Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Qenya 

oselle

noun. [sworn] sister, associate [f.]

A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “sister, associate”, a combination of ᴹQ. seler “sister” with the prefix o- “together” (Ety/THEL, WŌ), presumably meaning “✱sworn sister” like its male equivalent ᴹQ. otorno “sworn brother”.

Cognates

  • On. wathel “[sworn] sister, associate [f.]” ✧ Ety/THEL
  • N. gwathel “[sworn] sister, associate [f.]” ✧ Ety/THEL

Elements

WordGloss
o-“together”
seler“sister”

Variations

  • o-selle ✧ Ety/WŌ
Qenya [Ety/THEL; Ety/WŌ] Group: Eldamo. Published by

seler

noun. sister

A noun for “sister” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√THEL or THELES of the same meaning, with an irregular plural selli (Ety/THEL), where the stem form sell- is because the Quenya syncope caused the second e to be lost and then the ancient ls became ll.

Neo-Quenya: In notes from the late 1960s, Tolkien introduced a new word nésa for “sister” (VT47/14). However, I think seler might be retained to mean a “metaphorical” sister, a close female associate who may or may not be related by blood, as with such words as meletheldi “love-sister, ✱close female friend” or ᴹQ. oselle “sworn sister”. In this sense, nésa would be limited to biological relationships, but seler would refer to sisterly (or sister-like) affection.

Cognates

  • On. thele “sister” ✧ Ety/THEL
  • N. thêl “sister” ✧ Ety/THEL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√THEL(ES) “sister” ✧ Ety/THEL

Element in

  • ᴹQ. oselle “[sworn] sister, associate [f.]” ✧ Ety/THEL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√THELES > seler[tʰeles] > [θeles] > [θeler] > [seler]✧ Ety/THEL

toron

noun. brother

A noun for “brother” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√TOR of the same meaning, with a somewhat irregular plural torni (Ety/TOR). Its stem form is torn-, since with most inflected forms the Quenya syncope comes into play and the second o is lost.

Neo-Quenya: In notes from the late 1960s, Tolkien introduced a new word háno for “brother” (VT47/14). However, I think toron might be retained to mean a “metaphorical brother”, a close male associate who may or may not be related by blood, as with such words as melotorni “love-brother, ✱close male friend” or ᴹQ. otorno “sworn brother”. In this sense, háno would be limited to biological relationships, but toron would refer to brotherly (or brother-like) affection.

Cognates

  • On. toron “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR
  • N. tôr “brother” ✧ Ety/TOR

Derivations

  • ᴹ√TOR “brother” ✧ Ety/THEL; Ety/TOR

Element in

  • ᴹQ. otorno “sworn brother, associate [m.]” ✧ Ety/TOR

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√TOR > toron[toron]✧ Ety/TOR
ᴹ√TOR > torni[toroni] > [torni]✧ Ety/TOR

Variations

  • toron- ✧ Ety/THEL
Qenya [Ety/THEL; Ety/TOR] Group: Eldamo. Published by