ter

through

ter (1), also terë, prep. "through", "throughout" (Notes on CO, UT:317, TER/TERES, Narqelion, VT44:33, 35, VT49:41, 42). The preposition is used both with spatial and temporal reference: ter i·aldar "through the trees" (Narqelion, cf. VT49:42), ter coivierya "throughout his/her life", ter yénion yéni "through years of years" (VT49:42, VT44:33, 35)

ter

preposition. through

Derivations

• √TER “pierce”

Element in

• Q. et sillumello ter yénion yéni tenn’ ambarmetta “*from this hour, through years of years until the ending of the world” ✧ VT44/35
• 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
• Q. tercáno “herald”
• ᴺQ. tercara “thorough, elaborate, comprehensive”
• Q. tercen “insight, *(lit.) through-sight”
• ᴺQ. tercénima “transparent”
• ᴺQ. tercol- “to endure, carry through”
• Q. termar- “to stand, *endure, last, (lit.) through-abide” ✧ UT/317
• ᴺQ. tervanta- “to traverse”
• Q. terpellië “*temptation”
• Q. terfantië “*temptation”

neldë

cardinal. three

neldë cardinal "three" (SA:neldor, NÉL-ED, VT47:11, VT48:6). Eleni neldë "three stars", archaic elenion neldë = *"of stars three". Genitive "of 3 stars" = elenion neldë (for archaic elenion neldëo) (VT49:45; see 54 regarding neldion as the gen. pl.) Cf. also nelya, neldëa, Neldië.

neldë

cardinal. three, three; [ᴱQ.] four

Cognates

• S. neledh “three” ✧ PE17/095; VT48/06
• T. nelet “three” ✧ VT48/06

Derivations

• ✶nelede “three” ✧ VT47/10
  • √NEL “three, three; [ᴱ√] point, *(tri)angle” ✧ VT47/10
• √NELED “3” ✧ VT47/11

Element in

• Q. eleni neldë “*3 stars” ✧ VT49/45
• Q. elenion neldë “of 3 stars” ✧ VT49/45; VT49/45
• Q. neldëa “third”
• Q. nel(d)esta “one third”
• Q. Neldië “*Trinity”
• ᴺQ. nellumë “thrice, three times”
• ᴺQ. nelquain “thirty”
• ᴺQ. nelequain “thirty”
• ᴺQ. nelequëan “thirty”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶nelede > nelde	[nelede] > [nelde]	✧ VT47/10
√(e)nel-ed > nelde	[nelede] > [nelde]	✧ VT47/11

Variations

• nel-de ✧ PE17/095
• nelde ✧ VT47/10; VT47/11; VT48/06; VT49/45

olë

cardinal. three

olë (2) cardinal "three" (LT1:258; in LotR-style Quenya Tolkien replaced this "Qenya" form with neldë)

neled

cardinal. three

neledh

cardinal. three

neledh

cardinal. three

{ð}_ card. _three. Q. nelde. Fcan, canad, nel

neledh

cardinal. three

Cognates

• Q. neldë “three, three; [ᴱQ.] four” ✧ PE17/095; VT48/06

Derivations

• √NELED “3”

Element in

• S. nelui “third” ✧ VT42/25

Variations

• nel(eð ✧ PE17/095
• nêl ✧ VT42/25
• neleð ✧ VT48/06

nêl

cardinal. three

nêl

cardinal. three

godref

adverb. through together

nel

three, tri

;

trî

through

(prep.) trî ;

trî

through

;

tre

through

(adverbial prefix, sometimes = ”completely”) tre-, tri-. For an example of this prefix, see TELL TO END.

tre

through

tri-. For an example of this prefix, see

nêl

cardinal. three

nêl (note: a homophone means ”tooth”), also neled, archaic neledh.

nêl

three

(note: a homophone means ”tooth”), also neled, archaic neledh.

nelet

cardinal. three

Cognates

• Q. neldë “three, three; [ᴱQ.] four” ✧ VT48/06

Variations

• neled ✧ VT48/21

enel

masculine name. Three

Element in

• Q. Enellië “*Company of Enel”

nel

root. three, three; [ᴱ√] point, *(tri)angle

This root served as the basis for Elvish words for “three” for much of Tolkien’s life. However, in its earliest appearance in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, ᴱ√NELE was glossed “point” with derivatives like ᴱQ. neldor “beech”, ᴱQ. nele “tooth” and ᴱQ. nelt “corner”, while the derived numeral was ᴱQ. nelde “four” (QL/65). The contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon also had G. nel “point, end, tip, jutting end” (GL/60), and G. deldron “beech” was almost certainly derived from a strengthened form of the root ndel- (PE11/8; GL/30). ᴱQ. nelde “three” first appeared in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s (PE14/49, 82).

In the first layer of The Etymologies of the 1930s, this root was glossed “point, triangle” (EtyAC/NEL), but Tolkien changed the gloss of ᴹ√NEL to “three” and gave it two extended roots ᴹ√NELED (also “three”) and ᴹ√NELEK “tooth” (Ety/NEL, NELEK). In this revised paradigm, probably “tooth” was derived from the sense “triangle”. In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Ilk. neldor “beech” was still derived from this root, but was said to refer to the “three trunks” of Hirilorn.

In later writings from the 1950s and 60s, the gloss of √NEL was consistently “three” (WJ/421; VT42/24; VT47/10-11), and the extended form √NELED “three” appeared regularly as well (VT42/24; VT47/11). √NELEK “tooth” also appeared in several documents from the 1940s and 50s (PE19/58; PE21/56, 71).

Derivatives

• ✶neila “3rd”
• ✶nelede “three” ✧ VT47/10
  • Q. neldë “three, three; [ᴱQ.] four” ✧ VT47/10
• ᴺQ. nelma “needle”
• ᴺQ. nelqua “cornered, *angled”
• ᴺQ. neltë “corner”
• Q. Nelwë

Element in

• ✶Enel “Three” ✧ WJ/421
• ✶Enelye ✧ WJ/421
• √NELED “3”
• ✶nelede “three” ✧ VT47/11; VT47/24
• ᴺQ. larnelta “mile; *(lit.) league third”
• ᴺS. nelphaen “thirty”
• ᴺS. paenel “thirteen”

Variations

• nel- ✧ VT47/10
• nel ✧ VT47/11; VT47/24; WJ/421
• enele ✧ VT47/16

nelede

cardinal. three

Derivations

• √NEL “three, three; [ᴱ√] point, *(tri)angle” ✧ VT47/10

Derivatives

• Q. neldë “three, three; [ᴱQ.] four” ✧ VT47/10

Variations

• Nel-de ✧ NM/060
• nel-edē̆ ✧ VT47/24

tri

prefix. through (but denoting completeness when prefixed to verbs, cf. English idioms like "talk something through")

trî

preposition. through

trî

preposition. through

Cognates

• ᴹQ. ter “through” ✧ Ety/TER

Derivations

• On. trī “through” ✧ Ety/TER
  • ᴹ√TER “pierce” ✧ Ety/TER

Element in

• N. godrebh “abreast; *together-through”
• N. tre- “through” ✧ Ety/TER
• N. trenarn “account, tale” ✧ Ety/NAR²

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. trī > trī	[trī]	✧ Ety/TER

Variations

• trī ✧ Ety/TER

tre-

prefix. through (but denoting completeness when prefixed to verbs, cf. English idioms like "talk something through")

tre-

prefix. through

Derivations

• On. trī “through” ✧ Ety/TER
  • ᴹ√TER “pierce” ✧ Ety/TER

Element in

• N. trevad- “to traverse”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. tre- > tre-/tri	[tre-]	✧ Ety/TER

Variations

• tre-/tri ✧ Ety/TER

neled

cardinal. three

neled

cardinal. three

neledh

cardinal. three

neledh

cardinal. three

Changes

• neleth → neled ✧ Ety/NEL

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nelde “three” ✧ Ety/NEL

Derivations

• ᴹ√NELED “three” ✧ Ety/NEL

Element in

• N. lheben teil brann i annon ar neledh neledhi gar godrebh “five foot high the door and three may walk abreast” ✧ TAI/150
• N. Neleduir “Three Kings” ✧ EtyAC/LEP

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√NÉL-ED > neledh	[nelede] > [neleðe] > [neleð]	✧ Ety/NEL

Variations

• neled ✧ Ety/NEL
• neleth ✧ EtyAC/NEL (neleth)

godrebh

adverb. through together