azra

noun. sea

The Adûnaic word for “sea” (SD/429), appearing as azar in some early texts (SD/305). It is fully declined on SD/431.

pharaz

noun. sea

A draft word for “sea”, deleted and replaced with azar (SD/305), which later become azra. This word reappeared later with a different meaning: pharaz “gold”.

aglarrâma

proper name. Castle of the Sea

An earlier name for the ship Alcarondas, likely the Adûnaic equivalent of that name (SD/372, PM/156). Aglarrâma was glossed “Castle of the Sea”, but many students of Tolkien’s languages feel that this is unlikely to be a literal translation of the name. The first part of its Quenya name is Q. alcar “glory”, and the element Ad. aglar of its Adûnaic name may have the same meaning, possibly as a loan word from S. aglar. It is not clear what the last element of the name would mean. This analysis is all rather speculative, since it isn’t even clear what languages the names Aglarrâma and Alcarondas belong to.

azrubêl

masculine name. Sea-lover, Friend of the Sea

The Adûnaic name of Q. Eärendil, having a similar meaning “Friend of the Sea” (SD/359). The first element is the objective form of azra “sea” and the second is an agental-formation for the verb stem bêl- (PM/373). An earlier version of this name, Azrabêl, predates Tolkien’s invention the objective case for Adûnaic (SD/359).

Conceptual Development: The first Adûnaic name given to this character was Pharazîr (SD/305).

azra-zâin

noun. sea-lands, maritime regions

A noun given as an example of a genitive compound (SD/429), translated “sea-lands, maritime regions” (SD/435) but literally meaning “✱lands of the sea”.

pharazîr

masculine name. *Sea-lover

The first version of the Adûnaic name of Q. Eärendil (SD/305), quickly rejected and replaced by Azrabêl, later Azrubêl. Its rejected elements have the same meaning as Azrubêl. Interestingly, the suffix -zîr “-lover” reappeared in the later names Aphanuzîr and Nimruzîr, though as derivations of zîr- instead of iri-. The word pharaz also reappeared later with the meaning “gold”.

gaear

noun. sea

A word for “sea” variously attested as gaear (PE17/027; PM/363; WJ/400), gaer (PE17/27; PE17/149), and aear (Let/386; RGEO/65) in later writings. Of these, I prefer gaear for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, reduced to gaer in compounds.

Possible Etymology: The presence or absence of the initial g- depends on whether the word’s root is √AY(AR) (as it appears in The Etymologies and some later writings) or √GAY(AR) (as it appears in other later writings). See the entry of the root √GAY(AR) for a discussion of this vacillation. Similarly, the form gaer appears primarily as an element in compounds, and can be explained as a reduced form of gaear in that context. For these reasons, this entry uses gaear as the ordinary Sindarin word for “sea”. This has the additional advantage of disambiguating it from the adjective gaer “dreadful”.

Conceptual Development: This word appeared as N. oer or oear “sea” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, reflecting the Noldorin sound change of *ai* to *oe* (Ety/AY). However name for the “Great Sea” was N. {Belegar >>} Belegaer in the narratives of this period (LR/19), and the name N. Rhûnaer “Eastern Sea” appeared in draft Lord of the Rings maps from 1943 (TI/307). The element N. oer did appear in the day-of-the-week name N. Aroeren “✱Sea-day” in drafts of The Lord of the Rings appendices, but this was revised to S. Oraeron (PM/130, 138).

aear

Sea

_n. _Sea, especially the Great (Western) Sea. Q. ear. nef aear, sí nef aearon lit. 'beyond the Sea, here beyond the Great Sea'. >> gaear, gaer

gaear

Sea

_n. _Sea, especially the Great (Western) Sea. Shorter form gaer. Q. ear. >> aear, gaer

gaer

Sea

_n._Sea, especially the Great (Western) Sea. Shorter form of gaear.Q. aire (obsolete). >> aear, gaear

aear

noun. sea

Tolkien changed this word several times, see gaear

aear

noun. sea

aer

noun. sea

Tolkien changed this word several times, see aear , gaear

gaear

noun. sea

gaer

noun. sea

gaer

noun. sea

Sea of Núrnen

Sea of Núrnen

Núrnen is glossed as "sad-water". Tolkien also suggested the form Nûrnen ("death, dead water"), and noted the related Sindarin word guru ("death"). The name is commonly understood to be Sindarin, consisting of the elements Nurn + nen ("water").

aerandir

masculine name. Sea-wanderer

A companion of Eärendil (S/248).

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, his name was given as N. Airandir (LR/324), changed to Aerandir in revisions from the 1950s-60s (WJ/246).

Possible Etymology: The second element of this name is very likely S. randir “wanderer” (SA/ran), but the meaning of the initial element is unclear. Christopher Tolkien translated this name as “Sea-wanderer” in The Silmarillion index (SI/Aerandir). If correct, the initial element is probably some form of S. gaear “sea”. This is problematic, since in J.R.R. Tolkien’s late writings this word often (but not always) began with a g, which would have no reason to vanish in the initial position.

The Noldorin form of this name was Airandir. In The Etymologies, the Noldorin word for “sea” was N. oer (Ety/AY). Noldorin [oe] sometimes appeared as [ai] in names from earlier narratives. For example, compare (ᴱN.) Aiglir Angrin “Iron Mountains” from the 1920s and early 1930s (SM/220) to [N.] oeglir “range of mountain peaks” in The Etymologies (Ety/AYAK), and later still (S.) aeglir “line of peaks” (RC/11). Perhaps Tolkien originally intended this element to mean “sea”, updating it phonetically ([[n|[ai] revised to [ae]]]) in later Silmarillion revisions without considering a change in meaning.

Absent any further evidence, “Sea-wanderer” remains the best available translation.

belegaer

place name. Great Sea

Name of the “Great Sea” lying between Middle-earth and Valinor (S/37). This name is a compound of beleg “mighty” and gae(a)r “sea” (SA/beleg, gaer; PM/363).

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name first appeared as N. Belegar (LR/14), soon revised to Belegaer (LR/19). In The Etymologies, it appeared as Belegoer (Ety/ÁLAT, AY, BEL), a reflection of Tolkien’s uncertainty on whether the diphthong [[n|[ai] became [oe] or [ae]]]. In the later Silmarillion revisions from the 1930s, he used Belegaer consistently following the [[n|revision of [oe] to [ae]]].

gaearon

noun. ocean, (lit.) great sea

A word for “ocean” (PE17/27), “great sea” (PM/363) or “great ocean” (RGEO/64) variously attested as gae(a)ron (PE17/027; PE17/149; PM/363) or aearon (RGEO/65), and a combination of gaear or aear “sea” with the augmentative suffix -on (PE17/27, RGEO/65). Since I prefer gaear for sea; I also prefer gaearon or gaeron for “ocean”. Of these, I think gaeron is the ordinary form, and gaearon is more archaic or poetic.

gaerdil

masculine name. *Sea-lover

Sindarin equivalent of Eärendil, also appearing as Gaerdil(i)on, Gaerdilnir amd Gaerennil (PE17/19, 27). This name contains gaer “sea” and the suffix -dil “friend, lover”.

tirith aear

place name. Sea-ward Tower

A tower in Dol Amroth mentioned in the preface to the Adventures of Tom Bombadil (TR/192), glossed “Sea-ward Tower”. It is a combination of tirith “watch” and either aear or gaear “sea” (lenited), so perhaps a more literal translation would be “Sea Watch”.

Aerandir

noun. sea-wanderer

aer, aear (“sea”) + randír (“wanderer, pilgrim”)

belegaer

noun. great sea

beleg (“great”) + (g)aer (“sea”)

nef aear, sí nef aearon

here ... beyond the Sea, beyond the wide and sundering Sea

oraeron

noun. Sea-day, *Thursday

aearon

noun. great sea, ocean

Tolkien changed this word several times, see gaearon

aerlinn

noun. (unknown meaning, perhaps a song about the sea, or possibly holy song)

gaearon

noun. great sea, ocean

gaeron

noun. great sea, ocean

limlug

noun. fish-dragon, sea-serpent

oraearon

noun. seventh day of the Númenórean week, Sea-day

seron aearon

Sea-lover

tol

noun. island, (steep) isle rising with sheer sides from the sea or from a river

aear

sea

aear (ocean); pl. aeair. The shorter form aer (for N oer) is maybe best avoided since it can be confused with aer "holy", unless the latter is actually a lenited form of gaer. Forms with g-, representing an alternative concept of the word for ”sea”: gaear (i **aear) (ocean), pl. gaeair (i ngaeair = i ñaeair) (PM:363), also gaer (i **aer, no distinct pl. form except with article: i ngaer = i ñaer), but homophones of the latter mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy".

aear

sea

(ocean); pl. aeair. The shorter form aer (for N oer) is maybe best avoided since it can be confused with aer "holy", unless the latter is actually a lenited form of gaer. Forms with g-, representing an alternative concept of the word for ”sea”: gaear (i ’aear) (ocean), pl. gaeair (i ngaeair = i ñaeair) (PM:363), also gaer (i ’aer, no distinct pl. form except with article: i ngaer = i ñaer), but homophones of the latter mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy".

gaessarn

noun. pearl, (lit.) sea-pebble

A neologism for “pearl” coined by Elaran on 2021-09-21 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of gaear “sea” and sarn “pebble”, with *rs* becoming *ss* as usual. A possible alternate form is aessarn, depending on whether you think the Sindarin word for “sea” is gae(a)r or ae(a)r.

alfuil

noun. large white sea-bird, albatross, †swan

laud

noun. tide, motion of the sea; flood; high tide

limlug

sea serpent

limlug (”fish-dragon”), pl. limlyg

limlug

sea serpent

limlug (”fish-dragon”), pl. limlyg

limlug

noun. fish-dragon, sea-serpent

limlug

sea serpent

(”fish-dragon”), pl. limlyg

airë Archaic

noun. sea

An archaic word for “sea” which fell out of use to due conflict with “holy” words like aira or airë; it was a noun form of primitive ✶gaı̯ră (PE17/27). The more common modern word for “sea” is ëar.

Conceptual Development: ᴹQ. aire “sea” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of ᴹ√AYAR (Ety/AY); it appeared beside a form ᴹQ. airen that might be a genitive form, or might be a longer form; see the entry on ᴹQ. airon for discussion.

airë

sea

airë (2) noun "sea" (the form airen is given, intended as a genitive singular when Tolkien wrote this; in LotR-style Quenya it would rather be a dative sg.) (AYAR/AIR; cf. airon)

váya

sea

váya noun "sea" (considered as "waters, motion"). The wording of the source indicates that Tolkien only tentatively considered such a word (PE17:33)

vëa

sea

vëa (3) noun "sea" (MC:213, 214, 216; possibly obsoleted by #1 and #2 above, though some argue that the initial element of the late names Vëantur and Vëandur [q.v.] could be vëa #3 rather than #2 (it can hardly be #1) . In any case, the normal word for "sea" in LotR-style Quenya seems to be ëar.) Inflected vëan "sea" (MC:220), vëar "in sea" (a "Qenya" locative in -r, MC:213), vëassë "on sea" (MC:220). Cf. also vëaciryo.

ëar

sea

ëar noun "sea" (AYAR/AIR [gives also dat. sg. ëaren],WJ:413; see Letters:386 for etymology). Not to be confused with the pl. form of the verb ëa "be, exist". Pl. ëari "seas" (FS, LR:47); Eär "the Great Sea" (cf. ëaron "ocean"), ablative Eärello "from the Great Sea", et Eärello "out of the Great Sea" (EO). Eärë noun "the open sea" (SD:305). Compound ëaruilë noun "seaweed" (UY). Found in proper names like Eärendil "Sea-friend", Eärendur masc. name, *"Sea-servant"; in effect a variant of Eärendil(Appendix A). Eärendur was also used ="(professional) mariner" (Letters:386).Fem. name Eärwen "Sea-maiden" (Silm); Eärrámë "Sea-wing", "Wings of the Sea", name of Tuor's ship (RAM, AYAR/AIR, SA)

airen

noun. sea

alcarondas

proper name. Castle of the Sea

The ship of Ar-Pharazôn (S/278). The language of the name is unclear, but many students of Tolkien believe it is Quenya, as its older name Aglarrâma seems to be Adûnaic. The name was glossed “Castle of the Sea”. However, the initial element of the name seems to be alcar “glory”, so it seems unlikely that this is a literal translation. The meaning of the second element of this name is unclear.

eälótë

proper name. *Sea Flower

A variant Quenya name of Eärendil’s ship appearing in only place (PM/143); the ship was usually called Vingilótë. This name is probably a compound of ëar “sea” and lótë “flower”.

eämbar

proper name. Sea-dwelling

The ship that the sea-loving Tar-Aldarion built to be his home (UT/176). This name may be a compound of ëar “sea” and -m(b)ár “home”.

eärendil

masculine name. Lover of the Sea

The great mariner who took the Silmaril of Beren to Valinórë, thereby instigating the Valar’s liberation of Beleriand and the final defeat of Morgoth (S/246). His name was a compound of ëar “sea” and the suffix -(n)dil “-friend, -lover” (SA/ëar, (n)dil).

Conceptual Development: This was one of the oldest and most important names in Tolkien’s legendarium. Tolkien admitted that the name was inspired by the Anglo-Saxon word éarendel “ray of light” (Let/150, 385). In fact, the first form of this name in the Lost Tales was ᴱQ. Earendel (LT1/13), often spelt Earendl in Tolkien’s early linguistic notes (QL/34, PE13/99). At this stage the name seems to derive from ᴱQ. earen (earend-) “eagle, eyrie” (QL/34), though the “dialectical form” Yarendl was archaically used for “mariner” (QL/105).

The name remained ᴹQ. Earendel in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/326) and up through Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (RS/215, TI/99, WR/223 note #29). The name’s association with the Sea did not emerge until Tolkien wrote the (unfinished) “Notion Club Papers” story in the mid-1940s, at which point its form changed to ᴹQ. Earendil (SM/237, 241) and so remained thereafter.

eärendur

masculine name. Mariner, *(lit.) Servant of the Sea

Several people had this name in Tolkien’s legendarium: (1) the second son of Tar-Amandil (UT/208, 210), (2) a lord of Andúnië and uncle of lady Inzilbêth (UT/223) and (3) the 10th and final king of the combined kingdom of Arnor (LotR/1038). The name was a compound of ëar “sea” and the suffix -(n)dur “-servant”. Tolkien translated the name as “Mariner” (Let/386), but a more exact translation might be “✱Servant of the Sea”.

eärrámë

proper name. Sea-wing

The ship of Tuor and Idril on which they sailed West to Valinor (S/245). Its name is a compound of ëar “sea” and ráma “wing”.

Conceptual Development: This name dates back to the earliest Lost Tales, where it first appeared as ᴱQ. Alqaráme “Swanwing”, revised to ᴱQ. Earáme with one “r”, translated “Eaglepinion” (LT2/254). The latter name was derived from ᴱQ. ea(r) “eagle” (GL/51), much like the contemporaneous name ᴱQ. Earendel.

The name remained Earáme “Eagle’s Pinion” or “Eagle’s Wing” through Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (SM/149, 308; LR/143), but was sometimes changed to ᴹQ. Earráme “Sea-wing” (SM/155). It also appeared as Earrámë “Sea-wing” in The Etymologies (Ety/AY, RAM), as well as in the versions of The Silmarillion after that point.

eärwen

feminine name. *Sea-maiden

The daughter of Olwë and wife of Finarfin (S/60). Her name is a probably compound of ëar “sea” and the suffixal form -wen of vendë “maiden”.

ráman

noun. great ship for sailing on the Great Sea

A name for a “great ship for sailing on the Great Sea”, based on ráma “wing”.

váya

noun. ocean, sea, ocean, [stormy] sea

A word in Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957 where Tolkien described váya as being “used of sea (as waters, motion)”, a derivative of √WAYA “blow, or be disturbed” (PE17/33). This note was crossed through, but a similar note appeared afterwards with a seemingly archaic word waya “ocean” (PE17/34).

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, Tolkien had ᴱQ. Vai “Outer Ocean” (LT1/85), a word that also appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as a derivative of ᴱ√VAẎA “enfold, wind about” (QL/100). The word ᴱQ. vea “sea” appeared in a number of poems Tolkien wrote in the late 1920s (MC/213-214, 216, 220; numerous references in PE16). ᴹQ. vea “sea” also appeared in the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s as a derivative of ᴹ✶vaı̯ā (PE21/8, 17), and as an element in the name ᴹQ. Veaneldar “Sea-elves” from the 1930s and possibly Q. Vëantur, a name in later writings for a ship captain in Númenor (UT/171).

In Silmarillion drafts of the 1930s Tolkien used ᴹQ. Vaiya for “Enfolding Ocean” (SM/236) or “Outer Sea” (LR/209). This word was mentioned in The Etymologies as wai(y)a/vai(y)a “envelope” that was used “especially of the Outer Sea or Air enfolding the world within the Ilurambar”, a derivative of ᴹ√WAY “enfold” (Ety/WAY). In the Ambarkanta of early 1930s Tolkien likewise said that the ordinary meaning vaiya was “fold, envelope”, meaning “Outer Sea” when used as a proper name (SM/241). In Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957, the similar word váya/waya was given a new etymology from the root √WAYA “blow” rather than “enfold” as noted above, along with other derivatives having to do with “wind” (PE17/33-34).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I think váya is its best form as an independent word meaning “ocean, sea”. Given its derivation from the root for “wind”, I think it refers mainly to rough or stormy seas. The name Vëantur may contained a reduced form of this word, and thus vëa- might be its form in compounds.

ëar

noun. sea, great sea, sea, great sea, [ᴹQ.] open sea; water

The most common Quenya word for “sea”, derived from the root √GAYAR (or sometimes √AYAR), where the vowel combination was the result of the frequent Quenya sound change whereby *aya* > *ëa*.

Note that Quenya does not use the definite article before unique individual things like the Sun and the Moon. Likewise ëar “the sea” is almost never used with the definite article, only in the case where one is indicating a specific definite sea among a group of seas already under discussion, which is a rare occurrence.

Conceptual Development: As an element in the name ᴱQ. Earendel, this word first appeared as ᴱQ. ea or ᴱQ. earen “eagle” (QL/34). But by the 1940s Tolkien changed the form and meaning of this name to ᴹQ. Earendil “Friend of the Sea” (SD/237), and the word ᴹQ. ear “sea” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of ᴹ√AYAR (Ety/AY). In The Notion Club Papers of the 1940s it had the form eare and the gloss “open sea” (SD/241, 305). The first appearance of the “sea” meaning of this word seems to be in a word-list associated with the Ambarkanta “Shape of the World” from the early 1930s, where ear had the glosses “water, sea” (SM/241), though in later writings only “sea” remained.

ëar-celumessen

in the flowing sea

The eighth line of the Markirya poem (MC/222). The first word is ëar “sea” followed by the locative plural of celumë “stream”, as suggested by Helge Fauskanger (AL/Markirya, QQ/celumë). This is more loosely translated as “flowing” in the poem itself, and fits the adjective/noun usage of the Early Qenya poem. A more literal translation would be “✱in sea-streams”.

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

> ëar-celume-sse-n = “✱sea-stream-(locative)-(plural)”

ëaren

noun. ocean, great sea

A word appearing as Eären “Great Sea” (PM/363) and eäron “ocean” (PE17/27), possibly also an element in the name Eärenya “Sea-day” (LotR/1110).

Conceptual Development: A form ᴹQ. earen appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a parenthetical form beside ᴹQ. ear “sea”; this might be a genitive form, but I suspect it is an early appearance of earon/earen “ocean” instead.

ëar falastala

the sea surging

The tenth line of the Markirya poem (MC/222). The first word is ëar “sea” followed by the active-participle (“-ing”) of the verb falasta- “to surge”.

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

> ëar falasta-la = “✱sea surg-ing”

ëarráman

noun. great ship for sailing on the Great Sea

A fuller name for ráman “great ship for sailing on the Great Sea”, a combination of that word with ëar “sea”.

ekkaia

place name. Outer Sea

The ocean that surrounded the world, translated “Outer Sea” (S/37).

Possible Etymology: The etymology of this name is unclear. Robert Ireland suggested that the name may be related to the root ᴹ√KHAYA “far, distant, remote”, which has a similar derivative ᴹQ. ekkaira, an intensive form of ᴹQ. haira “remote, far” (ATD/Ekkaia).

Helge Fauskanger instead suggested that it might be derived from ✶et-gaya = ✶et “out” + ✶gaya “sea”, the latter from √GAY(AR), the same root from which Q. ëar and S. gaear are derived (QQ/Ekkaia). This seems more plausible to me, since voiced stops unvoiced after voiceless stops and aspirates in Primitive Elvish (✶[tg] > ✶[tk]) and [[p|[tk] became [kk]]].

Conceptual Development: The concept of an ocean surrounding the world was an old idea in the cosmology of Tolkien’s legendarium. In the earliest Lost Tales, there were two outer regions of air and water: ᴱQ. Vaitya “Outermost Airs” and ᴱQ. Vai “Outer Ocean” (LT1/85), both from the root ᴱ√VAẎA “enfold” (QL/100). Both terms were later combined into ᴹQ. Vaiya “Enfolding Ocean, Outer Sea”, appearing in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (SM/236; LR/209; Ety/WAY). Vaiya was later changed to Ekkaia in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (MR/157), as this late stage referring only to the ocean and not the air.

Alatairë

great sea

Alatairë place-name "Great Sea", name of the Western Ocean between Beleriand and Valinor, called Belegaer in Sindarin (ÁLAT, AYAR/AIR)

Ekkaia

out-sea

Ekkaia place-name, denoting the outer ocean: for *et-gaya "out-sea"? (Silm)

Rása

the sea

Rása noun "the Sea" (LT2:347; rather ëar in Tolkien's later Quenya)

Teler

sea-elf

Teler noun "sea-elf", pl. Teleri, general (partitive) pl. Telelli, the third tribe of the Eldar (TELES (MIS) ), also called Lindar.Teleri means "those at the end of the line, the hindmost", (WJ:382 cf. 371), derived from the stem tel- "finish, end, be last" (SA:tel-). The Lindar were so called because they lagged behind on the march from Cuiviénen. In early "Qenya", Teler, also Telellë, was defined "little elf" (LT1:267), but this is hardly a valid gloss in Tolkien's later Quenya.

falmar

sea-spirit, nymph

falmar, falmarin (falmarind- or simply falmarin- as in pl. falmarindi [or falmarini]) noun "sea-spirit, nymph" (PHAL/PHÁLAS)

falmari

collective name. Sea-elves, (lit.) Wave-folk

A name for the Teleri as Elves of the sea (S/53). It is an elaboration on falma “wave” (SA/falas) and its literal meaning is “Wave-folk” (PM/386).

Conceptual Development: Earlier Quenya words connecting the third tribe of Elves to the sea include ᴱQ. Solosimpe “Shore Piper” (LT1/50; QL/35, 85), ᴹQ. Solonyeldi “✱Surf Singers” (Ety/NYEL, SOL) and ᴹQ. Falanyel “✱Beach Singer” (Ety/PHAL).

haloisi

the sea (in storm)

haloisi noun "the sea (in storm)", cf. haloitë (LT1:254)

lingwilócë

fish-dragon, sea-serpent

lingwilócë ("k")noun "fish-dragon, sea-serpent" (LOK)

londë

noun. (land-locked) haven, (land-locked) haven; [ᴹQ.] road (in sea), fairway, entrance to harbour; gulf

A word for “haven”, most notably as an element in Alqualondë “Haven of the Swans” (S/61). In notes from the late 1960s it was derived from the (untranslated) root √LON (VT42/10).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s, ᴹQ. {londa >>} londe was glossed “road (in sea), fairway, {anchorage >>} entrance to harbour”, and derived from the root {ᴹ✶londā >>} ᴹ✶londē under the root ᴹ√LOD (Ety/LOD). In a 1942 note, [ᴹQ.] londe was glossed “gulf”, as opposed to [N.] lorn “haven” (TI/423).

oar

child of the sea, merchild

oar (2) noun "child of the sea, merchild" (LT1:263; hardly valid in Tolkien's later Quenya)

vëaciryo

of sea-ship

vëaciryo ("k") noun in genitive "of sea-ship", genitive of *vëacirya ("k")(MC:216; this is "Qenya"; see vëa # 2)

ó

the sea

†Ó noun "the sea" (poetic word, hardly valid in Tolkien's later Quenya) (LT1:263, there spelt Ô)

et eärello endorenna utúlien

Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come

First phrase @@@

eärenya

noun. Sea-day, *Thursday

eärnil

masculine name. *Lover of the Sea

The name of the 13th and 32nd kings of Gondor (LotR/1038), it is essentially a shorter form of Eärendil, with the same elements (SA/(n)dil).

eärnur

masculine name. *Servant of the Sea

The 33rd and final king of Gondor in the Third Age (LotR/1038). This name is essentially a shorter form of Eärendur, with the same elements.

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts, Tolkien first considered using ᴹQ. Elessar for the name of the last king of Gondor before changing his name to Eärnur (WR/153).

i aluvar coivienyo ëarello nantulë

that never in my life will return from the Sea

eäron

noun. ocean, great sea

ëarel

noun. starfish, (lit.) sea-star

A neologism for “starfish” by Delle posted on 2023-05-08 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of ëar “sea” and él “star”.

ëarina

adjective. of the sea

A neologism for “of the sea” appearing in ABNW (ABNW) from the early 2000s. It is simply an adjectival form of ëar “sea”.

ëarsil

noun. pearl, (lit.) sea-sheen

A neologism for a “pearl” coined by Paul Strack on 2022-04-10 on the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) as a combination of ëar “sea” and √SIL “shine”, so literally “sea-sheen”. It replaced an earlier neologism ëassar by Elaran where the second element was sar “(small) stone”, because “sea-stone” is a bit too prosaic.

falmasil

noun. mareel, sea sparkle, milky seas, blue tide, (lit.) wave-sheen

A neologism for “mareel”, which is a term for phosphorescence in the ocean, also known as “sea sparkle, milky seas, blue tide”. It was coined by Fëastorno and posted on 2025-03-01 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) as a combination of falma “wave” and THIL “shine (white)”, so more literally “wave-sheen”.

vëacirya

noun. sea-ship, *ocean-going ship

ëarra

noun. seal, sea lion

@@@ Discord 2023-01-29

ëassar

noun. pearl, (lit.) sea-pebble/stone

oer

noun. sea

aer

noun. sea

oear

noun. sea

oear

noun. sea

oer

noun. sea

airlond

place name. (?sea-stead)

A name appearing in The Etymologies from the 1930s with an unclear gloss, possibly “?swanstead” (EtyAC/LOD). According to Hostetter and Wynne, it seems to replace a rejected form oerlond, possibly glossed “?sea-stead”. It appears to be a combination of oer “sea” and the lenited form of lhonn “haven”. If the gloss “swanstead” is correct, it may be a variant form of Alflon and Alfobas.

lhimlug

noun. fish-dragon, sea-serpent

A noun appearing as N. lhimlug “fish-dragon, sea-serpent” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, a combination of N. lhim “fish” and N. lhûg “dragon” (Ety/LOK).

Neo-Sindarin: Since the unvoicing of initial liquids did not occur in Sindarin, many people adapt this word as ᴺS. limlug for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, as suggested in HSD (HSD).

cuen

noun. small gull, petrel, sea-bird

A noun appearing as cuen “small gull, petrel” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, a loan word from Ilk. cwên of the same meaning, derived from the primitive root ᴹ√KWǢ (EtyAC/KWǢ). Its Noldorin form N. poen had fallen out of use. It also appeared with the form cuén “a sea-bird” in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1930s, again as a loan word from Ilkorin (PE22/32).

Neo-Sindarin: Since Ilkorin was no longer a part of Tolkien’s system of Elvish languages in the 1950s and 60s, this word is somewhat questionable, but I think it is worth retaining, reimagined as a loan word from a different language (probably a dialect of Nandorin).

aroeren

noun. Sea-day

belegoer

place name. Great Sea

airandir

masculine name. Sea-wanderer

lhimlug

noun. fish-dragon, sea-serpent

rhûnaer

place name. Eastern Sea

toll

noun. island, (steep) isle rising with sheer sides from the sea or from a river

ui

noun. envelope (especially of the Outer Sea or Air enfolding the world within the Ilurambar or world-walls)

ay(ar)

root. sea

gay(ar)

root. awe, dread; astound, make aghast; sea

In Tolkien’s later writings, the root for Elvish “sea” words seems to be √GAY(AR) or √AY(AR). The first hints of this root may be words from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s: G. ail/ᴱQ. ailo “lake, pool” and G. ailion/ᴱQ. ailin “lake” (GL/17), perhaps indicating a (hypothetical) early root ✱ᴱ√AYA(LA) “lake”. The last of these Early Qenya words also appeared in the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon, but Tolkien gave its root only as “?” (QL/29). This early root might also be the basis for 1920s ᴱQ. ailin “shore” which appeared in the Oilima Markirya poem (MC/213).

The word ᴹQ. ailin “pool, lake” reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√AY, with its Noldorin form N. oel reflecting Noldorin rather than Gnomish phonology (Ety/AY). This root had an extended form ᴹ√AYAR “sea” from which Tolkien derived ᴹQ. ear and N. oer of the same meaning; among other things this extended root was the basis for a new etymology for the name ᴹQ. Earendil as “Friend of the Sea” used from the 1940s and forward (SD/241, 305); in earlier writings ᴱQ. Earendel was connected to ᴱQ. earen “(young) eagle” (QL/34).

The root √AY(AR) “sea” continued to appear in Tolkien’s later writings, for example in the second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa from around 1950 (TQ2: PE18/97). However, Tolkien also considered alternate derivations of “sea” words from a new root √GAY(AR), for example changing √AY(AR) >> √GAY(AR) in etymological notes written between the 1st and 2nd editions of The Lord of the Rings (PE17/27). As opposed to √AY(AR) which meant simply “sea”, Tolkien also glossed √GAY(AR) as “astound, make aghast” (WJ/400) or “awe, dread” (PM/363) and it was the basis for other words such as S. gaer “awful, fearful” (WJ/400) as well as S. goe “terror, great fear”, Q. aica “fell, terrible, dire” and Q. aira “holy, sanctified” (PM/363). In this sense √GAYA may have been a replacement or a variant of √AYA(N) “blessed”.

Tolkien seems to have been unable to make up his mind between these two derivations, as reflected in an ongoing vacillation between S. gaear (PE17/27; PM/363; WJ/400) and aear (Let/386; RGEO/65) as the Sindarin word for “sea”. This word appeared in The Lord of the Rings in the phrase nef aear, sí nef aearon “here beyond the Sea, beyond the wide and sundering Sea”, but that does not resolve the question as the word in this phrase seems to be lenited, and hence would lose its initial g (if any). This vacillation continued late into Tolkien’s life: in the published corpus Tolkien derived “sea” words from √AYAR “sea” in a letter from 1967 (Let/386) and √GAYA “awe, dread” in The Shibboleth of Fëanor written in 1968 (PE/363).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin writing, I think it is best to use √GAY(AR) as the form for this root, though admittedly this does create problems for the etymologies of Q. ailin and S. ael “lake” (these would need to lean more heavily on their second ancient element: √LIN “pool”). It is not clear whether Tolkien always intended √GAY(AR) “awe, dread” and √AYA(N) “blessed” to coexist, though he did at least some of the time (for example on PE17/149). For purposes of Neo-Eldarin writing, I think it is best to assume they did coexist, with √AYA serving as the basis for “holy” words like Q. aira/S. aer “holy” and Q. Ainu, whereas √GAYA could serve as the basis for “awe, dread” words like Q. aica “fell, terrible, dire” and S. goe “terror, great fear”. Q. ëar/S. gaear “sea” would fall into the second group as a thing inspiring awe.

gayār

noun. sea, the terrifier

gaiar

noun. Great Sea