sil-

shine

sil- vb. "shine" (white), present tense síla "shines, is shining" (FG); aorist silë, pl. silir (RS:324), frequentative sisíla- (Markirya comments), future tense siluva (VT49:38), dual future siluvat (VT49:44, 45)

sil-

to shine

#sil-cal- ("k") vb. "to shine" (silver and gold) < "Qenya" sílankálan *"they shine (silver and gold)" (VT27:20, 27); cf. sil-, cal-, q.v.

sil-

verb. to shine (white)

Cognates

• S. síla- “*to shine”
• T. sil- “to shine” ✧ WJ/367

Derivations

• √SIL “shine (white or silver)” ✧ Let/425

Element in

• Q. elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo “a star shines on the hour of our meeting” ✧ Let/265; Let/425; LotR/0081; PE17/013; WJ/367
• Q. nai elen atta siluvat aurenna veryanwesto “*may two stars shine upon the day of your wedding” ✧ VT49/45; VT49/45
• Q. nai elen siluva lyenna “*may a star shine upon you” ✧ VT49/39
• Q. nai elen siluva parma-restalyanna meldonya “*may a star shine upon your book-fair, my friend” ✧ VT49/39
• Q. sisíla- “to shine (frequentative)” ✧ MC/223

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√SIL > síla	[sil-]	✧ Let/425

sil-

verb. shine (white)

sisíla-

frequentative

sisíla- is said to be the "frequentative" form of sil- (MC:223); the participle sisílala in Markirya is simply translated "shining".

cal-

shine

#cal- vb. "shine", future tense caluva ("k") "shall shine" _(UT:22 cf. 51). Compare also early "Qenya" cala- ("k")"shine" (LT1:254)_. It is possible that the verbal stem should have a final -a in later Quenya as well, since this vowel would not appear in the future tense caluva (compare valuvar as the pl. future tense of vala-, WJ:404).

cal-

verb. to shine

Cognates

• S. cal- “to shine”

Derivations

• √KAL “light; shine, be bright, light; shine, be bright, [ᴱ√] shine golden”

Element in

• Q. Anar caluva tielyanna “The sun shall shine upon your path” ✧ UT/022
• Q. calima “bright, luminous”
• Q. calina “light, bright, sunny, (lit.) illumined”
• ᴺQ. nancal- “to reflect, (lit.) shine back”

accal(a)-

verb. shine

shine (suddenly and) brilliantly, blaze

calta-

shine

calta- ("k")vb. "shine" (KAL)

untúpa

down-roofs

untúpa vb. "down-roofs" = covers (perhaps for *undutúpa-, cf. undu-). Present tense of untup- with lengthening of the stem vowel and the suffix -a (cf. síla "shines" from sil-)

cal-

verb. to shine

Cognates

• Q. cal- “to shine”

Derivations

• √KAL “light; shine, be bright, light; shine, be bright, [ᴱ√] shine golden”

silef

shining white

is listed in LR:385 s.v. SIL as the cognate of Quenya silma of this meaning, but silef is there asterisked, apparently to indicate that it only appears as part of the word Silevril ”Silmaril”. The word silef may also be used = Quenya silima (noun), the crystal substance of the Silmarils.

síla

shine white

(i híla, i sílar) Adj.

glóren

shining with golden light

(glórin-) (golden), lenited ’lóren; pl. glórin.

sil-

verb. to shine

Cognates

• Q. sil- “to shine (white)” ✧ WJ/367

Element in

• T. él síla lúmena vomentienguo “A star shines upon the hour of the meeting of our ways” ✧ WJ/407

sil

root. shine (white or silver)

Tolkien used the root √SIL and its variant √THIL for Elvish words for shining things for most of his life. This root first appeared in the Qenya Lexicon as unglossed ᴱ√SILI with variant ᴱ√ÞILI and derivatives like ᴱQ. Sil “Moon”, ᴱQ. sili- “gleam, glint”, ᴱQ. silik “flint”, and ᴱQ. silqe “glossy hair” (QL/83), though last of these was the result of blending with ᴱ√SḶKḶ “rich, lush”, variant of ᴱ√SṚKṚ “fat” (QL/86). The contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon had derivatives like G. Sil “Moon” and G. silc “flint” pointing only to ᴱ√SILI (GL/67); the only indication of variant ᴱ√ÞILI was in unglossed G. thil followed by deleted forms like G. Thil “Moon” (GL/72).

By The Etymologies of the 1930s, the variants ᴹ√SIL “shine silver” and ᴹ√THIL were better established (Ety/SIL, THIL). The variant ᴹ√SIL had derivatives like ᴹQ. silme/N. silif “moonlight, light of Silpion” and the extended form ᴹ√SÍLIP from which ᴹQ. Silpion was derived (Ety/SIL), and its most notable use from the 1930s forward was as the basis for the initial element of Q. Silmaril vs. S./N. silef as in N. Silevril (Ety/SIL; PE17/23; Let/425). The variant ᴹ√THIL had derivatives like ᴹQ. Isil/N. Ithil “Moon, (lit.) the Sheen” (Ety/THIL), forms Tolkien also retained from the 1930s forward. Tolkien mentioned both root variants √SIL and √THIL with the glosses like “shine (white or silver)” regularly in his later writings (Let/425; PE17/66; PE22/136; SA/sil).

Derivatives

• ✶silimā “crystal (white), crystal (white); [ᴹ✶] silver, shining white”
  • Q. silma “crystal (white), crystal (white); [ᴹQ.] silver, shining white” ✧ PE17/023
  • S. silef “crystal (white), (white) crystal; [N.] silver, shining white” ✧ PE17/023
• ✶silki “sheen”
• ✶sisilla- “to twinkle, glisten” ✧ PE22/136
  • Q. sisíla- “to shine (frequentative)”
• Q. Isil “Moon, (lit.) Sheen” ✧ SA/sil
• Q. sil- “to shine (white)” ✧ Let/425
• Q. silima “crystal substance devised by Fëanor” ✧ SA/sil
• Q. silmë “starlight, starlight; [ᴹQ.] silver [light], moonlight, light of Silpion”
• S. síla- “*to shine”

Element in

• ᴺQ. ëarsil “pearl, (lit.) sea-sheen”
• Q. Silmaril “Great Jewel” ✧ Let/425
• Q. Silpion “White Tree” ✧ SA/sil

Variations

• sil- ✧ SA/sil

síla-

verb. to shine white