Quenya 

quellë

fading

quellë noun "fading", in the calendar of Imladris a precisely defined period of 54 days, but also used without any exact definition, for the latter part of autumn and the beginning of winter (Appendix D)

quellë

noun. late autumn and early winter, (lit.) fading

Cognates

  • S. firith “fading; [late] autumn” ✧ LotR/1107

Elements

WordGloss
quel-“to fade, to fade; [ᴹQ.] †to fail; [ᴱQ.] to perish”
-lë“abstract noun, adverb”
Quenya [LotR/1107; LotR/1111] Group: Eldamo. Published by

quel-

to fail

#quel- ("q")vb. "to fail" (wane, wither, fade; compare the nouns quelië "waning", quellë "fading"), only attested in the future tense (queluva in FS).

taniquelassë

leaf

taniquelassë noun name of tree (UT:167), perhaps Tanique(til) + lassë "leaf"

lassë

leaf

lassë noun "leaf"; pl. lassi is attested (Nam, RGEO:66, Letters:283, LAS1, LT1:254, VT39:9, Narqelion); gen. lassëo "of a leaf", gen. pl. lassion "of leaves" (earlier lassio) (WJ:407). The word lassë was only applied to certain kinds of leaves, especially those of trees (PE17:62), perhaps particularly _ear-shaped _leaves (cf. the entry _LAS1 _in the Etymologies, where Tolkien comments on the pointed or leaf-shaped Elvish ears and suggests an etymological connection between words for "ear" and "leaf"); see also linquë #3. Compound lasselanta "leaf-fall", used (as was quellë) for the latter part of autumn and the beginning of winter (Appendix D, Letters:428); hence Lasselanta alternative name of October (PM:135). Cf. also lassemista "leaf-grey, grey-leaved" (LotR2:III ch. 4, translated in Letters:224, PE17:62), lassewinta a variant of lasselanta (PM:376). Adj. laicalassë "green as leaves" (PE17:56). See also lillassëa, lantalasselingëa.

lassë

noun. leaf, leaf; [ᴱQ.] petal

The basic Quenya word for “leaf”, derived from the root √LAS (PE17/62, 153; VT39/9). This word dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s where ᴱQ. lasse “leaf” appeared as its own entry (QL/51). ᴹQ. lasse “leaf” also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√LAS (Ety/LAS¹). In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s Tolkien said that lasse meant both “a leaf or petal” (GL/52). After that Tolkien translated it only as “leaf”. In one set of later notes Tolkien said it was even more restricted in meaning, and “only applied to certain kinds of leaves, especially those of trees, and would not e.g. be used of leaf of a hyacinth (linque)” (PE17/62).

Neo-Quenya: Despite Tolkien late declaration, I would use lassë as the general “leaf” word for purposes of Neo-Quenya, though more specialized words may also exist such as linquë “(leaf of a) hyacinth”. I would also use it metaphorically in its Early Qenya sense as the “petal” of a flower where the context is very clear, such as lassi indilo “leaves of a lily” = “lily petals”. But where ambiguous, I would use the neologism ᴺQ. lótelas for “petal”, more literally “flower leaf”.

Cognates

  • S. lass “leaf, leaf; [G.] petal” ✧ Let/282; PE17/062
  • Nan. las “leaf” ✧ Let/382

Derivations

  • lassē “leaf” ✧ Let/282; PE19/106; PE19/106; VT39/09
    • LAS “leaf” ✧ PE17/153; VT39/09

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
lassē > lasse[lassē] > [lasse]✧ Let/282
lassḗi > lássei > lassī[lassei] > [lassī] > [lassi]✧ PE19/106
lasséinen > lassēnen > lassī́nen[lasseinen] > [lassīnen]✧ PE19/106
lassē > lasse[lassē] > [lasse]✧ VT39/09

Variations

  • lasse ✧ Let/282; LotR/1107; PE16/096; PE16/096; PE17/062; PE17/062; Plotz/11; VT39/09
Quenya [Let/282; Let/382; LotR/0377; LotR/1107; PE16/096; PE17/062; PE17/076; PE19/106; Plotz/11; Plotz/12; Plotz/13; Plotz/14; Plotz/15; Plotz/16; Plotz/17; Plotz/18; Plotz/19; Plotz/20; RGEO/58; VT39/09; WJ/407] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Endien

autumn

Endien noun, alternative term for "autumn" (PM:135). In the Etymologies, the word Endien was assigned a quite different meaning: "Midyear, Midyear week", in the calendar of Valinor a week outside the months, between the sixth and seventh months, dedicated to the Trees; also called Aldalemnar (YEN, LEP/LEPEN/LEPEK)

enderi

middle-days

enderi noun "middle-days" (sg. *enderë), in the calendar of Imladris three days inserted between the months (or seasons) yávië and quellë (Appendix D)

enderi

collective name. middle-days

The name used for leap-days added to the various calendar systems of Middle-earth (LotR/1108, 1112). It is a compound of endë “middle” and the suffixal form -re of “day”: ✱enderë “middle-day” pluralized to enderi.

Conceptual Development: In the 1st edition of The Lord of the Rings, a similar term atendëa was used.

Elements

WordGloss
endë“centre, middle, centre, middle; [ᴹQ.] core”
“day (period from sunset to sunset)”

Variations

  • Enderi ✧ LotR/1112
Quenya [LotR/1108; LotR/1112] Group: Eldamo. Published by

yávië

autumn

yávië noun "autumn" (SA:yávë); "autumn, harvest", in the calendar of Imladris a precisely defined period of 54 days, but also used without any exact definition (Appendix D). Noun yáviérë *"Autumn-day", a day outside the months in the Steward's Reckoning, inserted between Yavannië and Narquelië (September and October) (Appendix D)

histanë

fading

histanë pre-classical participle? "fading" (MC:213; this is "Qenya")