Quenya 

Taimë

the sky

Taimë, Taimië noun "the sky" (LT1:268; rather menel in LotR-style Quenya)

ilwë

sky, heavens

ilwë noun "sky, heavens" (LT1:255), "the middle air among the stars" (LT1:273). VT49:51, 53 also mentions an obscure prononominal element ilwë.

hellë

sky

hellë noun "sky" (3EL; a distinct word hellë "frost" was struck out, see KHEL.)

Sindarin 

Menel

noun. sky, high heaven, firmament, the region of the stars

Sindarin [LotR/II:I, LotR/IV:X, LB/354, RGEO/72, VT/44:21,] Q menel. Group: SINDICT. Published by

Noldorin 

ell

noun. sky

An element meaning “sky” in several names from The Etymologies of the 1930s: N. Elfaron “Sky-hunter” (Ety/SPAR) and N. Elthoron “Eagle of the Sky” (Ety/THOR). It was derived from the root ᴹ√ƷEL “sky” which had an Old Noldorin form: ON. elle (Ety/ƷEL). However, Tolkien said “In Noldorin and Telerin this is confused with EL star”, implying that the word was not used in modern language; an earlier but rejected version of this entry had archaic N. †ell, el “sky” (EtyAC/ƷEL).

Neo-Sindarin: Despite the above statements, ell is probably the best attested option for “sky” in Neo-Sindarin, and I would use it as such, since it is in fact distinct from S. êl “star”, a word that is itself archaic/poetic versus more common S. gil.

Derivations

  • On. elle “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
    • ᴹ√ƷEL “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
On. elle > ell > el[elle] > [ell] > [el]✧ Ety/ƷEL

Variations

  • el ✧ Ety/SPAR (el); Ety/THOR (el); EtyAC/ƷEL (el)
Noldorin [Ety/SPAR; Ety/THOR; EtyAC/ƷEL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Qenya 

helle

noun. sky

A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “sky” derived from the root ᴹ√ƷEL of the same meaning (Ety/ƷEL).

Cognates

  • On. elle “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
  • Ilk. gell “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√ƷEL “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL

Element in

  • ᴹQ. helyanwe “rainbow, (lit.) sky-bridge, rainbow, (lit.) sky-bridge, *sky-joining” ✧ Ety/ƷEL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ƷEL > helle[ɣelle] > [helle]✧ Ety/ƷEL

Variations

  • helle ✧ Ety/ƷEL

Doriathrin

gell

noun. sky

A Doriathrin noun for “sky” derived from the root ᴹ√ƷEL (Ety/ƷEL), probably from a primitive form ✱✶ʒellē [ɣellē] based on its cognates. It is a clear example of how [[ilk|initial [ɣ] became [g]]] in Ilkorin.

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. helle “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√ƷEL “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ƷEL > gell[ɣellē] > [ɣelle] > [gelle] > [gell]✧ Ety/ƷEL
Doriathrin [Ety/ƷEL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Old Noldorin 

el

noun. sky

Derivations

  • ᴹ√ƷEL “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL

Element in

  • On. elyanme “rainbow, (lit.) sky-bridge” ✧ Ety/ƷEL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ƷEL > el[ɣel] > [el]✧ Ety/ƷEL
Old Noldorin [Ety/ƷEL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

elle

noun. sky

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. helle “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√ƷEL “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL

Derivatives

  • N. ell “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ƷEL > elle[ɣelle] > [elle]✧ Ety/ƷEL
Old Noldorin [Ety/ƷEL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

ʒel

root. sky

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “sky”, with derivatives like ᴹQ. helle/N. ell “sky” and ᴹQ. helwa/N. elw “(pale) blue” (Ety/ƷEL). It was the basis for the initial elements of the names N. Elrond, N. Elwing and ᴹQ. Elwe, but elsewhere Tolkien connected these names to √EL “star”. It was also an element in the word N. eilian(w) “rainbow, (lit.) sky-bridge”, later given as S. ninniach. On the basis of these changes, I think it is likely Tolkien abandoned ᴹ√ƷEL, but some of its derived words are still popular in Neo-Eldarin.

Derivatives

  • Ilk. gell “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
  • Ilk. gelu “(pale) blue” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
  • ᴹ✶Helwe “Elwe” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
    • N. Elwe “Elwe” ✧ EtyAC/ƷEL
  • ᴺQ. helin “pansy”
  • ᴹQ. helle “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
  • ᴹQ. helwa “(pale) blue” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
  • ᴹT. Elu
  • On. el “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
  • On. elle “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
    • N. ell “sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
  • On. elwa “(pale) blue” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
    • N. elw “(pale) blue” ✧ Ety/ƷEL

Element in

  • ᴹQ. Elwe ✧ Ety/ƷEL
  • N. Elrond “Starry-dome, Sky” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
  • N. Elwing “Star-spray” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
  • N. eilian(w) “rainbow, (lit.) sky-bridge” ✧ Ety/YAT
  • ᴹT. Elulindo “?Elwe Singer” ✧ Ety/ƷEL
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/ƷEL; Ety/YAT] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

dai

noun. sky

Cognates

  • Eq. taime “sky” ✧ LT1A/Telimektar

Derivations

  • ᴱ√DAHA “*high” ✧ LT1A/Telimektar

Element in

  • G. daimoth “heaven” ✧ GL/29; LT1A/Telimektar
  • G. Dor-na-Dhaideloth “[Land of] Heaven Roof” ✧ LT1A/Telimektar
  • G. Ladwen-na-Dhaideloth “Heath of the Sky-roof” ✧ LT1A/Telimektar
  • G. Daimord “Shepherd of the Sky” ✧ GL/29; LT1A/Telimektar; PE13/112

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√TAHA > dai[daxa] > [dax] > [dai]✧ LT1A/Telimektar

Variations

  • dai ✧ LT1A/Telimektar; PE13/112
Gnomish [GL/29; LT1A/Telimektar; PE13/112] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ilon

noun. sky

A word for “sky” in an early name list from the 1910s and appearing in a couple early names: G. Thlim Quing Ilon “✱Folk of the Heavenly Arc” and G. Cris o Teld Quing Ilon “Gully of the Rainbow Roof” (PE13/101, 104), the latter revised to G. Cris Ilbranteloth (LT2/202). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, however, G. Ilon was the name of Ilúvatar (GL/50).

Derivations

  • ᴱ√ILU “ether, the slender airs among the stars”

Element in

Variations

  • Ilon ✧ LT2A/Teld Quing Ilon; PE13/104; PE13/104; PE15/27 (Ilon)
Gnomish [LT2A/Teld Quing Ilon; PE13/104; PE15/27] Group: Eldamo. Published by

luithon

noun. sky

A word for “sky” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, an elaboration of G. lui “blueness” (GL/55).

Early Noldorin

telum

noun. sky, sky; [G.] roof

Early Noldorin [PE13/153] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

taime

noun. sky

A word for “the sky” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, with variants Taime and Taimie from the early root ᴱ√TAHA [DAHA] (QL/87). ᴱQ. tea “sky” from Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s is probably related, as suggested by Patrick Wynne and Christopher Gilson (PE16/142).

Cognates

  • G. dai “sky” ✧ LT1A/Telimektar
  • G. daimoth “heaven” ✧ LT1A/Telimektar

Derivations

  • ᴱ√DAHA “*high” ✧ LT1A/Telimektar; QL/087

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√TAHA > Taime[taximē] > [taxime] > [taɣime] > [taime]✧ QL/087

Variations

  • Taimë ✧ LT1A/Telimektar
  • Taimië ✧ LT1A/Telimektar
  • tea ✧ PE16/142
  • Taime ✧ QL/088
  • Taimie ✧ QL/088
Early Quenya [LT1A/Telimektar; PE16/142; QL/088] Group: Eldamo. Published by

taimie

noun. sky

tea

noun. sky