parma

noun. book

book, writing, composition

parma

book

parma noun "book", also name of tengwa #2 (PAR, Appendix E). In early "Qenya", the gloss was "skin, bark, parchment, book, writings" (LT2:346); Tolkien later revisited the idea that parma basically is a noun "peel" and refers to bark or skin (as primitive writing materials, PE17:86): "peel, applied to bark or skin, hence "book", bark (literally skinning, peeling off), parchment, book; a book (or written document of some size")" (PE17:123). In the meantimeTolkien had associated the word with a root PAR meaning "compose, put together" (LR:380); the word loiparë "mistake in writing" (q.v.) may also suggest that the root PAR at one point was to mean "write", so that a parma was a "written thing". Instrumental form parmanen "with a book" or "by means of a book" (PE17:91, 180), parmastanna "on your book" (with the endings -sta dual "your", -nna allative) (VT49:47), parmahentië noun "book reading" (PE17:77). Other compounds: parmalambë noun "book-language" = Q[u]enya (PAR), #parma-resta noun "book-fair", attested with the endings -lya "thy" and the allative ending -nna (parma-restalyanna *"upon your book-fair") (VT49:38, 39). Parma as the name of the tengwa letter for P occurs compunded in parmatéma noun "p-series", labials, the second column of the Tengwar system (Appendix E).

parma

noun. book, writing, composition, written document of some size, book, writing, composition, written document of some size; [ᴱQ.] skin, bark; parchment

Cognates

• T. parma “book”

Derivations

• √PAR “peel, peel, *bare” ✧ PE17/086; PE17/171

Element in

• Q. antanen parma sen “I gave a book to him” ✧ PE17/091
• Q. antanenyes parmanen “I presented him with a book” ✧ PE17/091
• Q. cesë parma “to look in a book” ✧ PE17/156
• Q. henta parma “to read a book” ✧ PE17/156
• Q. nai elen siluva parma-restalyanna meldonya “*may a star shine upon your book-fair, my friend” ✧ VT49/39
• Q. nai laurë lantuva parmastanna lúmissen tengwiesto “may (a) golden light fall on your book at the times of your reading” ✧ VT49/47
• Q. paranye parmanen “I am learning by means of a book” ✧ PE17/180
• Q. apárien parmanen “I have learnt by means of a book” ✧ PE17/180
• ᴺQ. parmacas “bookcase”
• Q. parmahenta- “*to read”
• Q. parmahentië “(book) reading” ✧ PE17/077
• ᴺQ. parmahto “author”
• Q. Parmaitë “*Book Handy” ✧ UTI/Parmaitë
• ᴺQ. parmalas(së) “page, (lit.) leaf of book”
• Q. parma mittarion “*book of enterings” ✧ PMCH/01; TMME/192
• Q. Parmaquesta “Book-language”
• Q. parma-resta “*book-fair” ✧ VT49/39
• ᴺQ. parmassë “library”
• Q. parmatéma “p-series”
• ᴺQ. quettaparma “wordlist, wordbook”
• ᴺQ. toluparma “scroll, (lit.) roll-book”
• ᴺQ. tentaparma “recipe book, instruction book”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√PAR > parma	[parmā] > [parma]	✧ PE17/086
√PAR > parma	[parmā] > [parma]	✧ PE17/171

loiparë

mistake in writing

loiparë noun "a mistake in writing" (PE17:151). Cf. parma.

loiparë

noun. mistake in writing

Elements

Word	Gloss
loi-	“mistaken, mistake in ...”
PAR	“learn; arrange, [ᴹ√] compose, put together”

Variations

• loipare ✧ PE17/151

helma

skin, fell

helma noun "skin, fell" (SKEL), changed by Tolkien from halma (VT46:14)

ces-

to search (for something), to examine (something) in order to find (something)

ces- (Þ) ("k"), "to search (for something), to examine (something) in order to find (something)"; the root meaning is given as "enquire of, question, examine" (something). Cesë parma "to look in a book" (for a passage or information required); here the aorist stem cesë is used as infinitive. Notice that ces- here takes a simple direct object parma (not locative *parmassë, despite the translation). Past tense cense (Þ) given, replacing the phonologically expected form centë (also cited). (PE17:156)

-nen

most nouns have an instrumental in -nen

-nen instrumental ending (pl. -inen, dual -nten, partitive pl. -línen). Attested in ambartanen, lírinen, lintieryanen, súrinen, parmanen; see ambar (#2), lírë, lintië, súrë, parma. Tolkien noted that "most nouns have an instrumental in -nen" (PE17:62), a wording suggesting that the form of the ending may vary; given the normal development ln > ld, it is possible that it would appear as *-den when added to a noun in -l (*macilden "with a sword").