mer-

wish, desire, want

mer- vb. "wish, desire, want" (the form merë given in Etym seems to be the 3rd person sg. aorist, *"wishes, desires, wants"); pa.t. mernë (MER)

lóna

pool, mere

lóna (1) noun "pool, mere" (VT42:10). Variant of lón, lónë above?

nendë

pool

nendë (1) noun "pool" (NEN), "lake" (PE17:52)

nendë

noun. lake, lake, [ᴹQ.] pool

A word for “lake” (PE17/52) or “pool” (Ety/NEN), derived from the root √NEN “water”.

Conceptual Development: This word appeared in both The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/NEN) and notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/37) with the same basic meaning and derivation.

Derivations

• √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow” ✧ PE17/052

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NEN > nende	[nende]	✧ PE17/052

Variations

• nende ✧ PE17/052

lóna

noun. (deep) pool, mere, river-feeding well

A noun lóna glossed “pool, mere” derived from the root √LON and distinct in origin from Sindarin lô “flood” < √LOG (VT42/10).

Conceptual Development: This word seems to be a remnant of Tolkien’s investigation into the origin of the river-name S. Lhûn (PE17/136-137; VT48/27-28), where Tolkien first considered having a related Quenya word hlōna “a river” (PE17/136), then another related word lōn(e) “deep pool or lake” (PE17/137), but this notion was rejected and Tolkien said:

> The stem (S)LOW- does not appear in Quenya, where it is replaced by √LŎNŎ, as in lōn/lōne (pl. lōni) “deep pool or river-feeding well” (PE17/137).

This word and its derivation seems to have reemerged as lóna “pool, mere” in the notes on The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor from the late 1960s, as described above (VT42/10).

Changes

• lōn → lōn “deep pool or lake” ✧ PE17/137
• lōn → lōn “deep pool or lake” ✧ VT48/28

Derivations

• ✶slōno “Lhûn” ✧ PE17/136; VT48/27
  • √LOW “flow freely (fully)” ✧ PE17/136; PE17/137; VT48/27; VT48/28
  • √LON “*haven, harbour” ✧ PE17/137; VT48/28
• √LOW “flow freely (fully)” ✧ PE17/137; PE17/137; VT48/28; VT48/28
• √LON “*haven, harbour” ✧ PE17/137; VT42/10; VT48/28

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶Slōnā > hlōna	[slōnā] > [l̥ōnā] > [l̥ōna]	✧ PE17/136
√LŎNŎ > lōn	[lōn]	✧ PE17/137
√LOW > lou > lū	[low] > [lou] > [lū]	✧ PE17/137
√LOW > lounē̆ > lūn	[loune] > [loun] > [lūn]	✧ PE17/137
√LON > lóna	[lōna]	✧ VT42/10

Variations

• hlōna ✧ PE17/136 (hlōna); VT48/27 (hlōna)
• lōn ✧ PE17/137 (lōn); PE17/137; VT48/28; VT48/28 (lōn)
• lōne ✧ PE17/137 (lōne); PE17/137; VT48/28; VT48/28
• lū ✧ PE17/137; VT48/28
• lūn ✧ PE17/137; VT48/28

ailo

lake, pool

ailo noun "lake, pool" (LT2:339; Tolkien's later Quenya has ailin)

linya

pool

linya noun "pool" (LIN1)

mermë

noun. wish

Elements

Word	Gloss
mer-	“to hope, to hope, [ᴹQ.] wish, desire, want”

lîn

noun. pool, mere

A word for “pool” or “lake”, appearing as an element in the name Linaewen “Lake of Birds” (S/119; UT/401). As an independent word it is probably ✱lîn, and it is probably a derivative of the root √LIN of similar meaning (PE17/145, 160).

Conceptual Development: The earliest obvious precursor to this word is ᴱN. lhuin “pool” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/149). In The Etymologies of the 1930s it appeared as N. lhîn “pool”, a derivative of the root ᴹ√LIN “pool” and cognate to ᴹQ. linya (Ety/LIN¹). Remnants of the ancient y can be seen in its (lenited) class plural liniath in the name N. Hithliniath “Pools of Mist” (Ety/KHIS; LR/262). It cannot be a direct cognate of its Quenya form, however, at it has no signs of a-affection. Christopher Tolkien mentioned the name element lin “pool, mere” in The Silmarillion appendix (SA/lin), though whether it was intended to be a primitive form or a Sindarin word isn’t clear.

Neo-Sindarin: I think it is best to simply adapt the Noldorin form into (Neo) Sindarin as lîn, perhaps derived from primitive ✱linyē and hence with class plural liniath.

Derivations

• √LIN “pool, mere, lake”

Element in

• S. Linaewen “Lake of Birds” ✧ SA/lin¹
• S. Taeglin “*Boundary Singer” ✧ SA/lin¹

Variations

• lin ✧ SA/lin¹

ael

noun. lake, pool, mere

rim

noun. cold pool or lake (in mountains)

loeg

noun. pool

loeg

noun. pool

lô

noun. shallow lake, fenland

lîn

noun. pool

lîn

pool

lîn (lake), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. #**liniath (isolated from Hithliniath**, WJ:194). 3)

lîn

pool

(lake), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. #*liniath*** (isolated from Hithliniath**, WJ:194). 3)

ael

mere

ael (aelin-, pl. aelin) (lake, pool). In ”Noldorin” oel, pl. oelin.

ael

mere

(aelin-, pl. aelin) (lake, pool). In ”Noldorin” oel, pl. oelin.

nên

lake

(water, pool, stream, waterland), construct nen, pl. nîn.

ael

pool

1) ael (aelin-, pl. aelin) (lake, mere). In ”Noldorin” oel, pl. oelin. 2)

ael

pool

(aelin-, pl. aelin) (lake, mere). In ”Noldorin” oel, pl. oelin.

ael

lake

(aelin-, pl. aelin) (pool, mere). In ”Noldorin” oel, pl. oelin.

rim

cold pool or lake

; no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rim), coll. pl. rimmath. Note: a homophone means ”crowd, great number, host”.

iest

wish

(noun) iest, pl. ist

iest

wish

pl. ist

loeg

pool

loeg (no distinct pl. form: loeg is also atttested with plural meaning) (VT45:29). 4) nên (water, lake, stream, waterland), construct nen, pl. nîn.

loeg

pool

(no distinct pl. form: loeg is also atttested with plural meaning) (VT45:29). 4) nên (water, lake, stream, waterland), construct nen, pl. nîn.

lîn

lake

1) lîn (pool), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. #liniath (isolated from Hithliniath, WJ:194). 2) ael (aelin-, pl. aelin) (pool, mere). In ”Noldorin” oel, pl. oelin. 3) nên (water, pool, stream, waterland), construct nen, pl. nîn**. **

lîn

lake

(pool), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. #*liniath*** (isolated from Hithliniath**, WJ:194).

iesta-

verb. to wish

Derivations

• ᴹ√YES “desire”

both

small pool

(i moth, construct both) (puddle), pl. byth (i mbyth). David Salo would lengthen the vowel and read ✱bôth in Sindarin.

lô

shallow lake

(fenland), pl. lŷ.

loeg

noun. pool

@@@ as suggested by Lokyt, possibly a plural form of unattested log, since it is glossed in the plural in the source material: “pools”

Derivations

• √LOG “wet (and soft), soaked, swampy”

Element in

• Nan. Loeg Ningloron “Gladden Fields, (lit.) Pools of the Golden Water-flowers”

lin

root. pool, mere, lake

A root for “pool, mere, lake” appearing in etymological notes from 1957 (PE17/145, 160), and also appearing as ᴹ√LIN “pool” in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/LIN¹). In both instances it was the second element in Q. ailin “(large) lake”, and so connected to S. ael “lake” (N. oel) as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (SA/lin¹). In the 1957 notes Tolkien said the root √LIN had a “Sindarin differentiation > glin-” (PE17/160), but I can find no indication of this in any attested words.

In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was connected to ᴹ√LINKWI with derivatives ᴹQ. linqe/N. lhimp “wet” and N. lhimmid “moisten” (Ety/LINKWI; EtyAC/LINKWI). This is turn was probably a later iteration of the early root ᴱ√LIQI “flow, water; clear, transparent” with derivatives like ᴱQ. linqe “water”, ᴱQ. liqin(a) “wet” and ᴱQ. liqis(tea) “transparence (transparent)” (QL/54). For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is best to assume the “wetness” senses were transferred to ᴹ√LINKWI, but I think it is worth positing a Neo-Eldarin root ✱ᴺ√LIKWIS “clear, transparent” to preserve words associated with tranparency.

This root may be associated with √LIN “make a musical sound”; see that entry for details.

Derivatives

• S. lîn “pool, mere”

Element in

• Q. ailin “a large lake, (large) lake, [ᴹQ.] pool” ✧ PE17/160
• Q. Lórellin “*Dream Pool”
• ᴺQ. tiquilin “thaw, melting snow, slush”
• S. ael “lake, pool”
• ᴺS. saerlin “urine”

Variations

• LĬNĬ ✧ PE17/145; PE17/160

oel

noun. lake, pool, mere

iest

noun. wish

iest

noun. wish

Derivations

• ᴹ√YES “desire” ✧ Ety/YES

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√YES > iest	[jesta] > [jest]	✧ Ety/YES

rhim

noun. cold pool or lake (in mountains)

rhimb

noun. cold pool or lake (in mountains)

lhîn

noun. pool

lhîn

noun. pool

Cognates

• ᴹQ. linya “pool” ✧ Ety/LIN¹

Derivations

• ᴹ√LIN “pool” ✧ Ety/KHIS; Ety/LIN¹

Element in

• N. Hithliniath “Pools of Mist” ✧ Ety/KHIS
• N. Orodlin

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√LIN¹ > lhîn	[linje] > [linie] > [lini] > [lin] > [l̥in] > [l̥īn]	✧ Ety/LIN¹

liniath

noun. pools