vanya
fair
vanya
adjective. fair, beautiful, unmarred; fair-haired (yellow to golden), fair, beautiful, unmarred; fair-haired (yellow to golden); [ᴱQ.] good (not evil), holy
Cognates
Derivations
- √BAN “beauty (due to lack of fault or blemish); fair, beautiful” ✧ PE17/056; PE17/149; PE17/150
- ✶wanya “fair-haired (yellow to golden)” ✧ PE17/150; PE17/150
- √(G)WAN “pale, fair” ✧ PE17/150
- √(G)WAN “pale, fair” ✧ PE17/154; PE17/165
- ✶banya “beautiful” ✧ PE17/165
- √BAN “beauty (due to lack of fault or blemish); fair, beautiful” ✧ PE17/165
Element in
- Q. Arda Vanya “Arda Unmarred” ✧ PE17/150
- Q. ilvan(y)a “perfect” ✧ PE17/150
- Q. úvana “marred” ✧ PE17/150
- Q. Vanya “Fair Elves, the Fair”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √BAN > vanya [banja] > [βanja] > [vanja] ✧ PE17/056 √ɃAN > vanya [banja] > [βanja] > [vanja] ✧ PE17/149 √BAN > vanya [banja] > [βanja] > [vanja] ✧ PE17/150 ✶wanya > vanya [wanja] > [βanja] > [vanja] ✧ PE17/150 ✶wana > văna [wanja] > [βanja] > [vanja] ✧ PE17/150 √GWAN > vanya [gwanja] > [ɣwanja] > [wanja] > [vanja] ✧ PE17/154 ✶banya > vanya [banja] > [βanja] > [vanja] ✧ PE17/165 √GWAN > wana [gwanja] > [ɣwanja] > [wanja] > [vanja] ✧ PE17/165 Variations
- văna ✧ PE17/150
- wana ✧ PE17/165 (wana)
- wanya ✧ PE17/165 (wanya)
vanya
proper name. Fair Elves, the Fair
An Elf of the first tribe, known as “The Fair” (S/53). Their name developed from the primitive root √(G)WAN “pale, fair” referring to their fair hair (WJ/383).
Conceptual Development: Tolkien also considered deriving this name from primitive ✶banya “beautiful” (PM/402) from the root √BAN (PE17/165). In Quenya, these two roots were blended, so both origins could have been true in a sense.
Cognates
- T. Vania “Vanya” ✧ WJ/383; WJI/Vanyar
Derivations
Derivatives
- T. Vania “Vanya” ✧ WJ/383
Element in
- Q. Vanyarin “*of the Vanyar; language of the Vanyar”
Elements
Word Gloss vanya “fair, beautiful, unmarred; fair-haired (yellow to golden), fair, beautiful, unmarred; fair-haired (yellow to golden); [ᴱQ.] good (not evil), holy” Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶Banyai > Vanyar [banjar] > [βanjar] > [vanjar] ✧ PM/402 ✶wanjā > Vanyar [wanjar] > [βanjar] > [vanjar] ✧ WJ/380 ✶wanjā > Vanyar [wanjar] > [βanjar] > [vanjar] ✧ WJ/383
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
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
Development Stages Sources √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
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)
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
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √BAN > vane [bani] > [bane] > [βane] > [vane] ✧ PE17/056 Variations
- vane ✧ PE17/056
vanië
beauty
vanië noun "beauty" (PE17:56), apparently formed from vanya #1. Synonym vanessë.
vanië
noun. beauty
Elements
Word Gloss vanë “fair, fair, [ᴱQ.] lovely” Variations
- vanie ✧ PE17/056; PE17/057
vannë
vannë
vannë pa.t. of vanya-(WAN)
vanessë
beauty
vanessë noun "beauty" (LT1:272, PE17:56). Also vanië.
vanessë
noun. beauty
Cognates
- ᴺS. banath “beauty”
Variations
- vanesse ✧ PE17/056
alima
fair, good
alima adj. "fair, good" (also alya) (PE17:146)
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.
látie
noun. openness
Elements
Word Gloss láta “open (not closed)” -ië “abstract noun, adverb”
látië
openness
látië noun "openness" (VT39:23)
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)
-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.)
-ië
openness
-ië (2) abstract ending, often used to derive abstracts from adjectives, e.g. látië "openness" vs. láta "open", mornië "darkness" vs. morna "black, dark", vanië (for *vanyië) "beauty" vs. vanya "fair".
gwana
noun/adjective. fair
Changes
gwain→ gwana “fair, general word for Elves” ✧ PE17/140Derivations
- ✶
wanasō✧ PE17/140Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶wanasō > gwana [wanasō] > [wanaso] > [wanaho] > [gwanaho] > [gwanah] > [gwana] ✧ PE17/140 Variations
gwain✧ PE17/140 (gwain)
bain
fair
_ adj. _fair, good, blessed, wholesome, favourable, without evil/bad element, not dangerous, evil or hostile. bân or bain << bân pl. bain. >> bân
bain
adjective. beautiful, fair
bain
beautiful
_ adj. _beautiful. Q. vanya.
bân
adjective. fair
_ adj. _fair, good, wholesome, favourable, not dangerous, evil or hostile. bân or bain << bân pl. bain. >> bain
gwain
adjective. fair
adj. fair. . This gloss was rejected.
gwân
adjective. fair
_ adj. _fair, pale.
fael
adjective. fair minded, just, generous
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)
miniel
vanya
(i Viniel), pl. Mínil (i Mínil), coll. pl. Miniellath. (WJ:383; the literal meaning of Míniel is ”First Elf”.)
banwen
vána
(na Vanwen)
banath
noun. beauty
Cognates
- Q. vanessë “beauty”
Elements
Word Gloss bain “fair, beautiful; good, wholesome, favorable; fair-haired, beautiful; good, wholesome, favorable; fair, fair-haired”
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.
beinas
noun. beauty
Elements
Word Gloss bain “fair, beautiful; good, wholesome, favorable; fair-haired, beautiful; good, wholesome, favorable; fair, fair-haired”
vania
noun. Vanya
Cognates
- Q. Vanya “Fair Elves, the Fair” ✧ WJ/383; WJI/Vanyar
Derivations
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
wanyā
adjective. fair
Derivations
- √(G)WAN “pale, fair” ✧ WJ/383
Derivatives
Variations
- wanjā ✧ WJ/380; WJ/383
bani
adjective. fair
Element in
Variations
- vanĭ ✧ PE17/057
bein
adjective. beautiful, fair
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!
vanya
adjective. beautiful, fair
Cognates
- N. bein “fair, beautiful” ✧ Ety/BAN
Derivations
Element in
- ᴹQ. Ilu vanya, fanya, eari, i-mar, ar ilqa ímen “the World is fair, the sky, the seas, the earth, and all that is in them” ✧ LR/072
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ᴹ✶bányā > vanya [banjā] > [βanjā] > [βanja] > [vanja] ✧ Ety/BAN
vanima
adjective. fair
Derivations
- ᴹ√BAN “*beauty” ✧ Ety/BAN
Element in
- ᴹQ. Vanimo “The Beautiful; Fair Folk” ✧ Ety/BAN
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ᴹ√BAN > vanima [banima] > [βanima] > [vanima] ✧ Ety/BAN
bányā
adjective. beautiful
Derivations
- ᴹ√BAN “*beauty” ✧ Ety/BAN
Derivatives
tuilir
feminine name. Vána
Cognates
- Eq. Tuivána ✧ LT1A/Tuilérë
Variations
- Tuivon ✧ GL/71 (
Tuivon)
gwandra
adjective. beautiful
Cognates
- Eq. vane “fair, lovely” ✧ LT1A/Vána
Element in
- G. gwandreth “beauty” ✧ GL/44
- G. i·winin na gwandron “women are beautiful” ✧ GG/09
- G. talin i’lossi ar gwandron nan·Idril “the beautiful white feet of Idril” ✧ GG/15
- G. talwi i’loss ar gwandra nan·Idril “the beautiful white feet of Idril” ✧ GG/15
Variations
- gwanin ✧ GL/44
gwandreth
noun. beauty
Element in
- G. i·waneth na·dalwint gloss an Idril “the beauty of the white feet of Idril” ✧ GG/11
Variations
- gwanwen ✧ GL/44
- gwanweth ✧ GL/44
gwanin
adjective. beautiful
gwanwen
noun. beauty
gwanweth
noun. beauty
vanya
adjective. good (not evil), holy
manya
adjective. good (not evil)
Changes
- manya → vanya “good (not evil)” ✧ PE14/081
Variations
- manya ✧ PE14/048
vána
feminine name. Vána
Cognates
- G. Gwannuin ✧ GL/18; GL/44; LT1A/Vána; PE14/014
Derivations
- ᴱ√VANA “*beauty” ✧ LT1A/Vána; QL/099
Element in
- Eq. Vanasan “Wednesday”
- Eq. Tuivána ✧ LT1A/Tuivána; QL/099
- Eq. Vána-Laisi ✧ LT1A/Vána
Variations
- Vana ✧ GL/18; GL/44
- vanwi ✧ GL/44
- Vâna ✧ GL/71; QL/040; QL/096; QL/099
- Vāna ✧ PE14/014; QL/052
mailina
adjective. beautiful
Changes
mailina→ mailinen ✧ PE14/056Element in
- Eq. ni·hepsine nímo tanko i·mailinen losselin “(it was) I myself (that) bound firmly the beautiful flowers” ✧ PE14/056
vanesse
noun. beauty
Cognates
- G. gwanthi “fairness, beauty; a fair face, pretty” ✧ LT1A/Vána
Element in
- Eq. vanest(e)a “beautious” ✧ QL/099
Variations
- vanessë ✧ LT1A/Vána
vanéni
noun. beauty
Variations
- vanēni ✧ QL/099
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.