Silmaril

radiance of pure light

Silmaril (Silmarill-, as in pl. Silmarilli), noun, name of the shining jewels made by Fëanor; full sg. form Silmarillë (SA:sil, SIL, RIL, MIR).Translated "radiance of pure light" in Letters:148. Gen. pl. Silmarillion, as in (Quenta) Silmarillion "(the Story) of the Silmarils".

silmaril

proper name. Great Jewel

The name of the great jewels crafted by Fëanor from which The Silmarillion legends gets their name (S/33). It sometimes appeared in the longer form Silmarillë (PE17/47, PM/363). Tolkien translated this name as “radiance of pure light” (Let/148) and said that it was a combination of silima, the crystaline substance from which the jewels were made (RGEO/65), and a derivative of the root √RIL “brilliant, brilliance” (PM/363), perhaps in the form [ᴹQ.] rille “brilliance”.

Conceptual Development: The name ᴱQ. Silmaril dates back to the earliest Lost Tales (LT1/128). Christopher Tolkien suggested that at this early stage it was a compound of ᴱQ. Sil “Moon” and ᴱQ. marilla “pearl” (LT1A/Silmaril), which is consistent with its Gnomish cognate G. Silubrilt. In The Etymologies, the name ᴹQ. Silmaril appears as a combination of silma “silver, shining white” and the root ᴹ√RIL (Ety/RIL, SIL), similar to its later etymology.

Element in

• Q. Quenta Silmarillion “History of the Silmarils” ✧ S/033

Elements

Word	Gloss
silima	“crystal substance devised by Fëanor”
RIL	“brilliant (light), brilliance, brilliant (light), brilliance, [ᴹ√] glitter”

Variations

• silmaril ✧ LotR/1034; PE17/112
• silmaril(le) ✧ PE17/047
• silmaril(lë) ✧ PM/363
• Silmarillë ✧ PMI/Silmaril
• silma-ril ✧ RGEO/65

maril

glass, crystal

maril noun "glass, crystal" (VT46:13; if this is to be the same word as the second element of Silmaril, the stem-form would be marill-, cf. pl. Silmarilli)

cilin

glass

cilin noun "glass" ("often used as in English ("often used as in English for any thing or implement made of glass") (PE17:37). Compare calca, hyellë.

cilin

noun. glass, glass [transluscent or reflective]

Element in

• Q. cilintilla “looking-glass, looking-glass, *mirror” ✧ PE17/037
• Q. cilinyul “drinking-vessel (made of glass)” ✧ PE17/037

calca

glass

calca noun "glass" (VT47:35); compare hyellë, cilin.

calca

noun. glass

Cognates

• T. calca “glass” ✧ VT47/35; VT47/35

Derivations

• √KALAK “glass” ✧ VT47/35

Element in

• ᴺQ. calcata- “to glaze”
• ᴺQ. calcëa “glassy, of glass”
• ᴺQ. hencalcat “eye-glasses, spectacles”
• ᴺQ. moricalca “obsidian, (lit.) black glass”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√KALAK > calca	[kalka]	✧ VT47/35

hyellë

glass

hyellë noun "glass" (KHYEL(ES), VT45:23; the later source also provides the unglossed form hyelma, which may be a synonym of hyellë; alternatively hyellë could be "glass" as a substance, whereas hyelma_ rather refers to "a glass" as a drinking vessel). _In later sources, cilin or calca is given as the word for "glass".

mírë

jewel

mírë noun "jewel" (MIR, SA:mîr), "a treasure, a precious thing" (PE17:37).Cf. Elemmírë; short form -mir in Tar-Atanamir (SA:mîr); see also Artamir.

mírdan

noun. jewel-smith

heledh

noun. glass

heledh

noun. glass

Cognates

• Kh. kheled “glass” ✧ RS/466

Derivations

• Kh. kheled “glass” ✧ PE17/037; RS/466; SA/khelek

Element in

• ᴺS. heledhren “glassy, like glass, of glass”
• S. Helevorn “Black Glass” ✧ PE17/037; RS/466; SA/khelek

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
Kh. kheled > heleð	[kʰeled] > [xeled] > [xeleð] > [heleð]	✧ PE17/037

Variations

• heleð ✧ PE17/037; RS/466

mîr

noun. jewel, precious thing, treasure

mîr

noun. jewel

_ n. _jewel, precious thing. Q. míre, pl1. míri. >> advir

silevril

silmaril

1) Silevril (i Hilevril), no distinct pl. form except with article (i Silevril), coll. pl. Silevrillath. See also SILIMA; GLITTERING WHITE. 2) Golovir (= ”Noldo-jewel”) (i Ngolovir = i Ñolovir, o N**golovir = o Ñgolovir), no distinct pl. form except with article (in Golovir = i Ñgolovir), 3) Mirion (i Virion), pl. Míryn (i Míryn). (LR:373 s.v. MIR lists the archaic ”Noldorin” plural Miruin**.)

silevril

silmaril

(i Hilevril), no distinct pl. form except with article (i Silevril), coll. pl. Silevrillath. See also

míriel

jewel-like

(lenited víriel, pl. míril) (sparkling like a jewel)

mirion

great jewel

(i Virion), pl. Míryn (i Míryn). (LR:373 s.v. MIR lists the archaic ”Noldorin” plural Miruin.)

mírdan

jewel-smith

(i vírdan), pl. mírdain (i mírdain)

heledh

glass

heledh (i cheledh, o cheledh), pl. helidh (i chelidh) if there is a pl.

heledh

glass

(i cheledh, o cheledh), pl. helidh (i chelidh) if there is a pl.

mîr

jewel

mîr (i vîr, construct mir) (precious thing, treasure), no distinct pl. form except with article (i mîr), coll. pl. míriath. GREAT JEWEL (Silmaril) Mirion (i Virion), pl. Míryn (i Míryn). (LR:373 s.v. MIR lists the archaic ”Noldorin” plural Miruin.)

mîr

jewel

(i vîr, construct mir) (precious thing, treasure), no distinct pl. form except with article (i mîr), coll. pl. míriath.

golovir

noldo-jewel

(i Ngolovir = i Ñolovir, o N’golovir = o Ñgolovir), no distinct pl. form except with article (in Golovir = i Ñgolovir). Adj.

golovir

glittering white

(= ”Noldo-jewel”) (i Ngolovir =   i Ñolovir, o N’golovir = o Ñgolovir), no distinct pl. form except with article (in Golovir = i Ñgolovir), 3) Mirion (i Virion), pl. Míryn (i Míryn). (LR:373 s.v. MIR lists the archaic ”Noldorin” plural Miruin.)

calca

noun. glass

Cognates

• Q. calca “glass” ✧ VT47/35; VT47/35

Derivations

• √KALAK “glass” ✧ VT47/35

zimra Reconstructed

noun. jewel

An element appearing in the names Zimraphel (UT/224) and Zimrathôn (UT/222) and also the Hadorian name Zimrahin (WJ/234). The corresponding Quenya names Q. Míriel and Q. Hostamir both seem to contain mírë “jewel”, so this is the likely meaning of the Adûnaic word as well, as suggested by most authors (AAD/25, AL/Adûnaic, EotAL/ZIM’R).

Element in

• Ad. Zimraphel “*Jewel Daughter”
• Ad. Zimrathôn “?Many-jewels”
• Ed. Zimrahin “*Jewel-child”

kheled

noun. glass

Cognates

• S. heledh “glass” ✧ RS/466

Derivatives

• S. heledh “glass” ✧ PE17/037; RS/466; SA/khelek
• S. Helevorn “Black Glass” ✧ PE17/037

Element in

• Kh. Kheled-zâram “Mirrormere” ✧ PE17/037; RS/466; SA/khelek

kalak

root. glass

A root appearing in etymological notes from 1968 glossed “glass” with Quenya and Telerin derivatives Q./T. calca of the same meaning (VT47/35). It seems to be a late restoration of the much earlier root ᴱ√kail(i)k or ᴱ√tail(i)k that was the basis of “glass” words in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s; in this early period the Qenya derivatives began with t- and the Gnomish derivatives with c- [k-] (GL/25). It may also have replaced Q. cilin (< ✱√KILIN?) from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/37). Given its Quenya/Telerin derivatives, √KALAK was probably coined in Aman as was also the case with earlier Q. cilin, since the Sindarin word for “glass” is the unrelated word S. heledh borrowed from Khuzdul (PE17/37).

Derivatives

• Q. calca “glass” ✧ VT47/35
• T. calca “glass” ✧ VT47/35

golodhvir

noun. Silmaril

golovir

noun. Silmaril

mirion

proper name. Silmaril

A Noldorin name for the Silmarils appearing in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/MIR), some kind of elaboration on mîr “jewel”.

silevril

noun. Silmaril

silevril

proper name. Silmaril

Noldorin term for a Silmaril appearing in Silmarillion drafts and The Etymologies from the 1930s (LR/202; Ety/MIR, RIL, SIL). It is a combination of silef “silver, shining white” and the root ᴹ√RIL “glitter”.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s, the Gnomish equivalent of Silmaril was Silubrilt (GL/67), a combination of Sil “Moon” and brithla “pearl” (LT1A/Silmarilli).

Cognates

• ᴹQ. Silmaril ✧ Ety/MIR; Ety/RIL; Ety/SIL; LRI/Silmaril

Derivations

• ᴹ✶silimarille ✧ Ety/RIL

Element in

• N. Pennas Silevril “History of the Silmarils” ✧ LR/202; LR/202

Elements

Word	Gloss
silef	“silver, shining white”
RIL	“glitter”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶silima-rille > Silevril	[?]	✧ Ety/RIL

mirion

noun. great jewel, Silmaril

golovir

proper name. Silmaril, *(lit.) Noldo-jewel

A Noldorin name for a ᴹQ. Silmaril appearing in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/ÑGOLOD, MIR), a combination of Golodh “Noldo” and the lenited form of mîr “jewel”, with the dh lost because [[n|[ð] vanished before nasals]] in Noldorin.

Conceptual Development: This form was first written as (rejected) Golavir (EtyAC/MIR).

Changes

• Golavir → Golovir ✧ EtyAC/MIR

Cognates

• ᴹQ. Noldomír(e) “Silmaril” ✧ Ety/ÑGOLOD
• Ilk. Goldamir “Silmaril, *(lit.) Noldo-jewel” ✧ Ety/MIR

Derivations

• ᴹ√MIR “*precious” ✧ Ety/ÑGOLOD

Elements

Word	Gloss
Golodh	“one of the wise folk, Gnome”
mîr	“jewel, precious thing, treasure”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√MIR > Golovir	[ŋgolodomire] > [golodomire] > [goloðomire] > [goloðomir] > [goloðmir] > [golomir] > [golovir]	✧ Ety/ÑGOLOD

Variations

• Golo(ð)vir ✧ Ety/MIR
• Golavir ✧ EtyAC/MIR (Golavir)

cenedril

noun. looking-glass, mirror

hele

noun. glass

Cognates

• ᴹQ. hyelle “glass” ✧ Ety/KHYEL(ES)

Derivations

• On. kheleha “glass” ✧ Ety/KHYEL(ES)
  • ᴹ✶khyelesē “glass” ✧ Ety/KHYEL(ES)
  • ᴹ√KHYEL(ES) “glass” ✧ Ety/KHYEL(ES)

Element in

• N. Helevorn “Black Glass” ✧ Ety/KHYEL(ES)

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. kheleha > hele	[xeleha] > [xeleh] > [xele] > [hele]	✧ Ety/KHYEL(ES)

mîr

noun. jewel, precious thing, treasure