orn

noun. (tall straight) tree

A “tree” word in Sindarin, derived from primitive ✶ornē (Let/426; NM/349; UT/266). This word can be compared to the more general galadh “tree”. Of these Tolkien said:

> There was not in Sindarin much distinction in size between galað and orn. But oak (norð, Q nordo) and beech were galað for instance and birch and ash orn. A galað was more thick, dense & branching (PE17/25).

And:

> ... ✱ornē “tree” originally and usually applied to the taller, straighter, and more slender trees, such as birches [as opposed to] ... stouter and more spreading trees, such as oaks and beeches, were called in C.E. galadā “great growth” (NM/349 and note #1).

In this second set of notes Tolkien also said “In S. orn < ✱ornē fell out of common use and was used only in verse and songs, though it survived in many names, of trees and persons. All trees were called galað < ✱galadā” (NM/349 note #1). I can find no evidence that S. orn was archaic this outside of this note. As such, I would use orn in Sindarin for tall straight trees, and galadh either for trees in generally, or where applicable for broad and spreading trees.

Conceptual Development: This word was very well established in Tolkien’s mind. In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, G. orn was the ordinary word for “tree”, as opposed to archaic/poetic G. †alwen (GL/19, 62). ᴱN. orn “tree” appeared in Early Noldorin word-lists of the 1920s where it was derived from ᴱ✶orne- (PE13/151, 164), and N. orn “tree” reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from ᴹ✶ÓR-NI “high tree”, though in this document Tolkien said this Noldorin word was “used of any large tree” (Ety/ÓR-NI).

orn

a tall tree

_n. Bot._a tall tree. Birch, ash and oak are of the orn kind. In Sindarin, there was no much distinction in size between galað and orn. A galað was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. Birch, ash and oak are of the orn kind. Q. orne. >> Fangorn, galadh, nordh

orn

upstanding plant

_ n. _upstanding plant, general word for tree. In Sindarin, there was no much distinction in size between galað and orn. A galað was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. Birch, ash and oak are of the orn kind. [PE17:25: 153] >> Fangorn, galadh

orn

noun. (any large) tree

ornil

masculine name. Ornil

An Elf of Nargothrond (WJ/86). His name appears to contain orn “tree”.

oron

noun. tree

n. Bot. tree. Also in compound -(o)rŏnō. >> orn

malhorn

noun. golden tree of Lothlórien

mallorn

noun. golden tree of Lothlórien

malthorn

noun. golden tree of Lothlórien

orn

tall

(pl. yrn). Note: a homophone of the latter means ”tree”.

orn

tree

(pl. yrn). Note: a homophone means ”tall”.

or

high

(adjectival pref.) or- (above, over), also ar- (noble, royal). In the form ar(a)- this is an element in the names of the kings of Arnor and Arthedain. Nouns:

or

high

(above, over), also ar- (noble, royal). In the form ar(a)- this is an element in the names of the kings of Arnor and Arthedain. Nouns:

orna-

verb. to burn (tr. and intr.)

huorn

walking tree of fangorn

(i chuorn, o chuorn), pl. huyrn (i chuyrn).

gorn

hasty

gorn (vigorous, impetuous); lenited orn; pl. gyrn. Note: a homophone means ”valour”.

gorn

hasty

(vigorous, impetuous); lenited ’orn; pl. gyrn. Note: a homophone means ”valour”.

galadh

tree

_n. Bot._tree, like oak (nordh) and beech. A galadh was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. In Sindarin, there was no much distinction in size between galað and orn. A galað was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. Birch, ash and oak are of the orn kind. Q. alda. >> orn

galadh

tree

{ð} n. tree. In Sindarin, there was no much distinction in size between galað and orn. A galað was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. Birch, ash and oak are of the orn kind. Q. alda. >> orn

galadh

noun. tree

The basic Sindarin word for “tree” (LotR/1113), derived from primitive ✶galadā and very well attested. This word dates back at least to The Etymologies of the 1930s, where N. galadh “tree” appeared under the root ᴹ√GALAD (Ety/GALAD). See also orn “(tall) tree” of similar meaning.

Conceptual Development: Gnomish of the 1910s had some earlier version of this “tree” word: G. galdon >> alwen “tree” in the Name-list to the Fall of Gondolin (PE15/24) and archaic/poetic G. †alwen “tree” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/19), the latter probably from the early root ᴱ√ALA “spread” that was the basis for ᴱQ. alda “tree” (QL/29).

galadh

tree

1) galadh (i **aladh), pl. gelaid (i ngelaidh = i ñelaidh) (Letters:426, SD:302). 2) orn (pl. yrn**). Note: a homophone means ”tall”.

tond

tall

1) tond (lenited dond; pl. tynd), 2) †orn (pl. yrn). Note: a homophone of the latter means ”tree”.

toss

low-growing tree

(i** doss, o thoss, construct tos), pl. tyss (i** thyss). Tolkien mentioned ”maple, hawthorn, blackthorn, holly, etc.” as examples of the low-growing trees covered by this word. Specific trees, see

amrûn

uprising

(sunrise, orient, east), pl. emrŷn

Ara-

prefix. high, noble, royal

ar-

prefix. high, noble, royal

arnœdiad

adjective. innumerable, countless, endless, without reckoning, numberless

arod

adjective. tall

_ adj. _tall, eminent. Q. aratā.

galadh

noun. tree

harad

noun. south

harad

adjective. south

_adj. _south, southern. Q. hyarmen, hyarna. >> har-

harad

noun. south

lebethron

noun. a tree - its black wood was used by the woodwrights of Gondor

In the original manuscript, one of the earlier (rejected) form of this name was lebendron. Didier Willis proposed the etymology lebed+doron "finger-oak", actually a real tree name (Finger Oak or Quercus digitata)

orchal

adjective. tall, tall; [N.] superior, eminent, lofty

pen-noediad

adjective. innumerable

adj. innumerable.

pennoediad

adjective. innumerable

raud

tall

adj. tall, high, lofty, eminent, noble. Q. arta (< áratā). >> Nimrodel, rodel

amrûn

uprising

(noun) amrûn (sunrise, orient, east), pl. emrŷn

andrath

high pass

(literally "long climb"), pl. endraith.

arnediad

numberless

arnediad (unnumbered, without reckoning), pl. ?arnediaid. Since the word literally means ”without reckoning” (ar + nediad) it is unclear whether it would pluralize as a common adjective. Alternative form arneidiad (VT46:6).Ó

arnediad

numberless

(unnumbered, without reckoning), pl. ?arnediaid. Since the word literally means ”without reckoning” (ar + nediad) it is unclear whether it would pluralize as a common adjective. – Alternative form arneidiad (VT46:6).

aronoded

innumerable

aronoded (countless, endless), pl. erenedid (archaic erönödid)

aronoded

innumerable

(countless, endless), pl. erenedid (archaic erönödid)

brand

tall

(lofty, noble, fine), lenited vrand, pl. braind.

duinen

high tide

(i dhuinen), pl. duinin (i nuinin). (VT48:26).

galadh

tree

(i ’aladh), pl. gelaid (i ngelaidh = i ñelaidh) (Letters:426, SD:302).

galadhon

of or related to trees

(lenited ‘aladhon, pl. galadhoen). Archaic ✱galadhaun. The latter is based on David Salo’s analysis of the name Caras Galadhon; others have interpreted the last word as some kind of genitive plural, maybe influenced by Silvan Elvish.

galadhrim

people of the trees

(Elves of Lórien). Adj.

gondrath

highway

(i ’ondrath) (street of stone, causeway), pl. gendraith (i ngendraith = i ñendraith). Archaic pl. göndreith. (WJ:340). Possibly the pl. can also be gondraith, without umlaut of the first element.

hall

tall

(exalted); lenited chall; pl. hail. Note: a homophone means ”veiled, hidden, shadowed, shady”.

harad

south

1) (”the South” as an area) Harad (i Charad, o Charad, 2) hâr (i châr, o châr, construct har) (also = ”left”). 3) The word Harven (i Charven, o Charven) may refer primarily to ”south” as a direction; the final element -ven means ”way”. (VT45:23). Adj.

harad

south

(i Charad, o Charad

haradren

south, southern

(lenited charadren; pl. heredrin), also harn (lenited charn, pl. hern). Note: a homophone of the latter means ”wounded”, and as noun harn also means ”helmet” (so haradren may be preferred for clarity).

haradrim

southerners, southrons

(a coll. pl., ”people of the south”)

harven

south

(i Charven, o Charven) may refer primarily to ”south” as a direction; the final element -ven means ”way”. (VT45:23). Adj.

hâr

south

(i châr, o châr, construct har) (also = ”left”).

lebethron

oak tree

.

nothlir

family tree

(family line); no distinct pl. form; coll. pl. nothliriath.

raud

tall

(eminent, noble), in compounds -rod,  pl. roed. Also used as noun ”champion, eminent man, [a] noble”.

taur

tall

(also tor-, tar- in compounds) (lofty, high, sublime, noble; vast, masterful, mighty, overwhelming, huge, awful), lenited daur, pl. toer. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”great wood, forest”.

telu

high roof

(i delu, o thelu) (dome), pl. tely (i thely).

tond

adjective. tall

tond

tall

(lenited dond; pl. tynd)

orn

noun. tree

orn

noun. (any large) tree

galadrim

collective name. Tree-folk

tonn

adjective. tall

aronoded

adjective. innumerable, countless, endless

hortha-

verb. to urge on, speed

arnediad

adjective. innumerable, countless, endless, without reckoning, numberless

arnœdiad

adjective. innumerable, countless, endless, without reckoning, numberless

galadh

noun. tree

galadh

noun. tree

harad

noun. south

harad

noun. south

tond

adjective. tall

tonn

adjective. tall

ornendil

masculine name. *Tree-friend

Eldest son of king Eldacar of Gondor, slain by Castamir the Usurper (LotR/1047). This name seems to be a compound ornë “(tall) tree” and the suffix -(n)dil “-friend, -lover”, making it a tree-name similar to that of his younger brother Aldamir “✱Tree Jewel”.

ornendur

noun. tree-keep, forester, woodsman

A word in 1959 notes Tolkien described as “a tree-keep, a forester, a ‘woodsman’, a man concerned with trees as we might say ‘professionally’ (NM/20)”. It was given as an example of the use of the suffix -(n)dur, and its initial element is ornë “tree”.

ornë

noun. (tall) tree, (tall) tree, [ᴹQ.] high isolated tree

A word for a “(tall) tree” in Quenya, derived from primitive ✶ornē (Let/426; PE17/25, 50). This word can be compared to the more common alda “tree”. Talking about the primitive forms Tolkien said:

> ... ✱ornē “tree” originally and usually applied to the taller, straighter, and more slender trees, such as birches [as opposed to] ... stouter and more spreading trees, such as oaks and beeches, were called in C.E. galadā “great growth” (NM/349 and note #1).

I would use ornë in Quenya only for tall straight trees, and alda as either the general word for “tree”, or where applicable for broad and spreading trees.

Conceptual Development: The earliest precursor to this word seems to be ᴱQ. orond- “bush”, cognate to G. orn “tree” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/62). It became {orne >>} ᴱQ. orme “tree” in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/139) and then ᴹQ. orne “high isolated tree” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from ᴹ✶ÓR-NI “high tree” (Ety/ÓR-NI). It retained the form orne thereafter.

ornemalin

noun. [tree] bearing yellow flowers

A name for a tree “bearing yellow flowers” (PE17/80), appearing in the Entish description Lórien: Laurelindórenan lindelorendor malinornélion ornemalin (LotR/467). It is a compound of ornë “tree”, malin(a) “yellow” (Let/448, PE17/80), and may be another name for the malinornë (S. mallorn).

ornë

tree

ornë noun "tree" _(Letters:308, SD:302: "when smaller and more slender like a birch or rowan", Etym stem ÓR-NI: "tree, high isolated tree"). For the etymology, see Letters:426; for (original) difference in meaning between ornë and alda, see alda. In ornemalin "tree-yellow"; see laurelindórenan lindelorendor... (LotR2:III ch. 4; cf. Letters:308), also as final element in malinornë "yellow-tree, mallorn" (q.v.) Masc. name Ornendil *"Tree-friend" (Appendix A)_, compound Ornelië "tree-folk" (Quenya name of the Galadhrim, the tree-people of Lórien) (TI:239).

orna

tall, high, lofty

orna adj. (2) "tall, high, lofty" (PE17:112, 186), also orwa

orna

hasty

orna adj. (1) "hasty" (GOR)

ornemalin

bearing yellow flowers

ornemalin adj. "bearing yellow flowers" (PE17:80); this is Entish-style Quenya. See laurelindórenan lindelorendor…

orna

adjective. high, lofty

malinornë

yellow-tree

malinornë noun "yellow-tree" (malina + ornë), fictional species of tree (Sindarin mallorn; in Quenya also called maldornë) (PE17:50). Cf. malinornélion "of yellow-trees"; see laurelindórenan lindelorendor... (LotR2:III ch. 4; cf. Letters:308). Malinornélion is partitive pl. genitive of malinornë (UT:167, normal pl. malinorni, UT:168).

Hyarastorni

south

Hyarastorni place-name, region in Númenor, apparently including hyar- "south" and perhaps orni "trees" (UT:210)

ornendil

Ornendil

Ornendil means "Friend of the Trees" in Quenya (from orne = "tree" and -ndil = "friend, devoted to").

alda

tree

alda noun "tree" (GALAD, GÁLAD, SA, Nam, RGEO:66, LR:41, SD:302, LT1:249, LT2:340, VT39:7), also name of tengwa #28 (Appendix E). Pl. aldar in Narqelion; gen. pl. aldaron "of trees" in Namárië. Etymology of alda, see Letters:426 and UT:266-7. The latter source states that primitive ¤galadā, whence Quenya alda, originally applied to stouter and more spreading trees such as oaks or beeches, while straighter and more slender trees such as birches were called ¤ornē, Quenya ornë - but this distinction was not always observed in Quenya, and it seems that alda became the general word. According to PE17:25, primitive galada (sic) referred to "a plant (large) and was a general term". Place-name Aldalómë ""tree-night" or "tree-shade-night" (LotR2:III ch. 4, translated in PE17:82); Aldarion masc. name, *"Son of (the) Trees" (Appendix A), Tar-Aldarion a Númenorean King (UT:210). Aldaron a name of Oromë (Silm); aldinga "tree-top" (VT47:28), aldarembina (pl. aldarembinë attested) adj. "tree-tangled", the cognate of Sindarin galadhremmin**(PM:17:26).Aldúya fourth day of the Eldarin six-day week, dedicated to the Trees (Appendix D). The word seems to include Aldu, a dual form referring to the Two Trees. The Númenóreans altered the name to Aldëa (presumably < aldajā), referring to one tree (the White) only. The dual Aldu seems to occur also in Aldudénië** "Lament for the Two Trees" (a strange word, since Quenya does not permit intervocalic d as in this word perhaps the Vanyarin dialect of Quenya did) (Silm)

alda

noun. tree, tree, [ᴱQ.] branch

The basic Quenya word for “tree” (LotR/1113), derived from primitive ✶galadā and very well attested. This word dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s where ᴱQ. alda “tree” appeared under the early root ᴱ√ALA “spread” (QL/29). Tolkien seems to have switched its derivation to ✱galadā in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where ᴹQ. alda “tree” appeared under the root ᴹ√GALAD of the same meaning (Ety/GALAD). See also ornë “(tall) tree” for a discussion of another similar word.

Conceptual Development: There were a few instances where the word alda had a different meaning. In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s, alda was glossed “branch” (PE16/139). In notes from 1959 Tolkien said “✱galadā, originally only large flourishing plant, as tree, and especially one that flowered, Q alda, S galað; the general word for ‘tree’ was Q orne ‘upstanding plant’ (PE17/153)”. But in its numerous appearance elsewhere, alda was simply a general word for “tree”.

or-

urge, impel, move

#or- vb. "urge, impel, move", only of "mental" impulse. Constructed as an impersonal verb: orë nin caritas "I would like/feel moved to do so" (VT41:13), literally *"it impels for me to do so" (notice that what is the subject in English appears in the dative in Quenya). Elsewhere this verb is presented as an A-stem ora- instead (so that the aorist would be ora instead of orë, cf. ora nin "it warns me" in VT41:15), with past tense oranë or ornë, future tense oruv[a], present tense órëa and a form orië that may be the gerund; the forms orórië and ohórië were rejected but may have been intended as perfect forms (VT41:13, 18, VT49:54)

Laurelindórinan

valley of singing gold

Laurelindórinan noun "Valley of Singing Gold", an earlier name of Laurenandë (Lórien) (UT:253); laurelindórenan lindelorendor malinornélion ornemalin *"Goldenlight-music-land-valley music-dream-land of yellow-trees tree-yellow", Quenya elements agglutinated in Entish fashion; this supposedly means something like "the valley where the trees in a golden light sing musically, a land of music and dreams; there are yellow trees there, it is a tree-yellow land" (LotR2:III ch. 4, translated in Letters:308). The last word ornemalin is defined in as "bearing yellow flowers" in PE17:80.

orwa

tall, high, lofty

orwa adj. (2) "tall, high, lofty" (PE17:112, 186), also orna

orwa

adjective. high, lofty

or-

verb. to warn, urge, feel an urge/wish/desire

Ambarónë

uprising, sunrise, orient

Ambarónë noun "uprising, sunrise, Orient" (AM2)

Harmen

south

[Harmen] noun "south" (MEN)(Changed to hyarmen.)

aiqualin

tall

aiqualin ("q")adj. "tall", plural form (???) (MC:216; this is "Qenya" - but cf. aiqua above.)

alda

noun. tree

arata

high, lofty, noble

arata adj. "high, lofty, noble" (PE17:49, 186). Also used as a a noun with nominal pl. form Aratar "the Supreme", the chief Valar, translation of the foreign word Máhani adopted and adapted from Valarin (WJ:402). Aratarya "her sublimity"; Varda Aratarya "Varda the lofty, Varda in her sublimity" (WJ:369). In one source, Aratar is translated as a singular: "High One" (PE17:186)

halda

adjective. tall, tall; [ᴱQ.] wide, broad

halda

adjective. high, tall

halla

tall

halla (1) adj. "tall" (Appendix E, footnote)

halla

adjective. tall

hyarmen

south

hyarmen, Hyarmen noun "south" (SA, SA:men, KHYAR), literally "lefthand-direction" (VT49:12), since the Elves named the directions as they were to a person facing the Blessed Realm in the West Also name of tengwa #33 (Appendix E). In Hyarmendacil masc.name, "South-victor" (Appendix A), apparently also in the place-name Hyarmentir (name of a mountain; the element -tir means *"watch[ing point]".) (SA) Hyarnustar "the Southwestlands" of Númenor; Hyarrostar the "Southeastlands" (UT:165)

lanotoite

adjective. innumerable

lanotoitë

adjective. innumerable

ora-

verb. to warn, urge, feel an urge/wish/desire

orró-

uprising, sunrise, east

orró-, hró- "uprising, sunrise, east" (PE17:18), element underlying words like the following, and also hróna (q.v.)

tar-

affix. high, high; [ᴹQ.] king or queen (in compounds)

tunda

tall

tunda adj. "tall" (TUN)

tyelca

adjective. hasty, hasty; [ᴹQ.] agile, swift

tá

high

tá 2) adj. "high" (LT1:264; there spelt tâ. This is hardly a valid word in Tolkien's later Quenya, but cf. tára "lofty".)

tána

high, lofty, noble

tána (meaning unclear, probably adj. "high, lofty, noble") (TĀ/TA3). Compare tára.

arata

high, lofty, noble

arata adj. "high, lofty, noble" (PE17:49, 186). Also used as a a noun with nominal pl. form Aratar "the Supreme", the chief Valar, translation of the foreign word Máhani adopted and adapted from Valarin (WJ:402). Aratarya "her sublimity"; Varda Aratarya "Varda the lofty, Varda in her sublimity" (WJ:369). In one source, Aratar is translated as a singular: "High One" (PE17:186)

ornē

noun. (straight) tree

ornā

adjective. uprising, tall

tā/taʒ

root. high, high, [ᴹ√] lofty; noble

This root and ones like it were used for “high” things for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as unglossed ᴱ√TAHA in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. tā “high; high above, high up”, ᴱQ. tahōra or tayóra “lofty”, and ᴱQ. tāri “queen”; it had a variant form ᴱ√TAʕA where the ʕ might be a malformed Y (QL/87). The corresponding forms in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon were G. dâ “high” and G. dara “lofty” (GL/29), indicating the true form of the root was ᴱ√DAHA, since initial voiced stops were unvoiced (d- > t-) in Early Qenya (PE12/17). Primitive forms like ᴱ✶dagá > ᴱN. dâ/ᴱQ. tá “high” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s indicates the root continued to begin with D for the following decade (PE13/141, 161).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave this root as ᴹ√TĀ/TAƷ “high, lofty; noble” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tára “lofty, high”, ᴹQ. tári “queen” and N. taen “height, summit of high mountain” (Ety/TĀ). In Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959 Tolkien gave the root as √TAG or Tā- “high”, and in notes from around 1967 Tolkien gave √TAƷ as the explanation of the initial element of Q. Taniquetil and contrasted it with √TĂR “stand” (PE17/186). In 1970 green-ink revisions to the Outline of Phonology (OP2), Tolkien wrote a marginal note giving √TAƷ > TĀ “high”, but this note was rejected with a statement “transfer to Gen. Structure. No [ʒ] existed in Eldarin” (PE19/72-73 note #22).

This last rejection seems to be part of Tolkien’s general vacillation on the nature and phonetic evolution of velar spirants in Primitive Elvish in 1968-70. For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume the root form was √TAH or √TAƷ > √TĀ as the basis for “high” words, much like √MAH or √MAƷ > ✶mā was the basis for “hand” words.

tāra

adjective. high

galada

noun. tree

galla

noun. tree

galad

noun. tree

>> Galadrim

galad

noun. tree

galad

noun. tree

Derived from galadâ "great growth", "tree", applied to stout and spreading trees such as oaks and beeches (UT:266, Letters:426; in the latter source, the root GAL is defined as "grow", intransitive). It is interesting to notice that this word, given in a source much later than the Etymologies that provides most of the Nandorin material, nonetheless agrees well with the older words cited by Tolkien: again we see the loss of original final -â, whereas original post-vocalic d is unchanged as in the word edel.