-en

suffix. adjective suffix

-ren

suffix. adjective suffix

fenn forn(en)

place name. Closed Door

Earlier name for S. Fen Hollen in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s glossed “Closed Door” (WR/338, 341), a combination of fenn “door” and forn(en) “closed”.

forn(en)

adjective. closed

-(i)on

suffix. adjectival suffix

-eb

suffix. adjective suffix

-iel

suffix. adjective suffix

-in

suffix. adjective suffix

-rin

suffix. adjective suffix

-ui

suffix. adjective suffix

a(n)

preposition. of

brethel

noun. beech, beech-tree, silver birch

brethel

noun. beech

brethil

noun. beech

fêr

noun. beech-tree

i

definite article. the

i

definite article. who

i

article. the

iaur

adjective. ancient, old(en)

lithui

adjective. ash[en]

nan

preposition. of

uidavnen

adjective. ever-closed

Normalized to uidafnen, as in lefnui

-en

suffix. adjective suffix

-en

suffix. my, 1st sg. poss. suffix

-en

suffix. my

_1st sg. poss. suff. my.See also the paradigm of poss. suff. in PE17:46. Later -nin_. >> lammen, -nin

-en

suffix. used in patronimics

_ fem. suff. _used in patronimics. >> -ien, -ion, -on

-ien

suffix. used in patronimics

_ fem. suff. _used in patronimics. >> -en, -ion, -on

-ren

suffix. adjective suffix

@@@ perhaps a later, S-only, innovation

en

preposition. of the

en

article. of the (genitival article)

en

of the

poss. art. of the.

en

pronoun. 1st sg pronoun

en

?. ?

@@@ In VT50/13 Carl Hostetter suggested this might be an indicative passive voice marker en, vs. subjunctive passive voice marker aen, maybe a plural form e “he”.

haudh-en-ellas

place name. Haudh-en-Ellas

Haudh-en-Ellet

noun. Haudh-en-Ellet

rest of the Elf maiden ; haudh (“mound, grave, tomb”) + en (genitive article) + el (S eledh “elf”) + eth (traditional ending for women’s names)

Haudh-en-Ndengin

noun. Haudh-en-Ndengin

mound of the slaying; haudh (“mound, grave, tomb”) + en (genitive article) + (n-)dengin (pl. of dangen “slain, slaying”) #We would rather expect it to be Hauth-e-Ndengin, so perhaps it's a dialectal variation of the name; the Etym. gives it as Haudh i Ndengin, which looks more like LR-style S with the second element Ndengin in plural.

cabed-en-aras

place name. Deer’s Leap

The original name of Cabed Naeramarth before Nienor leapt to her death (S/224), translated “Deer’s Leap” (UT/150). It is a combination of cabed “leap”, en “of the” and aras “deer”.

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, this name was first written Mengas Dûr, quickly revised Cabad-en-Aras with an a in the last syllable of the first word, and finally changed to Cabed-en-Aras with an e (WJ/156).

haudh-en-elleth

place name. Mound of the Elf-maid

Grave of Finduilas translated “Mound of the Elf-maid” (S/216), a combination of haudh “mound”, en “of the” and Elleth “Elf-maid”.

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, this name appeared as Haudh-en-Ellas (WJ/92). This variant also appeared in notes from around 1966-7 (PE17/97).

haudh-en-ndengin

place name. Hill of Slain, (lit.) Mound of the Slain

Mound of the Elves and Men slain during the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, translated “Hill of Slain” (S/197). It is a combination of haudh “mound”, en “of the” and the plural of dangen “slain”.

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, this name first appeared as G. Cûm a Thegranaithos “Mound of the First Sorrow”, revised to Cûm a Gumlaith of similar meaning (LT1/149). In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, the name was changed to N. Cûm-na-Dengin “Mound of Slain” (SM/312, LR/147), then to Amon Dengin “Hill of Slain” (LR/314) and finally Haudh-na-Dengin (LR/312). In The Etymologies, the middle preposition was replaced with the definite article i, Haudh i Ndengin (Ety/KHAG, NDAK) and in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s it changed to the combined article-preposition ina (WJ/79), then finally to en in Haudh-en-Ndengin (WJ/169).

haudh-en-nirnaeth

place name. Mound of Tears

Another name for Haudh-en-Ndengin, translated “Hill of Tears” (S/197). It is a combination of haudh “mound”, en “of the” and nirnaeth “lamentation, tears”.

bar-en-danwedh

place name. House of Ransom

The name that Mîm gave to his home after he was forced to give it to Túrin in exchange for his life, translated “House of Ransom” (S/203). The initial element of the name is bâr “house” (SA/bar), followed by en “of” and danwedh “ransom”.

bar-en-nibin-noeg

place name. House of the Petty Dwarves

The original name of the house of Mîm, translated “House of the Petty Dwarves” (UT/100). The initial element of the name is bâr “house” followed by en “of” and the plural Nibin-noeg of the name Niben-nog “Petty Dwarf”.

dor-en-ernil

place name. Land of the Prince

The Gondorian province ruled by the Prince of Dol Amroth, translated “Land of the Prince” (UT/245), a combination dôr “land”, en “of the” and ernil “prince”.

haudh-en-arwen

place name. Ladybarrow

Grave of Lady Haleth translated “Ladybarrow” (S/147), a combination of haudh “mound”, en “of the” and Arwen “Noble Maiden”, the last used as a title rather than a name.

methed-en-glad

place name. End of the Wood

A stronghold of the followers of Túrin translated “End of the Wood” (UT/153), a combination of methed “end”, en “of the” and glad “wood”.

taur-en-faroth

place name. *Forest of the Hunting

Highlands near Nargothrond, described as the “Hills of the Hunters” in the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s (SA/faroth, LB/214). This earlier description does not seem to be a proper translation, since the initial element of this name is clearly taur “forest”, followed by en “of the” and faroth. The last word is untranslated, but it probably has something to do with hunting, as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (SA/faroth).

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, the first Elvish name for this region was N. Duil Rewinion (SM/225), later revised to N. Taur-na-Faroth (LR/262). A similar form Taur-na-Faras appeared in The Etymologies under the root ᴹ√SPAR “hunt, pursue”, where faras is glossed “hunting” (Ety/SPAR). This is the best evidence for the meaning of Faroth.

Bar-en-Danwedh

noun. house of ransom

bar (“house”) + en (gen. article) + #dan (“back”) +#gwedh (“bond”) #We would expect it to be Bar-e-Ndanwedh, but this could be a dialectal variant of the name

Cabed-en-Aras

noun. the deer’s leap

cabed (ger. of cab- “leap”) + en (gen. article) + aras (“deer”)

Haudh-en-Arwen

noun. the Ladybarrow

haudh (“mound, grave, tomb”) + en (genitive article) + ar(a) (“high, noble, royal”) + gwend (“maiden, woman”)

Haudh-en-Nirnaeth

noun. mound of (bitter) tears

haudh (“mound, grave, tomb”) + en (genitive article) + nîr (“tear”) + naeth (“woe”)

Methed-en-Glad

noun. end of wood

methed (“end”) + en (sing. gen. article) + glad (“wood”)

Taur-en-Faroth

noun. forest of a hunter, hunters

taur (“great wood, forest”) + en (pl. gen. article) + faroth (hunter, hunters ? [His.]) #The last element in Faroth could be suffix (-h)oth also found in Lossoth, Esgaroth and Lammoth.

en

of the

en-, e- (sg. genitival article): interjection

en

of the

en-, e-, genitival article, mostly only used in the singular (in the plural, in or i + nasal mutation is used), though infrequently en is used in the pl. as well. Followed by ”mixed mutation” according to David Salos reconstructions.

en

adverb. then, [G.] that past, that by you, that already mentioned (by you)

en

of the

e- (sg. genitival article)

en

of the

e-, genitival article, mostly only used in the singular (in the plural, in or i + nasal mutation is used), though infrequently en is used in the pl. as well. Followed by ”mixed mutation” according to David Salo’s reconstructions.

Dor-en-Ernil

Dor-en-Ernil

Dor-en-Ernil consists of the Sindarin words dor "land" + en "of" + ernil "prince".

Haudh-en-Arwen

Haudh-en-Arwen

The Sindarin term Haudh-en-Arwen can roughly be translated as "Ladybarrow". The actual translation would be "Mound of the Noble Maiden". The element Arwen had no direct connection with Arwen Evenstar, who lived millennia after Haleth's time, but it does give an insight into the origin of her name. Sindarin arwen means literally "high maiden", and is translated here as the "lady" in 'Ladybarrow'. Tûr Haretha is the Mannish name of "The Ladybarrow".

Haudh-en-Elleth

Haudh-en-Elleth

Haudh-en-Elleth is a Sindarin name glossed as "Mound of the Elf-maid" or "mound (grave) of the Noldorin maid".

-ion

suffix. used in patronimics

_ masc. suff. _used in patronimics. >> -en, -ien, -on

Cirith Forn en Andrat

noun. nothern high-climbing pass

cirith (“pass, cleft”), forn (“north”), en (gen. article), and (“long”) + rath (#“climbing passage”)

-eb

suffix. adjective suffix

-i

suffix. adjectival suffix

-ian(d)

suffix. -land, country

A suffix meaning “-land” or “country” appearing often in the names of regions and countries along with its plural variant -ien(d) “-lands”, mentioned in a number of places in Tolkien’s later writings (Let/383; UT/318). In notes from the late 1950s Tolkien derived it from primitive ✶yandē “a wide region or country” from the root √YAN “wide”, which replaced another root √YON of similar meaning (PE17/42-43). In notes having to do with “large & small” words, probably from the late 1960s, Tolkien connected it instead to an apparent adjective S. iand “wide”, still derived from √YAN (PE17/115).

Conceptual Development: This suffix seems to have first appeared in ᴱN. Broseliand in the Lays of Beleriand of the 1920s, precursor to the name S. Beleriand and almost certainly inspired by the legendary medieval French forest Brocéliande. Tolkien used this suffix widely in names starting with Lord of the Rings drafts, but it seems he did not develop a clear etymology for the suffix until quite late. Tolkien himself mentioned the connection between this suffix and the French name Brocéliande in a 1967 letter (Let/383). It is thus an interesting case study in how Tolkien would gradually integrate elements inspired by real-world languages into his Elvish corpus.

-iel

suffix. adjective suffix

-in

suffix. adjective suffix

Haudh en ellas

Haudh en ellas

{ð} topon. >> Haudh nan ellas

alae

interjection. ?

alae! ered en echoriath, ered e·mbar nín

[?behold!] the mountains of Echoriath, the mountains of my home!

brethil

noun. beech, beech-tree, silver birch

cirith forn en andrath

place name. High-Climbing Pass of the North

Sindarin name of the High Pass over the Misty Mountains that Bilbo and the Dwarves followed on their Quest to Erebor (UT/271, 278 note #4). This name is a combination of cirith “cleft, pass”, forn “north”, en “of the” and Andrath “Long Climb”.

daur a berhael, conin en annûn

Frodo and Sam, princes of the west

en-

verb. *to name

eneth

noun. name

ennas

adverb. there, in that place

ennas

adverb. there

ennorath

place name. (All) the Middle-lands

A variant form of Ennor with the class-plural suffix -ath added, meaning “lands of Middle-earth” or “(All) the Middle-lands” (LotR/1115, PE17/25-6).

esta-

verb. to name

glornan

place name. Valley of Gold(en Light)

Sindarin equivalent of the original Nandorin name of Lórien: Lórinand (UT/253), a combination of glaur “gold” and nan(d) “valley”.

hollen

noun. closed

i

definite article. the

i

definite article. who

i

the

pl1. in _ art. _the.

i

article. the

@@@ enclytic Dagor-nuin-Giliath vs. Dagor-nui-Ngiliath

i mbair en ndengin

the houses of the Slain

ingildon

place name. ?

i·veleglind i eithro en estar i·chîn húrin

*the Great Song that is also called the Children of Húrin

i·mair en Nengin

place name. 'the houses of the Slain'

topon. 'the houses of the Slain'. >> i·mbair en Ndengin, i·mbair en Nengin

i·mbair en Ndengin

place name. 'the houses of the Slain'

topon. 'the houses of the Slain'. >> i·mair en Nengin, i·mbair en Nengin

i·mbair en Nengin

place name. 'the houses of the Slain'

topon. 'the houses of the Slain'. >> i·mbair en Ndengin, i·mair en Nengin

leben

cardinal. five

The Sindarin word for “five” based on the root √LEPEN of the same meaning (PE17/95; VT42/24; VT47/10; VT48/6).

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. elf(in) “five” derived from the early root ᴱ√lef [LEǶE] (GL/32, 53). Rough notes associated with the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s had the deleted forms ᴱN. leme and limel near ᴱN. eneg “✱six”, so these were probably words for “five” (PE13/128 note #78). The Etymologies of the 1930s had N. lheben “five” under the root ᴹ√LEPEN of the same meaning (Ety/LEPEN), with the 1930s sound change of initial *l* to *lh* which did not occur in Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s.

nan

preposition. of

nan laur

place name. Valley of Gold(en Light)

Sindarin equivalent of the original Nandorin name of Lórien: Lórinand (UT/253), a combination of nan(d) “valley” and the lenited form of glaur “gold”.

neldor

noun. beech

A Sindarin word for “beech” appearing in the names Taur-na-Neldor “Beech-forest” (LotR/469; RC/384) and Neldoreth, the name of a forest with beeches (S/55; PE17/81).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Ilk. neldor was an Ilkorin word based on ᴹ√NÉL-ED “three”, which Tolkien said was “properly name of Hirilorn the great beech of Thingol with three trunks = neld-orn ? [question mark from Tolkien]” (Ety/NEL). In the 1910s and 20s, ᴱQ. neldor “beech” was an Early Qenya word (PE16/139; QL/65), and its cognates in this period were G. deldron “beech” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/30), G. deil(i)an or delwen “beech” in Gnomish Lexicon Slips (PE13/112), and ᴱN. {de(i)lian >>} deilian “beech-tree” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/142).

Possible Etymology: The Ilkorin derivation from √NELED is no longer suitable in Sindarin, since we would expect [[s|[d] > [ð]]] as in S. neledh “three”. It is possible Tolkien simply never reexamined the etymology of this word after it became Sindarin. Alternately, it could be nel- “tri-” + taur “forest” or -dor “-lord” or something similar.

nín

adjective. my

The acute accent in nín has sometimes been regarded as an error for a slanted macron in the manuscript, since all the other attested personal adjectives from Sauron defeated all have a circumflex accent. It was however noted that if the acute accent is confirmed, then this word is probably an enclitic, see HL/73. The acute accent is now confirmed by VT/44

nín

pronoun. my

o galadhremmin ennorath

from tree-tangled middle-lands

parth

noun. field, lawn, sward, garden, enclosed grassland

An element in the names S. Parth Celebrant “Field of Celebrant” and S. Parth Galen “Green Sward”, variously translated “field, enclosed grassland” (UT/260), “sward” = “✱field of short grass” (RC/349), “small enclosed field, lawn” (PE23/139), or “garden” (PE23/141). Its etymology is unclear: it might be a derivative of √PAR “arrange”. It may also be a later iteration of N. pathw “level place, sward” < ᴹ√PATH, and is perhaps derived from ✱path-re with metathesis to parth(e).

remmen

adjective. meshed, netted, woven, (en)tangled

An adjectival element in (plural) galadhremmin “tree-tangled, tree-meshed” from the prayer A Elbereth Gilthoniel (LotR/1115; RGEO/64; PE17/20-21). In notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien gave the singular form as remmen < ✶rembinā and translated it as “meshed, netted, woven” (PE17/26). In notes on The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor from 1967-69, remmen was glossed “entangled” as an adjectival form of rem(m) “net (for catching)”, all based on the root √REB or √REM “entangle, snare, trap” (VT42/12).

In notes on the Common Eldarin Article (CEA) from 1969, Tolkien spelled remen with a single m, a representation of the sound change whereby [[s|[mm] shortened]] in Sindarin (PE23/140). Elsewhere the spelling remmen is more common, but the pronunciation is still [remen] in those cases as well (LotR/1115). The m-sound is still treated as a consonant cluster for purposes of stress, however, so that the stress patten for galadhremmen is [gàlaðrémen] and not [galáðremen].

sen

pronoun. this

sí il chem en i naugrim en ir ellath thor den ammen

*now all (?hands) of the Dwarves and Elves will be (?against) to us

tafnen

adjective. closed, blocked, stopped

Orthography normalized to tafnen, as in lefnui

uidafnen

adjective. ever-closed

Normalized to uidafnen, as in lefnui

uin

preposition. of the

êl Archaic

noun. star

A Sindarin word for “star” that is largely archaic and poetic, and is mainly used as element in names like Elrond (Let/281; WJ/363; Ety/EL); the more usual word for “star” in ordinary speech was gil (RGEO/65). However, the collective form elenath is still used in common speech to refer to the entire host of stars (WJ/363). The plural of êl is elin, as this word was derived from ancient ✶elen, and the final n that was lost in the singular was preserved in the plural. In some cases Tolkien posited a restored analogical singular elen from the plural form (PE17/24, 67, 139), but this isn’t in keeping with the notion that the word was archaic, so I would ignore this for purposes of Neo-Sindarin.

Conceptual Development: This word and its root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where N. el “star” was derived from the root ᴹ√EL of similar meaning, but was “only [used] in names” (Ety/EL). It seems Tolkien introduced the root to give a new etymology for names like N. Elrond and N. Elwing, which initially appeared under the root ᴹ√ƷEL “sky” (Ety/ƷEL).

an

to the, for the

(for) + i (the).

conin

prince

(i chonin), occurring in the Cormallen Praise, is translated "princes" (Conin en Annûn = "princes of the west", Letters:308), but it is unclear what the singular would be. (David Salo suggests caun, though this word has two different meanings already; see

enem

cardinal. sixteen

eneph

cardinal. sixteen

eneth

name

(noun) eneth (pl. enith)

eneth

name

(pl. enith)

ennas

there

ennas (SD:128-31)

ennas

there

(SD:128-31)

ess

noun. name

esta

name

(verb.) esta- (call) (i esta, in estar)

esta

name

(call) (i esta, in estar)

fêr

beech

†fêr (stem feren-, pl. ferin) (mast);

fêr

beech

(stem feren-, pl. ferin) (mast);

hollen

closed

(passive participle) hollen; see CLOSE.

i

the

: Singular i (+ soft mutation), basically in in the plural, but often loses the n which is then replaced by nasal mutation of the next consonant (e.g. i thîw ”the letters”, compare tîw ”letters”). In this wordlist it is assumed that in becomes idh before a word in r-, as general patterns would seem to suggest. The articles are also used as relative pronouns ”who, which, that” (see THAT). Apparently ”the” sometimes appears as a suffix -n added to a preposition, e.g. be**<u>n</u>** ”according to <u>the</u>”. This suffix is followed by ”mixed mutation” according to David Salos reconstructions.

i

the

(+ soft mutation), basically in in the plural, but often loses the n which is then replaced by nasal mutation of the next consonant (e.g. i thîw ”the letters”, compare tîw ”letters”). In this wordlist it is assumed that in becomes idh before a word in r-, as general patterns would seem to suggest. – The articles are also used as relative pronouns ”who, which, that” (see

n

that

added to a preposition, e.g. ben ”according to the”.  This suffix is followed by ”mixed mutation” according to David Salo’s reconstructions.

neldor

beech tree

(pl. neldyr), also brethorn (i vrethorn), pl. brethyrn (i mrethyrn) (VT46:3). The mallorn or ”golden-tree” found in Lórien was supposedly beechlike: mallorn (i vallorn), pl. mellyrn (i mellyrn).

nín

my

nín (following a noun with article: i adar nín, ”my father”). Not to be confused with nîn ”watery, wet” or as noun ”tear”, or the pl. form of nên ”water”. In a very few attested cases, the pronoun ”my” appears as an ending -en added to a noun (lammen ”my tongue”, guren ”my heart”).

nín

my

(following a noun with article: i adar nín, ”my father”). Not to be confused with nîn ”watery, wet” or as noun ”tear”, or the pl. form of nên ”water”. – In a very few attested cases, the pronoun ”my” appears as an ending -en added to a noun (lammen ”my tongue”, guren ”my heart”).

o

from

(od), followed by hard mutation; with article uin ”from the, of the” (followed by mixed mutation according to David Salo’s reconstuctuons). (WJ:366) Not to be confused with o ”about, concerning” (q.v. for this meaning of ”of”). 2) na (followed by lenition), with article nan (followed by ”mixed mutation”, according to David Salo’s reconstruction). The preposition has various meanings: ”with, by, near” and also ”to, toward, at; of” 3)

paeneg

cardinal. sixteen

A neologism for “sixteen” proposed by Elaran posted to the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) on 2018-01-16; see also ᴺS. paenel “thirteen”. He proposed an alternate form eneph and Fiona Jallings proposed enem, both more direct cognates to Q. enenquë. I prefer paeneder since I feel it is easier to recognize.

paur

tightly closed hand

(i baur, o phaur, also -bor in compounds) (fist), pl. poer (i phoer), coll. pl. porath.

tafnen

closed

(adj.) #tafnen (stopped, blocked), lenited #dafnen; pl. tefnin (WR:341, isolated from uidavnen, with f rather than v in normalized orthography);

tafnen

closed

(stopped, blocked), lenited #dafnen; pl. tefnin *(WR:341, isolated from uidavnen, with f rather than v in normalized orthography)*;

tass

1,D adverb. then, there

A Quenya-influenced neologism meaning "there, then, in that (place/time)", from Q. tassë.

uidafnen

ever-closed

(WJ:341, where the spelling ”uidavnen” is used), pl. uidefnin****

uin

from the, of the

.

-ien

suffix. feminine ending; feminine patronymic, -daughter

A feminine suffix common in Quenya names, in one place given as a feminine patronymic (PE17/170), though there are no attested Quenya names in which it was used that way.

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s, ᴹQ. ien was given as a (suffixal?) variant of ᴹQ. yen(de) “daughter” (Ety/YŌ; EtyAC/YŌ), but again there are no actual names from this period using the suffix in that way.

en

there, look! yon (yonder)

en (1) interjection "there, look! yon (yonder)" (EN, VT45:12)

en

still

en (2), also ena, adv. "still"; quetir en "they still say" (PE17:167)

en

made

en (3) particle that may be inserted before a past tense form to indicate that it refers to a remote past (VT45:12), apparently twice attested in Fíriel's Song (LR:72), e.g. en cárë ("k") "made" (long ago). This particle may have been obsoleted by en "still" from a later source.

en

particle. in that (future) case; then, soon

en

adverb. then soon, then soon, [ᴹQ.] in that (future) case; there, yonder; look yon(der); far away; that, [ᴱQ.] that by you; thereupon

-a

suffix. adjectival suffix

This suffix is frequently used to create the adjective form of a noun, especially in the form -ëa for nouns ending in -ë. This function dates back to CE. ✶-ā.

-nya

my

-nya pronominal suffix, 1st person sg. possessive, "my" (VT49:16, 38, 48), e.g. tatanya "my daddy" (UT:191, VT48:17), meldonya "my [male] friend" (VT49:38), meldenya "my [female] friend" (Elaine inscription), omentienya "my meeting" (PE17:68), tyenya "my tye" (tye being an intimate form of "you"), used = "dear kinsman" (VT49:51, 56). This ending seems to prefer i as its connecting vowel where one is needed, cf. Anarinya "my sun" in LR:72, so also in hildinyar "my heirs". It was previously theorized by some that a final -ë would also be changed to -i- before -nya, but the example órenya "my heart [órë]" indicates that this is not the case (VT41:11).

-nya

suffix. my

-on

name

-on gen.pl. ending (3O), in aldaron, aranion, elenion, Eldaron, #esseron, Ingweron, Istarion, Númevalion, Quendion, Silmarillion, Sindaron, tasarion (see Nan-Tasarion), Valion, wenderon, yénion. Normally the ending -on is added to the nominative plural, whether it ends in -i or -r, but some nouns in -ë that would have nominative plurals in -i seem to prefer the ending -ron in the genitive (hence #esseron as the gen. pl. of essë "name", though the nominative pl. is attested as essi and we might have expected the gen. pl. *ession; similarly wenderon, Ingweron).

-ya

suffix. adjective suffix

amil(lë)

noun. mother

Tolkien used a number of similar forms for “mother” for most of his life. The earliest of these are ᴱQ. amis (amits-) “mother” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s along with variants ᴱQ. ambi, âmi, amaimi under the root ᴱ√AMA (QL/30). An additional variant ammi appeared in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/30). In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s Tolkien had ᴱQ. ambe or mambe “mother” (PE16/135). This became ᴹQ. amil “mother” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√AM “mother” (Ety/AM¹).

This 1930s form amil appears to have survived for some time. It appeared in a longer form Amille in Quenya Prayers of the 1950s (VT43/26; VT44/12, 18), and as an element in the term amilessi “mother-names” in a late essay on Elvish naming (MR/217). In the initial drafts of Elvish Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s Tolkien used the form amilye or amye as an affectionate word for “mother”, and amaltil as the finger name for the second finger (VT47/26-27 note #34 and #35).

However, in those documents Tolkien seems to have revised the root for “mother” from √AM to √EM and the affectionate forms from amye to emya or emme (VT47/10; VT48/6, 19). The revised word for “mother” appears to be emil based on the 1st person possessive form emil(inya) (VT47/26).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I prefer to retain the root √AM for “mother”, since that is what Tolkien used for 50 years, and ignore the very late change to √EM. As such, I would recommend amil(le) for “mother” and affectionate forms amme “mommy” and amya. However, if you prefer to use Tolkien’s “final” forms, then emil(le), emme and emya seem to be what Tolkien adopted in the late 1960s.

atalantë

proper name. Downfall(en)

A Quenya name of Númenor after its fall into the sea (S/281), it is simply the noun atalantë “collapse, downfall” used as a name (MC/223).

Conceptual Development: The name ᴹQ. Atalante appeared in the earliest tales of the fall of Númenor (LR/11, 25), usually in this form though at least once appearing as Atalantie (Let/347). Its resemblance to the name Atlantis was intentional (Let/347), created as part of the background for Tolkien’s (unfinished) time-travel story about Atlantis: “The Lost Road” (LR/36-104).

canta-

verb. ?

carina

participle. made

en(a)

adverb. still

@@@ is more frequently used to refer to future, not past

en-

verb. again-

en- (4) prefix "again-", "re-" (PE17:68), in enquantuva "shall refill", entuluva, "shall come again", Envinyatar "Renewer", envinyanta "healed, *renewed", enyalië "to recall" (Nam, RGEO:67, LotR3:V ch. 8, VT41:16, MR:405, UT:317; as for the etymology of en-, see comments on Common Eldarin base EN "again, once more" in VT48:25)

en-

prefix. re-, again

endórë

place name. Middle-earth, (lit.) Middle Land

The Quenya word for “Middle-earth” (LotR/1115). It often appeared in its shorter form Endor (S/89), similar to Valinórë/Valinor and Númenórë/Númenor. Its initial element is endë “middle” and its final element is a blending of nórë and -ndor often seen in the names of lands (PE17/26).

Properly speaking, the word Endor applied only to the land mass containing Arnor and Gondor (and Beleriand before it was destroyed) where much of action of Tolkien’s tales took place. In his Nomenclature of the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien defined Middle-earth as “the inhabited lands of (Elves and) Men, envisaged as lying between the Western Sea and that of the Far East” (RC/774).

The informal use of the term “Middle-earth” for Tolkien’s entire fictional world came from the descriptions of his works by others rather than from Tolkien. Tolkien said that Middle-earth was “not a special land, or world, or ‘planet’ as too often supposed” (RC/774). Elsewhere, he said the Quenya word for the “World” (equivalent to “Earth”) was Ambar (LotR/967, WJ/402).

Conceptual Development: The term “Middle-earth” was inspired by Old English Middanġeard or Norse Midgard (RC/774). In Northern European mythology, Midgard referred to the Earth as the land of men between the Heaven(s) and Hell(s), but Heaven and Hell as realms above and below the world did not exist within Tolkien’s cosmology. The word Endor instead referred to the home of Elves and Men in the center of the world between the East and West.

The name ᴹQ. {Endon &gt;&gt;} Endor first appeared in maps and notes associated with Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, where it was given as the name for the “midmost point of Middle-earth” (SM/241, 254). It later appeared in The Etymologies with the translation “Middle-earth” (Ety/NDOR), also described as “centre of the world” (Ety/ÉNED).

In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, this name also appeared in the (ultimately rejected) forms Endon, Endór and Endar (MR/70, 121, 126).

enenquë

cardinal. sixteen

enenquë cardinal "sixteen" (VT48:21)

en i matinye Archaic

I shall eat then soon

enquanta-

verb. to refill

A verb for “refill”, a combination of en- “re-” and quanta- “fill” (PE17/68, 167), appearing most notably in the Namárië poem in the phrase sí man i yulma nin __enquantuva__? “who now shall refill the cup for me?” (LotR/0377).

enya Archaic

adverb. then soon

enyal-

verb. to recall, to recall, *remember

esse

noun. name

essë

name

essë (1) noun "name", also later name of Tengwa #31, originally (MET) called árë (ázë). (Appendix E). With a pronominal ending esselya "thy name" (VT43:14). Pl. #essi in PM:339 and MR:470, gen.pl. #esseron "of names" in the compound Nómesseron (q.v.); we would rather have expected *ession, given the nom.pl. essi; perhaps #esser is a valid alternative plural form. Essecarmë noun "name-making" (MR:214, 470), Eldarin ceremony where the father announces the name of his child. Essecenta *("k") noun "Name-essay" (see centa) (MR:415); Essecilmë noun "name-choosing", an Eldarin ceremony where a child named him- or herself according to personal lámatyávë (q.v.) (MR:214, 471). The meaning Tolkien originally assigned to the word essë** in the Etymologies was "place" rather than "name" (VT45:12).

essë

noun. name

esta-

verb. name

feren

beech, beech-tree

feren (stem fern-, as in pl. ferni) noun "beech, beech-tree". Also fernë. (BERÉTH, PHER/PHÉREN)

hinna

adverb. still

i

article. the

in

the

i (1) "the", indeclinable definite article (I, Nam, RGEO:67, Markirya, WJ:369, WJ:398, MC:215, 216, 221). A variant in (q.v.) is also attested. Hyphenated i- in i-mar "the earth" (FS), i-Ciryamo "the mariner's" (UT:8), i-aldar "the trees" (Narqelion), attached with a dot in i·yulmar "the cups" (VT48:11), I·Eldanyárë "the History of the Elves" (LR:199), i·arya *"the best" (PE17:57), directly prefixed with no hyphen or dot in icilyanna = i cilyanna in SD:247, also ihyarma "the left hand" in VT49:22 (but i hyarma in other versions of the same text).

in

article. the

neldor

beech

neldor noun "beech" (LT2:343)

ninya

my

ninya _possessive pron _occurring in Fíriel's Song, evidently meaning "my"; see indo-ninya. It may be derived from the dative form nin "for me" by adding the adjectival ending -ya. Compare menya, q.v.

pahta

closed, shut, private

pahta (1) adj. "closed, shut, private" (VT39:23, VT41:6, PE17:171)

quainquë

cardinal. sixteen

quainquë, cardinal "sixteen" (but enenquë may be preferred) (VT48:21)

quetir en

they still say

sal-

verb. ?

sanda

name

[sanda, sandë] (þ) (2) noun "name" (VT46:16)

sanomë

there

sanomë adv. "there" (PE17:71). Cf. sinomë, tanomë.

sanomë

adverb. there

A word for “there” appearing in notes from mid-1960s in the phrase sanome tarne Olórin, Aracorno, Eomer, Imrahil “There stood Gandalf, Aragorn, Eomer and Imrahil” (PE17/71). A similar form ᴹQ. sanome(s) appeared in Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from the late 1940s, where it was based on ᴹ√NOM “spot, place” (PE23/112).

The word can be contrasted with tanome “there” in different notes from the late 1960s (VT49/11, 19), and also in DRC from the 1940s. DRC made the distinction between these two words clear, in that tanome was “demonstrative there” pointing to a place not previously mentioned, while sanome was “anaphoric there” referring back to a place mentioned before. So “go there” would be á mene tanome, but “I went to the city and found Aragorn there” would be mennen i ostonna ar hirnen Aracorno sanome.

Lokyt originally suggested this distinction to me in a Discord conversation from 2022, and was eventually proven right by the publication of DRC in 2024.

sanya

name

[sanya] (þ) (2) noun ?"name" (reading of gloss uncertain, VT46:16)

sí man i yulma nin enquantuva?

now who the cup for me will refill?

The 8th phrase in the prose Namárië, which is essentially the same as its poetic version, differing only in its more literal translation.

This phrase is interesting in that it places the direct and indirect objects of the phrase (i yulma nin “the cup for me”) in between the subject (man “who”) and the verb (enquantuva “will refill”). This indicates that even in ordinary speech, the normal Quenya subject-verb-object word order was somewhat free, with objects able to appear in other positions.

ta

there

ta (5) adv. "there" (VT49:33; this may be an Elvish root or "element" rather than a Quenya word; see tanomë; see however also tar, tara, tanna under ta #1).

tasse

there

tassë

there

tassë adv. "there" (VT49:11), short form tás. These seem to be properly locative forms of ta "that, it", hence "in that [place]". Compare allative tanna "thither" and ablative talo "thence".

tassë

adverb. there

The words tās and tasse “there” appeared in a list of demonstratives from 1968 (VT49/11), combinations of ta “that” and the locative suffix -ssë. Short form tas appeared in the phrase tas kennen nótime eldali “I saw a few elves there” in notes from 1969 (PE22/155). Similarly formed ᴹQ. tasse “there” appeared in Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from 1948, also with a short variant tas (PE23/97, 111).

tás

there

tás adv. "there" (VT49:11); also tassë, q.v.

tás

adverb. there

lungunta-

verb. to weigh [trans.], balance [on scales]; (lit.) to en-scale

A neologism coined by Paul Strack in 2025 specifically for Eldamo for “to weigh, balance [on scales]”, a verb form of lunguntë “scale”. In a post on 2025-12-08 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), Parmandil and Vëannë suggested luhta-, a causative verb based on ᴹ√LUG “be heavy” inspired by G. luntha- “to weigh, balance”. Unfortunately, this luhta- conflicts with several other attested verbs of distinctly different meanings, so I prefer a different solution.

vaimata-

verb. to [en]robe, *clothe; to get dressed, put on clothing

en

root. again, once more, go on doing; further, beyond, again, once more, go on doing; further, beyond; [ᴹ√] yonder, over there

This root had a variety of senses in Tolkien’s writings, which may or may not be related. In The Etymologies of the 1930s, ᴹ√EN was glossed “yonder, over there” with the adverbial form ᴹQ. en “there, look yon (yonder)” (Ety/EN) and in this sense it was probably a later iteration of the early demonstrative root ᴱ√E “that by you”. This 1930s version of the root seems to be a “remote demonstrative” as opposed to ᴹ√TA “that” which seems to be a more ordinary demonstrative.

In notes from the late 1940s and early 1950s, Q. en was connected to the future (PE22/120, 131; PE23/97), and in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s, Tolkien revised the gloss of primitive ✶en from “yonder” to “next, further, again” (PE21/70, note #4). In later notes Tolkien primarily emphasized the sense “again” with the glosses like “go on doing” in notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/167), and the glosses “again, once more” in a couple of different documents written in 1968 (VT47/15; VT48/25), though in one of these it was given the form √HEN “again”, probably a transient idea (VT41/16). This new meaning for √EN reflects the use of the prefix Q. en- for repetition, such as in enquantuva “shall refill” in the Q. Namárië poem (LotR/377).

It is not clear whether √EN retained the sense “yonder” in Tolkien’s later conception of it. In the aforementioned note where it was glossed “go on doing”, one of its derivatives was Q. en(a) “still” as in Q. quetir en “they still say” (PE17/167), referring to the past rather than the future. On the other hand, in rough notes written around 1968, Tolkien said “en- ‘again’ as [in] enquantuva is prob[ably] [?] ‘further, beyond’ [?in respect of time influenced by ? only in] Q. enta, only with verbs. [?root] ēn” (VT41/16). The words in brackets were added by Carl Hostetter as editorial additions or to indicate unclear text in the original, but the relatively clear glosses “further, beyond” show that at least in that moment, something like the 1930s meaning “yonder” of this root may have remained valid.

en

adverb. next, further, again; then in that (past) time, next, further, again; [ᴹ✶] yonder; then in that (past) time

en

root. name

ened

root. centre, middle; three

A root for “centre, middle”, it first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√NED with augmented form ᴹ√ENED (Ety/ÉNED, NÉD). The only derivative of its unaugmented form was the Noldorin prefix N. nedh- “mid-”; its usual forms N. enedh/ᴹQ. ende were derived from the augmented form ᴹ√ENED. In notes from the 1950s and 60s, it seems this augmented form became the normal form, as in √EN(ED) “center, middle” (PE17/26) or ened- “middle” (VT47/26).

One complication in the later iterations of the root was the appearance of the word S. Enedwaith “Middle-region” in The Lord of the Rings maps and appendices (LotR/1089). I suspect this form dates from the period in Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s where Tolkien decided to represent [ð] as d: compare N. Fanuidol (TI/306) vs. S. Fanuidhol (LotR/283) and N. Galadrim (TI/239) vs. S. Galadhrim (LotR/341). For whatever reason, Enedwaith was never corrected, and in some places Tolkien said this was a mistake and the proper form should be Enedhwaith (PM/328; VT42/20) while in other places he considered revising the root for “middle” to √ENET or √HEN(ET) (VT41/16).

In his notes on numbers and fingers from 1968, Tolkien said the primitive form was ened with variant form enel (VT47/16, 29; VT48/9-10, 24-25), as the result of frequent d/l interchange in Common Eldarin (VT47/29). In these notes this “middle” root was likewise connected to √ENEK “three” as represented by the “middle” finger (VT48/10). In this set of 1968 notes Tolkien also said √ENET was connected to the distinct root √EN “again” and had the sense “one more” (VT47/15; VT48/25). As for the enel “middle” variant, it seems it was used more in Nandorin (VT47/29), but was a factor in some Quenya words such as Q. enelmo “go-between, intervener, intermediary, mediator” (VT47/14).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is best to assume the root for “middle” was mainly √ENED, and that Tolkien’s flirtations with √(H)ENET “middle” was a transient idea. I think it is also worth retaining the unaugmented prefix nedh- “mid-” for Neo-Sindarin words, though originating from a lost original vowel rather than a lack of augmentation.

elen

noun. star

-ni

suffix. adjectival suffix

Seen in lugni < LUG, luini < LUY and ninkwi < NIKW (with subsequent metathesis). Possibly a (rare) variant of -nā and/or -i.

-nyā

pronoun. my

-ya

suffix. adjectival suffix

ened

noun/adjective. middle, centre

enek

root. six

The root and words for “six” remained very similar throughout Tolkien’s life. The earliest form of this root was ᴱ√ENE “six” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, with the derivative ᴱQ. ende “six” (QL/35). In the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s, the Qenya word for “six” became ᴱQ. enqe [enkwe] with variant enekse (PE14/49, 82), implying a primitive base ✱enek-. This primitive form was made explicit in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where the root was given as ᴹ√ENEK “six” with derivatives ᴹQ. enqe and N. eneg (Ety/ÉNEK). The root and its derivatives retained this form thereafter.

Tolkien spent a fair amount of time analyzing the origin of this root and the basis for the Q. addition of w in various notes on Elvish numbering systems written in 1968 (VT41, VT42, VT47, VT48). One connection Tolkien regularly made was between √ENEK “six” and √ENED “middle”, as “six” was the “middle” of the duodecimal system of numbering (VT41/16; VT48/9); in this respect it was probably an elaboration of the root √NEK “divide, separate, part” by analogy with √ENED (VT47/16; VT48/9). The Quenya -we may have been either a dual suffix based on “six” as twice three (VT48/10) or it might have been by analogy with other important duodecimal numbers like Q. minquë “eleven” and Q. yunquë “twelve” (48/7). Personally I find the second theory more compelling.

enet

root. *one more

A root with the sense “one more” that is an extension of √EN “again”, introduced by Tolkien in his discussion of Elvish numerals from documents written in 1968 (VT47/15-16; VT48/25). One interesting use of this root is in the derivation of the word yunquenta, an alternate word for “thirteen” literally meaning “twelve and one more” = yunque + enta (VT47/15).

ent(h)a

pronoun. away over there, in time to come

thā

adverb. then, next

gyanta

root. *(en)large, increase

tûr haretha

place name. Ladybarrow

The grave of Haleth.

lórinand

place name. Valley of Gold(en Light)

bel

place name. ?

-ul

suffix. of

asad

root. ?

An otherwise unexplained root Tolkien gave to illustrate a pronunciation example (SD/421). It may not be a real root. If it is real, it is either a biconsonantal-root with vowel-prefixion or a triconsonantal-root with a lost initial consonant such as [ɣ] or [ʔ].

nak

root. ?

An otherwise unexplained root that Tolkien used to illustrate the processes of Primitive Adûnaic word formation (SD/422-3). It may have no real meaning. Even if it were, certainly only a few of its derivatives could be real words in Classical Adûnaic.

sapad

root. ?

An otherwise unexplained root Tolkien gave to illustrate a pronunciation example. It may not be a real root.

-o

suffix. of

-ya

suffix. adjective suffix

nia

pronoun. my