ráma

wing

ráma noun "wing", pl. rámar (RAM, Nam, RGEO:66, LT2:335); Markirya has both nominative pl. rámar "wings" and instrumental pl. rámainen *"with wings" (translated "on wings" by Tolkien); rámali "wings" in MC:213 would be a partitive pl. in LotR-style Quenya. Variant rámë in the names Eärrámë, Alquarámë, q.v.

ráma

noun. wing, wing; [ᴱQ.] arm

The Quenya word for “wing”, derived from the root ᴹ√RAM (PE17/63; Ety/RAM).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where ᴱQ. ráma “wing” was derived from the early root ᴱ√RAHA “stretch forward” (QL/78). The word appeared regularly in Tolkien’s writings with the gloss “wing”, though at one point in the 1920s it was glossed both “arm, wing” (PE16/137), and in the English-Qenya Dictionary of the 1920s it was given as the Qenya word meaning “arm”, but this was revised to ᴱQ. ranko (PE15/79). The use of ráma for “arm” was a brief and rejected idea, and in The Etymologies of the 1930s, ᴹQ. ráma “wing” was transferred to a new root ᴹ√RAM, while ᴹQ. ranko “arm” remained under ᴹ√RAK “stretch out” (Ety/RAK, RAM).

Cognates

• S. raw “wing” ✧ PE17/063

Element in

• Q. Eärrámë “Sea-wing”
• Q. Númerrámar “West-wings”
• Q. rámainen elvië “on wings like stars” ✧ MC/222
• Q. rámar sisílala “the wings shining” ✧ MC/222
• Q. yéni únótimë ve rámar aldaron “long years numberless as the wings of trees” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
• Q. yéni únótimë ve aldaron rámar “long-years not-countable as trees’ wings” ✧ RGEO/58

Variations

• rāma ✧ PE17/063

wingë

noun. foam, spindrift, spray

vingë

noun. foam, spindrift, spray, foam, spindrift, spray, [ᴹQ.] wave crest, [ᴱQ.] froth, scud; wave

A noun for “foam” or “spray”, described at one point as “properly a flying splume or spindrift blown off wavetops” (PM/392).

Possible Etymology: This word was derived from primitive ᴹ✶wingē (Ety/WIG) and had a Sindarin cognate S. gwing (PM/376). As such, the expected Quenya form would be vinge, since initial w became v fairly early in Quenya’s phonetic history, but as an independent word Tolkien fairly consistently wrote this word with an initial w-. Its most notable use is in the name of Earendil’s ship Q. Vingilótë or Wingelótë “Foam Flower”, which in one place Tolkien said “is in intention formed to resemble and ‘explain’ the name of Wade’s ship Guingelot” (PM/371), and this resemblance may explain Tolkien’s frequent use of initial w-. Alternately, it could be a hold over from Early Qenya where the primitive form began with gw- (see below).

Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. ’winge “foam, spindrift, froth, scud” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as a derivative of the root ᴱ√GWIŊI (QL/104). Its stem form was given as {wingi- >>} winge, and in connection to this change Tolkien wrote “winge is [primitive] uiŋē, also = wave”. In the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa Tolkien had winge with the gloss “froth, foam” and stem form wingi- (PME/104). In a glossary for drafts of the poem Earendel from around 1930 Tolkien had winge “blowing foam, spray” as the basis for ᴱQ. wingild- “foam-maiden” (PE16/100).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had ᴹQ. winge “foam, crest of wave, crest” derived from primitive ᴹ✶wingē (Ety/WIG). In The Etymologies it was the name of tengwa n (EtyAC/WIG), later named vilya. The same was true in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1930s where Tolkien had ᴹQ. winge “foam” (PE22/22), and also in the version of this document from the 1940s except he wrote wiñge with an ñ (PE22/51); in The Lord of the Rings Appendix E this tengwa’s name was Q. vilya (†wilya) (LotR/1123). This tengwa is in the series for labialized velars and the téma for (ancient) voiced stops, and thus should represent an ancient gw, but that does not seem to be the case for either winge or wilya.

The word winge appeared regularly in Tolkien’s later writings as an independent word, always with an initial w-, even though Tolkien usually wrote Vingilótë in this period. In the Markirya poem, however, the form was winga “foam” (MC/222-223). At one point Tolkien considered making this a loan word from Beorian, but he abandoned this idea (PM/368-371).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would write this word as vingë in keeping with its modern pronunciation.

Cognates

• Nan. wing “foam, spindrift, spume”
• S. gwing “foam, spindrift, foam, spindrift, [N.] flying spray; [G.] wave-crest” ✧ PM/376; PM/392; SA/wing

Derivations

• ᴹ√WIG “*foam”

Element in

• Q. Vingilótë “Foam-flower” ✧ PM/370; SA/wing
• Q. winga hlápula “the foam blowing” ✧ MC/222

Variations

• winga ✧ MC/222; MC/223
• Vinga- ✧ PM/370
• wingë ✧ PM/376; PM/392
• wing ✧ SA/wing

timpinë

spray

timpinë noun "spray" (LT1:268)

falasta-

to foam

falasta- vb. "to foam", participle falastala "foaming, surging" in Markirya

raw

wing

n. wing. Q. ráma, pl1. rámar. >> Landroval, rov-, roval

raw

noun. wing

The Sindarin word for “wing” (PE17/63) based on the root ᴹ√RAM (Ety/RAM). Its Quenya cognate ráma indicates its ancient vowel ā was long, and this long ā became au (aw) in Sindarin. Meanwhile, the ancient m became v, which then vanished after the diphthong aw: ✱rāmā > raum(a) > rau(v) > raw.

Conceptual Development: The word G. ram “wing, pinion” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s was similarly derived (GL/64), but in Gnomish m did not become v.

Cognates

• Q. ráma “wing, wing; [ᴱQ.] arm” ✧ PE17/063

Derivations

• ᴹ√RAM “*wing, fly”

Element in

• S. roval “winged, winged; [N.] pinion, great wing (of an eagle)” ✧ PE17/063

rov-

wing

pref. wing. >> Landroval, raw, roval

roval

wing

n. wing. >> Landroval, raw, rov-

gwing

noun. spindrift, flying spray

gwing

noun. foam (properly a flying spume or spindrift blown off wavetops)

gwing

noun. foam, spindrift, foam, spindrift, [N.] flying spray; [G.] wave-crest

A noun for foam, sprindrift and flying spray, a derivative of the root ᴹ√WIG (Ety/WIG), most notably an element in the name S. Elwing “Star-spray” (PM/376).

Conceptual Development: This word appeared all the way back in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s as G. gwing “a wave-crest, crest, foam”, where Tolkien connected it to G. uin “whale” (archaically “a wave”) via a primitive form ᴱ√uı̯u (GL/45, 74). N. gwing “spindrift, flying spray” appeared again in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√WIG (Ety/WIG). In later writings, Tolkien seems to have considered gwing problematic, at various points changing it to a loan word from Nandorin (PM/349) or Beorian (PM/368), but these seem to have been transient ideas: in a very late note from the 1970s he said it was Sindarin (PM/392).

Cognates

• Nan. wing “foam, spindrift, spume”
• Q. vingë “foam, spindrift, spray, foam, spindrift, spray, [ᴹQ.] wave crest, [ᴱQ.] froth, scud; wave” ✧ PM/376; PM/392; SA/wing

Derivations

• ᴹ√WIG “*foam”

Element in

• S. Elwing “Star-spray” ✧ PM/376; SA/wing
• ᴺS. gwimmaf “whale, (lit.) sheep of the waves”
• ᴺS. gwingil “mermaid, (lit.) foam maiden”
• S. Gwingloth “Foam-flower”

rafn

noun. wing (horn), extended point at side, etc.

roval

noun. pinion, great wing (of eagle)

falf

foam

(breaker), pl. felf, coll. pl. falvath

faltha

foam

(i faltha, i falthar)

ross

foam

(construct ros) (rain, dew, spray [of fall or fountain]), pl. ryss (idh ryss) (Letters:282). Note: homophones mean ”reddish, russet, copper-coloured, red-haired” and also ”polished metal, glitter”

ross

spray

(construct ros) (foam, rain, dew), pl. ryss (idh ryss). (Letters:282) Note: homophones mean ”reddish, russet, copper-coloured, red-haired” and also ”polished metal, glitter”.

rafn

wing

(horn, extended point at the side), pl. raifn (idh raifn).

roval

wing

1) roval (pinion, great wing [of eagle]), pl. rovail (idh rovail). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” rhoval_ _pl. rhovel. 2) rafn (horn, extended point at the side), pl. raifn (idh raifn).

roval

wing

(pinion, great wing [of eagle]), pl. rovail (idh rovail). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” *rhoval* pl. *rhovel*.

gwing

foam

(i ’wing) (spindrift, spume, spray blown off wave-tops), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwing)

gwing

spray

1) (blown off wave-tops) gwing (i **wing) (foam, spindrift, spume), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwing); 2) (of fall or fountain) ross (construct ros) (foam, rain, dew), pl. ryss (idh ryss**). (Letters:282) Note: homophones mean ”reddish, russet, copper-coloured, red-haired” and also ”polished metal, glitter”.

gwing

spray

(i ’wing) (foam, spindrift, spume), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwing)

gwing

spindrift

gwing (i **wing) (foam, spume, spray blown off wave-tops), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwing**)

gwing

spindrift

(i ’wing) (foam, spume, spray blown off wave-tops), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwing)

roval

pinion

roval (wing, great wing [of eagle]), pl. rovail (idh rovail). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” rhoval_ _pl. rhovel.

roval

pinion

(wing, great wing [of eagle]), pl. rovail (idh rovail). – Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” *rhoval* pl. *rhovel*.

wing

noun. foam, spindrift, spume

Cognates

• S. gwing “foam, spindrift, foam, spindrift, [N.] flying spray; [G.] wave-crest”
• Q. vingë “foam, spindrift, spray, foam, spindrift, spray, [ᴹQ.] wave crest, [ᴱQ.] froth, scud; wave”

Element in

• Q. Vingilótë “Foam-flower” ✧ PM/365
• S. Elwing “Star-spray” ✧ PM/365

gwing

noun. spindrift, flying spray

gwing

noun. foam (properly a flying spume or spindrift blown off wavetops)

gwing

noun. spindrift, flying spray

Cognates

• ᴹQ. winge “foam, crest of wave, crest” ✧ Ety/WIG

Derivations

• ᴹ✶wingē “foam, crest of wave, crest” ✧ Ety/WIG
  • ᴹ√WIG “*foam” ✧ Ety/WIG

Element in

• N. Elwing “Star-spray”
• N. Gwingloth “Foam-flower” ✧ Ety/WIG
• N. Nerwing “Red Foaming Waters” ✧ EtyAC/NAR¹

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶wingē > gwing	[wiŋgē] > [wiŋge] > [gwiŋge] > [gwiŋg] > [gwiŋ]	✧ Ety/WIG

rhofal

noun. pinion, great wing (of eagle)

rhafn

noun. wing (horn), extended point at side, etc.