airon noun "ocean" (PE17:27). Also ëaron, q.v.
Quenya
airon
noun. ocean
airon
ocean
ëaron
ocean
ëaron noun "ocean" (PE17:27), also airon. Cf. ëar.
waya
noun. ocean
váya
noun. ocean, sea, ocean, [stormy] sea
A word in Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957 where Tolkien described váya as being “used of sea (as waters, motion)”, a derivative of √WAYA “blow, or be disturbed” (PE17/33). This note was crossed through, but a similar note appeared afterwards with a seemingly archaic word waya “ocean” (PE17/34).
Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, Tolkien had ᴱQ. Vai “Outer Ocean” (LT1/85), a word that also appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as a derivative of ᴱ√VAẎA “enfold, wind about” (QL/100). The word ᴱQ. vea “sea” appeared in a number of poems Tolkien wrote in the late 1920s (MC/213-214, 216, 220; numerous references in PE16). ᴹQ. vea “sea” also appeared in the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s as a derivative of ᴹ✶vaı̯ā (PE21/8, 17), and as an element in the name ᴹQ. Veaneldar “Sea-elves” from the 1930s and possibly Q. Vëantur, a name in later writings for a ship captain in Númenor (UT/171).
In Silmarillion drafts of the 1930s Tolkien used ᴹQ. Vaiya for “Enfolding Ocean” (SM/236) or “Outer Sea” (LR/209). This word was mentioned in The Etymologies as wai(y)a/vai(y)a “envelope” that was used “especially of the Outer Sea or Air enfolding the world within the Ilurambar”, a derivative of ᴹ√WAY “enfold” (Ety/WAY). In the Ambarkanta of early 1930s Tolkien likewise said that the ordinary meaning vaiya was “fold, envelope”, meaning “Outer Sea” when used as a proper name (SM/241). In Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957, the similar word váya/waya was given a new etymology from the root √WAYA “blow” rather than “enfold” as noted above, along with other derivatives having to do with “wind” (PE17/33-34).
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I think váya is its best form as an independent word meaning “ocean, sea”. Given its derivation from the root for “wind”, I think it refers mainly to rough or stormy seas. The name Vëantur may contained a reduced form of this word, and thus vëa- might be its form in compounds.
ëaren
noun. ocean, great sea
A word appearing as Eären “Great Sea” (PM/363) and eäron “ocean” (PE17/27), possibly also an element in the name Eärenya “Sea-day” (LotR/1110).
Conceptual Development: A form ᴹQ. earen appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a parenthetical form beside ᴹQ. ear “sea”; this might be a genitive form, but I suspect it is an early appearance of earon/earen “ocean” instead.
eäron
noun. ocean, great sea
vëacirya
noun. sea-ship, *ocean-going ship
ekkaia
place name. Outer Sea
The ocean that surrounded the world, translated “Outer Sea” (S/37).
Possible Etymology: The etymology of this name is unclear. Robert Ireland suggested that the name may be related to the root ᴹ√KHAYA “far, distant, remote”, which has a similar derivative ᴹQ. ekkaira, an intensive form of ᴹQ. haira “remote, far” (ATD/Ekkaia).
Helge Fauskanger instead suggested that it might be derived from ✶et-gaya = ✶et “out” + ✶gaya “sea”, the latter from √GAY(AR), the same root from which Q. ëar and S. gaear are derived (QQ/Ekkaia). This seems more plausible to me, since voiced stops unvoiced after voiceless stops and aspirates in Primitive Elvish (✶[tg] > ✶[tk]) and [[p|[tk] became [kk]]].
Conceptual Development: The concept of an ocean surrounding the world was an old idea in the cosmology of Tolkien’s legendarium. In the earliest Lost Tales, there were two outer regions of air and water: ᴱQ. Vaitya “Outermost Airs” and ᴱQ. Vai “Outer Ocean” (LT1/85), both from the root ᴱ√VAẎA “enfold” (QL/100). Both terms were later combined into ᴹQ. Vaiya “Enfolding Ocean, Outer Sea”, appearing in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (SM/236; LR/209; Ety/WAY). Vaiya was later changed to Ekkaia in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (MR/157), as this late stage referring only to the ocean and not the air.
ëar
sea
ëar noun "sea" (AYAR/AIR [gives also dat. sg. ëaren],WJ:413; see Letters:386 for etymology). Not to be confused with the pl. form of the verb ëa "be, exist". Pl. ëari "seas" (FS, LR:47); Eär "the Great Sea" (cf. ëaron "ocean"), ablative Eärello "from the Great Sea", et Eärello "out of the Great Sea" (EO). Eärë noun "the open sea" (SD:305). Compound ëaruilë noun "seaweed" (UY). Found in proper names like Eärendil "Sea-friend", Eärendur masc. name, *"Sea-servant"; in effect a variant of Eärendil(Appendix A). Eärendur was also used ="(professional) mariner" (Letters:386).Fem. name Eärwen "Sea-maiden" (Silm); Eärrámë "Sea-wing", "Wings of the Sea", name of Tuor's ship (RAM, AYAR/AIR, SA)
airë
noun. sea
An archaic word for “sea” which fell out of use to due conflict with “holy” words like aira or airë; it was a noun form of primitive ✶gaı̯ră (PE17/27). The more common modern word for “sea” is ëar.
Conceptual Development: ᴹQ. aire “sea” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of ᴹ√AYAR (Ety/AY); it appeared beside a form ᴹQ. airen that might be a genitive form, or might be a longer form; see the entry on ᴹQ. airon for discussion.
Rása
the sea
Rása noun "the Sea" (LT2:347; rather ëar in Tolkien's later Quenya)
airen
noun. sea
airë
sea
airë (2) noun "sea" (the form airen is given, intended as a genitive singular when Tolkien wrote this; in LotR-style Quenya it would rather be a dative sg.) (AYAR/AIR; cf. airon)
váya
sea
váya noun "sea" (considered as "waters, motion"). The wording of the source indicates that Tolkien only tentatively considered such a word (PE17:33)
vëa
sea
vëa (3) noun "sea" (MC:213, 214, 216; possibly obsoleted by #1 and #2 above, though some argue that the initial element of the late names Vëantur and Vëandur [q.v.] could be vëa #3 rather than #2 (it can hardly be #1) . In any case, the normal word for "sea" in LotR-style Quenya seems to be ëar.) Inflected vëan "sea" (MC:220), vëar "in sea" (a "Qenya" locative in -r, MC:213), vëassë "on sea" (MC:220). Cf. also vëaciryo.
ó
the sea
†Ó noun "the sea" (poetic word, hardly valid in Tolkien's later Quenya) (LT1:263, there spelt Ô)
An (archaic) word for “ocean”, an augmentative form of airë mentioned in a couple of later notes (PE17/27, 149). A more modern form is ëaron.
Conceptual Development: The form ᴹQ. airen appeared in parenthesis beside ᴹQ. aire “sea” in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/AY). Helge Fauskanger suggested that it might be a genitive form (QQ/airë), but in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1930s, aire “sea” >> airen (PE22/23 note #70), suggesting it is an alternate (augmentative?) form. If so, it is probably a precursor to airon.