tanna (1) noun "sign, token" (MR:385, PE17:186), also tanwa (PE17:186)
Quenya
narwë
sign, token
tanna
sign, token
tanna
noun. sign, token
Derivations
Element in
- ᴺQ. lantanna “banner, standard”
- Q. Tannacolli “Signifer” ✧ MR/385
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √tana > tanna [tanna] ✧ MR/385 √TAN > tanna [tanna] ✧ PE17/186 ✶tanma > tanwa [tanma] > [tanwa] ✧ PE17/186 Variations
- tanna ✧ MR/385; MR/471; PE17/186
- tanwa ✧ PE17/186 (tanwa)
tanwa
sign, token
tanwa noun "sign, token" (Tolkien marked this word with a query, but it is not clearly rejected). Also tanna (#1). (PE17:186)
tengwa
noun. sign
sign, indicator, letter
tengwa
letter
tengwa (pl. tengwar is attested) (1) noun "letter" Tengwa (ñ) is defined as "any one visible sign representing (theoretically) any one audible teñgwe" (phoneme) (VT39:17). In non-technical usage tengwa was equivalent to "consonant", since only the consonants were full signs (WJ:396, TEK). In the Etymologies, tengwa was apparently emended from tengwë (VT46:17).
tengwa
noun. (written) letter; sign, token, indicator, (written) letter; sign, token, indicator; [ᴹQ.] writing, grammar
Cognates
- S. têw “letter” ✧ LotR/1117; PE17/043; PE17/044; PE17/044; PE17/044; PE17/122; PE17/122; WJ/396
Derivations
- ✶tekmā “letter” ✧ PE17/043; PE17/044; PE18/104
- √TEK “make a written mark, sign, write, make a written mark, sign, write, [ᴹ√] write or draw (signs or letters)” ✧ PE17/043; PE17/044
- ✶teñwā “letter, sign, token” ✧ PE17/044; PE17/044; PE17/044; PE19/097; PE22/149
- √TEÑ “indicate, signify, show, represent, betoken, mark, to point at, indicate, signify, show, represent, betoken, mark, to point at; [ᴱ√] know, understand” ✧ PE17/044; PE17/044; PE17/044; PE19/097; PE22/149
Element in
- Q. óma-tengwë “vowel-sign”
- Q. tengwa- “to read written matter” ✧ VT49/48
- Q. tengwacilmë “spelling” ✧ PE22/149
- ᴺQ. tengwalóra “unlettered”
- Q. tengwassë “alphabet”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶tekmā > tegmā > teñma > tengwa [tekmā] > [tegmā] > [teŋmā] > [teŋgwā] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE17/043 ✶tek-mā > tengwa [tekmā] > [tegmā] > [teŋmā] > [teŋgwā] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE17/044 ✶teñwa > tengwa [teŋwa] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE17/044 ✶teñma > tengwa [teŋwa] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE17/044 ✶teñwa > tengwa [teŋwa] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE17/044 ✶tekma > tengwa [tekma] > [tegma] > [teŋma] > [teŋgwa] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE18/104 ✶teñ-wā > teñgwa [teŋwā] > [teŋgwā] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE19/097 ✶teŋmā > tengwa [teŋmā] > [teŋgwā] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE22/149 Variations
- teñgwa ✧ PE19/097; VT39/17
tengwë
indication, sign, token
tengwë (pl. tengwi attested) noun "indication, sign, token", in linguistics used for phonemes(VT39:7, WJ:394); hloníti tengwi "phonetic signs" (WJ:395). The term tengwë was particularly associated with consonants (VT39:16). In the Etymologies, stem TEK, tengwë is glossed "writing"; this gloss would seem to be obsolete (for this meaning the word sarmë occurs in Tolkien's later material).
tengwë
noun. sign, token, indication; writing, sign, token, indication; writing; [ᴱQ.] knowledge, understanding; idea, notion, thought
Derivations
- ✶tekmē “writing, grammar” ✧ PE19/086
- √TEK “make a written mark, sign, write, make a written mark, sign, write, [ᴹ√] write or draw (signs or letters)” ✧ PE19/086
- ✶teñwe “sign, token, indication” ✧ VT39/04; VT39/17; WJ/394
- √TEÑ “indicate, signify, show, represent, betoken, mark, to point at, indicate, signify, show, represent, betoken, mark, to point at; [ᴱ√] know, understand” ✧ VT39/04; VT39/15; WJ/394
Element in
- ᴺQ. calatengwë “photograph, (lit.) light-writing”
- Q. lambetengwë “consonant” ✧ VT39/16
- Q. náva-tengwë “consonant” ✧ VT39/08
- Q. pávatengwë “consonant” ✧ VT39/08
- ᴺQ. nwátengwë “irony, (lit.) disguise-token”
- Q. óma-tengwë “vowel-sign” ✧ VT39/08; VT39/16
- ᴺQ. tengwelanga “transcription”
- Q. tengwelë “language (general term), language (general term); [ᴱQ.] sense” ✧ VT39/16
- Q. tengwesta “grammar, morphology, system or code of signs, collection of matter concerning writing, *language structure” ✧ PE21/82; VT39/16; WJ/394
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶tekmē > tengwe [tekmē] > [tegmē] > [teŋmē] > [teŋgwē] > [teŋgwe] ✧ PE19/086 ✶teñgwe > tengwe [teŋwe] > [teŋgwe] ✧ VT39/04 ✶teñ-we > teñgwe [teŋwe] > [teŋgwe] ✧ VT39/17 ✶tenwe > tengwe [teŋwe] > [teŋgwe] ✧ WJ/394 Variations
- tengwe ✧ PE19/086 (tengwe); VT39/04; VT39/05; VT39/07; WJ/394; WJ/396
- teñgwe ✧ PE21/82; VT39/16; VT39/17
elen
star
elen noun "star" (SA:êl, elen, EL, VT49:39); pl. eleni (occasionally in verse: eldi) (WJ:362, PE17:127); partitive pl. elelli for elenli (PE17:127), gen. pl. elenion in the phrase Elenion Ancalima "brightest of stars" (LotR2:IV ch. 9; see Letters:385 for translation); elen atta "two stars" (VT49:44), genitive elen atto "of two stars" (VT49:45), eleni neldë "three stars", archaic elenion neldë = "of stars three". Genitive "of 3 stars" = elenion neldë (for archaic elenion neldëo) (VT49:45). Allative elenna "starwards" used as name of Númenor _(Silm; see Elenna)_; ablative pl. elenillor "from stars" in Markirya. **Nai elen siluva ***"may a star shine", VT49:38.
elen
noun. star
The most common Quenya word for “star”, mentioned very frequently, derived from an extended form ✶elen of the root √EL “behold” (PE17/67; WJ/360, 362). Its usual plural form is eleni, but it has an archaic plural †eldi sometimes used in verse, the result of the Ancient Quenya sound whereby [[aq|[ln] became [ld]]] after the ancient plural underwent the Quenya syncope, ✶elenī > AQ. elni; its normal modern plural form eleni was actually a reformation from the singular (PE17/57, 151; WJ/362).
Conceptual Development: This word first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, though in the original entry for the root ᴹ√EL Tolkien said it was poetical and gave variants ellen and elena (Ety/EL).
Cognates
Derivations
Element in
- Q. aiya Eärendil elenion ancalima “hail Eärendil, brightest of stars” ✧ LotR/0720; LotR/0915; PE17/090; PE17/101
- Q. ancalima ep’ eleni “brighter than stars” ✧ PE17/056
- Q. ancalima imbi eleni “brightest among stars” ✧ PE17/091
- Q. arcalima ar eleni “A is brightest of all” ✧ PE17/056
- Q.
arcalima ep’ eleni“far and away brighter than stars” ✧ PE17/056 (arcalima ep’ eleni)- Q. elenion ancalima “brightest of stars” ✧ PE17/056; PE17/056; PE17/056; PE17/057; PE17/091
- Q. Elemmacil “*Star Sword”
- Q. Elemmírë “Elven-gem, Star-gem” ✧ PE19/096
- Q. elen atto “of 2 stars” ✧ VT49/45
- Q. Elendil “Elf-friend, Star-lover”
- Q. Elendur “*Star-servant”
- ᴺQ. elengolmë “astronomy”
- Q. elenillor pella talta-taltala “beyond the stars falling” ✧ MC/222
- Q. eleni neldë “*3 stars” ✧ VT49/45
- Q. elenion neldë “of 3 stars” ✧ VT49/45; VT49/45
- Q. Elenna “Starwards”
- Q. elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo “a star shines on the hour of our meeting” ✧ Let/265; LotR/0081; PE17/012; WJ/367
- Q. Elentári “Queen of the Stars, Star-queen”
- Q. Elentir “*Star-gazer”
- Q. Elentirmo “Star-watcher” ✧ UT/213
- Q. Elenwë
- Q. elenya “adjective referring to the stars, *of the stars, stellar” ✧ WJ/362
- Q. Elerondo “Elrond, (lit.) Star-dome”
- Q. Elerossë “Star Foam”
- Q. Elerrína “Crowned with Stars”
- Q. Elessar “Elfstone”
- Q. Elestirnë “Star-brow”
- Q. nai elen atta siluvat aurenna veryanwesto “*may two stars shine upon the day of your wedding” ✧ VT49/44; VT49/44
- Q. nai elen siluva lyenna “*may a star shine upon you” ✧ VT49/39
- Q. nai elen siluva parma-restalyanna meldonya “*may a star shine upon your book-fair, my friend” ✧ VT49/39
- Q. yassen tintilar i eleni “wherein the stars tremble” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
- Q. yassen tintilar i eleni “in which twinkle the stars” ✧ RGEO/59
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶elen > elen [elen] ✧ PE17/067 ✶elni > eldi [eleni] > [elni] > [eldi] ✧ PE17/151 Variations
- Elen ✧ LotR/0081; WJ/367
coivë
noun. life
taina
sign
#taina (2) noun "sign", isolated from Tainacolli *"Sign-bearer" MR:385
coivië
life
coivië _("k")_noun "life" (coivierya, *"his/her life", VT49:41, 42). In early material, the word is glossed "awakening" instead (LT1:257; in LotR-style Quenya cuivië, as in Cuiviénen)
coivië
noun. life, life, [ᴱQ.] liveliness; awakening
The usual word for “life” in Tolkien’s later writings based on the root √KOY (NM/84, 119; VT49/42), in one place appearing with the variant koive (PE17/68). In another place Tolkien instead used kuivie for “life” in the phrase kuivie-lankasse “on the brink of life”, reflecting Tolkien’s ongoing vacillation between √KOY and √KUY as the root for life.
Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. koivie was “awakening” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/48) as reflected in the name ᴱQ. Koivie-néni “Waters of Awakening” from this period (QL/48), but the word was glossed “liveliness” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/29). The noun for “life, being alive” was ᴹQ. kuile in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√KUY “come to life, awake” (Ety/KUY), but was usually coivie in Tolkien’s writings from the 1950s and 60s, as noted above.
Neo-Quenya: I prefer √KOY as the root for “life” for purposes of Neo-Eldarin, so I’d use coivie as the noun “life, liveliness”, and use cuivië for “awakening” as seen in the later form of the name Q. Cuiviénen “Water of Awakening” (S/48).
Derivations
- √KOY “*live, have life, [ᴹ√] live, have life”
Element in
- ᴺQ. coivenqua “lively, vibrant, vivacious, (lit.) full of life”
- Q. cuivië-lancassë “on the brink of life” ✧ VT42/08
- Q. nai amanya onnalya ter coivierya “*may your (sg.) child be blessed throughout his/her life” ✧ VT49/42
- Q. nai calambar onnalda ter coivierya “*may your (pl.) child be light-fated throughout his/her life” ✧ VT49/42
Variations
- koive ✧ PE17/068
- koivie ✧ PE17/068
- kuivie ✧ VT42/08
coi
life
coi ("k")"life" (LT1:257; in Tolkien's later Quenya cuilë)
él
star
†él noun "star", pl. éli given (WJ:362, EL)
él
noun. star
An archaic or poetic word for star (WJ/362), somewhat common in compounds but in ordinary speech typically appearing as elen. It was derived directly from the primitive root √EL “behold”, the basis for other star words (PM/340; WJ/360).
Conceptual Development: This word first appeared as poetical ᴹQ. él “star” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, already with the derivation given above, though in this document the root ᴹ√EL meant “star” (Ety/EL), a common gloss for the root in later writings as well.
Cognates
- T. él “star” ✧ WJ/362
Derivations
Element in
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √el- > el [el] ✧ PM/340 ✶ēl > él [ēl] ✧ WJ/360 Variations
- el ✧ PM/340
cuivië
noun. life
ílë
star
ílë noun "star" (LT1:269; rather elen, él in LotR-style Quenya.)
cuilë
life, being alive
cuilë ("k")noun "life, being alive" (KUY)
nótë
number
nótë noun "number" (NOT)
sarat
letter
sarat (pl. sarati given) noun "letter", any individual significant mark, used of the letters of Rúmil after the invention of Fëanor's tengwar (WJ:396). Cf. sarmë.
tanwa
noun. sign, token
[narwë (and short nar, unless this is an incomplete form) noun "sign, token"] (VT45:37)