-ma

suffix. instrumental (draft)

The suffix used for the draft-instrumental case, translated “with” (SD/438). In a later conceptual stage, it became the ordinary prepositional suffix -mâ. Carl Hostetter and Partick Wynne suggested (VSH/33, AAD/19) that the deleted form -men on SD/311 is a separate prepositional suffix “on” related to ᴹQ. men “place”, but I believe it is a variant of the plural instrumental form -main.

-mâ

preposition. with

A prepositional suffix translated “with” (SD/247, 429).

Conceptual Development: At an earlier conceptual stage, it was the grammatical inflection -ma used for the draft-instrumental (SD/438).

bârim an-adûn yurahtam dâira sâibêth-mâ êruvô

Lords of [the] West, they rent [the] Earth with assent from Eru

The 4th phrase of the Lament of Akallabêth (SD/247). One major conceptual change from earlier versions was that the subject of the sentence was plural Bârim an-Adûn (“Lords of the West”) instead of the earlier singular Bârun an-Adûn (“Lord of the West”). It seems that Tolkien decided that the drowning of Númenor was attributed to all of the Valar rather than just Manwë. A similar change from singular to plural was made in the corresponding Quenya sentence: herunūmen >> númeheruvi.

The subject Bârim of this sentence is the subjective plural of bâr “lord”. It is modified by the adjectival phrase an-Adûn “of the West”, with the genitive prefix an- “of” added to the noun adûn. The verb has the 3rd-plural suffix yu- “they”. In the grammatical rules of Lowdham’s Report this makes the subject emphatic, with a meaning more like “It was the Lords of the West who broke the Earth...” (SD/429).

The verb form rahtam is the aorist tense of rahat- “to break” with the verb plural suffix -m. The object of the sentence, dâira “Earth”, is in the normal-case.

The base sentence is modified by the prepositional phrase sâibêth-mâ Êruvô “with assent from Eru”. The combination sâibêth-mâ is the word sâibêth “assent” and the prepositional suffix -mâ “with”. The final word Êruvô is the name Êru and the prepositional suffix -ô “of”, with the usual glide-consonant [w] (which was sometimes written “v” as mentioned on SD/434) between the u and the following suffix.

bārun an-adūn {urahhata >>} urahta dāira sāibēth-mā ēruvō

bārun an-adūn {urahhata >>} urahta dāira sāibēth-mā ēruvō

The second draft of the 4th phrase of the Lament of Akallabêth (SD/312). The key difference between it and final version is that its subject is singular (Manwë only) rather than plural (all of the Valar). Thus, it uses the singular subjective Bârun rather than the later plural Bârim and the pronoun suffix u- “he” instead of later yu- “they”. In this version, Tolkien initially wrote a past tense form of the verb rahhata before replacing it with the aorist form rahta used in the final version.

pâ

noun. hand

A noun translated “hand”, given as an example of an apparent Adûnaic uniconsonantal noun, which had a biconsonantal-root but lost one of its consonants from its ancient form ✶Ad. paʒa (SD/416, 426).

sulum

noun. mast

A noun translated “mast” illustrating the development of Primitive Adûnaic palatals, or c-series (SD/419). This example may also be related to the draft (?Adûnaic) name for the Pillar of Heaven Meneltyūlā, which contains a word much like the cognate of sulum: Q. tyulma.

thâni

noun. land

A noun translated “land” (SD/435) appearing in the Adûnaic names for the Blessed Realm: Amatthâni and thâni’nAmân. Its Primitive Adûnaic form was also ✶thāni, though its primitive was glossed “realm" (SD/420).

zâyan

noun. land

An Adûnaic word for “land” (SD/423). It has an irregular plural form zâin which is the result of the phonetic change (SD/423): [[pad|medial [w] and [j] vanished before [u] and [i]]]. Thus, the archaic plural changed from †zâyîn > zâîn > zâin.

Conceptual Development: In earlier names this word appeared as zen (SD/378, 385).

-ma

suffix. instrumental

ma

something, a thing

ma, (1) neuter personal pronoun "something, a thing" (VT42:34). It may occur (with the meaning "thing") in the ejaculation yé mána (ma) = "what a blessing" or "what a good thing!"" (VT49:41) (2) Ma has also been theorized to be a particle used to turn declarative statements into yes/no questions.

ma

pronoun. something, a thing; anything

ma

adverb. interrogative particle

The base element for Quenya interrogatives, used to form questions. Add ma at the beginning of a declarative statement turns it into a question: carnelyes “you did it” becomes ma carnelyes “did you do it?”. See the entry on interrogative pronouns for more details.

ma

something, a thing

ma

conjunction. whether; {frågemarkör}

má

hand

má noun "hand" (MA3, LT2:339, Narqelion, VT39:10, [VT45:30], VT47:6, 18, 19); the dual "a pair of hands" is attested both by itself as mát (VT47:6) and with a pronominal suffix as máryat "his/her (pair of) hands" (see -rya, -t) (Nam, RGEO:67). The nominative plural form was only máli, not **már (VT47:6), though plurals in -r may occur in some of the cases, as indicated by the pl. allative mannar "into hands" (FS). Mánta "their hand", dual mántat "their hands" (two hands each) (PE17:161). Cf. also the compounds mátengwië "language of the hands" (VT47:9) and Lungumá "Heavyhand" (VT47:19); also compare the adj. -maitë "-handed". See also málimë.

yé

lo!

yé (1) interjection "lo!" (VT47:31), also occurring in Aragorn's exclamation when he found the sapling of the White Tree. (Compare yéta-.) Also in the ejaculation yé mána (ma) = "what a blessing" or "what a good thing!" (VT49:41). The more literal meaning would seem to be *"behold the blessing!"

mat-

verb. to eat

The verb for “to eat” derived from the root √MAT of the same meaning (VT39/7).

Conceptual Development: This verb and root are quite well established, dating all the way back to ᴱQ. mat- and ᴱ√MATA of the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/59) and appearing as ᴹQ. mat- and ᴹ√MAT in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/MAT), as well as numerous other places albeit with occasional variants like mata- (PE12/26). This verb was one Tolkien often used in examples of verb conjugations and as such its inflected forms changed considerably over time, but that is more a topic of the evolution of the Quenya verb system itself.

tyulma

noun. mast

This was the Quenya word for “mast” for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱQ. tyulma “mast” in Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√TYULU “tall” (QL/50). It was ᴱQ. tyulme “mast” [with an e] in notes associated with a draft of the ᴱQ. Earendel (Poem) from around 1930 (PE16/100); in the final poem it appeared in its nominative plural form tyulmin “masts” (MC/216). In The Etymologies from 1937 it was again ᴹQ. tyulma “mast” derived from primitive ᴹ✶tyulmā under the root ᴹ√TYUL “stand up (straight)” (Ety/TYUL).

At some point Tolkien changed the form of its root without changing the word itself. In notes on the Adûnaic language from this period Tolkien gave its primitive form of ᴹQ. tyulma “mast” as ᴹ✶kyulumā (SD/419). The primitive form ᴹ✶kyulma “mast” also appeared in an earlier document Primitive Quendian Structure: Final Consonants dated “Apr. 28 [19]36” (PE21/55 note #1, PE21/65) and as ᴹ✶kı̯ulmā “mast” in Notes for Qenya Declensions from the 1940s (PE21/68). Notes on Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s had both primitive ✶kjulmā “mast” (PE21/74) and Q. tyulma “mast” (PE21/80).

Neo-Quenya: Tolkien’s change of √TYUL to √KYUL is in keeping with his abandonment of palatalized dentals in Ancient Elvish; see the discussion of phonetic developments in Ancient Telerin for details. This has no effect on Quenya word forms, since ancient ky became ty in that language branch. It does affect Sindarin forms, however, and I prefer to retain earlier palatalized dental roots like √TYUL to preserve words like [N.] tulus “poplar-tree”, also derived from this root.

-ndor

land

-ndor, final element in compounds: "land" (Letters:308, UT:253)

-nen

suffix. instrumental

-nwa

passive suffix

-nwa is said to be "a passive suffix" irregularly occurring in the word vanwa "lost" (PE17:63), the word seems to be irregular since the underlying root means "go away" and so vanwa is in a sense a past active participle, *"having gone". Compare PE17:68.

Amarië

good

Amarië fem. name; perhaps derived from mára "good" with prefixing of the stem-vowel and the feminine ending -ië (Silm)

Silmarien

-riën

Silmarien (sometimes "-riën") fem. name, apparently incorporates sil(i)ma (Appendix A) and the feminine ending -ien, or -rien as a variant of -riel (garlanded maiden) as in Altariel (Galadriel).

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.

an sí varda, tintallë, elentári ortanë máryat oiolossëo ve fanyar

for now Varda, Star-kindler, Star-queen [has] lifted up her (two) hands from Mount Everwhite like (white) clouds

The 9th and 10th phrases of the prose Namárië, corresponding to the 9th and 10th lines of the poem. They are combined here for purposes of discussion because Tolkien moved words between the two lines. Tolkien dramatically reorganized the text from the poetic version as follows:

> an sí Tintallë Varda Oiolossëo ve fanyar máryat Elentári ortanë >>

an sí Varda, Tintallë, Elentári ortanë máryat Oiolossëo ve fanyar

Tolkien grouped together the three names of Varda (Varda, Tintallë, Elentári) as the subject of the phrase. He moved the object máryat “her (two) hands” immediately after the verb, which is the usual Quenya word order. He also moved the two modifying clauses, Oiolossëo “from Mount Everwhite” and ve fanyar “like (white) clouds”, to the end.

The revised Quenya ordering would match the poetic English translation quite closely if the phrase “from Mount Everwhite” were moved closer to the end:

> “for now the Kindler, Varda, the Queen of the Stars from Mount Everwhite has uplifted her hands like clouds” »»»

“✱for now Varda, the Kindler, the Queen of the Stars has uplifted her hands from Mount Everwhite like clouds”

as

with

as prep. "with" (together with), also attested with a pronominal suffix: aselyë "with thee" (VT47:31, VT43:29). The conjunction ar "and" may also appear in assimilated form as before s; see ar #1.

as

with

o (2) prep. "with" (MC:216; this is "Qenya"; WJ:367 states that no independent preposition o was used in Quenya. Writers may rather use as.) See ó- below.

as

preposition. with

cala

light

cala ("k")noun "light" (KAL). Concerning the "Qenya" verb cala-, see #cal- above.

cala

noun. light, light; [ᴱQ.] daytime (sunlight), 12 hours

This is the most common Quenya word for “light”, derived from the root √KAL of similar meaning (RGEO/62; PE17/84). It appears in numerous compounds, either in its full form or in a reduced form cal-.

Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. kala appeared all the way back in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “daytime (sunlight), 12 hours” and derived from the early root ᴱ√KALA “shine golden” (QL/44), but it had the sense “light” in the phrase ᴱQ. i·kal’antúlien “Light hath returned” (LT1/184), and it was given as the cognate of G. gala “light, daylight” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/37).

ᴹQ. kala “light” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√KAL “shine” (Ety/KAL). Somewhat curiously in that document its primitive form was given as ᴹ✶k’lā́ (EtyAC/KAL), a form that also appeared in the first version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ1) from the 1930s (PE18/38). Tolkien may have used this variant form to explain N. glaw “radiance” (< ᴹ✶g’lā́), but in later writings S. glaw “sunshine” was derived from √LAW.

calina

light

calina ("k")adj. "light" (KAL), "bright" (VT42:32) "(literally illumined) sunny, light" (PE17:153) but apparently a noun "light" in coacalina, q.v.

cambë

noun. hand, (hollow of) hand

car-

with

#car- (2) prep. "with" (carelyë "with thee"), prepositional element (evidently an ephemeral form abandoned by Tolkien) (VT43:29)

cálë

light

cálë ("k")noun "light" (Markirya; in early "Qenya", cálë meant "morning", LT1:254)

cálë

noun. light

A noun for “light” appearing in the versions of the Markirya poem from the 1960s (MC/222-223).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, ᴱQ. kále “morning” was a derivative of the early root ᴱ√KALA “shine golden” (QL/44), and kāle was mentioned again Gnomish Lexicon Slips as a cognate of G. gaul “a light” (PE13/114). The form ᴱQ. kale “day” appeared in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s, but was deleted (PE14/43). It might also be an element in ᴹQ. yúkale “twilight” (= “both lights”) from The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/KAL).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d stick to the better attested Q. cala “light”.

fanta-

verb. to veil, cloak, mantle

fanta- vb. "to veil, cloak, mantle" (VT43:22), mainly used of veils cast over things that shone, or that were brighter and more vivid (PE17:174); according to Tolkien usually the strong past tense fánë and perfect afánië were used, but later also fantanë in the past tense (and then perhaps *afantië in the perfect?) (PE17:179-180) Cf halya- (q.v.), the stem of which Tolkien contrasted with the stem of this verb (PE17:184).

fanwa

noun. veil, screen

A noun for a “veil or screen” derived from ✶phanmā based on the root √PHAN (PE17/176, 180).

ferna

mast, beechnuts

ferna noun "mast, beechnuts" (PHER/PHÉREN)

hyar

plough

hyar noun "plough" (LT2:342)

lé

with

lé (2) prep. "with" (PE17:95)

lé

preposition. with

The preposition lé “with” was mentioned in a (rejected) etymology of S. di “with” in Tolkien’s notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (WPP) from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/94), from the phrase le nallon sí di’nguruthos (LotR/729), usually translated “here overwhelmed in dread of Death, I cry”. In this note, Tolkien eventually decided that S. (n)di actually meant “beneath”, and its Quenya equivalent was Q. nî.

Conceptual Development: Prepositional ᴹQ. le also appeared in the Lament of Atalante from the 1940s, in the phrase ᴹQ. Númeheruvi arda sakkante lenéme Ilúvatáren “the Lords of the West broke the world by [or with] leave of Ilúvatar” (SD/246, 310). Here “with” seems to be used in the instrumental sense “by means of”.

The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. le “with (accompaniment)” under the early root ᴱ√LĒ (QL/52). Le was also mentioned in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon as the equivalent of G. li “with (of accompaniment only)”, but also used to mean “and” between nouns (GL/54). In this period the instrumental preposition seems to be ᴱQ. ma, which appeared in a few phrases from ᴱQ. Sí Qente Feanor from the 1910s: ᴱQ. malto ísier i nosta “✱by those from whom this birth was known” and ᴱQ. nalto fustúme ma Melkon “✱they can be smelled out by Melko” (PE15/32). Compare G. ma “with instrument or by agent” from the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/55).

Neo-Quenya: I would retain ᴺQ. lé for purposes of Neo-Quenya as a rarely-used instrumental preposition meaning “with, by (means of)”, reconceived as a derivative of √LEÑ “✱way, method, manner” (PE17/74).

ma caruvalwë ohta

shall we make war

mana

what is

mana interogative, a word translated "what is" in the sentence mana i-coimas Eldaron[?] "what is the coimas (lembas) of the Eldar?" (PM:395, a variant reading in PM:403) Either this is *ma "what" + ná "is", or mana may itself be a unitary word "what", and there is not really any word meaning "is" in the sentence. Since ma is assigned other meanings elsewhere, the latter interpretation may be the more likely.

ma varda enquantuva i yulma nin sí

will Varda now refill the cup for me?

melehta

mighty

melehta adj. "mighty" (PE17:115), cf. meletya

melehta

adjective. mighty

An adjective for “mighty” derived from the root √MBELEK in a page of notes having to do with “large & small” words, probably from the late 1960s (PE17/115), apparently from the primitive form ✱✶mbelektā (with [kt] > [ht]). A variant form meletya appears with the 2nd-plural possessive suffix -lda as Meletyalda “your mighty” in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (WJ/369), likely from the primitive form ✱✶mbelekya (with [kj] > [tj]). This variant form has a more typical primitive adjective suffix ✶-ya, but is inconsistent with the attested Sindarin cognate S. belaith, so I’d stick with melehta for purposes of Neo-Quenya.

meletya

mighty

#meletya adj. "mighty", isolated from meletyalda adjective with suffix "your mighty" = "your majesty" (see -lda; meletya = *"mighty"). In full Aran Meletyalda "king your mighty" = "your majesty" (WJ:369). Compare melehta.

meletya

adjective. mighty

má

noun. hand

hand

má

noun. hand

má

noun. hand

The most common Quenya word for “hand”, which Tolkien usually derived from a root √MAH or √MAƷ “hand; handle, wield”. The weak consonant h or ʒ in the root was lost very early, so that primitive ✶mā was one of a rare set of ancient monosyllabic nouns ending in a vowel. Tolkien said that of the various hand words, má was “the oldest (probably) and the one that retained a general and unspecialized sense - referring to the entire hand (including wrist) in any attitude or function” (VT47/6).

As a part of the body, má “hand” was usually referred to in the singular (má) or dual (mát). This was true when referring to the hands of groups of people as well. For example, to say that “the Elves raised their hands”, you would say either i Eldar ortaner mánta (singular, one hand each) or i Eldar ortaner mántat (dual, both hands each), with the possessive suffix -nta “their”.

The plural form már “hands” (or archaic †mai) was almost never used, in part because it conflicted with Q. már “dwelling”. The singular form was also used in general statements and proverbs: “hand is cleverer than foot” má anfinya epe tál (ná). A collection of otherwise unrelated hands would likely use the partitive-plural form: máli “some hands”, which in this case could also serve as the general plural (VT47/12 Note 2). See the discussions on PE17/161 and VT47/6 for more information.

This word is also unusual in that it retains its long vowel before consonant clusters in inflected forms such as mánta “their hand” (PE17/161) or márya “his/her hand” (PE17/69). As Tolkien described it:

> Lá is usually shortened to la before 2 consonants, according to the usual Q. procedure, but the long vowel can be retained, especially for additional emphasis, as in other cases where pronominal affixes follow a long vowel, as in márya “his hand” (PE22/160).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to ᴱQ. mā “hand” from Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, derived from the early root ᴱ√MAHA “grasp” (QL/57). ᴹQ. má “hand” also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√MAƷ “hand” (Ety/MAƷ). Tolkien mentioned this word with great frequency, usually derived from √MAH or √MAƷ (as noted above) though he sometimes considered deriving it from √MAG instead.

málimë

wrist

málimë (stem *málimi-, given primitive form ¤mā-limi) noun "wrist", literally "hand-link" (má + #limë). (VT47:6)

málimë

noun. wrist, (lit.) hand-link

A word for “wrist” in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s, a combination of má “hand” and limë “link”, hence “(lit.) hand-link” (VT47/6).

Conceptual Development: There was a similar word in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s: ᴱQ. marikta “wrist”, a combination of suffixal ᴱQ. má “hand(s)” and some derivative of the early root ᴱ√RIKI “✱twist” (QL/57, 80), perhaps “✱hand-joint”.

mára

adjective. good

nonda

hand, especially in [?clutching]

nonda noun "hand, especially in [?clutching]" (VT47:23; Tolkien's gloss was not certainly legible)

nór

land

nór noun "land" (stem nor-, PE17:106) this is land as opposed to water and sea (nor in Letters:308). Cf. nórë.

nór

noun. land

A term for “land” as in “(dry) land as opposed to the sea”, mentioned in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (WJ/413) and again in notes from around 1968 (PE17/106-107).

Possible Etymology: In the Quendi and Eldar essay this term was derived from primitive ✶ndōro, but in the aforementioned 1968 notes Tolkien clarified that its stem form was nŏr-. This means it was probably derived from ancient ✱ndŏr-, where the long vowel in the uninflected form was inherited from the Common Eldarin subjective form ✱ndōr, a phenomenon also seen in words like nér (ner-) “man”. I prefer this second derivation, as it makes the independent word more distinct from the suffixal form -ndor or -nóre used in the names of countries.

nóre

noun. land

nórë

land

nórë noun "land" (associated with a particular people) (WJ:413), "country, land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live, race, clan" (NŌ, NDOR, BAL), also used = "race, tribe, people" (SA:dôr, PE17:169; however, the normal word for "people" is lië). Early "Qenya" hasnórë "native land, nation, family, country" (in compounds -nor) (LT1:272)

o-

prefix. together

A prefix meaning “together” derived from primitive √WO (WJ/367). The modern Quenya form of the prefix is the result of the sound change whereby “unstressed wo was often reduced to o with loss of w” (PE19/106). Note that “when stressed the [primitive] sequence wo was usually changed > wa”, so in theory Quenya might have a variant prefix ✱va- “together” that was the result of an ancient stressed prefix, much like Sindarin go- vs. gwa-. However, there is no sign of such a prefix va- in Quenya. Instead, the short o- became ó- in those rare cases where it was stressed (WJ/367).

In the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 Tolkien said that o- was “used in words describing the meeting, junction, or union of two things or persons, or of two groups thought of as units”, as opposed to yo- used for three or more things (WJ/361, 367). In examples elsewhere, though, o- “together” seems to have a more general meaning in words like olass(i)ë “foliage, collection of leaves” or ombari “company, dwellers together” (NM/117). I would therefore assume yo- is only used when plurality was emphasized, and o- “together” was the default choice otherwise.

Conceptual Development: The earliest precursor to this suffix appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s as ᴱQ. ma- “together” derived from primitive ᴱ✶ŋu̯a (GL/40). This was part of a paradigm in which G. go- was the result of unstressed ᴱ✶ŋu̯a, and gwa- was the normal phonological result. There was also an apparently related suffix ᴱQ. -ngwe in the Narqelion poem in phrases like ómalingwe lir’ amaldar = “✱(together) with voices singing gently”, which could also be derived from primitive ᴱ✶ŋu̯a. The Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s had ᴱQ. va- as the equivalent of ᴱN. go- “together”, probably reflecting a change to primitive ✱wa- (PE13/162).

The Etymologies of the 1930s had both ᴹQ. ō̆- and N. go- “together” derived from the root ᴹ√WŌ̆ (Ety/WŌ). In this new paradigm, N. gwa- was the result of stressed primitive wó-. In Quenya primitive wō and unstressed wŏ blended to produce o- “together”, which could be either short o or long ó. In the Outline of Phonetic Development (OP1) of the 1940s, Tolkien seems to hint that stressed (g)wo- > wá- in Quenya as well (PE19/53). But as noted above there are no examples of prefixal wa-/va- “together” in actual Quenya words from Tolkien’s later writings.

roccor i erulingaron márë nár (ma naitë)?

the horses of the Rohirrim are good (are they not, lit. is it true)

sarat

letter

sarat (pl. sarati given) noun "letter", any individual significant mark, used of the letters of Rúmil after the invention of Fëanor's tengwar (WJ:396). Cf. sarmë.

taura

mighty, masterful

taura adj. "mighty, masterful" (TUR, PE17:115), "very mighty, vast, of unmeasured might or size" (VT39:10). Cf. túrëa.

tecil

pen

tecil ("k")noun "pen" (TEK, PM:318, VT47:8)

tecil

noun. pen

tengwa

letter

tengwa (pl. tengwar is attested) (1) noun "letter" Tengwa (ñ) is defined as "any one visible sign representing (theoretically) any one audible teñgwe" (phoneme) (VT39:17). In non-technical usage tengwa was equivalent to "consonant", since only the consonants were full signs (WJ:396, TEK). In the Etymologies, tengwa was apparently emended from tengwë (VT46:17).

tyulma

mast

tyulma noun "mast" _(TYUL, SD:419). "_Qenya" pl. tyulmin "masts" in MC:216; read *tyulmar in LotR-style Quenya.

uo

together

[uo adv. "together" (PE17:191)]

uo

adverb. together

The adverb uo “together” appeared as a derivative of ✶ówō in a rejected page of notes on the etymology about the prefix o- of the same meaning, probably from around 1959 (PE17/191).

Neo-Quenya: Though the page is rejected, the etymology of ᴺQ. uo “together” remains plausible, so I would retain this adverb for purposes of Neo-Quenya.

vasar

noun. veil

A noun meaning “a veil” that is a rare remnant of the root √WATHAR in Quenya, along with a related verb vasarya- “to veil” (VT42/10). In the draft version of the note where it appeared, Tolkien said this noun was “was not in daily use” (VT42/9). It is related to S. gwath, and possibly also the name Q. Avathar “Shadows” as suggested by Carl Hostetter (VT48/28 note #17).

vasarya-

verb. to veil

vasarya- (þ) vb. "to veil" (VT42:10)

wa-

prefix. together

yé mána (ma)

what a blessing, what a good thing!

ó

with, accompanying

Ma istanyel?

t# `B81D5Ì$jÀ interrogative. Do I know you?

Translates officially as: Do I know (formal) you?

hyar

noun. plough

uo

adverb. together

ur(u)ma

noun. coal, charcoal

@@@ Discord 2022-04-10

-mā

suffix. instrumental suffix

ma

root. interrogative base, interrogative base; [ᴱ√] root of indef[inite]

This root is the basis for Elvish question words. When it first appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, Tolkien said ᴱ√MA was the “root of indef[inites]” (GL/55), and it served as the basis for the indefinitive suffix G. -(u)m and ᴱQ. -(u)ma (GL/55; PE14/42, 71). In the Gnomish Lexicon, question words were derived from the root ᴱ√DO instead: G. don “who”, G. dos “when”, G. dui “where”, etc. (GL/30). There are no signs of interrogative ᴱ√DO in Tolkien’s later writings, but indefinite -(u)ma survived until at least the late 1940s (PE23/99, 105).

By the time Tolkien wrote the ᴱQ. Oilima Markirya poem around 1930, Quenya question words also generally began with ma-: ᴱQ. man kiluva kirya ninqe? “Who shall see a white ship?” (MC/213). This remained true thereafter, and the same seems to be true of Sindarin as well, though we have far fewer examples: S. man agorech?, untranslated but apparently: “✱and said Rían to Tuor: what have we done?” (VT50/5). The “interrogative base” √MA is mentioned in Quenya Notes from 1957 (QN: PE17/162) and again in notes from around 1968 (VT47/19).

√MA was not completely divorced from indefinites in Tolkien’s later writings, however, given late 1940s indefinite suffix -(u)ma (PE23/99, 105) and his use of Q. ma for an indefinite neuter pronoun “(some)thing” as opposed to the indefinite personal pronoun Q. mo “(some)one” (PE22/154; VT42/34). The exact relationship of interrogative √MA with these indefinite forms is not entirely clear, however.

mā

noun. hand

kalma

noun. a light

dē

preposition. with

kalat

noun. light

kyulmā

noun. mast

labmā

noun. *(physical) tongue

manrā

adjective. good

mat-

verb. to eat

mā-limi

noun. wrist, (lit.) hand-link

ndorē

noun. land

ndōro

noun. land

phanmā

noun. veil, screen

tegmā

noun. direct[ion], process

tekma

noun. pen

tekmā

noun. letter

wo

root. together

This root was the basis for the prefix Q. o- and S. go- “together”. In the 1910s Gnomish Lexicon, G. go- (unaccented) or gwa- “together” was derived from primitive ᴱ✶ŋu̯a and the Qenya form was ᴱQ. ma- (GL/40-41). In the 1920s the Early Noldorin form was still ᴱN. go- or gwa- but the Qenya form was ᴱQ. va- (PE13/162), probably from primitive ✱wa-. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave the root as ᴹ√WŌ̆ “together” with derivatives ᴹQ. o- and N. go- or stressed gwa- (Ety/WŌ; EtyAC/WŌ).

In The Etymologies Tolkien explained the go-/gwa- variation in Noldorin as the result of the sound change whereby stressed wŏ became wa in Common Eldarin (Ety/WŌ); Tolkien gave a similar explanation for Sindarin in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (WJ/367). Despite stressed wŏ > wa being an ancient change, the wa variant did not survive in Quenya. Tolkien explained the sound change whereby wo became o in Quenya several times: in the Outline of Phonetic Development (OP1) from the 1940s, in the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the early 1950s, and in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (PE19/53, 106; WJ/367). The root √WO itself also appeared several times in Tolkien’s later writings (PE17/16, 191; WJ/361), in one place with the variant √WONO (PE17/191).

wō

prefix. together

ówō

adverb. together

ma

adjective. good

_ adj. _good. Archaic and obsolete except as interjection 'good, excellent, that's right'.

ma

interjection. good, excellent, that’s right

amar

chiefly used later of the inhabited regions of the great land masses not including Aman or Eressea

n. chiefly used later of the inhabited regions of the great land masses not including Aman or Eressea (or usually even Númenor). . This gloss was rejected.

bain

good

_ adj. _good, wholesome, blessed, fair (esp. of weather). . This gloss was rejected.

belaith

adjective. mighty

adj. mighty. Q. melehta.

belaith

adjective. mighty

An adjective for “mighty” derived from the root √MBELEK in a page of notes having to do with “large & small” words, probably from the late 1960s (PE17/115), apparently from the primitive form ✱✶mbelektā with the ekt vocalizing to eith and then the ei becoming ai in the final syllable.

calad

gerund noun. light

calad

noun. light

_ n. _light, fire, brightness, shining. >> galad

cam

noun. hand

camm

noun. hand

di

preposition. with

_ prep. _with. Q. lé.

di

preposition. with

dor

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

dôr

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

dôr

noun. land, land, [N.] region where certain people live, [ᴱN.] country; [G.] people of the land

fanha-

verb. to veil

v. to veil, cloak. Q. fanta-. Naturally mainly used of veils cast over things that shone, or were brighter and more vivid.

galad

noun. light, radiance, glittering, reflection (from jewels, glass or polished metal, or water)

galad

light

_ n. _light, fire, brightness, shining. >> calad, Caras Galadon

go-

together

_pref. _together. Q. o-.

gwa-

prefix. together (only in old compounds, the living form is go-)

mab-

noun. a hand-full, complete hand (with all five fingers)

mad-

verb. to eat

The Sindarin verb for “to eat” derived from the root √MAT of the same meaning (PE17/131; Ety/MAT). In Tolkien’s later writing it appears only in inflected forms, but the verb itself is well established, dating back all the way to G. mad- in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/56). This verb was one Tolkien often used in examples of verb conjugations and as such its inflected forms changed considerably over time, but that is more a topic of the evolution of the Sindarin verb system.

maer

good

_ adj. _good.

maer

good

adj. good, proper, excellent. Q. mára good, proper, Q. maira excellent. >> mae-. This gloss was rejected.

maw

noun. hand

maw

noun. hand

The Sindarin equivalent of Q. má, likewise derived from the root √MAH or √MAƷ “hand; handle, wield” (PE17/162; VT47/6). However, in Sindarin this word was archaic, used only in poetry, having been replaced in ordinary speech by other words like S. mâb and (less often) cam. Other remnants of this word can be seen in compounds like molif “wrist, (orig.) hand link” and directional words like forvo and harvo for left and right hand side.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, G. mô from the early root ᴱ√MAHA was the normal word for “hand”, replacing mab “hand” (< ᴱ√MAHA) which in this document Tolkien decided was instead an irregular dual form of mô (GL/55). It had also had an irregular plural mabin based on this dual, replacing an older plural †maith. In the Gnomish Grammar, its archaic form was †mâ, with the usual Gnomish sound change of ā to ō (GG/14), as opposed to later Sindarin/Noldorin ā to au, spelt -aw when final. Tolkien seems to have abandoned mô as a non-archaic word for “hand” early on, preferring ᴱN. mab “hand” by the 1920s and introducing N. cam “hand” in the 1930s.

molif

noun. wrist

molif

noun. wrist, (lit.) hand-link

A word for “wrist” in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s, a combination of (archaic) †maw “hand” and lîf “link”, hence “(lit.) hand-link” (VT47/6).

Conceptual Development: There was a similar word in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s: G. {mabrid >>} mabrin(d) “wrist”, a combination of G. mab “hand(s)” and G. grinn “ankle, wrist” (GL/42, 55).

mâb

noun. a hand-full, complete hand (with all five fingers)

mâb

noun. hand, hand, [N.] grasp

The typical Sindarin word for “hand” (VT47/7, 20), usable in almost any context. It is most notable as an element in the name Mablung “Heavy Hand” (VT47/8). See below for a discussion of its etymology.

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, where G. mab “hand” appeared as a derivative of the early root ᴱ√MAPA “seize” (GL/55). Tolkien then revised the gloss to “hands”, saying instead it was an irregular dual of G. mô “hand”. The word reverted to singular ᴱN. mab “hand” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/149). These early versions of the word were already an element of Mablung “Heavy Hand(ed)” (LT2/38; LB/311), but also of Ermabwed “One-handed” (LT2/34; LB/119).

In the 1930s it seems Tolkien decided Ilk. mâb “hand” was primarily an Ilkorin word, and the usual word for “hand” in Noldorin was N. cam. Compare Ilkorin Ermabuin “One-handed” and Mablosgen “Empty-handed” with Noldorin Erchamion and Camlost of the same meaning. In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Tolkien had N. mab “grasp” under the root ᴹ√MAPA “seize”, but the version of the entry with that word was overwritten (EtyAC/MAP), leaving only the Ilkorin form mâb. In this period, Mablung may also have been an Ilkorin name.

After Tolkien abandoned Ilkorin in the 1950s, he kept S. Erchamion and Camlost based on cam, but also kept Mablung “Heavy Hand” which must have become Sindarin. In his later writings Tolkien again revisited the etymology of S. mâb “hand”. In a note from Jan-Feb 1968, he wrote:

> It [Q. má = “hand”] did not survive in Telerin and Sindarin as an independent word, but was replaced by the similar-sounding but unconnected C.E. makwā, Q. maqua, T. mapa, S. mab, of uncertain origin, but probably originally an adjectival formation from MAK “strike” ... (VT47/19).

This sentence was struck through, however. In drafts of notes on Elvish Hands, Fingers and Numerals written in or after 1968, Tolkien again derived mâb from √MAP (VT47/20 note #13), but in the final version of these notes he made the remarkable decision to discard this root despite it being a stable part of Elvish for nearly 50 years, declaring it was used only in Telerin and not Quenya or Sindarin (VT47/7). He coined a new etymology for S. mâb “hand” based on ✶makwā “handful” = ✶mā + ✶kwā (VT47/6-7), a variation on the above etymology from √MAK.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I prefer to ignore Tolkien’s 1968 removal of √MAP “seize”, and so would continue to derive S. mâb “hand” from that root. However, its ancient meaning may have been “✱grasp”, and its eventual use as “hand” might have been influenced by ancient ✶makwā “handful”.

na

preposition. with, by (also used as a genitive sign)

na

preposition. to, towards, at

tegil

noun. pen

Sindarized form of Quenya tekil, not known to the Sindar until the coming of the Ñoldor (but see however tegol for a possible dialectal variant)

tegil

noun. pen

tew

letter

(dew), pl1. tiw _ n. _letter. tew << têw; tiw << tîw. >> téw

têw

noun. letter, written sign

têw

noun. letter

beleg

mighty

1. beleg (great), lenited veleg, pl. belig; 2) taur (also tor-, tar- in compounds) (lofty, high, sublime, noble; vast, masterful, overwhelming, huge, awful), lenited daur, pl. toer. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”great wood, forest”.

beleg

mighty

(great), lenited veleg, pl. belig

bâr

land

(dwelling, house, home, family; earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

calad

light

_(noun) _1) calad (i galad, o chalad), pl. celaid (i chelaid), 2) gaul (i **aul), pl. goel (i ngoel = i ñoel), coll. pl. golath. Note: A homophone means "wolf-howl", but has different mutations. 3) (bright light) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad), (sunlight, brilliance, radiance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid). 4) gâl (gal-, -al in compounds, with article i **âl), pl. gail (i ngail = i ñail).

calad

light

(i galad, o chalad), pl. celaid (i chelaid), 2) gaul (i ’aul), pl. goel (i ngoel = i ñoel), coll. pl. golath. Note: A homophone means "wolf-howl", but has different mutations. 3) (bright light) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad), (sunlight, brilliance, radiance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid). 4) gâl (gal-, -al in compounds, with article i ’âl), pl. gail (i ngail = i ñail).

cam

hand

1. cam (i gam, o cham), pl. caim (i chaim), coll. pl. cammath; 2) mâb (i vâb; construct mab), pl. maib (i maib). 3) Archaic †maw (i vaw), pl. moe (i moe). A homophone means ”soil, stain”. (VT47:6) 4) (fist) dond (i dhond; construct don), pl. dynd (i nynd), coll. pl. donnath (VT47:23).

cam

hand

(i gam, o cham), pl. caim (i chaim), coll. pl. cammath

camlann

of the hand

(i gamlann, o chamlann), pl. cemlain (i chemlain).

crûm

left hand

(i grûm, o chrûm, construct crum), pl. cruim (i chruim), coll. pl. crummath. Also ✱hair (i chair), no distinct pl. form (not even with article). Note: hair is also used = ”left” as adjective. Cited in archaic form heir (LR:365 s.v. KHYAR).

dond

hand

(i dhond; construct don), pl. dynd (i nynd), coll. pl. donnath (VT47:23).

dôr

land

1. dôr (i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr), coll. pl. dorath (WJ:413), 2) bâr (dwelling, house, home, family; earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

dôr

land

(i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr), coll. pl. dorath (WJ:413)

escal

veil

(screen, cover that hides), pl. escail. Also spelt esgal (pl. esgail).

forgam

right-handed

(pl. fergaim, for archaic förgeim)

fuir

right hand

pl. fŷr. Also used as adj. "right, north" (VT42:20). In ”Noldorin” the word appeared as (”foeir” =) föir, feir (LR:382 s.v. PHOR).

fân

veil

(cloud, manifested body of a Vala), construct fan, pl. fain

fêr

mast

(of a beech, not on a ship) †fêr (feren-, pl. ferin) (beech)

fêr

mast

(feren-, pl. ferin) (beech)

gail

light

(adjective) 1) gail (bright), lenited ngail, no distinct pl. form (VT45:18), 2) lim (clear, sparkling), no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fish”.

gail

light

(bright), lenited ngail, no distinct pl. form (VT45:18)

glaur

golden light

(i ’laur), pl. gloer (in gloer).

glawar

sunlight

(i ’lawar) (gold, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair) if there is a pl. (VT41:10)

glóren

shining with golden light

(glórin-) (golden), lenited ’lóren; pl. glórin

go

together

(prefix) go-, gwa- (+ lenition) (co-, com-).

go

together

gwa- (+ lenition) (co-, com-).

godref

through together

(AI:92)

gwathra

veil

(i ’wathra, in gwathrar) (dim, obscure, overshadow)

ista

have knowledge

ista- (i ista, in istar), pa.t. sint or istas (VT45:18).

lim

light

(clear, sparkling), no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fish”.

maer

good

_(”useful” of things _ not of moral qualities) maer (lenited vaer, no distinct pl. form) (fit, useful). For ”good” as an adjective describing human qualities, the word fael ”fair-minded, just, generous” may be considered.

maer

good

(lenited vaer, no distinct pl. form) (fit, useful). For ”good” as an adjective describing human qualities, the word fael ”fair-minded, just, generous” may be considered.

maw

hand

(i vaw), pl. moe (i moe). A homophone means ”soil, stain”. (VT47:6) 

molif

wrist

molif (i volif), no distinct pl. form except when article precedes (i molif), coll. pl. molivath

mâb

hand

(i vâb; construct mab), pl. maib (i maib).

na

with

(in instrumental sense?) na (followed by lenition), with article nan (followed by ”mixed mutation”, according to David Salos reconstruction). The preposition has various meanings: ”with, by, near” and also ”to, toward, at; of”

na

with

(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”

nand

wide grassland

(construct nan) (valley), pl. naind, coll. pl. **nannath **(VT45:36);

parth

enclosed grassland

(i barth, o pharth) (field, sward), pl. perth (i pherth);

taur

mighty

(also tor-, tar- in compounds) (lofty, high, sublime, noble; vast, masterful, overwhelming, huge, awful), lenited daur, pl. toer. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”great wood, forest”.

tegil

pen

tegil (i degil, o thegil), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thegil) (PM:318). Also (at least in ”Noldorin”) tegol (i degol, o thegol), analogical pl. tegyl (i thegyl)

tegil

pen

(i degil, o thegil), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thegil) (PM:318). Also (at least in ”Noldorin”) tegol (i degol, o thegol), analogical pl. tegyl (i thegyl)

tolf

noun. mast

A neologism coined by Gilruin and Cellindir, posted on 2022-03-27 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) as the Sindarin equivalent of Q. tyulma “mast” as derived from primitive ᴹ✶tyulmā. If you instead assume that the primitive form is ✶kyulmā as it was in Tolkien’s later writing, then the (Neo) Sindarin form would be [ᴺS.] colf, but I prefer tolf for better compatibility with attested words like [N.] tulus “poplar” from the same root. See Q. tyulma for further discussion.

têw

letter

têw (i dêw, o thêw, construct tew) (sign, tengwa), pl. tîw (i **thîw), coll. pl. téwath**

têw

letter

(i dêw, o thêw, construct tew) (sign, tengwa), pl. tîw (i thîw), coll. pl. téwath

an-

prefix. with, by

calad

gerund noun. light

calad

noun. light

cam

noun. hand

cam

noun. hand

camb

noun. hand

camm

noun. hand

camm

noun. hand

dor

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

gail

noun. bright light

gal-

prefix. light

galad

noun. light

glaur

noun. golden light (of the golden tree Laurelin)

glor-

noun. golden light (of the golden tree Laurelin)

go-

prefix. together

go-

prefix. together

gwa-

prefix. together (only in old compounds, the living form is go-)

gwa-

prefix. together

mad-

verb. to eat

mō

noun. hand

ON. hand

na

preposition. with, by (also used as a genitive sign)

na

preposition. to, towards, at

taur

adjective. mighty, vast, overwhelming, huge, awful, high, sublime

tegl

noun. pen

It is stated in PM/318 that " tegil was a Sindarized form of Quenya tekil "pen", not known to the Sindar until the coming of the Ñoldor". It must be assumed therefore that tegol was either rejected by Tolkien, or that it may perhaps have been considered as a dialectal variant. For a similar case where both a true Sindarin/Noldorin word and a Sindarized form conceivably coexist, see magol and megil "sword" (it is unlikely that weapons were not known to the Sindar before the coming of the Ñoldor)

tegol

noun. pen

It is stated in PM/318 that " tegil was a Sindarized form of Quenya tekil "pen", not known to the Sindar until the coming of the Ñoldor". It must be assumed therefore that tegol was either rejected by Tolkien, or that it may perhaps have been considered as a dialectal variant. For a similar case where both a true Sindarin/Noldorin word and a Sindarized form conceivably coexist, see magol and megil "sword" (it is unlikely that weapons were not known to the Sindar before the coming of the Ñoldor)

tegol

noun. pen

tew

noun. letter

@@@ tîw (Ety/TEK) appears to be plural, but is clearly glossed as singular “letter” with primitive form tekmē

tîw

noun. letter

sha

preposition. with

cala

noun. light

camba

noun. hand

mapa

noun. hand

mat-

verb. to eat

má

noun. hand

má

preposition. by (hand of), of agent

málimë

noun. wrist, (lit.) hand-link

vo-

prefix. together

dóri-

noun. land

Isolated from Lindórinan. The independent form of the word may differ; it is unclear where the i of the compound Lindórinan comes from. In the Etymologies, the Eldarin words for "land" are derived from a stem NDOR "dwell, stay, rest, abide" (LR:376).

No Nandorin word is there listed, but Sindarin dor is derived from primitive ndorê. Notice, however, that Tolkien many years later derived the Eldarin words for "land" from a stem DORO "dried up, hard, unyielding" (WJ:413). However, this later source does confirm that the Primitive Quendian form was ndorê, now thought to be formed by initial enrichment d > nd. This is defined as "the hard, dry land as opposed to water or bog", later developing the meaning "land in general as opposed to sea", and finally also "a land" as a particular region, "with more or less defined bounds".

Whether dóri- actually comes from ndorê is highly doubtful (this would rather yield *dora in Nandorin), but it must be derived from the same set of stems.