rî

noun. crown, wreath, garland

rî

noun. wreath, garland, wreath, garland; [N.] crown

A word for “wreath, garland” appearing in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968 as the basis for -riel “crowned maiden” in the name Galadriel (PM/347). It was derived from primitive ✶rīgā based on the root √RIG “twine, wreathe”.

Conceptual Development: N. rhî “crown” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶rīgē under the root ᴹ√RIG (Ety/RIG). The difference from its Sindarin form is because initial r unvoiced to rh in Noldorin of the 1930s. In The Etymologies this word was also the basis for the name of Tuor’s mother: N. Rhian “Crown-gift” (Ety/RIG), later appearing as S. Rían (S/148).

Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s instead had ᴱN. mindeb “crown”, though its derivation is unclear (PE13/150).

Cognates

• Q. ría “wreath, garland” ✧ PM/347

Derivations

• ✶rīgā “wreath, garland” ✧ PM/347
  • √RIG “wreathe, twine, wind about; wreath, garland, crown” ✧ NM/353; PM/347

Element in

• S. Rían “Crown-gift”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶rīgā > rî	[rīgā] > [rīga] > [rīɣa] > [rīɣ] > [rī]	✧ PM/347

rî

wreath

rî (construct ri) (crown, garland), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rî), coll. pl. ríath

rî

wreath

(construct ri) (crown, garland), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rî), coll. pl. ríath

rî

crown

rî (construct ri) (wreath, garland), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rî)

rî

crown

(construct ri) (wreath, garland), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rî)

rî

garland

rî (construct ri) (wreath, crown), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rî);

rî

garland

(construct ri) (wreath, crown), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rî);

riel

garlanded maiden

(princess), pl. ?rîl (idh rîl). Isolated from the name Galadriel.