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Browsing the dictionary

Use the search field above to browse the dictionary. As you type, you will be presented with a list of words that match your search term. A match can be direct and indirect: a direct match is a word that contains the characters you have entered, for an example mi yielding mi, mir, mil etcetera; an indirect match is thematically relevant to what you are looking for, for an example maple yielding trees, plants, olvar (the latter of which is a Quenya word for “growing things with roots in the earth.”)

Wildcard, or the asterisk, search terms are supported. You can position a wildcard character * wherever you wish and the dictionary will fill in the rest. A wildcard is usually inserted at the end of what you are typing, so if you type lo, you will find words that begin with those letters, such as long, love, low, etcetera. If you want to find words that end with lo, you can search for *lo, yielding hello, solo, polo, etcetera. You can achieve the same result by using the dictionary’s reversed search feature, by checking the Reversed checkbox underneath the search field, and searching for ol.

Use wildcards to search in multiple directions, for an example *en* would yield endeavor, envelop, generalization, sentimentality, taken, ectetera.

By checking the Old sources checkbox, the dictionary will include words from dictionaries that have not been updated for several years. These words are usually not incorrect, but they can lack information from later linguistic publications.

What is Elvish?

Elvish, or the Elvish languages of Middle-earth, were constructed by J.R.R. Tolkien for the Elves of Middle-earth as they developed as a society throughout the ages. Although Quenya and Sindarin are the most famous and the most developed of the languages that Tolkien invented for his Secondary World, they are by no means the only ones.

Quenya is one of the two most prominent Elvish languages in Tolkien’s legendarium. It is an archaic language that was spoken by the High Elves of Valinor. Sindarin is another prominent Elvish language in Tolkien’s legendarium. It is a language that was spoken by the Grey Elves and later by the Elves of Middle-earth.

In addition to Quenya and Sindarin, Tolkien created several other languages for his legendarium. These include Telerin, Noldorin, Silvan, Avarin, Vanyarin, and Valarin. Telerin is the language of the Teleri, a group of Elves who stayed behind during the Great Journey to Aman. Noldorin is a precursor to Sindarin. Silvan is a language that was spoken by the Wood-elves of Middle Earth. Avarin is a language that was spoken by the Avari, a group of Elves who refused to undertake the Great Journey to Aman. Vanyarin is an archaic language that was spoken by the Vanyar. Valarin is the language of the Valar, the angelic beings who created the world of Arda.

You will find all these languages in the dictionary! If you are studying these languages and perhaps intend to write some prose of your own, please remember never to mix words from different languages: it would be like mixing English with German!

Can you write Elvish?

Yes, but it is not as straight forward as you might think. Tolkien developed many writing systems, including Cirth, Sarati and Tengwar. Tengwar was used for the One Ring and has become a popular writing system for wedding bands.

Just remember that there isn't a completely, objectively “correct” way of writing elvish unless you pick one of Tolkien's composition. Be careful when you use translators online as nearly all of them are incorrect.

What is neo-sindarin, neo-quenya or neo-elvish?

Neo-Elvish refers to the post-Tolkien attempts to use and develop the Elvish languages, particularly Quenya and Sindarin. These efforts include standardization, regularization, and even reconstruction of Tolkien’s languages with the intent to be taught, studied, and used in fanfic compositions or dialogue.

The term “Neo-Elvish” distinguishes these attempts from the canonical creations by Tolkien. It’s important to note that Neo-Elvish does not refer to original creations but rather forms and grammar derived from comparative and reconstructive methods based on canonical sources, albeit with some level of arbitrariness.

Why should Neo-Elvish be used with caution?

• Lack of canonical completeness: Tolkien did not leave behind a definitive set of rules for his languages, as he did not intend them to be fully usable languages. This means that any compiled grammar or vocabulary is inherently subjective.
• Selective interpretation: To fill the gaps left by Tolkien, enthusiasts often rely on speculation, personal instinct, and subjective interpretation. This can lead to selective and potentially inaccurate representations of the languages.
• Continuous revisions: Tolkien’s continuous revisions of his languages mean that any Neo-Elvish work must choose which version to follow, often rejecting older or ‘anomalous’ conceptions in favor of more stable and seemingly canonical ones.

Because of these reasons, Neo-Elvish should be approached with an understanding of its speculative nature and its distance from what Tolkien might have considered definitive. It’s a creative endeavor that can enrich the experience of fans but isn’t an authoritative extension of Tolkien’s own linguistic work.

We very clearly indicate what words and phrases are neo-Elvish (or neologisms) with labelling.

Reconstructed or debatable glosses

You will sometimes encounter the symbol, usually together with a warning. These exist to inform you that the gloss originate from a source which might be outdated or questionable. This is unfortunately fairly common because linguistic material on Tolkien's languages are only sporadically made available to the community; initiatives have the time to arise and gradually wither between publications. Hiswelókë, which haven't been updated for years, is nonetheless still excellent, and one of the prominent sources to date on the Sindarin language.

Would it be a mistake to trust glosses from an outdated source? Probably not. I recommend you to try to find another source which corroborates the proposed translation.

Credits & Sources

Parf Edhellen imported its definition from the excellent dictionaries listed below. Discrepancies from the source material can arise while importing, though the import process has improved significantly over the years.

Eldamo

Eldamo is perhaps the best, most comprehensive data source for Tolkien's languages to date. Maintained by Paul Strack. v. 0.8.4.1 (updated 2022-11-10).

Quettaparma Quenyallo

The best Quenya lexicon maintained by Helge Fauskanger, presented alongside his excellent course work material on Ardalambion.

Parviphith

Sindarin lexicon maintained by Helge Fauskanger.

SINDICT

A Sindarin and Noldorin dictionary, compiled, edited and annotated by The Sindarin Dictionary Project.

Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus

A big thank-you to David Giraudeau for contributing with his compilation of Sindarin words from Parma Eldalamberon 17. You can find the original over here.

Mellonath Daeron

Mellonath Daeron's contribution of glossaries from Parma Eldalamberon 18 and 19, and their continuous feedback and encouragement.

Tolkiendil Compound Sindarin Names

Tolkiendil provides a consolidated list of Sindarin names examined and translated. Parf Edhellen is happy to house their excellent work.

We use Glaemscribe by Benjamin Babut for transcriptions. The photograph used for the main menu was taken by VisionPic .net.

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