laimë

shade

laimë noun "shade" (DAY; in an earlier version the gloss was "shadow (cast by an object or form)"; see VT45:8-9. Perhaps Tolkien transferred this meaning to lëo when giving laimë the more general meaning "shade".)

lómin

shade, shadow

lómin noun "shade, shadow" (LT1:255)

hala

noun. cast shadow, cast shadow, *shade

A Quenya word meaning “a cast shadow” appearing in two forms, hala and (archaic) †ixal, both cognates to S. esgal and derived from the root √SKAL “cover, veil, cloak, conceal” (PE17/184). The form hala is the normal development from primitive ✶skalā where the initial sk eventually became h, whereas ixal shows a vowel i developing before syllabic ṣ and then the surviving sk undergoing metathesis to ks (x).

Neo-Quenya: Given that primitive ✶skalā is actually “the action or effect of overshadowing”, I think hala can mean both “(cast) shadow” and “✱shade” as in a shaded region beneath a screen of leaves or something similar. For the screen itself I’d use fanwa.

Cognates

• S. esgal “cast shadow, shade; screen, hiding, veil, cast shadow, shade; screen, hiding; veil” ✧ PE17/184

Derivations

• ✶skalā “a cast shadow; the action or effect of overshadowing” ✧ PE17/184
  • √SKAL “cover, veil, cloak, conceal, cover, veil, cloak, conceal, [ᴹ√] screen, hide (from light), overshadow” ✧ PE17/184

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶skalā > ixal	[ṣkal] > [iskal] > [iksal]	✧ PE17/184
✶skalā > hala	[skalā] > [xalā] > [halā] > [hala]	✧ PE17/184

Variations

• ixal ✧ PE17/184 (ixal)

ixal

noun. cast shadow

lumbë

gloom, shadow

lumbë noun "gloom, shadow" (LUM)

ungo

cloud, dark shadow

ungo noun "cloud, dark shadow" (UÑG)

lumbo

noun. cloud; gloom, dark, shade, cloud, [ᴱQ.] dark lowering cloud; [Q.] gloom, dark, shade

A word for “cloud” appearing in the plural form lumbor “clouds” in the Markirya poem of the 1960s. An identical form ᴱQ. lumbo appeared five decades earlier in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with the gloss “dark lowering cloud” as a derivative of the early root ᴱ√LUVU (QL/57). The context of the 1960s Markirya poem was that of a gathering storm, so it seems likely lumbor also referred to dark or stormy clouds. As further support of this, in other late notes lumbo was glossed “gloom” (PE17/72) or “dark, shade” (PE17/168) as a derivative of √LUM or √LUB “shadow, darkness”.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would assume lumbo mainly means “dark cloud”, along with the general darkness and gloom of bad weather.

Derivations

• √LUB “shadow, darkness” ✧ PE17/168

Element in

• Q. lumba “gloomy”
• Q. man cenuva lumbor ahosta? “Who shall see the clouds gather?” ✧ MC/222; MC/222

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√LUM > lumbo	[lumbo]	✧ PE17/168

mordo

shadow, obscurity, stain

mordo (1) noun "shadow, obscurity, stain" (MOR)

lëo

shade, shadow cast by any object

lëo noun "shade, shadow cast by any object" (DAY)

escë

rustle, noise of leaves

[escë] ("k") noun "rustle, noise of leaves" (EZGE)

vasar

noun. veil

Cognates

• S. gwath “shadow, dim light, shadow, dim light, [N.] shade” ✧ VT42/09

Derivations

• √WATHAR “*shadow, veil” ✧ VT42/09; VT42/10

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√Wathar > waþar > vasar	[watʰar] > [waθar] > [βaθar] > [vaθar] > [vasar]	✧ VT42/09
√waþar > vasar	[watʰar] > [waθar] > [βaθar] > [vaθar] > [vasar]	✧ VT42/10

yaru

gloom, blight

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

fána

cloud

fána (2) noun "cloud" _(SPAN, VT46:15). _Cf. fana.

lumbo

cloud

lumbo noun "cloud" (pl. lumbor in Markirya), also glossed "gloom; dark, shade" (PE17:72, 168). In early "Qenya", lumbo was glossed "dark lowering cloud" (LT1:259)

fanta-

to veil, cloak, mantle

fanta- vb. "to veil, cloak, mantle" (VT43:22), mainly used of veils cast over things that shone, or that were brighter and more vivid (PE17:174); according to Tolkien usually the strong past tense fánë and perfect afánië were used, but later also fantanë in the past tense (and then perhaps *afantië in the perfect?) (PE17:179-180) Cf halya- (q.v.), the stem of which Tolkien contrasted with the stem of this verb (PE17:184).

vasarya-

to veil

vasarya- (þ) vb. "to veil" (VT42:10)

lum

noun. shade

dae

noun. shadow

dae

noun. shadow, shadow (cast by an object or form), [N.] shade

Element in

• S. Daeron ✧ SA/dae
• S. Dor Daedeloth “Land of Great Dread; Land of Shadow of Horror” ✧ SA/dae

esgal

a cast shadow

_n. _a cast shadow. Q. hala, poet. ixal. . This gloss was rejected.

gwath

noun. stain

fanha-

verb. to veil

v. to veil, cloak. Q. fanta-. Naturally mainly used of veils cast over things that shone, or were brighter and more vivid.

gwath

noun. shade, shadow, dim light

morchant

noun. shadow (of objects, cast by light), dark shape

guruthos

noun. the shadow of death, death-horror

esgal

noun. cast shadow, shade; screen, hiding, veil, cast shadow, shade; screen, hiding; veil

A word meaning either “veil, screen, hiding” (Ety/SKAL¹; SA/esgal) or “a cast shadow” (PE17/184) derived from the root √SKAL “cover, veil”, most notably an element in the name Esgalduin (S/121) translated “River under Veil” (Ety/SKAL¹) or “River under Shade” (PE17/15, 184).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s esgal was translated “screen, hiding, roof of leaves”, but there it (and the river name) were from the Ilkorin language. In notes from around 1966-67, however, Tolkien shift the sense of the root, saying:

> √SKAL was applied to more opaque things that cut off light and cast shadows over other things ... √SPAN was applied to things of lighter texture, and corresponds closer to our “veil” ... They appear also to have differed in that while SKAL was primitively verbal SPAN was primitively nominal. Thus the most primitive derivative of SKAL was skalā and this meant the action or effect of overshadowing: a cast shadow, S esgal, Q †ixal & hala. But spanā meant a thing that veiled, a veil (PE17/184).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I think esgal can refer to both a shading screen (as it did in the 1930s) or the shadow under that screen (as it did in the 1960s), but it is unlikely that Tolkien himself maintained these two senses simultaneously. However, there are a number of other Sindarin good words for “shadow” but not many for “screen, veil”, especially since fân < ✶spanā or ✶phanā is used mainly with the sense “cloud”. However, I would limit esgal to genuinely opaque screens and curtains, ones that block most if not all light, and for a diaphanous veil I’d use fân.

Cognates

• Q. hala “cast shadow, cast shadow, *shade” ✧ PE17/184

Derivations

• ✶skalā “a cast shadow; the action or effect of overshadowing” ✧ PE17/184
  • √SKAL “cover, veil, cloak, conceal, cover, veil, cloak, conceal, [ᴹ√] screen, hide (from light), overshadow” ✧ PE17/184

Element in

• S. Esgalduin “River under Veil, River under Shade” ✧ PE17/184; SA/esgal
• S. Esgaliant “Bridge of Esgalduin”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶skalā > esgal	[ṣkalā] > [ṣkala] > [eskala] > [eskal] > [esgal]	✧ PE17/184

fuin

gloom

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

dae

shade

(i dhae) (shadow), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nae)

gwâth

shade

(noun) 1) gwâth (i **wâth; construct gwath) (shadow, dim light), pl. gwaith (in gwaith) (UT:261), 2) dae (i dhae) (shadow), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nae), 3) lûm (pl. luim**).

gwâth

shade

(i ’wâth; construct gwath) (shadow, dim light), pl. gwaith (in gwaith) (UT:261)

lûm

shade

(pl. luim).

dae

shadow

(i dhae) (shade), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nae).

daew

shadow

(i dhaew), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndaew) (VT45:8).

gwâth

shadow

(i ’wâth; construct gwath) (shade, dim light), pl. gwaith (in gwaith) (UT:261)

morchant

shadow

1) morchant (i vorchant), pl. morchaint (i morchaint). The literal meaning is ”dark shape”, referring to shadows with a recognizable form. 2) dae (i dhae) (shade), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nae). 3) daew (i dhaew), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndaew) (VT45:8). 4) gwâth (i **wâth; construct gwath) (shade, dim light), pl. gwaith (in gwaith) (UT:261) 5) muil (i vuil) (twilight, dreariness, vagueness), no distinct pl. except with article (i muil**),

morchant

shadow

(i vorchant), pl. morchaint (i morchaint). The literal meaning is ”dark shape”, referring to shadows with a recognizable form.

muil

shadow

(i vuil) (twilight, dreariness, vagueness), no distinct pl. except with article (i muil)

fuin

nightshade

(gloom, darkness, night, dead of night); no distinct pl. form.

dúath

dark shadow

(i dhúath) (nightshade), pl. dúaith (i núaith). Compare the Ephel Dúath or ”Mountains of Shadow” forming th outer fence of Mordor, perhaps suggesting that Dúath is also the word used of Sauron as ”the Shadow”.

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”.

escal

veil

(screen, cover that hides), pl. escail. Also spelt esgal (pl. esgail).

faun

cloud

(pl. foen, coll. pl. fonath)

fân

veil

(cloud, manifested body of a Vala), construct fan, pl. fain

gwathra

veil

(i ’wathra, in gwathrar) (dim, obscure, overshadow)

maur

gloom

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

fân

cloud

1) fân (veil, also used of the manifested body of a Vala), construct fan, pl. fain, 2) faun (pl. foen, coll. pl. fonath)

fân

cloud

(veil, also used of the manifested body of a Vala), construct fan, pl. fain

lum

noun. shade, *a thing blocking light; [G.] [dark] cloud

fuinë

noun. gloom

Cognates

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

Variations

• fuine ✧ VT41/08

scella

noun. shade, screen

Probably noun. Primitive form given as skalnâ, derived from the stem SKAL1 "screen, hide (from light)" (LR:386). Since -nâ is an adjectival ending, often taking on the meaning of a kind of past participle, skalnâ must mean "screened, hidden (from light)"; this has become a noun "shade, screen" in Nandorin.

The word scella, sciella alone tells us that ln is assimilated to ll in Nandorin, and as in dunna, spenna a primitive final -â, usually lost, seems to persist as -a following a double consonant. The shift of a to e in skalnâ > scella is parallelled by the similar shift in spannâ > spenna, q.v. However, such a shift does not occur in what might seem to be similar environments (before a double consonant?); cf. hrassa, not hressa, from khrassê. It would seem that e might further break up into ie, scella having the alternative form sciella.

sciella

noun. shade, screen

>> scella

spenna

noun. cloud

Derived from a stem SPAN "white" (LR:387), but hardly a direct cognate of Quenya fanya and Telerin spania (both probably from spanjâ), nor a direct cognate of Sindarin faun, stated to be derived from spâna. Rather spenna must derive from spannâ, sc. the stem SPAN with the adjectival ending -nâ (or possibly the simpler adjectival ending -â combined with a medial strengthening n > nn). As for the change of a to e, cf. scella from skalnâ.

nâlu

noun. shadow

A noun attested only in the compound agannâlô “death-shadow [is]” (SD/247, VT24/12). The first element of the compound, agan “death”, as identified elsewhere (SD/426), so the remaining element must mean “shadow”. The compound is the subject of the sentence agannâlô burôda nênud “death-shadow [is] heavy on us” and is therefore in the subjective case. According the grammatical rules of Lowdham’s Report, the only possibly normal form producing this subjective is nâlu: compare nîlu “moon” to its subjective form nîlô (SD/431).

Conceptual Development: In early writings, the compound was (non-subjective) agannūlo, so that the apparent draft form of this noun was nūlo. A similar form nūlu appears on SD/306, described only as “a word with the evil sense of ‘night’ or ‘dark’”. It could be a separate word or another variation of this word, with the development nūlo >> nūlu >> nālu. Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne suggested (AAD/21) that the earlier forms may be related to ᴹQ. nulla “dark, dusky, obscure”.

Element in

• Ad. agannâlô burôda nênud “[the] death-shadow [is] heavy on us” ✧ SD/247; SD/247
• Ad. agannūlo burudan nēnum “death-shade heavy-is on-us” ✧ SD/312

Variations

• nūlu ✧ SD/306
• nūlo ✧ SD/312

ugru

noun. shadow

A noun translated “shadow” (SD/247), also described as “a word with the evil sense of ‘night’ or ‘dark’” (SD/306). It appears in the preprositional phrase ugru-dalad “under shadow” (SD/247) and in the draft-dative form ugrus “‽horror‽shadow” (SD/311).

Element in

• Ad. Êruhînim dubdam ugru-dalad “[the Children of Eru] fell under shadow” ✧ SD/247; SD/247
• Ad. ēruhīn udūbanim dalad ugrus “‽ fell under ‽horror‽shadow” ✧ SD/311
• Ad. ugrudâ- “to overshadow”

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

wath

root. *shade, [ᴹ√] shade

The root ᴹ√WATH “shade” first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like N. gwath of the same meaning (Ety/WATH). Primitive ✶wath “shadow” was mentioned in notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s as the basis for S. gwath (PE17/41), and primitive root √WATH appeared in notes on The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor from the late 1960s, again as the basis for S. gwath and similar words like S. gwathren “shadowy, dim” and Q. vasar “veil”, the latter from extended form waþar [√WATHAR] which was apparently the only survival of the shorter root in Quenya (VT42/9-10). This extended root might also be the basis for the (archaic?) region name Q. Avathar “Shadows” from The Silmarillion (S/73-4; MR/284).

Derivatives

• ✶aw’tha “a dim shape, spectral or vague apparition” ✧ VT42/09
  • Q. ausa “dim shape, spectral or vague apparition” ✧ VT42/09
  • S. auth “dim shape, spectral or vague apparition” ✧ VT42/09
• ✶wath “shadow”
  • S. gwath “shadow, dim light, shadow, dim light, [N.] shade” ✧ PE17/041
• S. gwath “shadow, dim light, shadow, dim light, [N.] shade” ✧ VT42/09; VT42/09
• S. gwathra- “to overshadow, dim, veil, obscure” ✧ VT42/09
• S. gwathren “shadowy, dim” ✧ VT42/09

Element in

• √WATHAR “*shadow, veil” ✧ VT42/09; VT42/09

Variations

• Wath ✧ VT42/09 (Wath)

wath

noun. shadow

Derivations

• √WATH “*shade, [ᴹ√] shade”

Derivatives

• S. gwath “shadow, dim light, shadow, dim light, [N.] shade” ✧ PE17/041

gwath

noun. shade

Cognates

• Ilk. gwath “shade” ✧ Ety/WATH

Derivations

• On. watha “shade” ✧ Ety/WATH
  • ᴹ√WATH “shade” ✧ Ety/WATH

Element in

• N. Deldúwath “Deadly Nightshade” ✧ Ety/DYEL
• N. Gwathfuin-Daidelos “Deadly Nightshade”
• N. Dolwethil “(Woman of) Secret Shadow”
• N. dú(w)ath “night-shade”
• N. Eredwethion “Shadowy Mountains” ✧ Ety/WATH
• N. Gwathlo “Greyflood”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. watha > gwath	[waθa] > [gwaθa] > [gwaθ]	✧ Ety/WATH

Variations

• gwath ✧ Ety/WATH

lhum

noun. shade

lhum

noun. shade

A word appearing as N. lhum “shade” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, derived from the root ᴹ√LUM, most notably an element in the name N. Hithlum (Ety/LUM). It was the cognate of ᴹQ. lumbe, and thus derived from primitive ✱lumbē, which explains why the final m survived as a reduction of mb.

Conceptual Development: The earliest iteration of this word was G. lôm {“pool, sl...” >>} “gloom, shade” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, based on primitive ᴱ✶lou̯me (GL/54) and probably derived from the early root ᴱ√LOMO as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Hisilómë). In this early document, G. lum or glum was “a cloud” (GL/55), likely a derivative of ᴱ√LUVU for “✱dark weather” as also suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Luvier). In Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s Tolkien had ᴱN. {lom >>} lhom “shadow” (PE13/149). This became N. lhum “shade” in The Etymologies, as noted above.

Neo-Sindarin: In later writings, Hithlum was designated North Sindarin and its final element was based on a loan from Q. lómë “dusk”, with the m surviving only because it was from the North dialect (PE17/133; WJ/400). However, the root √LUM “shadow, darkness” also survived in later writings (PE17/168), so I think N. lhum “shade” can be salvaged, though if adapted to Neo-Sindarin it would need to become ᴺS. lum as suggested in HSD (HSD). Given the later use of Q. lumbo for “(dark) cloud”, I think the Gnomish sense G. lum “[dark] cloud” can be salvaged as well.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. lumbe “gloom, shadow” ✧ Ety/LUM

Derivations

• ᴹ√LUM “*shadow” ✧ Ety/LUM

Element in

• N. Hithlum “Land of Mist, (lit.) Mist-and-Dusk” ✧ Ety/LUM
• N. lhumren “shady” ✧ Ety/LUM

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√LUM > lhum	[lumbe] > [lumbe] > [lumb] > [l̥umb] > [l̥umb] > [l̥umm] > [l̥um]	✧ Ety/LUM

dae

noun. shadow

daew

noun. shadow

dae

noun. shadow (cast by an object or form), shade

A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “shadow” derived from the root ᴹ√DAY of the same meaning (Ety/DAY). The original penciled version had {daer >>} dae, while the inked version had daew “shadow (cast by an object or form)” and Dae “shade” (EtyAC/DAY). It was most notably an element in the name N. Dor-Daedeloth “Land of the Shadow of Dread” (LR/120, 405). Christopher Tolkien had S. dae “shadow” in The Silmarillion appendix (SA/dae), but I suspect that was copied from The Etymologies. In later writings, Tolkien seems to have changed the initial element of Daedeloth to a variant of S. daer “great”, and its meaning from “Shadow of Dread” to “Great Dread” (WJ/183).

Cognates

• ᴹQ. laime “shadow (cast by an object or form), shade” ✧ EtyAC/DAY
• ᴹQ. leo “shade, shadow cast by any object” ✧ Ety/DAY

Derivations

• ᴹ√DAY “shadow” ✧ Ety/DAY; EtyAC/DAY
• ᴹ✶daiō “shade, shadow cast by any object” ✧ EtyAC/DAY; EtyAC/DAY
  • ᴹ√DAY “shadow” ✧ Ety/DAY; EtyAC/DAY

Element in

• N. Daedhelos “Shadow of Fear” ✧ Ety/DAY; EtyAC/DAY
• N. daedelu “canopy” ✧ EtyAC/DAY
• N. Dor-Daideloth “Land of (the Shadow of) Dread, Loathly Land”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶daiā > Dae	[daiā] > [daia] > [dai] > [dae]	✧ EtyAC/DAY

Variations

• dae ✧ Ety/DAY; EtyAC/DAY; PE22/034
• daew ✧ EtyAC/DAY
• Dae ✧ EtyAC/DAY
• daer ✧ EtyAC/DAY (daer)

gwath

noun. stain

gwath

noun. shade, shadow, dim light

faun

noun. cloud

faun

noun. cloud

Cognates

• ᴹQ. fána “cloud; white” ✧ Ety/SPAN

Derivations

• ᴹ✶spāna “cloud” ✧ Ety/SPAN
  • ᴹ√SPAN “white” ✧ Ety/SPAN

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶spāna > faun	[spāna] > [spǭna] > [sɸǭna] > [sɸouna] > [ɸouna] > [founa] > [fauna] > [faun]	✧ Ety/SPAN

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