nen

river

nen noun "river" (LT1:248), "river, water" (LT1:262) (In Tolkien's later Quenya, nén with a long vowel means "water", but hardly "river" - that is sírë.)

nén

water

nén (nen-) noun "water" (NEN).

nén

noun. water, water, [ᴱQ.] river

The word for “water”, a derivative of the root √NEN of the same meaning (PE17/52; Ety/NEN). Its stem form was nen- (Ety/NEN) and its primitive form was given as ✶nē̆n, the vowel length variation due to distinct subjective nēn versus objective/inflected nĕn- in ancient monosyllables (PE21/64).

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with two senses: “river” and (archaic) “†water”. Tolkien indicated the two senses were based on distinct roots: ᴱ√NEŘE [NEÐE] and ᴱ√NENE respectively, with two distinct stem forms nend- and nēn (QL/64-65). The Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa also mentions the forms nen (nēn-) “water” versus nen(d-) “river” (PME/64-65). In the English-Qenya Dictionary of the mid-1920s Tolkien had both nēn “river” (PE15/76) and nēn “water” (PE15/78), but in the Early Qenya Grammar he had only nēn “water” (PE14/43, 72), also appearing as nen “water” in documents on The Valmaric Script from this period (PE14/110).

In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, Tolkien had ᴹQ. nēn “water”, but in this document it had nēn- with long ē in its inflected forms as well (PE21/23). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, however, uninflected nén “water” had a stem form of nen- with short e (Ety/NEN), and the reasons for this variation was discussed in Primitive Quendian Structure: Final Consonants from 1936, the nominative/objective distinction noted above (PE21/64). This seems to be the paradigm Tolkien stuck with thereafter, as evidenced by S. nen “water” rather than ✱✱nîn.

Cognates

• S. nen “water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, [ᴱN.] stream” ✧ PE17/052; SA/nen

Derivations

• ✶nē̆n “water”
  • √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow”
• √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow” ✧ PE17/052; SA/nen

Element in

• Q. Cuiviénen “Water of Awakening” ✧ SA/nen
• Q. Nénar
• Q. nenda “wet”
• Q. nendil “beast that lives in the water”
• Q. Nendili “Water-lovers”
• ᴺQ. nengarmo “otter, (lit.) water-wolf”
• Q. Nénimë “February, *Wet-ness”
• ᴺQ. nenungol “octopus, (lit.) water-spider”
• Q. Nenya “(Ring) of Water” ✧ SA/nen
• Q. Nísinen “*Fragrant Water”
• Q. Uinen ✧ SA/nen

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NEN > nēn	[nēn]	✧ PE17/052
√nen > nen	[nen]	✧ SA/nen

Variations

• nēn ✧ PE17/052
• nen ✧ SA/nen

Uinen

water

Uinen (Uinend-, as in dative Uinenden) fem. name, used of a Maia, spouse of Ossë (UY, NEN). Adopted and adapted from Valarin (WJ:404), though it is also said that it contains -nen "water" (SA:nen); the latter explanation may be folk etymology. In the Etymologies, the name is derived from the same stem (UY) as uilë "long trailing plant, especially seaweed".

Nénar

water

Nénar noun name of a star (or planet), evidently derived from nén "water" (Silm), tentatively identified with Uranus (MR:435)

nuinë

suffix. river

Element in

• ᴺQ. nuinerocco “hippopotamus, (lit.) river-horse”

celusindi

river

celusindi _("k")_noun "river" (LT1:257; hardly a valid word in Tolkien's later Quenya, where the terms sírë and sirya appear instead)

sindi

river

sindi noun "river" (LT1:265; rather sírë in LotR-style Quenya)

sirya

river

#sirya noun "river", attested in the dual form siryat (VT47:11). Compare sírë.

sír

river

sír noun "river", shorter form of sirë (PE17:65, VT49:17)

sír(ë)

noun. river, river, [ᴱQ.] stream

The most common Quenya word for “river”, derived from the root √SIR “flow”.

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared as ᴱQ. sīre “stream” as a derivative of ᴱ√SIŘI [SIÐI] (QL/84), and this form and gloss also appeared in the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/84). The form ᴹQ. siri- “river” appeared in the Declension of Nouns (DN) from the early 1930s, along with uninflected sire with short i and various inflected forms with siry- (PE21/10). The form sīre “river” with long ī appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of ᴹ√SIR “flow” (Ety/SIR; EtyAC/SIR). In several notes from the mid-1960s, it appeared in monosyllabic form sír (PE17/65) or sīr (VT49/17), but it had dual form siryat from the late 1960s implying a stem form of sirĭ- and a development similar to that of DN from the early 1930s (VT47/11).

Neo-Eldarin: Its form síre is probably better known and more commonly used in Neo-Quenya. For example this is the typical form in Helge Fauskanger’s NQNT (NQNT).

Cognates

• S. sîr “river, stream”

Derivations

• √SIR “flow”

Element in

• ᴺQ. anasirë “tributary”
• Q. caitas lá i sír “it is beyond the river” ✧ PE17/065
• Q. caitas palla i sír “it is far beyond the river” ✧ PE17/065
• Q. imbë siryat “between two rivers” ✧ VT47/11
• ᴺQ. lantasírë “waterfall, (lit.) falling river”
• Q. lendes lann’ i sír “he came (to a point) beyond the river” ✧ PE17/065
• Q. lendes pallan(na) i sír “he came (to a point) far beyond the river” ✧ PE17/065
• Q. Siril

Variations

• sír ✧ PE17/065
• sīr ✧ VT49/17

sírë

river

sírë noun "river" (SIR, VT46:13), "stream" (LT1:265). Also short form sír, q.v.Compare #sirya.

hlóna

river, especially given to those at all seasons full of water from mountains

[hlóna (2) noun "a river, especially given to those at all seasons full of water from mountains" (VT48:27; the word is marked with a query and the note containing it rejected; it was apparently replaced by lón, q.v.)]

lutta-

flow, float

lutta- vb. "flow, float" (LT1:249)

lutu-

flow, float

lutu- vb. "flow, float" (LT1:249)

sir-

flow

sir- (1) vb. "flow" (SIR)

sir-

verb. flow

sirya

verb. flow

nen

noun. nostril

Derivations

• ᴹ√NEÑ “*nose”

nen

noun. water (used of a lake, pool or lesser river)

nen

noun. waterland

nen

water

{ĕ}_ n. _water, lake. Q. nén. >> nîn

nen

noun. water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, [ᴱN.] stream

A noun for “water”, also regularly applied to bodies of water like lakes, pools and rivers, especially in names like S. Bruinen “Loudwater” (a river) and S. Nen Echui “Water of Awakening” (an inland sea).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s where {nen >>} G. nenn “water; river” appeared (GL/60), a derivative of the early root ᴱ√NENE “flow” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Neni Erúmëar; QL/65). ᴱN. nen and nenn appeared in various Early Noldorin documents from the 1920s with glosses like “stream” (PE13/123), “water” (PE13/151), and “water, river” (PE13/164), but in this period Tolkien indicated the primitive form was ninda (PE13/123, 164). This seems to have been a transient idea, since in The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave N. nen “water” as a derivative of ᴹ√NEN (Ety/NEN), and this derivation appeared in Tolkien’s later writings as well (PE17/52).

Cognates

• Q. nén “water, water, [ᴱQ.] river” ✧ PE17/052; SA/nen

Derivations

• ✶nē̆n “water”
  • √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow”
• √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow” ✧ PE17/052; SA/nen

Element in

• S. Arnen “Beside the Water”
• S. Bruinen “Loudwater” ✧ SA/nen
• S. Carnen “Redwater”
• S. dannen “ebb, lowtide”
• S. duinen “flood, high tide”
• S. Emyn Arnen “Hills of Arnen” ✧ SA/nen
• S. Harnen “*South Water”
• S. Lebennin “Five Rivers”
• S. Nen Cenedril “Mirrormere, (lit.) Lake Looking-glass”
• S. Nen Echui “Water of Awakening”
• S. Nen Girith “Shuddering Water” ✧ SA/nen
• S. Nen Hithoel “Mist-cool Water” ✧ RC/328; SA/nen
• S. Nen Lalaith “*Water of Laughter”
• S. Nenning “? Water” ✧ SA/nen
• S. Nenuial “Lake Evendim, (lit.) Water of Twilight” ✧ SA/nen
• S. Nîn-in-Eilph “Swanfleet, Waterlands of the Swans” ✧ NM/378
• S. Núrnen “Sad Water, Dead Water” ✧ SA/nen
• S. Ringnen “Chill-water” ✧ VT42/14

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NEN > nĕn	[nen]	✧ PE17/052
√nen > nen	[nen]	✧ SA/nen

Variations

• nĕn ✧ PE17/052; PE17/077

duin

noun. (long and large) river (having strong current)

lorn

noun. quiet water

lorn

noun. anchorage, harbour

sîr

noun. river

rib-

verb. to flow like a (torrent ?)

The reading of the gloss is uncertain

siria

flow

(vb.) siria- (i hiria, i siriar).

siria

flow

(i hiria, i siriar).

nên

water

nên (lake, pool, stream, waterland), construct nen, pl. nîn. FLOOD-WATER (or ”wash”) iôl (pl. ŷl) (RC:334, VT48:33).

nên

water

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

celon

river

(i gelon, o chelon), pl. celyn (pl. i chelyn)

duin

river

(long, large river with strong current) duin (i dhuin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nuin) (VT48:24)

duin

large river

(i dhuin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nuin), coll. pl. duinath (Names:179, PM:54); compare the river-name Anduin, ”long river”.

lind

river

”singer” may also be used of rivers (see

lorn

quiet water

(anchorage, haven, harbour), pl. lyrn (VT45:29).

ethir

of a river

(estuary), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. ethiriath. Note: a homophone means "spy".

sîr

river

1) (also = rill) sîr (i hîr, o sîr), in compounds sir- or -hir or -hír; no distinct pl. form except with article (i sîr), coll. pl. siriath. Note: sîr is also the adverb ”today”. 2) celon (i gelon, o chelon), pl. celyn (pl. i chelyn), 3) The word lind ”singer” may also be used of rivers (see . (WJ.309).

sîr

river

(i hîr, o sîr), in compounds sir- or -hir or -hír; no distinct pl. form except with article (i sîr), coll. pl. siriath. Note: sîr is also the adverb ”today”.

rimma

flow like a torrent

(i rimma, idh rimmar)

nen

root. water, water, [ᴱ√] flow

A root connected to water and (to a lesser extent) rivers for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appearance was as ᴱ√NENE “flow” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, though Tolkien marked both the root and the gloss with a “?”; it had derivatives like ᴱQ. nen “river, †water” and ᴱQ. nēnu “yellow water lily” (QL/65). Under this entry Tolkien noted that “nen water is perhaps different from nen river, which is from neře” (QL/65); elsewhere in QL Tolkien gave ᴱ√NERE² or ᴱ√NEŘE [NEÐE] as the basis for nen (nend-) “river”, a root he said was often confused with ᴱ√NESE “give to feed; feed, pasture; graze” (QL/66). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon he had G. nenn “(1) water, (2) river” and G. nendil “water fay” which were probably a blending of NENE and NEÐE, as well as G. nern “brook” from ✱nere¹ (GL/60), probably corresponding to ᴱ√NERE² from QL.

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had unglossed ᴹ√NEN with derivatives like ᴹQ. nén/N. nen “water” and ᴹQ. nelle “brook” (Ety/NEN), whereas ᴱ√NERE² and ᴱ√NEÐE from the 1910s seems to have been abandoned. The primitive form √NEN or nē̆n “water” continued to appear regularly in Tolkien’s writings from the 1940s, 50s and 60s (PE17/52, 167; PE19/102; PE21/64, 79).

Derivatives

• ✶nē̆n “water”
  • Q. nén “water, water, [ᴱQ.] river”
  • S. nen “water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, [ᴱN.] stream”
• ✶nēnā “wet” ✧ PE17/052; PE17/167
  • Q. nenda “wet” ✧ PE17/052; PE17/167
  • S. nîn “wet, *watery” ✧ PE17/052
• ✶nenda “water”
• Q. nén “water, water, [ᴱQ.] river” ✧ PE17/052; SA/nen
• Q. nenda “wet” ✧ PE17/167
• Q. nendë “lake, lake, [ᴹQ.] pool” ✧ PE17/052
• ᴺQ. nendo “water mead, *watered plain”
• S. nen “water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, [ᴱN.] stream” ✧ PE17/052; SA/nen

Element in

• ✶nēn-talma “Wetwang, Nindalf” ✧ PE17/167

Variations

• NEN- ✧ PE17/145
• NĒ̆N ✧ PE17/167
• nen ✧ SA/nen

nē̆n

noun. water

Derivations

• √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow”

Derivatives

• Q. nén “water, water, [ᴱQ.] river”
• S. nen “water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, [ᴱN.] stream”

nenda

noun. water

Derivations

• √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow”

Element in

• S. Núrnen “Sad Water, Dead Water” ✧ PE17/087

sir

root. flow

The root √SIR and similar roots meant “flow” for most of Tolkien’s life. The earliest form of this root was ᴱ√SIŘI [SIÐI] “flow” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with variant sini and derived forms like ᴱQ. sindi “river” and ᴱQ. síre “stream” (QL/84). The latter word became “river” in Tolkien’s later writings, and words appearing in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon like G. sîr “river” and G. siriol “flowing” (GL/67-68) rather than ✱✱sidh- indicate Tolkien very early revised the root to ✱ᴱ√SIRI. Indeed, the root was ᴹ√SIR “flow” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, and the root appeared with this form and essential meaning several times in Tolkien’s later writings (PE22/127, 135).

Derivatives

• ✶siru-
• ✶sīru “stream”
• ✶sirya- “to flow, to flow [smoothly]” ✧ PE22/135
  • Q. sirya- “to flow, to flow [smoothly]”
• Q. sír(ë) “river, river, [ᴱQ.] stream”
• S. sîr “river, stream” ✧ SA/sîr
• ᴺS. siriol “flowing, fluent, liquid, melliflous”

Element in

• ᴺS. ethiria- “to flow out”
• S. sirith “flowing” ✧ SA/sîr

Variations

• sir- ✧ SA/sîr

nen

noun. water (used of a lake, pool or lesser river)

nen

noun. waterland

nen

noun. water

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nén “water” ✧ Ety/NEN

Derivations

• ᴹ√NEN “*water” ✧ Ety/NEN
• ᴹ✶nē̆n “water” ✧ PE21/58
  • ᴹ√NEN “*water”

Element in

• N. Bruinen “Loudwater”
• N. Harnen “*South Water”
• N. Lebennin “Seven Streams”
• N. Nen Girith “Shuddering Water”
• N. Nen-uinel
• N. nenui “wet”
• N. Nenuial “Evendimmer”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√NEN > nen	[nen]	✧ Ety/NEN
ᴹ√NEN > nîn	[neni] > [nini] > [nin] > [nīn]	✧ Ety/NEN

Variations

• nĕn ✧ PE21/58 (nĕn)

celon

noun. river

duirro

noun. river-bank

lhorn

noun. quiet water

lhorn

noun. anchorage, harbour

sîr

noun. river

sîr

noun. river

Cognates

• ᴹQ. síre “river” ✧ Ety/SIR

Derivations

• On. sīre “river” ✧ Ety/SIR
  • ᴹ√SIR “flow” ✧ Ety/SIR

Element in

• N. Beleghir “Great River”
• N. Calenhir “*Green River”
• N. Narosîr “Redway”
• N. Nanduhiriath “Dimrill-dale” ✧ RS/433
• N. Ossiriand “Land of Seven Rivers”
• N. Sirannon “Gate-stream”
• N. Sirion ✧ Ety/SIR

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. sīre > sîr	[sīre] > [sīr]	✧ Ety/SIR

sirion

noun. great river

rhib-

verb. to flow like a (torrent ?)

The reading of the gloss is uncertain

siria-

verb. to flow