Quenya 

-më

suffix. abstract noun

- (2) abstract suffix, as in melmë "love" (cf. the verb mel-), #cilmë "choice" (possibly implying a verb *cil- "to choose"). According to PE17:68, primitive - (and -) were endings used to derive nouns denoting "a single action", which may fit the meaning of cilmë (but melmë "love" would normally be something lasting rather than "a single action").

nem-

sew

nem- vb. "sew" (cited in the form neme), pa.t. néme (QL:65)

meles

love

meles, melessë noun "love" (LT1:262; rather melmë in Tolkien's later Quenya)

melmë

love

melmë noun "love" (MEL)

Sindarin 

cil-

verb. choose

Sindarin [KIL] < [[cilmë]]. Published by

meleth

love

(noun) meleth (i veleth), pl. melith (i melith)

meleth

love

(i veleth), pl. melith (i melith)

uiveleth

hJrな$3F noun. eternal love, love that will last for ever

The prefix ‘ui-’ that means eternal plus lenited form of meleth (love) ‘veleth’.

Sindarin [Tara.istad.org] Published by

mela

love

(vb.) mela- (i vela, i melar), pa.t. melant (VT45:34)

mela

love

(i vela, i melar), pa.t. melant (VT45:34)

mîl

love

mîl (i vîl) (affection, kindness), no distinct form in pl. except with article (i mîl), coll. pl. míliath

mîl

love

(i vîl) (affection, kindness), no distinct form in pl. except with article (i mîl), coll. pl. míliath

Primitive elvish

ther

root. sew

The root √THER or √SER “saw” appears in a discussion of the name Q. Vairë “Weaver” probably from the late 1950s, with Tolkien preferring √THER because it could be a variant of √TER “pierce” (PE17/33). That section of the discussion was rejected (PE17/34), but given Tolkien’s later use of †Þerindë > Q. Serindë “Broideress” or “Needlewoman” as a sobriquet for Fëanor’s mother Q. Míriel (MR/185; PM/333), it seems √THER “sew” survived. This root could be a later iteration of ᴱ√SERE “twine, tie, bind” from Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. serma “string, cord” and ᴱQ. serta- “tie” (QL/83); its Gnomish derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. ther- “tie” and G. theres “ribbon” make it clear the actual early root was ✱ᴱ√ÞERE (GL/72).

Derivatives

  • Q. ser- “*to sew”

Variations

  • SER ✧ PE17/033 (SER)
Primitive elvish [PE17/033] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mel

root. love, love, [ᴹ√] love (as friend)

This root was the basis for Elvish “love” words for all of Tolkien’s life. The root first appeared as ᴱ√MELE “love” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. mel- “to love”, ᴱQ. meles(se) “love”, and ᴱQ. melin “dear, beloved” (QL/60). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon it had similar derivatives like G. mel- “love” and G. melon “dear, beloved” (GL/57).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien specified that ᴹ√MEL meant “love (as friend)”, and for the first time it included the derivative N. mellon “friend” (Ety/MEL); Gnomish “friend” words from the 1910s were mostly based on G. ged (GL/38). However, the same entry included ᴹQ. melindo/ᴹQ. melisse “lover” (male and female), so it seems even in the 1930s it could refer to romantic love (Ety/MEL). The root continued to appear in Tolkien’s later writings associated with “love” (PE18/46, 96; PE17/41; VT39/10).

In notes from 1959, Tolkien elaborated on the precise sense of √MEL and its role in romantic and non-romantic love:

> Love, which Men might call “friendship” (but for the greater strength and warmth and permanency with which it was felt by the Quendi) was represented by √mel. This was primarily a motion or inclination of the fëa [“spirit”], and therefore could occur between persons of the same sex or different sexes. It included no sexual or procreative desire, though naturally in Incarnates the difference of sex altered the emotion, since “sex” is held by the Eldar to belong also to the fëa and not solely to the hröa [“body”], and is therefore not wholly included in procreation ... The “desire” for marriage and bodily union was represented by √yer; but this never in the uncorrupted occurred without “love” √mel, nor without the desire for children. This element was therefore seldom used except to describe occasions of its dominance in the process of courting and marriage. The feelings of lovers desiring marriage, and of husband and wife, were usually described by √mel. This “love” remained, of course, permanent after the satisfaction of √yer in the “Time of the Children”; but was strengthened by this satisfaction and the memory of it to a normally unbreakable bond (NM/20).

Thus √MEL was close in sense to Greek “philia”, used of friendship, whereas √YER was used of “eros” or sexual desire. But in Elvish thinking, √MEL was essential for romantic love, and √YER only arose from that. Furthermore, √YER was not the most important element in the love between romantic partners, as the period of procreation and child-rearing took up a relatively small portion of Elvish lives. It was the more enduring feeling of friendship between lovers that really mattered, and thus √MEL was used of both non-romantic and romantic love, though it had not particular sexual connotation.

Derivatives

  • melā- “to love”
    • Q. mel- “to love”
  • melnā “dear, beloved” ✧ PE17/041
    • Q. melda “dear, beloved, beloved, dear, [ᴹQ.] sweet” ✧ PE17/041; PE17/056
    • S. mell “dear, beloved” ✧ PE17/041
  • Q. emel “love [abstract]” ✧ NM/016
  • Q. málo “friend, comrade” ✧ PE18/096
  • Q. méla “loving, affectionate” ✧ VT39/10
  • Q. meldë “*friend (f.)”
  • Q. meldo “friend, lover”
  • Q. melmë “love (a particular case [between two people])” ✧ NM/016
  • ᴺQ. melta- “to enamour”
  • ᴺQ. melu- “to fall in love”
  • Q. melya- “[unglossed], *to be in love”
  • S. mel- “to love”
  • S. mellon “friend” ✧ SA/mel
  • T. mála “loving, affectionate” ✧ VT39/10

Element in

Variations

  • mel ✧ NM/016; NM/020
  • mel- ✧ SA/mel
Primitive elvish [NM/016; NM/020; PE17/041; PE17/165; PE18/096; PE22/129; SA/mel; VT39/10] Group: Eldamo. Published by

melā

verb. love

Primitive elvish [PE 22:134] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

ndilā

verb. love, be devoted to

Primitive elvish [PE 22:134] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

ther

root. sew, sew; [ᴱ√] twine, tie, bind

Derivatives

  • ᴺQ. serma “string, cord”
  • ᴺS. ther- “to sew”
  • ᴺS. theres “ribbon, tie”

Noldorin 

meleth

noun. love

Noldorin [Ety/372] Group: SINDICT. Published by

meleth

noun. love

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. melme “love” ✧ Ety/MEL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√MEL “love (as friend)” ✧ Ety/MEL

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
MEL“love (as friend)”
-th“abstract noun”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√MEL > meleth[melette] > [melettʰe] > [meleθθe] > [meleθθ] > [meleθ]✧ Ety/MEL

mel-

verb. to love

Noldorin [VT/45:34] Group: SINDICT. Published by

mîl

noun. love, affection

Noldorin [Ety/372] Group: SINDICT. 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 

melme

noun. love

Cognates

  • N. meleth “love” ✧ Ety/MEL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√MEL “love (as friend)” ✧ Ety/MEL

Elements

WordGloss
mel-“to love (as friend)”
-me“abstract noun”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√MEL > melme[melme]✧ Ety/MEL

Middle Primitive Elvish

ser

root. love, be fond of (of liking, friendship)

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “love, be fond of (of liking, friendship)” with derivatives like ᴹQ. serme, ᴹQ. sermo, and ᴹQ. seron, all meaning “friend” = feminine, masculine and neuter respectively (Ety/SER). Tolkien also considered given this root the form ᴹ√THER (EtyAC/SER). Tolkien compared ᴹ√SER to ᴹ√SON “love, befriend, cherish” which was “only used of persons” and had derivatives ᴹQ. sonda “dear, fond” and ᴹQ. sondo/N. thond “friend” (the latter implying a root ✱ᴹ√THON), but the root ᴹ√SON was rejected (EtyAC/SON). Tolkien further compared ᴹ√SER to ᴹ√MEL “love (as friend)” (EtyAC/MEL), which is a much better known basis for “love” and “friend” words in both earlier and later writings. However, Tolkien’s use of S. seron “lover” in the 1968 name S. Seron Aearon “Sea-lover” (PM/348) indicates he did not complete abandon ᴹ√SER.

Neo-Eldarin: I would retain this root for purposes of Neo-Eldarin, but would assume it applies to a less intense form of love and friendship than √MEL, more “like” than “love”.

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. -ser “friend” ✧ Ety/SER
  • ᴹQ. serme “friend (f.)” ✧ Ety/SER
  • ᴹQ. sermo “friend” ✧ Ety/SER
  • ᴹQ. seron “friend” ✧ Ety/SER
  • S. seron “lover”

Variations

  • THER ✧ EtyAC/SER (THER)
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/SER; EtyAC/MEL; EtyAC/SER; EtyAC/SON] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

meleth

noun. love

Element in

Gnomish [GL/57; LT1A/Nessa] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

mele

root. love

Derivatives

  • Eq. mel- “to love” ✧ QL/060
  • Eq. Melesta ✧ LT1A/Nessa
  • Eq. melin “dear, beloved” ✧ QL/060
  • Eq. Melinir ✧ LT1A/Nessa
  • Eq. Melinon ✧ LT1A/Nessa
  • Eq. mella “girl” ✧ QL/060
  • Eq. meles(se) “love” ✧ LT1A/Nessa; QL/060
  • Eq. melwa “lovely, fair” ✧ LT1A/Nessa; QL/060
  • G. bless “grace, kindness, good feeling”
  • G. mel- “to love” ✧ LT1A/Nessa

Element in

  • Eq. melitse “darling, sweetheart” ✧ QL/060
Early Primitive Elvish [LT1A/Nessa; QL/060] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

meles(se)

noun. love

Derivations

  • ᴱ√MELE “love” ✧ LT1A/Nessa; QL/060

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√MELE > meles[meless] > [meles]✧ QL/060

Variations

  • meles(së) ✧ LT1A/Nessa
  • meles ✧ QL/060
  • melesse ✧ QL/060
Early Quenya [LT1A/Nessa; PME/060; QL/060] Group: Eldamo. Published by