talan

noun. platform, flat space, flet [Middle English = ‘floor’]

A noun Tolkien described as a “flet” (Middle English for “floor”) applied to the elevated wooden platforms the Elves of Lórien had in trees from The Lord of the Rings (LotR/342). In notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien said its proper meaning was a “flat space, platform” and it was derived from primitive ✶talam (PE17/52). It seems this word applies to an elevated platform without walls, as opposed to a floor within a building which would be [N.] panas (Ety/PAN). In theory the final n of talan would be lost, but it was likely restored by analogy with its plural form telain.

Conceptual Development: This word appeared as N. talan “flet” in Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s (TI/227).

talan

flat space

pl1. telain** **_ n. _flat space, platform. Q. talan or talma. >> tâl

tâl

flat space

_ n. _flat space, platform. Q. talan or talma. >> talan

talan

noun. flat space, platform, flat space, platform; [ᴹQ.] floor, ground

A word for a “flat space, platform” in notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings, cognate to S. talan and derived from ✶talam (PE17/52). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, ᴹQ. talan was glossed “floor, ground” under the root ᴹ√TALAM “floor, base, ground” (Ety/TALAM).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use talan as a general word for a constructed “floor” or “platform” both with and without walls and possibly above ground level as well, but for natural “ground” I would use [ᴹQ.] hún (QL/39).

talan

floor, base, ground

talan (talam-, e.g. pl. talami) noun "floor, base, ground" (TALAM)

talma

noun. flat space, platform

A variant of talan (talam-) “flat space, platform” in notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (PE17/52).

Neo-Quenya: I would not use this word for this purpose in Neo-Quenya, since elsewhere talma was used for “basis, base, foundation, root” (PE21/80; Ety/TAL).

(cirya)talan

noun. deck (of a ship), main deck

A neologism coined by Parmandil posted on 2024-05-03 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of cirya “ship” and talan “platform”. The full form is ciryatalan, but it is possible to just use talan for “deck” if the context is clear.

sandastan

shield-barrier

sandastan noun "shield-barrier", a battle-formation (UT:282; probably with stem sandastam_- since the final element is derived from a stem stama- "bar, exclude". Compare _talan with stem talam- from the root TALAM.)

cólo

burden

cólo ("k")noun "burden" (VT39:10)

cólo

noun. burden

sandastan

noun. shield-barrier

talan

noun. flet

panas

noun. floor

A noun for “floor” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, an elaboration of N. pân “plank” under the root ᴹ√PAN (Ety/PAN). As such, it likely refers to a constructed floor made of wood or other materials.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. blath “a floor” (GL/23), probably derived from the early root ᴱ√PALA having to do with flat things as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Palúrien).

talam

root. flat space, flat space, [ᴹ√] floor, ground; base, root, foundation