Primitive elvish

rānā

noun. moon

Primitive elvish [VT48/07] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ran

root. wander, stray, meander, go on an uncertain course, go aside from a course (commanded or self-chosen); err

This root first appeared as ᴹ√RAN “wander, stray” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. ranya-/N. rhenia- “to stray”, ᴹQ. ránen/N. rhaun “errant”, and ᴹQ. Rana/N. Rhân as names for the Moon (Ety/RAN). These Moon-names also appeared in earlier writings but without clear etymologies (LT1/192; GL/64). Such Moon names continued to appear in later writings, for example: Q. Rána “Wayward” (S/99). The root √RAN itself was mentioned quite frequently in Tolkien’s later writings with glosses like “wander, stray” (PE17/182), “wander, stray, go on uncertain course” (VT42/12) and “err, go aside from a course (commanded or self-chosen)” (PE17/78).

Primitive elvish [PE17/060; PE17/078; PE17/182; SA/ran; UT/242; VT42/12; VT42/13] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Quenya 

rána

noun. Moon, (lit.) Wayward

Another name of the Moon (usually Q. Isil), translated as “Wayward” (S/99). This name is a derivative of the root √RAN “wander” (UT/242), with a primitive form ✶rānā (VT48/7).

Conceptual Development: The name ᴱQ. Rána appears as a name of the moon in the earliest Lost Tales (LT1/192), though at this early stage its precise meaning and etymology were unclear. In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, ᴹQ. Rana appeared with a short a, with the translation “Wayward” (LR/240). The name also appeared with a short a in The Etymologies as a derivative of ᴹ√RAN “wander, stray” from primitive ᴹ✶Ranā (Ety/RAN). The long á was restored in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (MR/130).

In some later notes, Tolkien said that Rána was the name of the spirit of the Moon rather than the Moon itself (VT42/13). Elsewhere this spirit was named Tirion, so this was probably a transient idea. In the indexes of The Silmarillion and The Unfinished Tales, Christopher Tolkien translated Rána as “Wanderer”, but the source of that translation is unclear.

Quenya [MR/130; MR/198; MR/376; MRI/Rána; S/099; SA/ran; SI/Rána; UT/242; UTI/Rána; VT42/13; VT47/11] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Rána

the wayward, the wanderer

Rána place-name "the Wayward, the Wanderer", a name of the moon (MR:198, MC:221, Silm); genitive Ráno in the phrase Ráno tië "the path of the Moon" (VT47:11). See also ceuran-, ránasta. According to one late source, Rána is not properly the Moon itself but is rather the "name of the spirit (Máya) that was said to abide in the Moon as its guardian" (VT42:13). The Etymologies gives Rana with a short vowel (RAN). In the pre-classical Tengwar system there presupposed, Rana was also the name of tengwa #25 (VT45:10), which letter Tolkien would later call Rómen instead.

ranalinquë

proper name. *Moon-grass

cimba

noun. edge, brink

Quenya [PE 22:149] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

réna

edge, border, margin

réna noun "edge, border, margin" (REG)

ríma

edge, hem, border

ríma noun "edge, hem, border" (RĪ)

vare

verb. err, stray

Quenya [PE 22:102] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

Sindarin 

raun

noun. Moon

A word for “moon”, equivalent of Q. Rána, attested in later writings only as the element -rawn in the archaic form S. †cýrawn “new-moon”, in modern speech cýron (VT48/7). Based on its use in this word, as well as in N. cúran “crescent moon” [ᴺS. cúron], it seems this is the ordinary word for “Moon” (or “moon”) as a celestial body, as opposed to S. Ithil which is the proper name of the moon, equivalent to English “Luna”. Raun is derived from primitive ✶rānā from the root √RAN “wander”, and hence originally meant something like “Wanderer”, though its Quenya equivalent is usually translated “Wayward”.

Conceptual Development: A very similar form G. Rân “the moon” appeared in Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/64), as well as ᴱN. rán “moon” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/152), though in this period its etymology is unclear. It appeared as N. Rhân “Moon” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, derived from the root ᴹ√RAN “wander, stray” (Ety/RAN), but in this period its Quenya equivalent was ᴹQ. Rana with short a. In later writings the Quenya form became Q. Rána, requiring a change to S. Raun since ancient ā became au in Sindarin.

raun

moon

(pl. roen, idh roen), coll. pl. ronath. Cf. the ending -ron at the end of month-names. Raun is basically the adj. ”straying, wandering” used as a noun, hence identifying the Moon as ”the Wanderer”. – The ”Noldorin” form rhân presupposes a different primitive form and may not correspond to S ✱rân as would normally be supposed.

ithil

noun. Moon

The usual name for the Moon in Sindarin, from an augmented form of the root √THIL (Let/425; Ety/THIL). This word is most likely the proper name of the Moon, analogous to English “Luna”: in The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien indicated Ithil was a “poetic name”. Compare this to S. Raun “Wanderer”, which is more descriptive of the nature of the body and hence closer to “Moon” (and “moon”).

Conceptual Development: The first precursor to this name seems to be G. Thilim “Moon” in an early list of names (PE14/13). This became G. {Thil >>} Sil “Rose of Silpion, Moon” (GL/67, 72) and G. {Thilmos >>} Silma in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/33, 67), both derivatives of the early root ᴱ√SILI as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Sil). The name Ithil first appeared in early versions of the tales of Númenor from the 1930s (LR/41).

Sindarin [LB/354; LBI/Ithil; Let/425; LotR/1114; LotRI/Moon; MRI/Ithil; PE17/030; PE17/039; PE17/121; SA/sil; WJI/Ithil] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lanc

noun. sharp edge (not of tools), sudden end (as a cliff-edge, or the clean edge of things made by hand or built)

Sindarin [VT/42:8] Group: SINDICT. Published by

rîw

noun. edge, hem, border

Sindarin [Ety/383, X/RH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

ithil

moon

(= ”the sheen”)

lanc

sharp edge

(sudden end, brink), pl. lainc, coll. pl. langath. Note: homophones mean ”naked” and also ”neck, throat”.

renia

wander

renia- (sail, fly, stray) (i renia, idh reniar).

renia

wander

(sail, fly, stray) (i renia, idh reniar).

rîw

edge

*rîw (construct riw) (hem, border), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rîw). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” rhîf.

rîw

edge

(construct riw) (hem, border), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rîw). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” rhîf.

Noldorin 

rhân

noun. Moon

Noldorin [Ety/KUƷ; Ety/RAN; Ety/THIL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ithil

noun. Moon

Noldorin [Ety/I²; Ety/SIL; Ety/THIL; LR/041; LRI/Ithil; SD/303; SD/306; WRI/Ithil] Group: Eldamo. Published by

rhîf

noun. edge, hem, border

Noldorin [Ety/383, X/RH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

Adûnaic

nîlu

noun. moon

A noun translated as “moon” and fully declined as an example of a Strong II noun (SD/431). It appears with both a short and long final -u, but Tolkien indicated that the form with long û is actually the personified form Nîlû “Man in the Moon” (SD/426), perhaps the Adûnaic name of Tilion. Tolkien also listed the “later forms Nil, Njūl” (SD/306), one of which may be the Westron word for “moon”, most likely Wes. nil. Andreas Moehn suggested (EotAL/NUL) that this noun may be related to nûlo/nûlu/nâlu, but given the evil connotations of these words (SD/306) and the different stem vowels, this seems unlikely to me.

Adûnaic [SD/241; SD/306; SD/426; SD/428; SD/431; SDI2/Nîlû] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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 

rana

noun. Moon, (lit.) Wayward

Qenya [Ety/RAN; EtyAC/RAN; LR/240; LRI/Rana; PE22/022; PE22/050; PE22/100; RSI/Rana] Group: Eldamo. Published by

rana núresse orta silia; en e·orta silia!

The Moon at night rises shining; there it rises shining!

rana oronte silalya

The moon rose shining

rana ortalyane silalya

The moon was rising, shining (as it rose)

proper name. Moon

A name for the moon in linguistic notes from 1930s (PE21/38, 41), perhaps a derivative of the root ᴹ√NDŪ “go down”, though this root usually applied to the Sun. Its dual form Nunt referred to both the sun and moon (PE21/38).

Qenya [PE21/38; PE21/41] Group: Eldamo. Published by

réna

noun. edge, border, margin

Qenya [Ety/REG; EtyAC/REG] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

ranā

proper name. Moon

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/RAN] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ithil

noun. moon

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/I²; SD/306] Group: Eldamo. Published by

reg

root. edge, border, margin

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “edge, border, margin” with derivatives like ᴹQ. réna of similar meaning and N. rhain “border” (Ety/REG). ᴹ√REG replaced a rejected variant ᴹ√RAG (EtyAC/REG). The root is evident in only one name: N. {Duil Rain >>} Emyn Rhain “Border Hills” in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (TI/268, 313), called S. Emyn Muil “Drear Hills” in the published version of The Lord of the Rings (LotR/373; RC/334).

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/REG; EtyAC/REG] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

rána

noun. Moon

Early Quenya [GL/64; GL/65; LT1/192; LT1A/Rána; LT1I/Rána; MC/213; MC/214; MC/221; PE13/152; PE15/75; PE16/062; PE16/064; PE16/072; PE16/074; PE16/075; SM/097; SMI/Rána] Group: Eldamo. Published by

silmeráno tindon

shining in the silver moon

The twelfth phrase of the first version of the Oilima Markirya poem (MC/220). Its first word is the genitive form of silmerána “gleaming moon” followed by the aorist 3rd-plural masculine form of the verb tini- “to shine, gleam”. The subject of this phrase is actually ondolin “rocks” appearing in the previous phrase, with the genitive silmeráno giving the context in which the rocks shine. A more literal translation would be “✱of the gleaming moon they shine”.

Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:

> silme-rán-o tin-don = “✱gleaming-moon-of shine-they”

Conceptual Development: This phrase appeared in the fourth draft of this poem as no silmerána tindon, with no “under” serving the same role as the genitive (OM1d: PE16/62), hence “✱under the gleaming moon they shine”. Tolkien switched to the final form of the phrase in the sixth draft (OM1f: PE16/74).

Early Quenya [MC/220; PE16/062; PE16/072; PE16/074] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kante

noun. edge

Early Quenya [PE13/140] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

rán

noun. moon

Early Noldorin [PE13/152] Group: Eldamo. Published by

cant

noun. edge

Early Noldorin [PE13/140] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Westron

ranugad

masculine name. stay-at-home, Hamfast

Westron [LotR/1136; PM/083] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nil

noun. moon

A word listed as a later form of Ad. nîlu “moon” (SD/306) and therefore perhaps a Westron word, as suggested by Andreas Moehn (EotAL/NUL). The other “later form” Njūl is unlikely to be Westron, since there Westron seems not have palatalized consonants.

Gnomish

celebron

proper name. Moon

Gnomish [GL/25; LT1A/Telimpë] Group: Eldamo. Published by

rân

noun. Moon

Gnomish [GL/64; LT1A/Rána] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

kantya

noun. edge

Early Primitive Elvish [PE13/140] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kili

root. edge

Early Primitive Elvish [QL/046] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Doriathrin

istil

noun. Moon

The Doriathrin word for the “Moon” developed from the primitive name ᴹ✶Ithil (Ety/I²), though it is unclear how the [st] developed. Perhap it was of the same origin as istil “silver light, starlight” (Ety/SIL).

Doriathrin [Ety/I²] Group: Eldamo. Published by