linya

pool

linya noun "pool" (LIN1)

nendë

pool

nendë (1) noun "pool" (NEN), "lake" (PE17:52)

ailo

lake, pool

ailo noun "lake, pool" (LT2:339; Tolkien's later Quenya has ailin)

lóna

pool, mere

lóna (1) noun "pool, mere" (VT42:10). Variant of lón, lónë above?

nendë

noun. lake, lake, [ᴹQ.] pool

A word for “lake” (PE17/52) or “pool” (Ety/NEN), derived from the root √NEN “water”.

Conceptual Development: This word appeared in both The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/NEN) and notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/37) with the same basic meaning and derivation.

Derivations

• √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow” ✧ PE17/052

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NEN > nende	[nende]	✧ PE17/052

Variations

• nende ✧ PE17/052

yaru

gloom, blight

yaru noun "gloom, blight" (GL:37)

lumbë

gloom, shadow

lumbë noun "gloom, shadow" (LUM)

ailin

g.sg. ailinen

ailin ("g.sg. ailinen", in Tolkien's later Quenya dat.sg.) "pool, lake" (AY, LIN1, LT2:339). Fem. name Ailinel (likely Ailinell-), perhaps ailin + the feminine ending -el (as in aranel "princess"), hence "Lake-woman" or similar (UT:210).

Nénar

water

Nénar noun name of a star (or planet), evidently derived from nén "water" (Silm), tentatively identified with Uranus (MR:435)

Uinen

water

Uinen (Uinend-, as in dative Uinenden) fem. name, used of a Maia, spouse of Ossë (UY, NEN). Adopted and adapted from Valarin (WJ:404), though it is also said that it contains -nen "water" (SA:nen); the latter explanation may be folk etymology. In the Etymologies, the name is derived from the same stem (UY) as uilë "long trailing plant, especially seaweed".

nén

water

nén (nen-) noun "water" (NEN).

nén

noun. water, water, [ᴱQ.] river

The word for “water”, a derivative of the root √NEN of the same meaning (PE17/52; Ety/NEN). Its stem form was nen- (Ety/NEN) and its primitive form was given as ✶nē̆n, the vowel length variation due to distinct subjective nēn versus objective/inflected nĕn- in ancient monosyllables (PE21/64).

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with two senses: “river” and (archaic) “†water”. Tolkien indicated the two senses were based on distinct roots: ᴱ√NEŘE [NEÐE] and ᴱ√NENE respectively, with two distinct stem forms nend- and nēn (QL/64-65). The Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa also mentions the forms nen (nēn-) “water” versus nen(d-) “river” (PME/64-65). In the English-Qenya Dictionary of the mid-1920s Tolkien had both nēn “river” (PE15/76) and nēn “water” (PE15/78), but in the Early Qenya Grammar he had only nēn “water” (PE14/43, 72), also appearing as nen “water” in documents on The Valmaric Script from this period (PE14/110).

In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, Tolkien had ᴹQ. nēn “water”, but in this document it had nēn- with long ē in its inflected forms as well (PE21/23). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, however, uninflected nén “water” had a stem form of nen- with short e (Ety/NEN), and the reasons for this variation was discussed in Primitive Quendian Structure: Final Consonants from 1936, the nominative/objective distinction noted above (PE21/64). This seems to be the paradigm Tolkien stuck with thereafter, as evidenced by S. nen “water” rather than ✱✱nîn.

Cognates

• S. nen “water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, [ᴱN.] stream” ✧ PE17/052; SA/nen

Derivations

• ✶nē̆n “water”
  • √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow”
• √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow” ✧ PE17/052; SA/nen

Element in

• Q. Cuiviénen “Water of Awakening” ✧ SA/nen
• Q. Nénar
• Q. nenda “wet”
• Q. nendil “beast that lives in the water”
• Q. Nendili “Water-lovers”
• ᴺQ. nengarmo “otter, (lit.) water-wolf”
• Q. Nénimë “February, *Wet-ness”
• ᴺQ. nenungol “octopus, (lit.) water-spider”
• Q. Nenya “(Ring) of Water” ✧ SA/nen
• Q. Nísinen “*Fragrant Water”
• Q. Uinen ✧ SA/nen

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NEN > nēn	[nēn]	✧ PE17/052
√nen > nen	[nen]	✧ SA/nen

Variations

• nēn ✧ PE17/052
• nen ✧ SA/nen

loeg

noun. pool

loeg

noun. pool

lîn

noun. pool

ael

noun. lake, pool

A noun for “lake, pool”, appearing as an element in Aeluin “✱Blue Lake” and Aelin-uial “Meres of Twilight” (S/114, 122). The latter name has its plural form aelin = “meres, ✱pools, lakes”.

Conceptual Development: This word had a long history as a cognate to Q. ailin; although the Quenya form was quite stable, the Gnomish/Noldorin/Sindarin forms went through a number of changes. The earliest iterations of this word appeared in in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s as G. ail “a lake, pool” or G. ailion “lake” (GL/17). In the Gnomish Lexicon Slips the latter became {ailin >>} eilin “pool” (PE13/113). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s Tolkien had ᴱN. ailin “lake” with plural form ailiniath from Old Noldorin oilin (PE13/136, 158).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had N. oel “pool, lake” derived from primitive ᴹ✶ailin, a combination of the root ᴹ√AY and ᴹ√LIN (Ety/AY, LIN¹). In that document, its plural form was oelin (Ety/AY), where the plural preserved the final n that was lost in the singular. In The Etymologies it was an element of N. Oelinuial “Pools of Twilight” (Ety/AY), but in the contemporaneous narratives this name was Aelin-uial (LR/262), as it was in later Sindarin (S/114, 122). This reflects Tolkien’s vacillation on the development of the diphthong ai in Noldorin.

In The Silmarillion appendix Christopher Tolkien implied the regular Sindarin form of this word was aelin (SA/aelin), but more likely this was the plural form in Sindarin, as oelin was the plural in Noldorin.

Cognates

• Q. ailin “a large lake, (large) lake, [ᴹQ.] pool”

Element in

• S. Aelin-uial “Meres of Twilight” ✧ SA/aelin
• S. Aeluin “*Blue Lake” ✧ S/162

Elements

Word	Gloss
AY(AR)	“sea”
LIN	“pool, mere, lake”

Variations

• aelin ✧ SA/lin¹

aelin

noun. lake, pool

lîn

noun. pool, mere

A word for “pool” or “lake”, appearing as an element in the name Linaewen “Lake of Birds” (S/119; UT/401). As an independent word it is probably ✱lîn, and it is probably a derivative of the root √LIN of similar meaning (PE17/145, 160).

Conceptual Development: The earliest obvious precursor to this word is ᴱN. lhuin “pool” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/149). In The Etymologies of the 1930s it appeared as N. lhîn “pool”, a derivative of the root ᴹ√LIN “pool” and cognate to ᴹQ. linya (Ety/LIN¹). Remnants of the ancient y can be seen in its (lenited) class plural liniath in the name N. Hithliniath “Pools of Mist” (Ety/KHIS; LR/262). It cannot be a direct cognate of its Quenya form, however, at it has no signs of a-affection. Christopher Tolkien mentioned the name element lin “pool, mere” in The Silmarillion appendix (SA/lin), though whether it was intended to be a primitive form or a Sindarin word isn’t clear.

Neo-Sindarin: I think it is best to simply adapt the Noldorin form into (Neo) Sindarin as lîn, perhaps derived from primitive ✱linyē and hence with class plural liniath.

Derivations

• √LIN “pool, mere, lake”

Element in

• S. Linaewen “Lake of Birds” ✧ SA/lin¹
• S. Taeglin “*Boundary Singer” ✧ SA/lin¹

Variations

• lin ✧ SA/lin¹

lô

noun. shallow lake, fenland

ael

noun. lake, pool, mere

lorn

noun. quiet water

lorn

noun. anchorage, harbour

rim

noun. cold pool or lake (in mountains)

nen

noun. water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, [ᴱN.] stream

A noun for “water”, also regularly applied to bodies of water like lakes, pools and rivers, especially in names like S. Bruinen “Loudwater” (a river) and S. Nen Echui “Water of Awakening” (an inland sea).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s where {nen >>} G. nenn “water; river” appeared (GL/60), a derivative of the early root ᴱ√NENE “flow” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Neni Erúmëar; QL/65). ᴱN. nen and nenn appeared in various Early Noldorin documents from the 1920s with glosses like “stream” (PE13/123), “water” (PE13/151), and “water, river” (PE13/164), but in this period Tolkien indicated the primitive form was ninda (PE13/123, 164). This seems to have been a transient idea, since in The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave N. nen “water” as a derivative of ᴹ√NEN (Ety/NEN), and this derivation appeared in Tolkien’s later writings as well (PE17/52).

Cognates

• Q. nén “water, water, [ᴱQ.] river” ✧ PE17/052; SA/nen

Derivations

• ✶nē̆n “water”
  • √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow”
• √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow” ✧ PE17/052; SA/nen

Element in

• S. Arnen “Beside the Water”
• S. Bruinen “Loudwater” ✧ SA/nen
• S. Carnen “Redwater”
• S. dannen “ebb, lowtide”
• S. duinen “flood, high tide”
• S. Emyn Arnen “Hills of Arnen” ✧ SA/nen
• S. Harnen “*South Water”
• S. Lebennin “Five Rivers”
• S. Nen Cenedril “Mirrormere, (lit.) Lake Looking-glass”
• S. Nen Echui “Water of Awakening”
• S. Nen Girith “Shuddering Water” ✧ SA/nen
• S. Nen Hithoel “Mist-cool Water” ✧ RC/328; SA/nen
• S. Nen Lalaith “*Water of Laughter”
• S. Nenning “? Water” ✧ SA/nen
• S. Nenuial “Lake Evendim, (lit.) Water of Twilight” ✧ SA/nen
• S. Nîn-in-Eilph “Swanfleet, Waterlands of the Swans” ✧ NM/378
• S. Núrnen “Sad Water, Dead Water” ✧ SA/nen
• S. Ringnen “Chill-water” ✧ VT42/14

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NEN > nĕn	[nen]	✧ PE17/052
√nen > nen	[nen]	✧ SA/nen

Variations

• nĕn ✧ PE17/052; PE17/077

nen

noun. water (used of a lake, pool or lesser river)

nen

noun. waterland

nen

water

{ĕ}_ n. _water, lake. Q. nén. >> nîn

nên

water

nên (lake, pool, stream, waterland), construct nen, pl. nîn. FLOOD-WATER (or ”wash”) iôl (pl. ŷl) (RC:334, VT48:33).

nên

water

(lake, pool, stream, waterland), construct nen, pl. nîn.

ael

pool

1) ael (aelin-, pl. aelin) (lake, mere). In ”Noldorin” oel, pl. oelin. 2)

ael

pool

(aelin-, pl. aelin) (lake, mere). In ”Noldorin” oel, pl. oelin.

loeg

pool

loeg (no distinct pl. form: loeg is also atttested with plural meaning) (VT45:29). 4) nên (water, lake, stream, waterland), construct nen, pl. nîn.

loeg

pool

(no distinct pl. form: loeg is also atttested with plural meaning) (VT45:29). 4) nên (water, lake, stream, waterland), construct nen, pl. nîn.

lîn

pool

lîn (lake), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. #**liniath (isolated from Hithliniath**, WJ:194). 3)

lîn

pool

(lake), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. #*liniath*** (isolated from Hithliniath**, WJ:194). 3)

both

small pool

(i moth, construct both) (puddle), pl. byth (i mbyth). David Salo would lengthen the vowel and read ✱bôth in Sindarin.

lô

shallow lake

(fenland), pl. lŷ.

daw

gloom

1) daw (i dhaw) (nighttime), pl. doe (i noe), coll. pl. ?dawath or ?doath; 2) dim (i dhim) (sadness), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nim). Note: a homophone means ”stair”. 3) fuin (darkness, night, dead of night, nightshade). No distinct pl. form. 4) maur (i vaur), pl. moer (i moer) (VT45:35)

daw

gloom

(i dhaw) (nighttime), pl. doe (i noe), coll. pl. ?dawath or ?doath

dim

gloom

(i dhim) (sadness), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nim). Note: a homophone means ”stair”.

fuin

gloom

(darkness, night, dead of night, nightshade). No distinct pl. form.

maur

gloom

(i vaur), pl. moer (i moer) (VT45:35)

both

puddle

both (i moth) (small pool), pl. byth (i mbyth). David Salo would lengthen the vowel and read *bôth in Sindarin.

both

puddle

(i moth) (small pool), pl. byth (i mbyth). David Salo would lengthen the vowel and read ✱bôth in Sindarin.

rim

cold pool or lake

; no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rim), coll. pl. rimmath. Note: a homophone means ”crowd, great number, host”.

ael

lake

(aelin-, pl. aelin) (pool, mere). In ”Noldorin” oel, pl. oelin.

lorn

quiet water

(anchorage, haven, harbour), pl. lyrn (VT45:29).

lîn

lake

1) lîn (pool), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. #liniath (isolated from Hithliniath, WJ:194). 2) ael (aelin-, pl. aelin) (pool, mere). In ”Noldorin” oel, pl. oelin. 3) nên (water, pool, stream, waterland), construct nen, pl. nîn**. **

lîn

lake

(pool), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. #*liniath*** (isolated from Hithliniath**, WJ:194).

nên

lake

(water, pool, stream, waterland), construct nen, pl. nîn.

ló

noun. pool, bathing place

Derivations

• ✶lō “lying water” ✧ VT47/12
  • √LOG “wet (and soft), soaked, swampy”

Variations

• lō ✧ VT47/12

fuinë

noun. gloom

Cognates

• Q. huinë “gloom, (unrelieved) darkness, deep shadow, night shade; dark (as a substance)” ✧ VT41/08

Variations

• fuine ✧ VT41/08

loeg

noun. pool

@@@ as suggested by Lokyt, possibly a plural form of unattested log, since it is glossed in the plural in the source material: “pools”

Derivations

• √LOG “wet (and soft), soaked, swampy”

Element in

• Nan. Loeg Ningloron “Gladden Fields, (lit.) Pools of the Golden Water-flowers”

dâur

noun. gloom

A noun translated as “gloom” derived from the root √DAWAR (SD/423). It is an example of how primitive [[ad|[w] and [j] became [u] and [i] before consonants and finally]], thereby producing diphthongs.

Derivations

• ✶Ad. dāw’r “gloom” ✧ SD/423
  • √Ad. DAWAR “*gloom” ✧ SD/423

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶Ad. dāw’r > dâur	[dāwr] > [dāur]	✧ SD/423

zâram

noun. pool, lake

Element in

• Kh. Kheled-zâram “Mirrormere” ✧ PE17/037; RS/466
• Kh. Narag-zâram “*Black Lake” ✧ PE17/037; RS/466

lin

root. pool, mere, lake

A root for “pool, mere, lake” appearing in etymological notes from 1957 (PE17/145, 160), and also appearing as ᴹ√LIN “pool” in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/LIN¹). In both instances it was the second element in Q. ailin “(large) lake”, and so connected to S. ael “lake” (N. oel) as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (SA/lin¹). In the 1957 notes Tolkien said the root √LIN had a “Sindarin differentiation > glin-” (PE17/160), but I can find no indication of this in any attested words.

In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was connected to ᴹ√LINKWI with derivatives ᴹQ. linqe/N. lhimp “wet” and N. lhimmid “moisten” (Ety/LINKWI; EtyAC/LINKWI). This is turn was probably a later iteration of the early root ᴱ√LIQI “flow, water; clear, transparent” with derivatives like ᴱQ. linqe “water”, ᴱQ. liqin(a) “wet” and ᴱQ. liqis(tea) “transparence (transparent)” (QL/54). For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is best to assume the “wetness” senses were transferred to ᴹ√LINKWI, but I think it is worth positing a Neo-Eldarin root ✱ᴺ√LIKWIS “clear, transparent” to preserve words associated with tranparency.

This root may be associated with √LIN “make a musical sound”; see that entry for details.

Derivatives

• S. lîn “pool, mere”

Element in

• Q. ailin “a large lake, (large) lake, [ᴹQ.] pool” ✧ PE17/160
• Q. Lórellin “*Dream Pool”
• ᴺQ. tiquilin “thaw, melting snow, slush”
• S. ael “lake, pool”
• ᴺS. saerlin “urine”

Variations

• LĬNĬ ✧ PE17/145; PE17/160

nen

root. water, water, [ᴱ√] flow

A root connected to water and (to a lesser extent) rivers for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appearance was as ᴱ√NENE “flow” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, though Tolkien marked both the root and the gloss with a “?”; it had derivatives like ᴱQ. nen “river, †water” and ᴱQ. nēnu “yellow water lily” (QL/65). Under this entry Tolkien noted that “nen water is perhaps different from nen river, which is from neře” (QL/65); elsewhere in QL Tolkien gave ᴱ√NERE² or ᴱ√NEŘE [NEÐE] as the basis for nen (nend-) “river”, a root he said was often confused with ᴱ√NESE “give to feed; feed, pasture; graze” (QL/66). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon he had G. nenn “(1) water, (2) river” and G. nendil “water fay” which were probably a blending of NENE and NEÐE, as well as G. nern “brook” from ✱nere¹ (GL/60), probably corresponding to ᴱ√NERE² from QL.

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had unglossed ᴹ√NEN with derivatives like ᴹQ. nén/N. nen “water” and ᴹQ. nelle “brook” (Ety/NEN), whereas ᴱ√NERE² and ᴱ√NEÐE from the 1910s seems to have been abandoned. The primitive form √NEN or nē̆n “water” continued to appear regularly in Tolkien’s writings from the 1940s, 50s and 60s (PE17/52, 167; PE19/102; PE21/64, 79).

Derivatives

• ✶nē̆n “water”
  • Q. nén “water, water, [ᴱQ.] river”
  • S. nen “water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, [ᴱN.] stream”
• ✶nēnā “wet” ✧ PE17/052; PE17/167
  • Q. nenda “wet” ✧ PE17/052; PE17/167
  • S. nîn “wet, *watery” ✧ PE17/052
• ✶nenda “water”
• Q. nén “water, water, [ᴱQ.] river” ✧ PE17/052; SA/nen
• Q. nenda “wet” ✧ PE17/167
• Q. nendë “lake, lake, [ᴹQ.] pool” ✧ PE17/052
• ᴺQ. nendo “water mead, *watered plain”
• S. nen “water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, [ᴱN.] stream” ✧ PE17/052; SA/nen

Element in

• ✶nēn-talma “Wetwang, Nindalf” ✧ PE17/167

Variations

• NEN- ✧ PE17/145
• NĒ̆N ✧ PE17/167
• nen ✧ SA/nen

nenda

noun. water

Derivations

• √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow”

Element in

• S. Núrnen “Sad Water, Dead Water” ✧ PE17/087

nē̆n

noun. water

Derivations

• √NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow”

Derivatives

• Q. nén “water, water, [ᴱQ.] river”
• S. nen “water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, [ᴱN.] stream”

lhîn

noun. pool

lhîn

noun. pool

Cognates

• ᴹQ. linya “pool” ✧ Ety/LIN¹

Derivations

• ᴹ√LIN “pool” ✧ Ety/KHIS; Ety/LIN¹

Element in

• N. Hithliniath “Pools of Mist” ✧ Ety/KHIS
• N. Orodlin

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√LIN¹ > lhîn	[linje] > [linie] > [lini] > [lin] > [l̥in] > [l̥īn]	✧ Ety/LIN¹

liniath

noun. pools

oel

noun. lake, pool, mere

oel

noun. pool, lake

Cognates

• ᴹQ. ailin “pool, lake” ✧ Ety/AY

Derivations

• ᴹ✶ailin “pool, lake” ✧ Ety/AY

Element in

• N. Oelinuial “Pools of Twilight” ✧ Ety/AY
• N. Elivorn “Lake-Black”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶ai-lin- > oel	[ailin] > [aili] > [ail] > [oel]	✧ Ety/AY

maur

noun. gloom

maur

noun. gloom

A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “gloom” appearing under the root ᴹ√MOR (Ety/MOR). A nearby primitive form ᴹ✶mǭri is the likely basis for this word as suggested by Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne (EtyAC/MOR), where the primitive ǭ became au as was the usual sound change in both Noldorin and later Sindarin (PE18/46, 96).

Cognates

• ᴹQ. móre “blackness, dark, night” ✧ Ety/MOR

Derivations

• ᴹ✶mǭri “blackness, dark, night” ✧ EtyAC/MOR
  • ᴹ√MOR “*black, dark” ✧ Ety/MOR

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶mǭri > maur	[mǭri] > [mǭre] > [moure] > [maure] > [maur]	✧ EtyAC/MOR

ogol < ogl

gloom

n/adj gloom, gloomy

both

noun. puddle, small pool

lhorn

noun. quiet water

lhorn

noun. anchorage, harbour

rhim

noun. cold pool or lake (in mountains)

rhimb

noun. cold pool or lake (in mountains)

nen

noun. water (used of a lake, pool or lesser river)

nen

noun. waterland

nen

noun. water

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nén “water” ✧ Ety/NEN

Derivations

• ᴹ√NEN “*water” ✧ Ety/NEN
• ᴹ✶nē̆n “water” ✧ PE21/58
  • ᴹ√NEN “*water”

Element in

• N. Bruinen “Loudwater”
• N. Harnen “*South Water”
• N. Lebennin “Seven Streams”
• N. Nen Girith “Shuddering Water”
• N. Nen-uinel
• N. nenui “wet”
• N. Nenuial “Evendimmer”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√NEN > nen	[nen]	✧ Ety/NEN
ᴹ√NEN > nîn	[neni] > [nini] > [nin] > [nīn]	✧ Ety/NEN

Variations

• nĕn ✧ PE21/58 (nĕn)