Quenya 

sinda

adjective. grey

The best known Quenya word for “grey” and an element in a number of names. It is also used as a noun Sinda “Grey Elf”. Tolkien sometimes used a variant form sindë, but the form sinda is more recognizable.

Cognates

  • S. thind “grey, grey, [N.] pale” ✧ PE17/072; SA/thin(d)

Derivations

  • THIN “*grey” ✧ PE17/072
  • thindā “grey” ✧ PE17/072

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ΘIN > sinda[tʰinda] > [θinda] > [sinda]✧ PE17/072
þindā > sinda[tʰindā] > [θindā] > [θinda] > [sinda]✧ PE17/072

Variations

  • Sinda ✧ PE21/77
Quenya [PE17/072; PE17/117; PE21/77; SA/thin(d)] Group: Eldamo. Published by

sinda

grey

sinda (þ) adj. "grey" (PE17:72); nominal pl. Sindar used = "Grey-elves", lit. *"Grey ones"; see WJ:375. Gen. pl. Sindaron in WJ:369. With general meaning "grey" also in Sindacollo > Singollo "Grey-cloak, Thingol" (SA:thin(d), PE17:72; see also sindë, Sindicollo);†sindanórië "grey land", ablative sindanóriello "from/out of a grey country" (Nam); the reference is to a "mythical region of shadows lying at outer feet of the Mountains of Valinor" (PE17:72). However, other sources give sindë (q.v.) as the Quenya word for "grey"; perhaps sinda came to mean primarily "Grey-elf" as a noun. Derived adjective Sindarin "Grey-elven", normally used as a noun to refer to the Grey-elven language. (Appendix F)

sindë

grey, pale or silvery grey

sindë (þ) adj. "grey, pale or silvery grey" (the Vanyarin dialect preserves the older form þindë) (WJ:384, THIN; in SA:thin(d) the form given is sinda, cf. also sindanóriello "from a grey country" in Namárië. Sindë and sinda_ are apparently variants of the same word.) _Stem sindi-, given the primitive form ¤thindi; cf. Sindicollo (q.v.)

Sindel

grey-elf

Sindel (þ) (Sindeld-, as in pl. Sindeldi) noun "Grey-elf" = Sinda pl. Sindar, but less common (WJ:384)

hiswa

grey

hiswa (þ) adj. "grey" (KHIS/KHITH, Narqelion)

mista

grey

mista adj. "grey"; see lassemista

mista

adjective. grey

Cognates

  • S. mith “grey, light grey, pale grey”

Derivations

Element in

mísë

grey

mísë (þ, cf. Sindarin mith-) adj. "grey" (used as noun of grey clothes in the phrase mi mísë of someone clad "in grey"). The underlying stem refers a paler or whiter "grey" than sinda, making mísë "a luminous grey" (PE17:71-72)

Sindarin 

thind

Thind

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:140] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thind

adjective. grey, grey, [N.] pale

if from þindā, why no a-affection? @@@

Cognates

  • Q. sinda “grey” ✧ PE17/072; SA/thin(d)
  • Q. sindë “grey, pale or silvery grey, grey, pale or silvery grey, [ᴹQ.] pale” ✧ PE17/141

Derivations

  • thindā “grey” ✧ PE17/072
  • thindi “grey” ✧ PE17/140; PE17/141
    • THIN “*grey” ✧ WJ/384

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
þindā > thin(n)[tʰindā] > [tʰinda] > [θinda] > [θind] > [θinn]✧ PE17/072
þindĭ- > thind[tʰindi] > [tʰinde] > [θinde] > [θind]✧ PE17/140

Variations

  • thin(n) ✧ PE17/072; PE17/112
  • thinn ✧ PE17/141
  • thin(d) ✧ SA/thin(d)
Sindarin [PE17/072; PE17/112; PE17/140; PE17/141; SA/thin(d)] Group: Eldamo. Published by

thind

adjective. grey, pale

Sindarin [Ety/392, S/438] Group: SINDICT. Published by

thind

adjective. grey

adj. grey. Q. sinda. >> thin, Thingol, thinn

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:72:112:141] < _þindā_ grey. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thind

adjective. grey

_ adj. _grey. Obsolete except in names as Thingol. >> hithren

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:140] < _þindĭ_-. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thind

Grey-Elf

pl2. thindrim n. #Grey-Elf.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:141] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thin

adjective. grey

adj. grey. Q. sinda. >> thind, Thingol, thinn

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:72:112] < _þindā_ grey. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thindon

noun. Grey-Elf

masc. n. #Grey-Elf. >> -on

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:141] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thinedh

noun. Grey-Elf

{ð} fem. n. #Grey-Elf. >> -eth

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:141] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thinidh

Grey-Elf

pl2. thinidhrim {ð} n. #Grey-Elf.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:141] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

Thend

Grey-Elf

pl2. thendrim, thennath n. #Grey-Elf. Tolkien notes that in the plural forms "The e is analogical from (rare) sg. thend" (PE17:141).

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:141] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thinn

adjective. grey

thinn

adjective. grey

adj. grey. Q. sinda. >> thin, thind, Thingol

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:72:112:141] < _þindā_ grey. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thinn

adjective. grey

_adj. _grey. Q. sinde.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:141] < _thindi-_. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thindeth

noun. Grey-Elf

fem. n. #Grey-Elf. >> -eth

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:141] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thinidhes

noun. Grey-Elf

{ð} fem. n. #Grey-Elf.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:141] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thenn

Grey-Elf

pl1. thinn n. Grey-Elf. Q. thinda, sinda. The form thinn is given with a dagger, indicating an archaic or poetical form.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:141] < _thindā_. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

hithren

adjective. grey

_ adj. _grey. >> thind

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:140] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

hithren

adjective. grey

Elements

WordGloss
hîth“mist”

mithren

adjective. grey

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
mith“grey, light grey, pale grey”
-ren“adjective suffix”
Sindarin [LotR/1064] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mithren

adjective. grey

Sindarin [UT/436] Group: SINDICT. Published by

thennes

noun. Grey-Elf

fem. n. Grey-Elf. >> -es

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:141] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thennon

noun. Grey-Elf

pl1. thennyn masc. n. Grey-Elf. Note the rule on the same page stating that the ending was "after n -or". >> -on

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:141] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thennor

noun. Grey-Elf

pl1. thennyr masc. n. Grey-Elf.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:141] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

thenneth

noun. Grey-Elf

fem. n. Grey-Elf. >> -eth

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:141] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

mith

grey

adj. grey, light grey. >> Mithrandir, mithril

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:47:60:140] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

mith

adjective. (pale) grey

Sindarin [Ety/373, S/434, TC/187] Group: SINDICT. Published by

mithren

grey

1) *mithren (lenited vithren, pl. mithrin). 2) thind (pale); no distinct pl. form. 3) (pale grey) mith (lenited vith; no distinct pl. form). David Salo would read mîth with a long vowel. Note: a homophone means ”white fog, wet mist”.

send

grey-elf

#send (i hend, o send, construct sen) _(probably a term only used by the Noldor, borrowed from Quenya Sinda)_, pl. sind (i sind), coll. pl. Sendrim.

Primitive elvish

thindi

adjective. grey

Derivations

  • THIN “*grey” ✧ WJ/384

Derivatives

  • Q. sindë “grey, pale or silvery grey, grey, pale or silvery grey, [ᴹQ.] pale” ✧ PE17/141; WJ/384
  • S. thind “grey, grey, [N.] pale” ✧ PE17/140; PE17/141
  • Van. thindë “grey, pale or silvery grey” ✧ WJ/384

Variations

  • þindĭ- ✧ PE17/140
  • thindi- ✧ PE17/141
  • thini ✧ PE21/81
Primitive elvish [PE17/140; PE17/141; PE21/81; WJ/384] Group: Eldamo. Published by

thindā

adjective. grey

Derivations

Derivatives

  • Q. sinda “grey” ✧ PE17/072
  • S. thind “grey, grey, [N.] pale” ✧ PE17/072

Variations

  • þindā ✧ PE17/072
Primitive elvish [PE17/072; PE21/81] Group: Eldamo. Published by

thini

adjective. grey

stin

root. grey

Primitive elvish [PE17/184; PE17/186] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mith

root. grey

Tolkien introduced the root ᴹ√MITH in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a blending of ᴹ√MIS “✱wet” and ᴹ√KHITH “mist, fog”, with the derivative N. mith “white fog, wet mist” as in N. Mithrim “✱Mist Lake” (Ety/MITH, RINGI; EtyAC/MITH). As a later addition to this entry Tolkien wrote the adjective N. mith “grey”, and that was the more common use of this word in Tolkien’s later writings. In a 1955 letter to David Masson Tolkien specified that “usage suggests that MIÞ- is paler and whiter, a luminous grey” (PE17/72).

Derivatives

  • Q. mísë “(light) grey”
  • Q. mista “grey”
  • S. mith “grey, light grey, pale grey”

Variations

  • MIÞ ✧ PE17/072
Primitive elvish [PE17/072] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

thind

adjective. grey, pale

Noldorin [Ety/392, S/438] Group: SINDICT. Published by

thinn

adjective. grey, pale

Noldorin [Ety/392, S/438] Group: SINDICT. Published by

mith

adjective. (pale) grey

Noldorin [Ety/373, S/434, TC/187] Group: SINDICT. Published by

mith

adjective. grey

Derivations

  • ᴹ√MITH “*mist, grey” ✧ Ety/MITH

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√MITH > mith[mitʰe] > [miθe] > [miθ]✧ Ety/MITH

Variations

  • mith ✧ Ety/MITH

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 

hiswa

adjective. grey, grey [of weather], *foggy, overcast; [ᴱQ.] dim, fading

This word is glossed “grey” in The Etymologies, but perhaps means “✱foggy, overcast”, since Sindarin cognate hethw means “foggy, obscure, vague” and related noun hiswë means “fog”. @@@

Cognates

  • N. hethw “foggy, obscure, vague” ✧ Ety/KHIS
  • Ilk. hedhu “grey” ✧ Ety/KHIS

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶khithwa ✧ Ety/KHIS
    • ᴹ√KHITH “mist, fog” ✧ Ety/KHIS

Elements

WordGloss
hiswe“fog”
-a“adjectival suffix”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶khithwa > hiswa[kʰitʰwa] > [kʰiθwa] > [xiθwa] > [hiθwa] > [hiswa]✧ Ety/KHIS

Doriathrin

thind

masculine name. Thind

A shorter Ilkorin name for Ilk. Thingol appearing in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/THIN). It is simply thind “grey” used as a name.

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. Sindo “The Grey” ✧ Ety/THIN

Elements

WordGloss
thind“grey”
Doriathrin [Ety/THIN] Group: Eldamo. Published by

thind

adjective. grey

An adjective for “grey” derived from primitive ᴹ✶thindi (Ety/THIN) because primitive final vowels vanished in Ilkorin.

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. sinde “grey, pale” ✧ Ety/THIN

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶thindi “pallid, grey, wan” ✧ Ety/THIN
    • ᴹ√THIN “*grey” ✧ Ety/THIN

Element in

  • Ilk. Thind ✧ Ety/THIN
  • Ilk. Thingol “*Grey-wise” ✧ Ety/THIN

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶thindi > thind[tʰindi] > [tʰinde] > [θinde] > [θind]✧ Ety/THIN
Doriathrin [Ety/THIN] Group: Eldamo. Published by

hedhu

adjective. grey

A Doriathrin adjective for “grey” written heðu in The Etymologies, and derived from the primitive form ᴹ✶khithwa [kʰitʰwa] (Ety/KHIS). This word illustrates several interesting phonetic changes in Ilkorin.

  • The [[ilk|[i] became [e] before the final [a]]].

  • Both the aspirates became voiceless spirants: [kʰ-] > [x-] and [-tʰ-] > [-θ-].

  • Later the [[ilk|initial [x-] became [h-]]].

  • Meanwhile the [[ilk|medial [-θ-] voiced to [-ð-]]] (“dh”).

  • The [[ilk|primitive final [a] was lost]].

  • Afterwards, the resulting [[ilk|final [w] became [u]]].

In most other Doriathrin words, a [[ilk|final [u] from [w] further developed into [o]]]; it is unclear why this change did not occur here.

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. hiswa “grey, grey [of weather], *foggy, overcast; [ᴱQ.] dim, fading” ✧ Ety/KHIS

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶khithwa ✧ Ety/KHIS
    • ᴹ√KHITH “mist, fog” ✧ Ety/KHIS

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶khithwa > heðu[kʰitʰwa] > [kʰetʰwa] > [xetʰwa] > [xeθwa] > [xeθw] > [xeðw] > [heðw] > [heðu]✧ Ety/KHIS

Variations

  • heðu ✧ Ety/KHIS (Dor. heðu); EtyAC/KHIS (Dor. heðu)
Doriathrin [Ety/KHIS; EtyAC/KHIS] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

musc

adjective. grey