Quenya 

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).

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.

Cognates

  • S. orn “(tall straight) tree” ✧ Let/426; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/112; PE17/153; PE17/153

Derivations

  • ornē “(straight) tree” ✧ Let/426
    • RŌ/ORO “up(wards); rise (up), go high, mount, up(wards); rise (up), go high, mount; [ᴹ√] high, [ᴱ√] steepness, rising” ✧ Let/426

Element in

  • Q. malinornë “mallorn, (lit.) golden/yellow tree” ✧ Let/308; PE17/080
  • ᴺQ. nessornë “sapling”
  • ᴺQ. nindornë “palm-tree”
  • Q. ornemalin “[tree] bearing yellow flowers” ✧ Let/308; PE17/080
  • Q. Ornendil “*Tree-friend”
  • Q. ornendur “tree-keep, forester, woodsman”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ornē > orne[ornē] > [orne]✧ Let/426

Variations

  • orne ✧ Let/308; Let/426; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/080; PE17/153
Quenya [Let/308; Let/426; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/080; PE17/112; PE17/153] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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).

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)

or-

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

Element in

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

Quenya [PE 22:116, 124; PE 22:160] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

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”.

Cognates

  • S. galadh “tree” ✧ Let/426; LotR/1113; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/063; PE17/136; PE17/153; PE17/153; RGEO/65; SA/alda; NM/352
  • Nan. galad “tree” ✧ PE17/050
  • T. galada “tree” ✧ NM/352

Derivations

  • galadā “great plant, tree” ✧ Let/426; NM/352; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/063; PE17/135; PE17/153; PE17/153; VT39/07
    • ᴹ√GALAD “tree”
    • ᴹ√GAL “grow, thrive” ✧ Ety/GALA
    • GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive” ✧ Let/426; PE17/025; PE17/135; PE17/153; PE17/153
  • GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive” ✧ PE22/160

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
galadā > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ Let/426
galada > alda[galada] > [galda] > [ɣalda] > [alda]✧ NM/352
galadā > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE17/025
galadā > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE17/050
galadā > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE17/063
galadā > ʒalaðā > ʒalðā > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [ɣalðā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE17/135
galadā́ > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE17/153
galadā > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE17/153
GAL > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE22/160
ʒalda > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ VT39/07

Variations

  • Alda ✧ RC/385
Quenya [Let/426; LotR/0377; LotR/1113; LotR/1123; MR/100; NM/352; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/063; PE17/126; PE17/135; PE17/136; PE17/153; PE22/160; RC/385; RGEO/58; RGEO/65; SA/alda; UT/167; VT39/07] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ora-

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

Cognates

  • S. gor- “to warn, urge” ✧ VT41/13
  • T. hor- “to warn, urge” ✧ VT41/13; VT41/15

Derivations

  • GOR “deep, profound; warn, counsel; urge, impel, move, deep, profound; warn, counsel; urge, impel, move; [ᴹ√] impetus, haste, violence” ✧ VT41/11; VT41/15

Element in

  • Q. ora nin “it warns me” ✧ VT41/15

Variations

  • or- ✧ VT41/13
Quenya [VT41/13; VT41/15] Group: Eldamo. Published by