min numeral "one", also minë (VT45:34, VT48:6)
Quenya
a
cardinal. one
erëa
cardinal. one
min
cardinal. one
min
cardinal. one, one, [ᴱQ.] one (in a series), the first
Cognates
Derivations
Element in
minë
cardinal. one
minë numeral "one", also min (MINI, VT45:34)
mir
cardinal. one
mir (2) cardinal "one" (LT1:260; in LotR-style Quenya rather minë)
onë
but
onë conj. "but" (VT43:23)
onë
conjunction. but
ono
but
ono conj. "but" (VT43:23, VT44:5/9)
ono
conjunction. but
Changes
anat→ one “*but” ✧ VT43/23Element in
- Q. násië “but deliver us from evil: Amen” ✧ VT43/23; VT43/23; VT43/23; VT43/23
- Q. ono alyë eterúna me illumë ilya raxellor “but deliver us always from all dangers” ✧ VT44/09
- Q. orë nin caritas nó namin alasaila “I would like / feel moved to do so but judge it unwise” ✧ VT41/13
Variations
- nō ✧ VT41/13
- anat ✧ VT43/23 (
anat)- one ✧ VT43/23
e
pronoun. one, (neut[er]) it, a thing, one, (neuter) it; [ᴹQ.] he, she
Changes
- e → mo “one, (neut[er]) it, a thing” ✧ PE22/154
nassë
person, an individual
nassë (1) "a person, an individual" (VT49:30). Also translated "true-being" (pl. nasser is attested), the inner "true" being of a person. With a pronominal suffix in the form nassentar "their true-being" (PE17:175, cf. -nta #2), in the source referring to the "true" spiritual nature of the Valar, as hidden within their visible shapes. The word nassentar would seem to be plural, *"their true-beings". Not to be confused with the verb nassë/násë "he/she is"; see ná #1.
er
one, alone
er cardinal "one, alone" (ERE, VT48:6, VT49:54), in an early source also adv. "only, but, still" (LT1:269); Eru er "one God" (VT44:17; er was here emended by Tolkien from erëa, which seems to be an adjectival form *"one, single".)
er
adverb/adjective. one, alone, one, alone; [ᴱQ.] only, a single
Changes
Erea→ Er “*one” ✧ VT44/17Cognates
Derivations
- √ER “one, single, alone, one, single, alone; [ᴹ√] be alone, deprived; [ᴱ√] remain alone” ✧ SA/er
Element in
- Q. a Aina Neldië Eru Er órava (o)messë “Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/17
- ᴺQ. ellumë “once, one time”
- Q. Ercambo “Onehand(ed), One-hand Man”
- Q. Ercantië “Great Pattern”
- Q. Erendis “?Lonely Bride”
- Q. Eressëa “Lonely (Isle)” ✧ SA/er
- ᴺQ. eretildo “unicorn”
- ᴺQ. erië “oneness”
- Q. erinqua “single, alone”
- ᴺQ. eritë “singular”
- Q. Ermenië “One Beginning”
- ᴺQ. ernóna “only-born, only-begotten”
- Q. Erólamaitë “uniconsonantal”
- Q. Eru “The One, God”
- ᴺQ. essámalë “agreement, (lit.) one-mindedness”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √er > er [er] ✧ SA/er Variations
- Er ✧ VT44/17
- Erea ✧ VT44/17 (
Erea)
-wë
person
-wë a suffix occurring in many personal names, generally but not exclusively masculine (Elenwë is the sole certain example of a fem. name with this ending); it is derived from a stem simply meaning "person" (PM:340, WJ:399). In Etym, -wë is simply defined as an element that is frequent in masculine names, and it is there derived from a stem (WEG) having to do with "(manly) vigour".
-o
person, somebody
-o (2), also -ó, "a person, somebody", pronominal suffix (PM:340)
mo
one, someone, anyone
mo, indefinite pronoun "one, someone, anyone" (VT42:34, VT49:19, 20, 26)
mo
somebody, one
mo
pronoun. one, anyone, someone, somebody
Derivations
- ✶mō “person”
Element in
- Q. alasaila ná lá carë tai mo nave mára “it is unwise not to do what one judges good” ✧ PE22/154; VT42/34
- Q. ar cé mo formenna tentanes Amanna “and if northwards, it pointed towards Aman” ✧ VT49/26
- Q. cé mo quetë ulca “*if one speaks evil” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. immo “same one (person), self” ✧ VT47/37
- Q. -mo “agental suffix”
- Q. úsië, an cé mo quernë cendelë númenna, ve senya “on the contrary, for if one turned the face westward, as was usual” ✧ VT49/20
- Q. vinyamo “youngster” ✧ VT42/34
Variations
- mŏ ✧ VT47/37; VT49/20; VTE/47
nan
but
nan conj. "but" (FS); the Etymologies also gives ná, nán (NDAN), but these words may be confused with forms of the verb "to be", so nan should perhaps be preferred, unless for "but" one uses the wholly distinct word mal. In Tolkien's later Quenya, it may be that he introduced new words for "but" to free up nan for another meaning (perhaps the adverb "back", compare the prefix nan-).
ná
but, on the contrary, on the other hand
ná (2), also nán, conj. "but, on the contrary, on the other hand" (NDAN; the form nan, q.v., is probably to be preferred to avoid confusion with ná "is", *nán "I am").
nó
but
nó (2) conj. "but" (VT41:13)
nó
conjunction. but
Námo
person, somebody
námo (2) noun "a person, somebody" (PM:340 writers may prefer the synonym quén to avoid confusion with # 1)
anat
but
anat conj. "but" (VT43:23; possibly an ephemeral form)
quén
one, (some)body, person, individual, man or woman
quén (quen-, as in pl. queni; as final element in compounds -quen) noun "one, (some)body, person, individual, man or woman", pl. queni = "persons", "(some) people", "they" with the most general meaning (as in "they [= people in general] say that..."). The element is combined with noun and adjective stems in old compounds to denote habitual occupations or functions, or to describe those having some notable (permanent) quality; examples include roquen, ciryaquen, arquen, q.v. Also in aiquen "whoever", ilquen "everybody" (WJ:361 cf. 360, 372).
quén
person, individual, man or woman; one, somebody
A general word for “person”, any individual independent of their gender and species, since the term was “freely applied to other Incarnates, such as Men or Dwarves, when the Eldar became acquainted with them” (WJ/372). In unstressed form quen, it was sometimes used as a pronoun “one, somebody”, and was also used as the second element in compounds such as ilquen “everyone” and roquen “horseman” (WJ/363, 372).
Most likely the Elves had a bias towards themselves as the main category of persons, since they used the term Quendi “(lit.) Speakers” to refer the Elves as species, and quén seems to have originally have been a variant of that term, derived from the same root √KWEN “speak”. This word was primarily discussed in the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60, which may be where the term was introduced, but it appears in other late notes as well (PE19/93).
Cognates
Derivations
Element in
- Q. aiquen “if anybody, whoever, if anybody, whoever, [ᴺQ.] anybody” ✧ WJ/372
- ᴺQ. alquen “nobody, no one”
- ᴺQ. alaquen “nobody, no one”
- Q. arquen “noble, knight” ✧ WJ/372
- Q. ciryaquen “shipman, sailor” ✧ WJ/372; WJ/407
- Q. ilquen “everybody, everybody, *everyone” ✧ WJ/372
- ᴺQ. ráquen “representative, ambassador”
- Q. roquen “knight, horseman, rider” ✧ WJ/372; WJ/407
- ᴺQ. tolloquen “islander”
- ᴺQ. úquen “nobody, no one”
- ᴺQ. vesquen “spouse (gender neutral)”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √KWEN > -kwē̆n [kwēn] ✧ PE19/093 ✶kwēn > quēn [kwēn] ✧ WJ/360 √KWENE > kwēn [kwēn] ✧ WJ/392 Variations
- -kwē̆n ✧ PE19/093
- quēn ✧ WJ/361
- quen ✧ WJ/361; WJ/372
- -quen ✧ WJ/372
- kwēn ✧ WJ/393
apa
but
apa (3) conj. "but": melinyes apa la hé "I love him but not him" (another) (VT49:15)
apa
conjunction. but
Element in
- Q. melin sé apa lanyë hé “I love him but not him (the other)” ✧ VT49/15
- Q. melinyes apa la hé “I love him but not him (the other)” ✧ VT49/15
Variations
- apa ✧ VT49/15
mal
but
mal conj. "but" (VT43:23)
mal
conjunction. but
Element in
- Q. násië “but deliver us from evil: Amen” ✧ VT43/23
sa
it
sa pron. "it", 3rd person sg, corresponding to the ending -s (VT49:30). Used of inanimate things or abstracts (VT49:37; plants are considered animate; see se). For sa as object, cf. the sentence ecë nin carë sa "I can do it" (VT49:34). Stressed sá (VT49:51). Ósa "with it" (VT43:36). Also compare the reflexive pronoun insa "itself", q.v. In one text, sa is also defined as "that" (VT49:18); apparently Tolkien also at one point considered giving sa a plural significance, so that it meant *"they, them" of inanimate things, the counterpart of "personal" té (VT49:51).
sa
pronoun. it
erëa adj.? "one" or *"single", apparently an adjectival form (see er) (VT44:17)