-ndil

friend

-ndil (also -dil) ending occurring in many names, like Amandil, Eärendil; it implies devotion or disinterested love and may be translated "friend" (SA:(noun)dil); this ending is "describing the attitude of one to a person, thing, course or occupation to which one is devoted for its own sake" (Letters:386). Compare -ndur. It is unclear whether the names derived with the ending -ndil are necessarily masculine, though we have no certain example of a woman's name in -ndil; the name Vardilmë (q.v.) may suggest that the corresponding feminine ending is -(n)dilmë.

-dil

suffix. -friend, -lover

-nil

suffix. -friend, -lover

-(n)dil

suffix. -friend, -lover; devotion, disinterested love

Cognates

• S. -dil “friend, lover”

Derivations

• ✶-ndīl
  • √N(D)IL “to love (as a friend or equal), be devoted to, to love (as a friend or equal), be devoted to; [ᴹ√] love, devotion; friend”
• √N(D)IL “to love (as a friend or equal), be devoted to, to love (as a friend or equal), be devoted to; [ᴹ√] love, devotion; friend” ✧ Let/386; PE17/152

Element in

• Q. Aiwendil “Lover of Birds”
• Q. Aldanil “Lover of Trees”
• Q. Amandil “Lover of Aman” ✧ SA/(n)dil
• Q. Anardil “*Lover of the Sun” ✧ PE17/152
• Q. arandil “king’s friend, royalist” ✧ Let/386
• Q. Atandil “Friend of Men”
• Q. Firindil “Friend of Men”
• Q. Aulendil “Servant of Aulë”
• Q. Ciryandil “*Ship Lover”
• Q. Eärendil “Lover of the Sea” ✧ PE17/152; SA/(n)dil
• Q. Eärnil “*Lover of the Sea” ✧ PE17/152; SA/(n)dil
• Q. Eldandil “Elf-friend”
• Q. Elendil “Elf-friend, Star-lover” ✧ Let/386; PE17/152; SA/(n)dil
• Q. Hrávandil “*Wild Beast Friend”
• Q. Urundil “Copper-lover” ✧ PM/366
• Q. Mámandil “*Sheep-friend”
• Q. Manwendil “*Friend of Manwë”
• Q. Mardil “Devoted to the House” ✧ Let/386; SA/(n)dil
• Q. Meneldil “*Lover of the Heavens” ✧ PE17/152
• Q. meneldil “astronomer, *(lit.) lover of the heavens” ✧ Let/386
• Q. Minardil “?Friend of the Tower”
• Q. nendil “beast that lives in the water”
• Q. Nendili “Water-lovers”
• Q. Nolondil “?Friend of Knowledge”
• Q. Númendil “*Friend of the West”
• Q. Ornendil “*Tree-friend”
• Q. Oromendil “*Friend of Oromë”
• Q. Quendil “Elf-friend”
• ᴺQ. sailiendil “philosopher”
• Q. Siriondil “*Sirion-lover”
• Q. Telumendil “*Sky-lover”
• Q. Uinendili “Lovers of Uinen”
• Q. Valandil “Lover of the Valar” ✧ Let/386
• Q. Vardilmë “?Friend of Varda”
• Q. Vorondil “*Ever-friend”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√(N)DIL > ndil	[-ndil]	✧ Let/386
√NIL > ndil	[-ndil]	✧ PE17/152

Variations

• ndil ✧ Let/386; PE17/152
• -nil ✧ PE17/152
• dil ✧ PE17/152
• -ndil ✧ PM/366

nildo

friend

nildo noun "friend" (apparently masc.; contrast nildë) (NIL/NDIL)

nildë

friend

nildë noun "friend" (fem.) (NIL/NDIL)

nilmo

friend

nilmo noun "friend" (apparently masc.) (NIL/NDIL)

-ndur

friend

-ndur (also -dur), ending in some names, like Eärendur; as noted by Christopher Tolkien in the Silmarillion Appendix it has much the same meaning as -ndil "friend"; yet -ndur properly means "servant of" (SA:(noun)dil), "as one serves a legitimate master: cf. Q. arandil king's friend, royalist, beside arandur 'king's servant, minister'. But these often coincide: e.g. Sam's relation to Frodo can be viewed either as in status -ndur, in spirit -ndil." (Letters:286)

sondo

friend

[sondo noun "friend" (VT46:15)]

-ser

friend

-ser noun "friend" (SER)

heldo

friend

[heldo, also helmo, fem. heldë, noun "friend" (VT46:3)]

meldë

friend

#meldë noun "friend", feminine (meldenya "my friend" in the Elaine inscription [VT49:40], Tolkien referring to Elaine Griffiths). Compare meldo.

málo

noun. friend

friend, comrade

málo

friend

málo noun "friend" (MEL, VT49:22)

sermo

friend

sermo noun "friend" (evidently masc., since sermë is stated to be fem.) (SER)

sermë

friend

sermë noun "friend" (fem.) (SER)

seron

friend

seron noun "friend" (SER)

meldo

friend, lover

meldo noun "friend, lover". _(VT45:34, quoting a deleted entry in the Etymologies, but cf. the pl. #_meldor in Eldameldor "Elf-lovers", WJ:412) **Meldonya *"my friend" (VT49:38, 40). It may be that meldo is the distinctly masculine form, corresponding to feminine #meldë** (q.v.)

mellon

noun. friend

mellon

noun. friend

_ n. _friend. Pedo mellon a minno! 'Say friend and enter'. 

mellon

noun. friend

Cognates

• Q. meldo “friend, lover” ✧ WJ/412

Derivations

• √MEL “love, love, [ᴹ√] love (as friend)” ✧ SA/mel

Element in

• S. ar e aníra ennas suilannad mhellyn în phain “and he desires to greet there all his friends” ✧ AotM/062; SD/129
• S. Elvellyn “Elf-friends, Elf-lovers” ✧ WJ/412
• S. mellyn enin Edhellion “*friends of the Elves” ✧ PE17/097
• S. pedo beth mellon “say the word mellon” ✧ VT44/26
• S. pedo mellon a minno “speak, friend, and enter; (alternately) say ‘friend’ and enter” ✧ LotR/0305; LotR/0305; PE17/041

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√mel- > mellon	[meldondo] > [melðondo] > [melðond] > [mellond] > [mellonn] > [mellon]	✧ SA/mel

Variations

• Mellon ✧ LotR/0308; LotRI/Mellon

meldis

friend

(i veldis), no distinct pl. form except with article (i meldis), coll. pl. meldissath.

mellon

friend

1) (masc.) mellon (i vellon) (lover), pl. mellyn (i mellyn), coll. pl. mellonnath. Also meldir (i veldir), no distinct pl. form except with article (i meldir). Also seron (i heron, o seron), pl. seryn (i seryn), coll. pl. seronnath. 2) (fem.) meldis (i veldis), no distinct pl. form except with article (i meldis), coll. pl. meldissath.

mellon

friend

(i vellon) (lover), pl. mellyn (i mellyn), coll. pl. mellonnath. Also meldir (i veldir), no distinct pl. form except with article (i meldir). Also seron (i heron, o seron), pl. seryn (i seryn), coll. pl. seronnath.

n(d)il

root. to love (as a friend or equal), be devoted to, to love (as a friend or equal), be devoted to; [ᴹ√] love, devotion; friend

This root for friendship and devotion first appeared as ᴹ√NIL or strengthened ᴹ√NDIL “friend” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with a number of Quenya derivatives of similar meaning, the most significant being the suffixes ᴹQ. -nil or -dil, which Tolkien said was the equivalent of Old English “-wine” (“-friend”). In The Etymologies, ᴹ√DIL was an unrelated root meaning “stop up, fill up hole” (Ety/DIL). The strengthened root ᴹ√NDIL was mentioned again with the gloss “love, devotion” in The Notion Club Papers of the 1940s (SD/241, 305).

The unstrengthened form √NIL appeared in a letter to David Masson from 1955, where Tolkien said “√NIL means to love as a friend or equal”, as opposed to √(N)DUR which meant “to show special interest in things such as trees, astronomy, gems, medicine, sea, etc.” (PE17/152). Tolkien went on to say that, properly speaking, -(n)dil could apply only to persons and -(n)dur should be used of things, with names like Meneldil and Anardil being “Mannish” misuses of the suffix.

The root appeared again as √(N)DIL “to love, be devoted to” in the draft of a letter to Mr. Rang from 1967, where Tolkien clarified that it described “the attitude of one to a person, thing, course or occupation to which one is devoted for its own sake” (Let/386). This seems to be the only place where Tolkien clearly indicates the unstrengthened form is √DIL. Tolkien again clarified the distinction with √(N)DUR in a footnote:

> This provides the key to a large number of other Elvish Q. names, such as Elendil “Elf-friend” (eled+ndil), Valandil, Mardil the Good Steward (devoted to the House, sc. of the Kings) Meneldil “astronomer” etc. Of similar significance in names is -(n)dur, though properly this means “to serve”, as one serves a legitimate master: cf. Q. arandil “king’s friend, royalist”, beside arandur “king’s servant, minister”. But these often coincide: e.g. Sam’s relation to Frodo can be viewed either as in status -ndur, in spirit -ndil. Compare among the variant names: Eärendur “(professional) mariner” (Let/386).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin I would leave the unstrengthened form of this root as √NIL to retain the use of ᴹ√DIL “stop up, fill up hole” from the 1930s. I would also assume that √N(D)IL means “devotion” from a position of equality and friendship, as opposed to √(N)DUR which means devotion from a position of subservience. Hence Elendil = “Elf friend” [as equals] but Valandur = “Servant of the Vala” [from a lesser position].

Derivatives

• ✶-ndīl
  • Q. -(n)dil “-friend, -lover; devotion, disinterested love”
• ✶ndilā- “to love, be devoted to”
• ✶ndīli “a special concern with or love for”
  • Q. nílë “a special concern with or love for” ✧ PE21/86
• Q. -(n)dil “-friend, -lover; devotion, disinterested love” ✧ Let/386; PE17/152
• ᴺQ. nil- “to love, have special concern/care/interest for”
• Q. nilmë “love, concern for things other than self for their own sakes” ✧ NM/016
• S. -dil “friend, lover”

Element in

• ✶Eled-nil “lover of the Elves” ✧ NM/016; NM/020; PE17/152
• ✶Elendīl “Star-lover” ✧ NM/020
• Q. Eärendil “Lover of the Sea” ✧ Let/386; NM/016; NM/020
• Q. Ornendil “*Tree-friend” ✧ NM/016; NM/020
• Q. Valandil “Lover of the Valar” ✧ NM/016; NM/020
• ᴺS. dilith “friendship”

Variations

• (N)DIL ✧ Let/386
• ndil ✧ NM/016; NM/020
• NIL ✧ PE17/152; PE17/168

thond

noun. friend

Cognates

• ᴹQ. sondo “friend” ✧ EtyAC/SON

Derivations

• ᴹ√SON “love, befriend, cherish” ✧ EtyAC/SON

Element in

• N. Elethon “Ælfwine” ✧ EtyAC/SON (Elethon)
• N. Manathon “Bliss-friend” ✧ EtyAC/SON (Manathon*)

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√SON > thond	[tʰondo] > [θondo] > [θond]	✧ EtyAC/SON

elf

noun. friend

Cognates

• ᴹQ. helmo “friend” ✧ EtyAC/ÑEL

Derivations

• ᴹ√ÑEL “friendship” ✧ EtyAC/ÑEL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√ÑEL > elf	[ŋelmo] > [elmo] > [elm] > [elv]	✧ EtyAC/ÑEL

meldir

noun. friend

meldis

noun. friend

mellon

noun. friend

mellon

noun. friend

Cognates

• ᴹQ. málo “friend” ✧ Ety/MEL
• ᴹQ. meldo “(friend), lover” ✧ EtyAC/MEL

Derivations

• ᴹ√MEL “love (as friend)” ✧ Ety/MEL; EtyAC/MEL

Element in

• N. pedo mellon a minno “speak, friend, and enter” ✧ TI/182

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√MEL > meldon > mellon	[meldondo] > [melðondo] > [melðond] > [mellond] > [mellonn] > [mellon]	✧ EtyAC/MEL

Variations

• Mellon ✧ TI/181