Quenya 

nillë

silver glint

nillë ("ñ") a star-imagine on Nur-menel (q.v.), from a stem ngil- noun "silver glint" (MR:388)

nillë

noun. silver glint; Valinorian imagines [images of real stars]

A rather obscure term given as {ille >>} ñille for the “Valinorian imagines”, false stars made in imitation of the real ones created by Varda along with the dome over Valinor (Nur-menel) which protected that land from the spies of Melkor (PE17/22; MR/388). Whether this idea survived as part of the Legendarium is unclear, but this word also happens to be the closest equivalent to S. gil or gail, the usual Sindarin word for “star”, both derived from the root √(Ñ)GIL.

Changes

  • ille → ñille ✧ PE17/022

Cognates

  • S. gil “star; (bright) spark, silver glint, twinkle of light” ✧ MR/470; PE17/022; MR/388; MR/471

Derivations

  • ✶ñgillē “silver glint”
    • √(Ñ)GIL “shine (white); silver glint; white or silver light” ✧ PE17/023; PE17/023
  • √(Ñ)GIL “shine (white); silver glint; white or silver light” ✧ MR/388; PE17/022; PE17/022

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
√ngil > ñille[ŋgille] > [ŋille] > [nille]✧ MR/388
√NGIL > ñille[ŋgille] > [ŋille] > [nille]✧ PE17/022
√GIL > ille[ŋille] > [ɣille] > [ille]✧ PE17/022

Variations

  • ñille ✧ MR/388; PE17/022
  • ñillë ✧ MR/470; MR/471
  • ille ✧ PE17/022 (ille)
Quenya [MR/388; MR/470; MR/471; PE17/022] Group: Eldamo. Published by