1) nírnaeth (literally ”tear-gnashing”); no distinct pl. form. 2) The collective plural conath (i chonath), formed from caun "outcry, clamour, cry, should", was used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362)
Sindarin
nirnaeth
noun. tears, tears, [N.] lamentation
nirnaeth arnoediad
proper name. Tears Unnumbered
nírnaeth
lamentation
nírnaeth
lamentation
(literally ”tear-gnashing”); no distinct pl. form.
Nírnaeth Arnoediad
Nirnaeth Arnoediad
Nírnaeth Arnoediad
noun. unnumbered tears
nírnaeth (“lamentation”) < nîr (“tear”) + naeth (“woe”), ar- (pref. “without”) + noediad (ger. of noedia-, nedia- “count”)
conath
lamentation
(i chonath), formed from caun "outcry, clamour, cry, should", was used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362)
The tragic battle in which the forces of Morgoth defeated the Elves and Men of Beleriand, translated “Tears Unnumbered” (S/192) or “Unnumbered Tears” (WJ/165). This name is a combination of nirnaeth “lamentation” and the archaic form †arnoediad “unnumbered” (Ety/NOT).
Conceptual Development: Although translated “Unnumbered Tears” throughout Tolkien’s writing, the Elvish form of the name changed greatly over the years. In the earliest Lost Tales, this name first appeared as G. Nínin-Udathriol (LT2/84). In the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s, the name was revised to ᴱN. Nínin Unothradin or Nirnaithos Unothradin (LB/21), then revised again to ᴱN. Nirnaith Únoth >> Nirnaith Ornoth (LB/79).
In the earliest Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s the name was changed to N. Nirnaith Irnoth >> Nirnaith Dirnoth (SM/312, LR/136), then again to N. Nirnaith Arnediad (LR/147), the last of these also appearing as a late revision in the Lays of Beleriand (LB/102). The form Nírnaeth Arnediad with a long í appeared in The Etymologies (Ety/NAY), along with the archaic form of its second element arnœdiad (Ety/NOT). In the Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s Tolkien switched to this archaic form in the main narratives (WJ/165), using S. Nirnaeth for earlier N. Nirnaith after his [[n|revision of [ai] to [ae]]].