with you” ✧ PE22/162
  • Q. yá hríve menë, ringa ná “when winter comes/arrives/is with us, it is cold” ✧ VT49/24
  • Q. yomenië “meeting, gathering, meeting, gathering, *congress”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
men- > mēna-[mēna-]✧ VT49/23
Quenya [PE17/013; PE17/016; PE17/094; PE22/162; VT47/11; VT49/24] Group: Eldamo. Published by

men-

verb. go; come [to any point other than the ’here’ of the speaker]

Quenya [PE 22:162] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

ména

region

ména noun "region" (MEN). Not to be confused with the present/continuative tense of #men- "go".

lenna-

go

lenna- vb. "go", pa.t. lendë "went" (LED; cf. lelya-). In the Etymologies as printed in LR, the word lenna- wrongly appears as **linna-; see VT45:27.

mentië

passage, journey, direction of travel

mentië noun "passage, journey, direction of travel" (PE17:13); the elements are men- "go, proceed" + tië "path, road". Not to be confused with the gerund of menta- #1.

nanwen-

return

nanwen- vb. "return" (go/come back) (PE17:166). The etymological form nan-men- indicates that the second element is #men- "go", changed to -wen- following nan- "back"; hence the perfect should perhaps be *naneménië.

entulessë

return

entulessë noun "return" (UT:171)

entulessë

proper name. Return

The name of the Númerórean ship that was the first to return to Middle-earth, six centuries after Númenor was settled (UT/171). It is the noun entulessë “return” used as a name.

Elements

WordGloss
entulessë“return”
Quenya [UT/171; UTI/Entulessë] Group: Eldamo. Published by

entulessë

noun. return

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
entul-“to come again, *return”
-ssë“abstract noun”

Variations

  • Entulessë ✧ UT/171

lelya-

go, proceed (in any direction), travel

lelya- (1) vb. "go, proceed (in any direction), travel", pa.t. lendë / elendë (WJ:363, VT14:5, PE17:139) At one point Tolkien assigned a more specific meaning to the underlying root LED: "go away from the speaker or the point in mind, depart" (PE17:52), which would make lelya- a near synonym of auta-. The same source denies that the derivatives of _LED _were used simply for "go, move, travel", but elsewhere Tolkien assigns precisely that meaning to lelya-.

vanya-

go, depart, disappear

vanya- (2) vb. "go, depart, disappear", pa.t. vannë (WAN). The verb auta- may have replaced this word in Tolkien's later conception.

yón

noun. region

Yón

region, any (fairly extensive) region between obstacles such as rivers or mountains

yón (2), variant of yondë, q.v. Defined as "a region, any (fairly extensive) region _between obstacles such as rivers or mountains" (PE17:43)_

lango

passage

lango (2) noun "passage", especially across or over an obstacle, also "neck" (PE17:92)

Sindarin 

men-

verb. to go

Derivations

  • MEN “go, move, proceed (in any direction); make for, go towards; have as object, (in)tend; direction, object, point moved toward; region”

Element in

  • S. dadwen- “to return, go back”
  • S. nidhin mened “I have a mind to go, I intend to go” ✧ PE22/165
Sindarin [PE17/093; PE22/165] Group: Eldamo. Published by

damen

verb. return

_ v. _return. Q. nanwen-. >> dan-

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:166] < NDAN + ?. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

dadwen

verb. return

_v. _return, going/coming back. Q. nanwen-. >> damen

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:166] < NDĀ( enlarged, NDANA, NDATA, _etc_. 'back (again)' + ?. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

gardh

noun. region

Cognates

  • Q. arda “region, realm, particular land or region, region, realm, particular land or region; [ᴱQ.] place, spot” ✧ WJ/402

Derivations

  • gardā “region” ✧ WJ/402
    • ᴹ√GAR “keep, hold, possess; maintain, defend”

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
gardā > gardh[gardā] > [garda] > [garða] > [garð]✧ WJ/402
Sindarin [UT/034; WJ/402] Group: Eldamo. Published by

region

noun. holly-tree area

[HKF] reg (Dor. regorn “holly tree”) + ion (Dor. gen. pl. suffix) = Dor. Regornion [Etym. ERÉK-]

Sindarin [Tolkiendil] Group: Tolkiendil Compound Sindarin Names. Published by

ardhon

noun. great region, province

Sindarin [Calenardhon S/386, PM/348] Group: SINDICT. Published by

ardhon

noun. world

Sindarin [Calenardhon S/386, PM/348] Group: SINDICT. Published by

gardh

noun. bounded or defined region

Sindarin [WJ/402] Group: SINDICT. Published by

bad

go

#bad- (i vâd, i medir), pa.t. bant. Isolated from trevad- ”traverse”.

bad

go

(i vâd, i medir), pa.t. bant. Isolated from trevad- ”traverse”.

gardh

noun. world

Sindarin [WJ/402] Group: SINDICT. Published by

ardh

region

1) ardh (realm), pl. erdh, also in augmented form ardhon (great region, great province, world), pl. erdhyn, coll. pl. ardhonnath. 2) dôr (i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, land), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr) (WJ:413), 3) gardh (i **ardh) (bounded or defined place), pl. gerdh (i ngerdh = i ñerdh), 4) gwaith (i **waith) (manhood, manpower, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, people, wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith).

ardh

region

(realm), pl. erdh, also in augmented form ardhon (great region, great province, world), pl. erdhyn, coll. pl. ardhonnath.

dôr

region

(i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, land), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr) (WJ:413)

gardh

region

(i ’ardh) (bounded or defined place), pl. gerdh (i ngerdh = i ñerdh)

gilwen

region of stars

(Quenya Ilmen), also Gilith. In the Etymologies, this word is derived from a root GIL (LR:358) and would then have the form ’Ilwen (’Ilwith) when lenited. But in a later source, Tolkien cited the relevant root as ÑGIL (MR:388), and the lenited form would then be Ngilwen (Ngilwith).

gwaith

region

(i ’waith) (manhood, manpower, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, people, wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith).

iesta-

verb. to wish

Derivations

  • ᴹ√YES “desire”
Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

aran

king of a region

(pl. erain)

Adûnaic

yad-

verb. to go

A verb appearing in the Lament of Akallabêth in the form ayadda “(it) went” (SD/247, VT24/12). Its initial element is the 3rd persons neuter plural suffix a- “it”. This leaves the basic verb form yadda, which is the past tense according to the theories used here.

Conceptual Development: It appeared in the form yadda in the first draft version of the Lament, and this form was also briefly considered as a replacement for unakkha “he-came” in the first sentence of the Lament (SD/312).

Element in

Adûnaic [SD/247; SD/312; VT24/12] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Primitive elvish

mēn-

noun. a way, a going, a mov[ement]

Derivations

  • MEN “go, move, proceed (in any direction); make for, go towards; have as object, (in)tend; direction, object, point moved toward; region” ✧ PE17/165
Primitive elvish [PE17/165] Group: Eldamo. Published by

men

root. go, move, proceed (in any direction); make for, go towards; have as object, (in)tend; direction, object, point moved toward; region

This root first appeared as unglossed ᴹ√MEN in The Etymologies of the 1930s, but seemed to be stationary in nature given its derivatives ᴹQ. men “place, spot” and ᴹQ. ména “region” (Ety/MEN). It was an element in direction words like ᴹQ. formen/N. forven, apparently meaning “✱north place” at this conceptual stage. In the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s, Tolkien first gave the root the gloss “aim at, intend, purpose” with the more specific sense “make for, proceed towards” when used with the allative, but then crossed this out and simply made the gloss “go, proceed” (PE22/103 and note #21). In Common Eldarin: Noun Structure of the early 1950s, Tolkien first gave √MEN the gloss as “place, situation, site”, then revised it to “direction, object, point moved toward” (PE21/79 and note #39).

Thereafter Tolkien mostly gave this root the basic sense “go” (PE17/93, 143, 165; VT39/11; VT42/32). Tolkien gave a somewhat lengthy description of the root in Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959:

> √MEN go, move, proceed in any direction (irrespective of speaker’s position, or assumed point of thought). mēn- a way, a going, a mov[ement] (PE17/165).

Thus in the 1950s and 1960s, Q. formen likely meant “✱north way” rather than “✱north place”. However, in a footnote in The Road Goes Ever On, Tolkien did say that men had the meaning “direction, region” as part of an explanation of √MENEL “heavens” = men + el (“region of stars”), so it seems Tolkien did not entirely abandon the use of this element as a name for places.

For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I sometimes see √MEN use for movement in general (as in motion picture) rather than movement in a direction. I personally recommend using ᴱQ. lev- “(intr.) move” from Qenya Wordlists of the 1920s for that purpose (PE16/132) since I think it is important to distinguish “move” from “go”, but if you prefer to use only later words you might be more comfortable expanding the semantic scope of √MEN to movement in general.

Changes

  • MENMEN “place, situation, site” ✧ PE21/79

Derivatives

  • meinā ✧ VT39/11
    • Q. mína “desiring to start, eager to go” ✧ VT39/11
    • Q. mína- “to desire to go in some direction, wish to go to a place, make for it; to have some end in view, to desire to go in some direction, wish to go to a place, make for it; to have some end in view, *intend” ✧ VT39/11
  • mēn- “a way, a going, a mov[ement]” ✧ PE17/165
  • omen- “to move to a common point, meet”
    • Q. omen- “to move to a common point, meet, to meet, move to a common point, *(lit.) move together” ✧ PE17/013
  • Q. men “way, way; [ᴹQ.] place, spot”
  • Q. men- “to go, proceed, move (generally); to come, arrive” ✧ VT49/23
  • Q. mendë “*will”
  • ᴺQ. menesta “intention, *goal”
  • ᴺQ. menesta “motion, movement”
  • Q. menta- “to send, cause to go (in a desired direction)” ✧ PE17/165; VT41/06
  • ᴺQ. oment- “to meet”
  • S. men- “to go”
  • S. men “road, way, road, way; [N.] *place”
  • ᴺS. menna- “to send, (lit.) make go”
  • ᴺS. ment “message”
  • ᴺS. mîn “motion”

Element in

  • MENEL “heavens, firmament, heavens, firmament, [ᴹ√] sky”
  • ᴺQ. carmen “recipe”
  • Q. coimen “life-year”
  • ᴺQ. etementa- “to banish, send out, (lit.) out-send”
  • ᴺQ. immenwa “automobile”
  • ᴺQ. mendar “station, (lit.) way-stop”
  • Q. menta- “have as object[ive], (in)tend, proceed, make for, go towards” ✧ PE17/093
  • Q. olmen “growth-year”
  • ᴺQ. ómen “crossroads”
  • Q. turmen “realm”
  • ᴺS. goven “crossroads”
  • S. menel “the heavens, firmament, region of the stars” ✧ RGEO/64

Variations

  • men ✧ RGEO/64; VT41/06; VT42/32
  • men- ✧ VT49/23
Primitive elvish [PE17/093; PE17/143; PE17/165; PE21/79; RGEO/64; VT39/11; VT41/06; VT42/32; VT43/15; VT49/23] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nanmen-

verb. return

Derivatives

  • Q. nanwen- “to return, go/come back” ✧ PE17/166
  • S. dadwen- “to return, go back” ✧ PE17/166

Variations

  • nan-men ✧ PE17/166
Primitive elvish [PE17/166] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gardā

noun. region

Derivations

  • ᴹ√GAR “keep, hold, possess; maintain, defend”

Derivatives

  • Q. arda “region, realm, particular land or region, region, realm, particular land or region; [ᴱQ.] place, spot” ✧ WJ/402
  • S. gardh “region” ✧ WJ/402
Primitive elvish [WJ/402] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

ledh-

verb. to go, to go, *travel, journey

@@@ extended meanings suggested by Fiona Jallings

Derivations

  • On. led- “to fare”
    • ᴹ√LED “go, fare, travel” ✧ Ety/LED; EtyAC/LED

Element in

  • N. neledh- “*to go in, enter” ✧ TAI/150

pendrad

noun. passage up or down slope, stairway

Noldorin [Ety/380, X/ND3] pend+rath, pend+râd. Group: SINDICT. Published by

pendrath

noun. passage up or down slope, stairway

Noldorin [Ety/380, X/ND3] pend+rath, pend+râd. 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 

men-

verb. to wish, mean, intend

Derivations

  • ᴹ√MEN “go, proceed” ✧ PE22/103

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√MEN > menne[menne]✧ PE22/103

Variations

  • menne ✧ PE22/127
Qenya [PE22/099; PE22/103; PE22/118; PE22/127] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ména

noun. region

Derivations

  • ᴹ√MEN “go, proceed” ✧ Ety/MEN

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√MEN > ména[mēna]✧ Ety/MEN

Gnomish

alw(eg)

adjective. lofty (of living things, trees, men)

Changes

  • awlalw ✧ PE13/109

Cognates

  • Eq. alva “?lofty”

Derivations

  • ᴱ✶alwa “*lofty” ✧ PE13/109
    • ᴱ√ALA “spread‽”

Element in

Variations

  • awl ✧ PE13/109; PE13/109 (awl)
  • alw ✧ PE13/109
  • alweg ✧ PE13/109; PE13/115
Gnomish [PE13/109; PE13/115] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

ere-

verb. to go

Derivations

  • ᴱ√EÐE “out”

Variations

  • ere ✧ PE16/133 (ere)
Early Quenya [PE16/133] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tie-

verb. to go

Derivations

  • ᴱ√TEHE “‽pull”

Variations

  • tie ✧ PE16/133 (tie)
Early Quenya [PE16/133] Group: Eldamo. Published by