-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".
Quenya
-ië
suffix. abstract noun, adverb
Derivations
- ✶-(i)yē “abstract noun, adverb” ✧ PE17/058
Element in
- Q. Andúnië “Sunset”
- Q. aquapahtië “privacy, *(lit.) full-closedness”
- Q. aranië “kingdom”
- Q. túrindië “*kingdom”
- Q. Carnimírië “Red-jewelled”
- Q. coloitië “endurance, staunchness, fortitude”
- Q. enquië “Elvish week of six days”
- Q. hísië “mist, mistiness”
- Q. látie “openness”
- Q. laurië “goldenness; like gold”
- Q. lintië “swiftness, speed; swiftly, *quickly” ✧ PE17/058
- Q. londië “harbourage”
- Q. alatúlië “welcome”
- Q. márië “well, happily; goodness, good estate, being well, happiness” ✧ PE17/058
- ᴺQ. molië “labour, work”
- Q. mornië “darkness, blackness”
- Q. Nárië “June, *Fire-ness”
- Q. Neldië “*Trinity”
- Q. olass(i)ë “foliage, collection of leaves”
- Q. Onnarië “Time of Children”
- ᴺQ. otolmië “keyboard”
- Q. quelië “*fading” ✧ LotR/1110
- Q. sangië “necessity”
- Q. sarnië “shingle, pebble bank”
- Q. Sindanórië “Grey Country, Land of Greyness”
- Q. sindië “greyness”
- Q. tárië “height”
- Q. tengwestië “language [as a concept]”
- Q. terpellië “*temptation”
- Q. Yavannië “September, *Yavanna-ness”
- Q. yávië “autumn, harvest [time or act]”
- Q. yénië “annals”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶-(i)ı̯ē > -ië [-ijē] > [-ie] ✧ PE17/058 Variations
- -ië ✧ LotR/1110 (-ië); PE17/058
- -ie ✧ PE17/058; PE17/058; PE17/058; PE17/059; PE17/059
-ië
suffix. gerund suffix, -ing
Derivations
- ✶-iyē “gerund, -ing” ✧ VT49/48
Element in
- ᴺQ. cesië “search”
- Q. Emerië “?The Herding”
- Q.
ataquetië“saying again, repetition”- Q. enyalië “memory, (lit.) recalling”
- Q. hentië “reading”
- Q. nainië “lament, lament, *lamentation”
- Q. námië “single judgment or desire”
- Q. norië “race, running, running, race”
- Q. nótië “*counting”
- Q. omentië “meeting (of pathways), (lit.) coming together of journey-path, meeting or junction of the directions of two people” ✧ PE17/013
- ᴺQ. poitië “(act of) cleaning, cleansing”
- Q. rehtië “rescue, saving”
- Q. tengwië “reading; language (*signing)” ✧ VT49/48
- Q.
terfantië“*temptation”- Q. yomenië “meeting, gathering, meeting, gathering, *congress”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶´waye > weye > -wie [-waje] > [-wie] ✧ VT49/48 Variations
- ı̯e ✧ PE17/013
- -ie ✧ PE17/068
- -wie ✧ VT49/48
-ië
general infinitive
-ië
openness
-ië
suffix. is
-ië (3) "is", -ier "are", stative verb suffix occurring in Fíriel's Song: númessier "they are in the west", meldielto "they are...beloved", talantië "he is fallen", márië "it is good" (< *númessë "in the west", melda "beloved", *talanta "fallen"); future tense -iéva in hostainiéva "will be gathered" (< *hostaina "gathered"). Compare ye "is", yéva "will be", verbs that also occur in Fíriel's Song. This suffix is probably not valid in LotR-style Quenya: -ië is an infinitival or gerundial ending in CO, for ye "is" Namárië has ná, and the phrase "lost is" is vanwa ná, not *vanwië.
-ië
suffix. perfect suffix
Derivations
- ✶-iyē “perfect suffix”
-a
it is said
-r nominative plural ending regularly used on nouns ending in -a, -i, -ië, -o, -u, e.g. Ainur, Valar, tier. Occasionally it is added also to nouns ending in -ë (that normally take the ending -I in the pl.). This seems to regularly happen in the case of nouns in -lë (see #fintalë, mallë, tyellë), sometimes also otherwise (see Ingwë, wendë, essë #1). This plural ending was ("it is said") first used by the Noldor (PM:402).
-lë
suffix. abstract noun, adverb
Changes
- -le → ve ✧ PE17/074
Derivations
Element in
- ᴺQ. aitalë “reverence, worship, religion”
- Q. cendelë “face, face, *visage”
- Q. findelë “tress, lock [of hair]”
- Q. findilë “head of hair”
- Q. fintalë “trick”
- Q. hantalë “thanksgiving”
- Q. laitalë “praise”
- Q. lambelë “phonetics” ✧ VT39/16
- Q. lindalë “music”
- Q. lumbulë “dark shadow, heavy shadow; deep in shadow”
- Q. maitalë “the act of doing [artistic] work”
- Q. máralë “goodness” ✧ PE17/058
- Q. nurtalë “hiding”
- Q. oialë “forever; everlastingly, eternally, in eternity, forever; everlastingly, eternally, in eternity; [ᴹQ.] everlasting age” ✧ PE17/058; PE17/074
- Q. ontalë “descent, descent, *derivation, ancestry”
- Q. quellë “late autumn and early winter, (lit.) fading”
- Q. quentalë “history, narration, history, narration, [ᴹQ.] account” ✧ VT39/16
- Q. sillë “like this” ✧ PE17/074
- Q. tallë “like that” ✧ PE17/074
- Q. tengwelë “language (general term), language (general term); [ᴱQ.] sense” ✧ VT39/16
- Q. tumbalë “depth, deep valley”
- Q. vendelë “maidenhood”
- Q. yallë “as, in the same way as, like” ✧ PE17/074
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶-lē > -le [-lē] > [-le] ✧ PE17/058 √LEŊ > -le [-leŋ] > [-leɣ] > [-le] ✧ PE17/074 ✶-lē > -lë [-lē] > [-le] ✧ VT39/16 Variations
- -le ✧ PE17/058; PE17/074
-më
suffix. abstract noun
Derivations
- ✶-(u)mē “denoting a (single) action”
Element in
Variations
- -me ✧ PE17/169 (-me)
-o
of goodness
-o (1) genitive ending, as in Altariello, Oromëo, Elenna-nórëo, Rithil-Anamo, Rúmilo, Lestanórëo, neldëo, omentielvo, sindiëo, Valinórëo, veryanwesto, q.v. In words ending in -a, the genitive ending replaces this final vowel, hence atto, Ráno, Vardo, vorondo as the genitive forms of atta, Rána, Varda, voronda (q.v.) Following a noun in -ië, the ending can have the longer form -no, e.g. *máriéno "of goodness" (PE17:59, but contrast sindiëo "of greyness" in PE17:72). Where the word ends in -o already, the genitive is not distinct in form, e.g. ciryamo (q.v.) = "mariner" or "mariners". Pl. -ion and -ron, q.v.; dual -to (but possibly -uo in the case of nouns that have nominative dual forms in -u rather than -t). The Quenya genitive describes source, origin or former ownership rather than current ownership (which is rather covered by the possessive-adjectival case in -va). The ending -o may also take on an ablativic sense, "from", as in Oiolossëo "from (Mount) Oiolossë" (Nam), sio "hence" (VT49:18). In some of Tolkiens earlier material, the genitive ending was -n rather than -o, cf. such a revision as Yénië Valinóren "Annals of Valinor" becoming Yénië Valinórëo (MR:200).
-rë
suffix. abstract noun
Derivations
- ✶-(a)rē “abstract noun”
Element in
Variations
- -re ✧ MC/223 (-re)
-ssë
suffix. abstract noun
Cognates
- S. -as “abstract noun”
Derivations
Element in
- Q. alanessë “nicotiana, pipeweed, nicotiana, pipeweed, *tobacco”
- Q. aranus(së) “kingship”
- Q. carpassë “mouth-system; full organized language, including system, vocabulary, metre, etc.”
- Q. celussë “freshnet, water falling out swiftly from a rocky spring”
- Q. entulessë “return”
- ᴺQ. failassë “justice, fair-mindedness”
- Q. findessë “head of hair, person’s hair as a whole”
- Q. incánussë “mind mastership”
- ᴺQ. letinwessë “constellation”
- Q. Lótessë “May, *(lit.) Flower-ness”
- Q. nassë “nature, true-being, *essence; person, individual” ✧ VT49/30
- ᴺQ. omolmessë “corporation”
- ᴺQ. restassë “countryside, the country”
- Q. táris(së) “queenship”
- Q. tengwassë “alphabet”
Variations
- -sse ✧ VT49/30 (-sse)
-vë
suffix. abstract noun, adverb
Derivations
- ✶-b(iy)ē “-ing”
Element in
- Q. andavë “long, at great length”
- ᴺQ. anwavë “surely, certainly”
- Q. auvië “possession (abstract), *the act of possessing”
- Q. coivië “life, life, [ᴱQ.] liveliness; awakening” ✧ PE17/068
- Q. cuivië “awakening” ✧ PE17/068
- Q. ilúvë “the whole, the all, allness, the whole, the all, allness; [ᴹQ.] universe, world; Heaven”
- Q. návë “being” ✧ PE17/068
- Q. oialë “forever; everlastingly, eternally, in eternity, forever; everlastingly, eternally, in eternity; [ᴹQ.] everlasting age” ✧ PE17/074
- Q. sívë “knowing, knowledge” ✧ PE17/068
Variations
- -ve ✧ PE17/068
- ve ✧ PE17/074
Amarië
good
Amarië fem. name; perhaps derived from mára "good" with prefixing of the stem-vowel and the feminine ending -ië (Silm)
ala-
good
ala- (3), also al-, a prefix expressing "good" or "well" (PE17:146), as in alaquenta (q.v.) Whether Tolkien imagined this ending to coexist with the negative prefix of the same form (#2 above) is unclear and perhaps dubious.
comya-
gather, assemble
comya- ("k")vb. "gather, assemble" (transitive)(PE17:158)
enyal-
to recall
#enyal- vb. "to recall", "to commemorate", gerund/infinitive enyalië with infinitival ending -ië; dative enyalien "for the re-calling", "[in order] to recall" in CO.
hosta-
gather, collect, assemble
hosta- vb. "gather, collect, assemble" (Markirya), "gather hastily together, pile up" (PE17:39), hostainiéva "will be gathered", future tense of the stative verb *hostainië*, derived from hostaina "gathered", past participle of hosta- "gather". Such stative verbs are probably not conceptually valid in Tolkien's later Quenya; see -ië**. (FS)
lanta
fall
lanta (1) noun "a fall" (DAT/DANT (TALÁT) ), also lantë.
lanta-
fall
lanta- (2) "fall" (DAT/DANT (TALÁT), Narqelion, VT45:26, VT49:54); lantar aorist tense pl. (Nam, RGEO:66); pl. pa.t. lantaner "fell" (pl.) (SD:246); lantier "they fell", a plural past tense of lanta- "fall" occurring in LR:47; read probably lantaner in LotR-style Quenya, as in SD:246. Also sg. lantië "fell" (LR:56); read likewise *lantanë? (The forms in -ier, -ië seem to be properly perfects.) Future tense lantuva, VT49:47. Participle lantala "falling" (with locative ending: lantalassë) in Markirya.
lantar
fall
-r plural ending used on verbs with a plural subject (VT49:48, 50, 51), e.g. lantar "fall" in Namárië (with the plural subject lassi "leaves"), or unduláver as the pl. form of undulávë "licked down, covered" (PE17:72). The ending is sometimes missing where we might expect it; for instance, the verb tarnë "stood" has multiple subjects and yet does not appear as *tarner in PE17:71.
lantë
fall
#lantë (1) noun "fall" in Noldolantë, q.v. Also lanta.
lantë
noun. fall
The word lasselanta “leaf-fall, autumn” (LotR/1107) indicate the form this word should be lanta, which is how it appears in The Etymologies. However, the alternate lassewinta (PM/376) seems to be formed with the infinitive of the verb winta- rather than a noun, so perhaps lasselanta is a similar formation from the verb lanta- “to fall”.
The form lantë, appearing in Noldolantë “Fall of the Noldor” (S/87), more strongly resembles other Quenya nouns, which more often end in -e rather than -a. The noun atalantë “collapse, downfall” is a similar formation from the related verb [ᴹQ.] atalta-, though it could also be the past formation “downfallen” of this TALAT-stem verb.
Derivations
- √DAT “fall down, fall to ground”
Element in
- Q. Noldolantë “Fall of the Noldor” ✧ S/087
látie
noun. openness
Elements
Word Gloss láta “open (not closed)” -ië “abstract noun, adverb”
látië
openness
látië noun "openness" (VT39:23)
melda
beloved, dear, sweet
melda adj. "beloved, dear, sweet" (MEL, VT45:34), superlative arimelda *"dearest" (PE17:56, see ar- #2), meldielto "they are beloved" (sc. meld[a]-ië-lto "beloved-are-they" however, both the stative verb ending -ië "is/are" and the ending -lto "they" may be obsolete in LotR-style Quenya) (FS) PE17:55 gives the comparative form as arimelda or ammelda and the superlative as eremelda, anamelda or once again ammelda (PE17:55).
mára
adjective. good
ná
is
ná (1) vb. "is" (am). (Nam, RGEO:67). This is the copula used to join adjectives, nouns or pronouns "in statements (or wishes) asserting (or desiring) a thing to have certain quality, or to be the same as another" (VT49:28). Also in impersonal constructions: ringa ná "it is cold" (VT49:23). The copula may however be omitted "where the meaning is clear" without it (VT49:9). Ná is also used as an interjection "yes" or "it is so" (VT49:28). Short na in airë [] na, "[] is holy" (VT43:14; some subject can evidently be inserted in the place of [].) Short na also functions as imperative: alcar mi tarmenel na Erun "glory in high heaven be to God" (VT44:32/34), also na airë "be holy" (VT43:14); also cf. nai "be it that" (see nai #1). The imperative participle á may be prefixed (á na, PE17:58). However, VT49:28 cites ná as the imperative form. Pl. nar or nár "are" (PE15:36, VT49:27, 9, 30); dual nát (VT49:30). With pronominal endings: nányë/nanyë "I am", nalyë or natyë "you (sg.) are" (polite and familiar, respectively), nás "it is", násë "(s)he is", nalmë "we are" (VT49:27, 30). Some forms listed in VT49:27 are perhaps to be taken as representing the aorist: nain, naityë, nailyë (1st person sg, and 2nd person familiar/polite, respectively); does a following na represent the aorist with no pronominal ending? However, the forms nanyë, nalyë, ná, nassë, nalme, nar (changed from nár) are elsewhere said to be "aorist", without the extra vowel i (e.g. nalyë rather than nailyë); also notice that *"(s)he is" is here nassë rather than násë (VT49:30).Pa.t. nánë or né "was", pl. náner/nér and dual nét "were" (VT49:6, 9, 10, 27, 28, 30, 36). According to VT49:31, né "was" cannot receive pronominal endings (though nésë "he was" is attested elsewhere, VT49:28-29), and such endings are rather added to the form ane-, e.g. anen "I was", anel "you were", anes "(s)he/it was" (VT49:28-29). Future tense nauva "will be" (VT42:34, VT49:19, 27; another version however gives the future tense as uva, VT49:30). Nauva with a pronominal ending occurs in tanomë nauvan "I will be there" (VT49:19), this example indicating that forms of the verb ná may also be used to indicate position. Perfect anaië "has been" (VT49:27, first written as anáyë). Infinitive (or gerund) návë "being", PE17:68. See also nai #1.
ná-
verb. to be, to be, [ᴱQ.] exist
Changes
nā→ nāner ✧ VT49/09nār→ năr ✧ VT49/30Cognates
Derivations
- √NĀ “be (the same as another), exist” ✧ PE17/093
Element in
- Q. á hyamë rámen úcarindor “pray for us sinners” ✧ VT43/34
- Q. aistana elyë imíca nísi “blessed art thou amongst women” ✧ VT43/30; VT43/30
- Q. alasaila ná lá carë tai mo nave mára “it is unwise not to do what one judges good” ✧ PE22/154; VT42/33
- Q. alcar mi Tarmenel na Erun “glory [be] to God in the highest” ✧ VT44/34; VT44/34
- Q. A (ná) calima lá B “A is brighter than B; (lit.) A is bright beyond B” ✧ PE17/090; PE17/090
- Q. A anamelda na ar ilyan “A is dearest of all” ✧ PE17/057
- Q. A anamelda na epë B “A is dear before B” ✧ PE17/057
- Q. A anamelda na ep’ ilya “A is dearest of all” ✧ PE17/057
- Q.
A arimelda na epe B“A is (very much) [dearer] than B” ✧ PE17/057 (A arimelda na epe B)- Q. A arimelda na ilyaron “A is dearest of all” ✧ PE17/057
- Q. á na márië “be well” ✧ PE17/162
- Q. aranielya na tuluva “thy kingdom come” ✧ VT43/14; VT43/14
- Q. Átaremma i ëa han Eä “our Father who art in Heaven” ✧ VT43/13
- Q. cemendë tambe Erumandë “on Earth as [it is] in Heaven” ✧ VT43/16
- Q. cé tulis, ní nauva tanomë “*if he/she comes, I will be there” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. cé tulis, tanomë nauvan “*if he/she comes, I will be there” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. eldar ataformaiti “the Elves were ambidexters” ✧ VT49/09; VT49/09; VT49/09; VT49/09
- Q. essë úpa nas “he is dumb” ✧ PE17/126
- Q. i Héru aselyë “the Lord is with thee” ✧ VT43/30
- Q. lá carita i hamil mára alasaila ná “not to do (in this case) what you judge good (would be) unwise” ✧ PE22/154; VT42/33
- Q. lá caritas alasaila cé nauva “not doing this may be/prove unwise” ✧ PE22/154; VT42/34
- Q. lá caritas, navin, alasaila ná “not doing this would be (I think) unwise” ✧ PE22/154; VT42/33
- Q. násië “but deliver us from evil: Amen” ✧ VT43/23
- Q. mára ná “it is good” ✧ PE17/093
- Q. ná “yes, it is so, it is a fact”
- Q. na airë esselya “hallowed be thy name” ✧ VT43/14
- Q. na carë indómelya “thy will be done” ✧ VT43/15
- Q. nai “maybe; be it that, may it be that; perhaps, it may be, there is a chance or possibility, maybe; be it that, may it be that; perhaps, it may be, there is a chance or possibility; [ᴱQ.] remoter possibility” ✧ RGEO/60; VT49/28
- Q. naitë “true” ✧ VT49/28
- ᴺQ. nalumë “sometime(s)”
- Q. namárië “farewell, (lit.) be well, let it be well (to you)” ✧ PE17/058; PE17/059; PE17/059; PE17/074
- Q. námo “person, somebody (unnamed)”
- Q. náner ataformaitë ve fírimor quetir “*were ambidextrous as mortals say” ✧ VT49/10
- ᴺQ. nanomë “someplace, somewhere”
- Q. nanwa “existing, actual (true), existing, actual (true), *real; [️ᴱQ.] being” ✧ VT49/30
- Q. nár (naitië) “they are (indeed = truly)” ✧ PE22/166
- Q. násië “*amen, (lit.) may it be so”
- Q. násan “*amen, (lit.) may it be so”
- Q. nás mára nin “I like it” ✧ VT49/30
- Q. nassë “nature, true-being, *essence; person, individual” ✧ VT49/30
- Q. návë “being”
- Q. nésë nórima rocco “he was a horse strong/swift at running” ✧ VT49/29
- Q. quí(ta) la tuldes, nánë márië (nin) “[if he had not come], it was well to me (I was glad)” ✧ PE22/158
- Q. roccor i Erulingaron márë nár (ma naitë)? “the horses of the Rohirrim are good (are they not, lit. is it true)” ✧ PE22/166
- Q. savin Elessar ar i nánë aran Ondórëo “I believe that E[lessar] really existed and that he was a King of Gondor” ✧ PE22/158; VT49/27
- Q. sínen i·anda nyarnë metta ar taina andaurenya na quanta “*with this the long tale ends and my extended long day is complete” ✧ Minor-Doc/1955-CT
- Q. sí vanwa ná, Rómello vanwa, Valimar! “now lost, lost to those from the east is Valimar!” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
- Q. sí vanwa ná, Rómello vanwa, Valimar! “now lost is, [to one] from the East lost, Valimar!” ✧ RGEO/59
- Q. umbë nin i hríve nauva urra (si loa) “I have a feeling that winter will be bad (this year)” ✧ PE22/168
- Q. yá hríve menë, ringa ná “when winter comes/arrives/is with us, it is cold” ✧ VT49/23 (
yá hríve tene, ringa ná)- ᴺQ. yonávë “company, *companionship, camaraderie”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √NĀ > ná [nā] ✧ PE17/093 Variations
- ná ✧ LotR/0377; PE17/090; PE17/093; PE22/154; PE22/167; VT42/33; VT49/09; VT49/23
- na ✧ Minor-Doc/1955-CT; PE17/057; PE17/074; PE17/074; PE17/090; PE17/162; VT43/13; VT43/30
- nā ✧ PE17/058; RGEO/59; VT49/09 (
nā); VT49/28; VT49/30- nā- ✧ PE22/166; VT49/27; VT49/28 (nā-)
- nā̀ ✧ RGEO/58
- Nā ✧ RGEO/60
- nā̆ ✧ VT49/30
- nār ✧ VT49/30 (
nār)
númessier
they are in the west
númessier vb. "they are in the west", a construction occurring in Fíriel's Song, evidently núme(n)-ssë-ie-r "west-in-are-they"; the stative-verb suffix -ië is probably not valid in LotR-style Quenya (FS)
sanganë
gather
sanganë vb.? "gather" (MC:214; this is "Qenya")
ye
is
ye (2) copula "is" (FS, VT46:22); both earlier and later sources rather point to ná (q.v.) as the copula "is", so ye may have been an experiment Tolkien later abandoned. Future tense yéva, q.v.
ócom-
gather, assemble
#ócom- vb. "gather, assemble" (intransitive)(PE17:157, 158). Cited in the form ócomë "gathers, assembles", evidently an endingless aorist. Perfect ócómië given.
úyë
is
úyë vb., a form occurring in Fíriel's Song (cf. VT46:22), apparently ye "is" with the negative prefix ú-, hence "is not" (úyë sérë indo-ninya símen, translated "my hearth resteth not here", literally evidently *"[there] is not rest [for] my heart here")
-ië (1) infinitive (or gerundial) ending, "general infinitive" (PE17:68), attested in carië (see car-), enyalië, q.v. (CO)