belaith

adjective. mighty

An adjective for “mighty” derived from the root √MBELEK in a page of notes having to do with “large & small” words, probably from the late 1960s (PE17/115), apparently from the primitive form ✱✶mbelektā with the *ekt* vocalizing to *eith* and then the *ei* becoming *ai* in the final syllable.

belaith

adjective. mighty

adj. mighty. Q. melehta.

beleg

adjective. great, mighty; large, big, great, mighty; large, big, [ᴱN.] huge

The Sindarin word for “great” which appears in names like Belegaer “Great Sea” (S/37), Belegurth “Great Death” (PM/358), and especially the name Beleg (SA/beleg). Like English, the word beleg can mean “great” = “mighty” as well as “great” = “large” (PE17/115), but unlike English does not mean “great” = “good”.

Possible Etymology: The Etymologies of the 1930s had N. beleg “great” derived from ON. beleka “mighty, huge, great” under the root ᴹ√BEL “strong” (Ety/BEL). In this document, the name ᴹQ. Melko was derived from unrelated ᴹ✶Mailikō under the root ᴹ√MIL-IK having to do with greed and lust (Ety/MIL-IK). Notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1930s and 40s show the mutated form feleg [veleg] “large” or “great” (PE22/31; PE23/20, 51).

At some point Tolkien reconceived of the etymology of Melkor’s names as being derived from ✶mbelekōro “He who arises in Might” (WJ/402), and in notes on “large & small” roots from 1968 Tolkien also connected this primitive form to S. beleg (PE17/115). This would imply specialized mutations for beleg as derived from an ancient nasalized stop mb-. However, attested mutations imply the primitive form of beleg began with b-, such as Cûl Veleg “Big Load” (RC/536) or Taur-i-Melegyrn “Forest of the Great Trees” (WJ/185).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume the strengthening of the ancient initial consonant to mb- occurred only in Quenya to explain the Sindarin mutations demonstrating primitive initial b-.

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the earliest forms of the language, no doubt due to the influence of the name Beleg which was equally old. The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. Beleg “mighty, great” (GL/22). ᴱN. beleg “great, large” appeared in the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s (PE13/125), and beleg “huge” appeared in Early Noldorin word-lists from this same period (PE13/138). N. beleg “great” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as noted above (Ety/BEL), and this word continued to appear regularly in Tolkien’s writings thereafter.

belegûr

masculine name. He who arises in Might, (lit.) Mighty Arising

The Sindarin cognate of Q. Melkor “He who arises in Might”, but this name was never used, being replaced with an altered form Belegurth “Great Death” (SI/Melkor, PM/358). The initial element of his name is beleg “mighty” and its final element is derived from primitive ✶ōre “arising”, hence literally: “Mighty Arising” (PE17/115). This Sindarin name indicates that the primitive form of his name must have begun with mb-: ✶Mbelekōre (PE17/115, WJ/402).

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, his Qenya name was ᴱQ. Melko and in the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s, its cognate was given as G. Belca >> Belcha from a root ᴱ√(M)BELEKE along with derivatives related to fire (GL/18, 22). In the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s, the name was changed to ᴱN. Belegor >> Melegor (LB/21), but in Early Noldorin word lists from the 1920s the name appeared as ᴱN. Maileg (PE13/149).

In The Etymologies from the 1930s, the name changed to N. Maeleg >> Moeleg, derived from the root ᴹ√MIL(IK) along with derivatives related to greed and lust (Ety/MIL-IK). The form N. Moeleg appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (SM/79, 164, 167). In later writings his Sindarin name was usually given as Belegûr, though in one place an alternate form Belchur was also given (PE17/115).

Arveleg

noun. mighty king

ar (prefix “high, noble, royal”) + beleg (“great, mighty”)

beleg

adjective. great, mighty

beleg

mighty

1. beleg (great), lenited veleg, pl. belig; 2) taur (also tor-, tar- in compounds) (lofty, high, sublime, noble; vast, masterful, overwhelming, huge, awful), lenited daur, pl. toer. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”great wood, forest”.

beleg

mighty

(great), lenited veleg, pl. belig

taur

mighty

(also tor-, tar- in compounds) (lofty, high, sublime, noble; vast, masterful, overwhelming, huge, awful), lenited daur, pl. toer. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”great wood, forest”.

ball

adjective. worthy, important; great, mighty

polodhren

adjective. mighty, *powerful (politically)

melehta

adjective. mighty

An adjective for “mighty” derived from the root √MBELEK in a page of notes having to do with “large & small” words, probably from the late 1960s (PE17/115), apparently from the primitive form ✱✶mbelektā (with [kt] > [ht]). A variant form meletya appears with the 2nd-plural possessive suffix -lda as Meletyalda “your mighty” in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (WJ/369), likely from the primitive form ✱✶mbelekya (with [kj] > [tj]). This variant form has a more typical primitive adjective suffix ✶-ya, but is inconsistent with the attested Sindarin cognate S. belaith, so I’d stick with melehta for purposes of Neo-Quenya.

melehta

mighty

melehta adj. "mighty" (PE17:115), cf. meletya

meletya

mighty

#meletya adj. "mighty", isolated from meletyalda adjective with suffix "your mighty" = "your majesty" (see -lda; meletya = *"mighty"). In full Aran Meletyalda "king your mighty" = "your majesty" (WJ:369). Compare melehta.

meletya

adjective. mighty

melkor

masculine name. He who arises in Might; (lit.) Mighty Arising

Name of the Valar whose rebellion brought evil into the world (S/16), more commonly known as Morgoth. His name is an ancient compound of the root ✶mbelek- “mighty” and ✶ōre “rising”, so meaning: “Mighty Arising” (MR/350, PE17/115), translated more loosely as “He who arises in Might” (WJ/402, PM/358). This name also appeared in the longer form Melkórë (MR/350, PE17/115). This is one of the names Tolkien generally spelled with a “k” (like Kementári and Tulkas) despite normally representing the [k]-sound with “c” in Elvish, though in a few places he did write Melcor (MR/362, VT49/24).

Possible Etymology: In the name Melkorohíni “Children of Melkor” (MR/416), the ancient stem form for Melkor seems to be Melkoro-. This is consistent with the primitive form ✶Mbelekōro appearing in the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 (WJ/402). Elsewhere its primitive form was given as ✶Mbelekōre (PE17/115) and its ablative form appears in notes from the mid-1960s as Melkorello (VT49/6-7), indicating a stem-form of Melkore-, consistent with the long form Melkórë noted above.

Conceptual Development: This name first appeared in the earliest Lost Tales as ᴱQ. Melko without its final -r (LT1/47). This name appeared in the Qenya Lexicon glossed “God of Evil” but without an etymology (QL/60). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, it was connected to the root ᴱ√melek/mbelek/belek, along with ᴱQ. velka “flame” (GL/22). It is likely that Tolkien first considered this name as representative of his “fiery” evil, as his contemporaneous (but later abandoned) name ᴱQ. Yelur was that of “wintery” evil.

In some texts from the 1920s, ᴱQ. Melko was given as the derivative of (unglossed) ᴱ✶Mailiko (PE13/149; PE14/69), and the name ᴹQ. Melko appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s as a derivative of ᴹ✶Mailikō < ᴹ√MIL(IK) “greed, lust” (Ety/MIL-IK). The form Melkor (with an -r) appeared towards the end of Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/332). This was the form used thereafter, starting with Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (MR/7, MR/22 note #5).

Melko

mighty one

Melko masc. name "Mighty One", name of the rebellious Vala, usually called Melkor (MIL-IK, MOR; FS MR:350 confirms that the form Melko_ is still valid in Tolkien's later Quenya, though not interpreted "Greedy One" as in the Etymologies)_

Melkor

mighty-rising

Melkor (spelt Melcor in VT49:6, 24, MR:362), masc. name: the rebellious Vala, the devil of the Silmarillion mythos. Older (MET) form Melkórë "Mighty-rising" (hence the interpretation "He that arises in power"), compare órë #2. Oldest Q form *mbelekōro (WJ:402). Ablative Melkorello/Melcorello, VT49:7, 24. Compounded in Melkorohíni "Children of Melkor", Orcs ("but the wiser say: nay, the slaves of Melkor; but not his children, for Melkor had no children") (MR:416). The form Melkoro- here occurring may incorporate either the genitive ending -o or the otherwise lost final vowel of the ancient form ¤mbelekōro. For Melkors later name, see Moringotto / Moricotto (Morgoth) under mori-.

polda

adjective. big, big; [ᴹQ.] strong, burly; [ᴱQ.] mighty, powerful

An adjective for “big” derived from √pol “large, big (strong)” in a page of notes having to do with “large & small” roots, probably from the late 1960s (PE17/115). Another note from the same period had deleted forms polda, polya, also meaning “big” (PE17/115). The Etymologies of the 1930s had ᴹQ. polda “strong, burly” derived from the root ᴹ√POL(OD) “physically strong” (Ety/POL). Early Qenya word-lists of the 1920s had ᴱQ. polda “mighty, powerful” along side ᴱQ. poldórea “powerful” (PE16/137), while the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. poldorea “muscular” under the early root ᴱ√POLO “have strength” (QL/75).

Neo-Quenya: For most of Tolkien’s life, the root √POL was connected to physical ability and strength, so for purposes of Neo-Quenya I would assume polda means someone that is both “big and strong” simultaneously, with “burly” being a single English word that approximates its meaning.

taura

mighty, masterful

taura adj. "mighty, masterful" (TUR, PE17:115), "very mighty, vast, of unmeasured might or size" (VT39:10). Cf. túrëa.

taura

adjective. (very) mighty, masterful; vast, of unmeasured might or size

A word in a list of “large & small” roots from the late 1960s glossed “mighty, masterful” along with an equivalent word túrëa, both derived from √TUR “strong, mighty, in power” (PE17/115). In notes associated with the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60, Tolkien glossed it as “very mighty, vast, of unmeasured might or size” as an example of ancient a-fortification of the root √TUR (VT39/10). ᴹQ. taura “mighty” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶taurā under the root ᴹ√TUR “power, control, mastery, victory” (Ety/TUR).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would assume this word applies to general might and majesty, applicable to people but also to inanimate things, as in i taura ëaron “the mighty ocean = the vast and powerful ocean”. I would use túrëa more specifically for someone who is politically powerful, having mastery or influence over others.

aran meletyalda

king your mighty

mára

adjective. good, proper, good, proper; [ᴹQ.] useful, fit, good (of things), [ᴱQ.] excellent; mighty, power, doughty

tirion

noun. watch-tower, watch-tower, tower, [ᴱQ.] (great or mighty) tower; city on a hill

túrëa

adjective. mighty, masterful, mighty, masterful, *having political power

taur

adjective. vast, mighty, overwhelming, awful, huge; high, sublime

An adjective in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “mighty, vast, overwhelming, huge, awful” derived from primitive ᴹ✶taurā “masterful, mighty” based on the root ᴹ√TUR “power, control, mastery, victory” (Ety/TÁWAR, TUR). It was also influenced by ᴹ✶tārā “lofty” and as such had the alternate meaning “high, sublime”. Thus its gloss “awful” has the sense “causing awe” rather than its modern English meaning “terrible”, and its general meaning seems to something that is mighty (in strength or size) and also induces awe, either inspiring or terrifying. Its Quenya equivalent Q. taura continued to appear in later writings (PE17/115, VT39/10), indicating that this Noldorin word probably remained valid in Sindarin.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had the adjective G. taura “powerful” and the (archaic) noun G. †taur “ability, power” (GL/69), both based on the early root ᴱ√TURU “am strong” (GL/72; QL/95).

beleg

adjective. great, mighty

taur

adjective. mighty, vast, overwhelming, huge, awful, high, sublime

bal

root. power; powerful, mighty; have power

The root √BAL had to do with “power”, and in particular divine power. Its best known derivatives are Vala and Valië, the greatest of the Ainur and divine rulers of Arda. In Tolkien’s earliest writings, he describe the Valar as gods, but later he treated them more like “archangels” under the divine patronage of the one god Eru.

The earliest forms of this root were VALA in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/99) and GWAL in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/44), so very likely the true early form of this root was ✱ᴱ√WALA. The Quenya form of this root VALA was unglossed, but the Gnomish form GWAL had the glosses “fortune, happiness”. At this early stage the root had additional derivatives like ᴱQ. valin “happy” and G. gwaltha “fortunate, happy” (QL/99; GL/44).

By the time of The Etymologies of the 1930s, these “happy” derivatives had fallen away, and the new form of this root was ᴹ√BAL with new Noldorin forms like N. Balan “Power, God” (Ety/BAL). The root √BAL reappeared in the 1950s and 60s with various glosses like “powerful, mighty” or “have power” (PE17/48, 154). One relatively late development was the transfer of the word S. Balrog “mighty demon” to this root (PE17/48; S/31); in earlier conceptions this word was tied to “torture” roots like ᴹ√ÑGWAL “torment” or ᴱ√MBALA “hurt, pain” (Ety/ÑGWAL; QL/63).

mbelek

root. mighty, powerful, strong; power as force or strength; great, large

The most notable uses of this root were as the basis for the name Q. Melkor and (sometimes) the adjective S. beleg “great”. This root first appeared as ᴱ√mbelek, belek or melek in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, with Gnomish name G. Belcha vs. Qenya name ᴱQ. Melko; its other derivatives indicate the meaning of the root was “✱flame” (GL/20). The Qenya noun ᴱQ. velka “flame” indicates that unstrengthened ᴱ√belek was used along with strengthened ᴱ√mbelek, but there are no obvious derivatives of ᴱ√melek in this period.

There is no evidence of this root in The Etymologies of the 1930s; in this period ᴹQ. Melko was derived from ᴹ√MIL(IK) “✱greed, lust” (Ety/MIL-IK). The root appears a number of times in Tolkien’s later writings, always as the basis for Q. Melkor. The root melk- was mentioned in notes associated with the essay Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth from around 1959, where Tolkien said it “means ‘power’ as force and strength” (MR/350). The root √MBELEK is implied by Tolkien’s etymology of Q. Melkor in the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60, being derived from ✶Mbelekōre “He who arises in Might” (WJ/402). The root appears as √MELEK “great, mighty, powerful, strong” (rejected) or mbelek “large, great” in notes from around 1968, connected to both S. beleg and Q. Melkor (PE17/115).

It seems Tolkien vacillated on whether Q. Melkor and S. beleg were related. The root may have been √MELEK, unrelated to √BEL. Alternately, it may have been √MBELEK, but the various mutations of S. beleg “great” show no signs of primitive initial mb-. Thus, it seems the strengthening to mb- either occurred only in Quenya, or it enhanced the meaning of the root from “large, great” to “powerful, mighty”.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I prefer the last of these theories.

tur

root. dominate, master, conquer; power [over others], mastery (legitimate or illegitimate), control (of other wills); strong, mighty in power, dominate, master, conquer; power [over others], mastery (legitimate or illegitimate), control (of other wills); strong, mighty in power; [ᴹ√] victory; [ᴱ√] am strong

This root was connected to strength, victory and power for most of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√TURU “am strong” the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. túre “might, strength, power”, ᴱQ. túrin “kingdom”, and ᴱQ. turu- “can, to be able” (QL/95). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon it had derivatives like G. tûr “king” and G. turm “authority, rule; strength” (GL/72).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s it appeared as ᴹ√TUR “power, control, mastery, victory” with derivatives like ᴹQ. taura/N. taur “mighty”, ᴹQ. tur-/N. tortha- “wield, control”, and ᴹQ. túre/N. tûr “mastery, victory” (Ety/TUR). The root √TUR was mentioned regularly in Tolkien’s later writings with glosses like “dominate, master, conquer” (PE17/104), “power” (PE17/113), “strong, mighty (in power)” (PE17/115), and “power of domination or dominion, control of other wills, legitimate or illegitimate mastery” (PE22/151).

mbelek-

adjective. large, great, big, large, great, big, [ᴹ✶] huge; mighty

melek

root. great, mighty, powerful, strong