Quenya 

vanima

beautiful, fair

vanima adj. "beautiful, fair" (BAN, VT39:14) (glossed "proper, right, fair" in early "Qenya", LT1:272, though a later source says the word is used "only of living things, especially Elves and Men", PE17:150); nominal pl. vanimar "beautiful ones", partitive pl. genitive vanimálion, translated "of beautiful children", but literally meaning *"of [some] beautiful ones") (LotR3:VI ch. 6, translated in Letters:308). Arwen vanimalda "Beautiful Arwen", literally "Arwen your beauty" (see -lda for reference; changed to Arwen vanimelda in the second edition of LotR; see vanimelda).

vanima

adjective. beautiful

Quenya [PE 22:156] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

vanima

adjective. beautiful, fair, beautiful, fair, *handsome; [ᴱQ.] proper, right, as it should be, fair

A word for “beautiful, fair” derived from the root √BAN of similar meaning (PE17/55, 143, 150, 165). Tolkien specified that this word was used “only of living things, especially Elves or Men” (PE17/150). Tolkien further stated that this would did not mean only “fair (blond)”, because it was applicable to Arwen who had dark hair (PE17/165). Thus it applied to any physically beautiful living creature.

Conceptual Development: The first appearance of this word was the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where ᴱQ. {vana >>} vanĭma was glossed “proper, right, as it should be, fair” under the early root ᴱ√VANA (QL/99). In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was ᴹQ. vanima “fair” under the root ᴹ√BAN (Ety/BAN). In this document it was the basis for ᴹQ. Vanimo “the Beautiful”, indicating that by the 1930s its base meaning had shifted from “proper” to “beautiful”.

Neo-Sindarin: In the “Neologism of the Day” (NotD) series on the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server as posted 2023-05-30, Delle pointed out that this word was not specifically feminine, so could also mean “✱handsome” when applied to males.

Derivations

  • BAN “beauty (due to lack of fault or blemish); fair, beautiful” ✧ PE17/149; PE17/150; PE17/165

Element in

  • Q. úvanima “not fair, ugly; hard to call beautiful, hideous” ✧ PE17/143; PE22/156; VT39/14
  • Q. úvanimo “monster, corrupt or evil creature” ✧ PE17/150
  • Q. vanimelda “beautiful and beloved, elven-fair” ✧ PE17/056; PE17/057
  • Q. vanimalda “most beautiful, exceeding fair; thou beautiful, thou beautiful; most beautiful, exceeding fair” ✧ PE17/055 (vanimalda)

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ɃAN > vanima[banima] > [βanima] > [vanima]✧ PE17/149
BAN > vanima[banima] > [βanima] > [vanima]✧ PE17/150
BAN > vanima[banima] > [βanima] > [vanima]✧ PE17/165

Variations

  • vanima ✧ PE17/055 (vanima); PE17/056; PE17/057; PE17/143; PE17/149 (vanima); PE17/150; PE17/165 (vanima); VT39/14
  • vănĭmā ✧ PE17/057
  • vănima ✧ PE22/156
Quenya [PE17/055; PE17/056; PE17/057; PE17/143; PE17/149; PE17/150; PE17/165; PE22/156; VT39/14] Group: Eldamo. Published by

vanima

noun. beautiful one, fair one

Element in

Quenya [Let/448; LotR/0981; PE17/111] Group: Eldamo. Published by

úvanima

not fair, ugly

úvanima noun "not fair, ugly" (VT39:14). Negated form of vanima.

vanimalda

your beautiful

vanimalda adj. with suffix *"your beautiful"; Arwen vanimalda "Arwen your beauty = beautiful Arwen" (WJ:369, cf. PE17:55).The ending for sg. "your" normally appears as -lya rather than -lda (which according to late sources is rather the ending for plural "your", here inappropriate). Originally Tolkien seems to have intended vanimalda as an inflected form of vanima "beautiful", the ending -lda expressing comparative, superlative or simply "exceedingly" (PE17:56: vanimalda = "exceeding fair"). However, since this ending was later revised out of existence, Tolkien reinterpreted the word. The Second Edition of LotR changes one letter to arrive at the reading vanimelda, q.v. for Tolkiens new explanation.%

vanimelda

the highest word of praise for beauty

vanimelda adj., said to be "the highest word of praise for beauty", with two interpretations that were apparently considered equally valid and simultaneously true: "beautiful and beloved" (vanima + melda, with haplology), i.e. "movingly lovely", but also "elven-fair" (fair as an Elf) (vanima + elda). The word was also used as the second name of Arwen. (PE17:56, Second Edition LotR1:II ch. 16).

alima

fair, good

alima adj. "fair, good" (also alya) (PE17:146)

vanya

fair

vanya (1) adj. "fair" (FS), "beautiful" (BAN), a word referring to beauty that is "due to lack of fault, or blemish" (PE17:150), hence Arda Vanya as an alternative to Arda Alahasta for "Arda Unmarred" (ibid., compare MR:254). Nominal pl. Vanyar "the Fair", the first clan of the Eldar; the original meaning of this stem was "pale, light-coloured, not brown or dark" (WJ:382, 383, stem given as WAN), "properly = white complexion and blonde hair" (PE17:154, stem given as GWAN); stems BAN vs. WAN discussed, see PE17:150.

-ima

fair

-ima adjectival suffix. Sometimes it is used to derive simple adjectives, like vanima "fair" or calima "bright"; it can also take on the meaning "-able" (PE17:68), as in mátima "edible" (mat- "eat"), nótima "countable" (not- "count") and (with a negative prefix) úquétima "unspeakable" (from quet- "speak"). Note that the stem-vowel is normally lengthened in the derivatives where -ima means "-able", though this fails to occur in cenima "visible" (q.v., but contrast hraicénima, q.v.) and also before a consonant cluster as in úfantima "not concealable" (PE17:176). "X-ima" may mean "apt to X" (when the ending is added to an intransitive verbal stem), as in Fírimar "mortals", literally "those apt to die" (WJ:387). The adj. úfantima "not concealable" (PE17:176) also appears as úfantuma (PE17:180), indicating the existence of a variant ending -uma (possibly used to derive adjectives with a "bad" meaning; compare the ending *-unqua next to -inqua, q.v.)

vanë

fair

vanë adj. "fair" (LT1:272; in Tolkien's later Quenya rather vanya)

vanë

adjective. fair, fair, [ᴱQ.] lovely

Derivations

  • BAN “beauty (due to lack of fault or blemish); fair, beautiful” ✧ PE17/056

Element in

  • Q. úvanë(a) “without beauty”
  • Q. vanessë “beauty” ✧ PE17/056
  • Q. vanië “beauty” ✧ PE17/056
  • Q. vanima “beautiful, fair, beautiful, fair, *handsome; [ᴱQ.] proper, right, as it should be, fair” ✧ PE17/056

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
BAN > vane[bani] > [bane] > [βane] > [vane]✧ PE17/056

Variations

  • vane ✧ PE17/056

alya

fair, good

alya (1) adj. "fair, good" (PE17:146), "prosperous, rich, abundant, blessed" (GALA). In a deleted entry in Etym, the glosses provided were "rich, blessed"; another deleted entry defined alya as "rich, prosperous, blessed". (GALA, [ÁLAM], VT42:32, 45:5, 14)

calwa

beautiful

calwa ("k") adj. "beautiful" (LT1:254)

linda

fair, beautiful

linda adj. "fair, beautiful" (of sound) (SLIN, LIND; VT45:27), "soft, gentle, light" (PE16:96), "beautiful, sweet, melodious of sound" (PE17:150); for Linda as a noun, see Lindar.

mairëa

beautiful

mairëa adj. "beautiful" (of things made by art) (PE17:163). An alternative (and peculiar) form "mairia" is also implied in the source.

mírya

beautiful

mírya adj. "beautiful" (of work of art only) (PE17:165)

Sindarin 

gwana

noun/adjective. fair

Changes

  • gwaingwana “fair, general word for Elves” ✧ PE17/140

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
wanasō > gwana[wanasō] > [wanaso] > [wanaho] > [gwanaho] > [gwanah] > [gwana]✧ PE17/140

Variations

  • gwain ✧ PE17/140 (gwain)
Sindarin [PE17/140] Group: Eldamo. Published by

bain

fair

_ adj. _fair, good, blessed, wholesome, favourable, without evil/bad element, not dangerous, evil or hostile. bân or bain << bân pl. bain. >> bân

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:150] < BAN beauty, with implication that it is due to _lack of fault_ or _blemish_. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

bain

adjective. beautiful, fair

Sindarin [Ety/351, Ety/359, X/EI] Group: SINDICT. Published by

bain

beautiful

_ adj. _beautiful. Q. vanya.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:165] < _banya_ < BAN fair, beautiful. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

bân

adjective. fair

_ adj. _fair, good, wholesome, favourable, not dangerous, evil or hostile. bân or bain << bân pl. bain. >> bain

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:150] < BAN beauty, with implication that it is due to _lack of fault_ or _blemish_. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

gwain

adjective. fair

adj. fair. . This gloss was rejected.

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

gwân

adjective. fair

_ adj. _fair, pale.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:165] < _gwan_ < GWAN pale, fair. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

lind

adjective. fair

Derivations

  • LIN “sing, make a musical sound, sing, make a musical sound, [ᴱ√] gentle”

Element in

  • S. Linhir “Fair Stream” ✧ RC/587

Variations

  • lin ✧ RC/587 (lin)

fael

adjective. fair minded, just, generous

Sindarin [PM/352] Etym. "having a good fëa". Group: SINDICT. Published by

bain

fair

bain (beautiful). Lenited vain. No distinct pl. form.

bain

fair

(beautiful). Lenited vain. No distinct pl. form.

bain

beautiful

bain (fair). Lenited vain. No distinct pl. form.

bain

beautiful

(fair). Lenited vain. No distinct pl. form.

Primitive elvish

bani

adjective. fair

Element in

  • Q. vanië “beauty” ✧ PE17/057
  • Q. vanima “beautiful, fair, beautiful, fair, *handsome; [ᴱQ.] proper, right, as it should be, fair” ✧ PE17/057

Variations

  • vanĭ ✧ PE17/057
Primitive elvish [PE17/057] Group: Eldamo. Published by

banya

adjective. beautiful

Derivations

  • BAN “beauty (due to lack of fault or blemish); fair, beautiful” ✧ PE17/165

Derivatives

  • Q. Vanya “Fair Elves, the Fair” ✧ PM/402
    • T. Vania “Vanya” ✧ WJ/383
  • Q. vanya “fair, beautiful, unmarred; fair-haired (yellow to golden), fair, beautiful, unmarred; fair-haired (yellow to golden); [ᴱQ.] good (not evil), holy” ✧ PE17/165
  • S. bain “fair, beautiful; good, wholesome, favorable; fair-haired, beautiful; good, wholesome, favorable; fair, fair-haired” ✧ PE17/165
Primitive elvish [PE17/165; PM/402] Group: Eldamo. Published by

wanyā

adjective. fair

Derivations

  • (G)WAN “pale, fair” ✧ WJ/383

Derivatives

  • Q. Vanya “Fair Elves, the Fair” ✧ WJ/380; WJ/383
    • T. Vania “Vanya” ✧ WJ/383

Variations

  • wanjā ✧ WJ/380; WJ/383
Primitive elvish [WJ/380; WJ/383] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

bein

adjective. beautiful, fair

Noldorin [Ety/351, Ety/359, X/EI] 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 

vanima

adjective. fair

Derivations

  • ᴹ√BAN “*beauty” ✧ Ety/BAN

Element in

  • ᴹQ. Vanimo “The Beautiful; Fair Folk” ✧ Ety/BAN

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√BAN > vanima[banima] > [βanima] > [vanima]✧ Ety/BAN

vanya

adjective. beautiful, fair

Cognates

  • N. bein “fair, beautiful” ✧ Ety/BAN

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶bányā “beautiful” ✧ Ety/BAN
    • ᴹ√BAN “*beauty” ✧ Ety/BAN

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶bányā > vanya[banjā] > [βanjā] > [βanja] > [vanja]✧ Ety/BAN
Qenya [Ety/BAN; LR/072] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

bányā

adjective. beautiful

Derivations

  • ᴹ√BAN “*beauty” ✧ Ety/BAN

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. vanya “beautiful, fair” ✧ Ety/BAN
  • N. bein “fair, beautiful” ✧ Ety/BAN
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/BAN] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

gwanin

adjective. beautiful

gwandra

adjective. beautiful

Cognates

  • Eq. vane “fair, lovely” ✧ LT1A/Vána

Element in

Variations

  • gwanin ✧ GL/44
Gnomish [GG/09; GG/15; GG/16; GL/44; LT1A/Vána] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

vanima

adjective. proper, right, as it should be, fair

Changes

  • vanavanĭma ✧ QL/099

Element in

Variations

  • vanĭma ✧ QL/099
  • vana ✧ QL/099 (vana)
Early Quenya [LT1A/Vána; QL/099] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mailina

adjective. beautiful

Changes

  • mailinamailinen ✧ PE14/056

Element in

Early Quenya [PE14/056] Group: Eldamo. Published by