-on Reconstructed

suffix. masculine suffix

Apparently a masculine suffix attested in the name Dairon.

-en Reconstructed

suffix. adjectival suffix

An adjectival suffix appearing as both -en and -in, and in one place as -on: Brithon. The -en form can be easily explained as a derivative of the primitive suffix ᴹ✶-ina, with the [[ilk|primitive [i] becoming [e] due to Ilkorin a-affection]], the same origin as the Noldorin adjectival suffix -en. The -in variant is more difficult to explain. At least one example lómen had variations with both -en and -in, so perhaps the two forms represented vacillation on the function of Ilkorin a-affection, or an alternate primitive form ᴹ✶-ină where the final ă was lost before a-affection.

Alternately, -in could be a Doriathrin-specific variant, since the forms where it appears are all Doriathrin, while the forms where -en appear are marked Ilkorin, excepting only lómen which was itself revised from lómin.

nef

noun. face

A Doriathrin noun meaning “face” derived from the root ᴹ√NIB (Ety/NIB). The vowel change suggests a primitive form ✱✶niba, where the [i] became [e] because of Ilkorin a-affection. If this is the case, it is not a direct cognate of N. nîf “front, face”.

cîr

noun. ship

A noun for “ship” used to in some linguistic notes in the mid-1930s to illustrate the class plural: círiath. Tolkien first wrote these forms with a short vowel (cir, ciriath), and he vacillated on whether these were Noldorin or Ilkorin words, eventually deciding they were from both languages (PE21/57 noted #28). The proper etymology of the Ilkorin form is unclear; based on the example of gwene < ✱gwenyā we might expect Ilk. ✱✱cere instead.

gad

noun. fence

A Doriathrin noun meaning “fence” derived from the root ᴹ√GAT(H) (Ety/GAT(H)), most likely from a primitive form ✱✶gat-. As pointed out by Helge Fauskanger (AL-Doriathrin/gad), its gloss is a bit peculiar, given that the other derivatives of its root same to have meanings associated with caves. As Mr. Fauskanger suggested, this may represent a transition in Tolkien’s thinking on the meaning of the associated name Doriath: “Land of the Cave” (Ety/GAT(H)) >> “Land of the Fence” (WJ/370).

garon

noun. lord

A Doriathrin noun for “lord” derived from the root ᴹ√ƷAR or possibly ᴹ√GAR (Ety/ƷAR), perhaps from a primitive form ✱✶ɣarān-. If so, the [[ilk|initial [ɣ] became [g]]], while the long [[ilk|[ā] became [ō]]] and then [[ilk|shortened to [o] in the final syllable of a polysyllable]].

Conceptual Development: An earlier version of this entry had Dor. garan, which likely had a short [a] in the second syllable which was preserved. Since it did not undergo the Ilkorin Syncope, the primitive form likely either had no final vowel or ended in a short [a], so the second [a] was in the final syllable, which seems to have prevented the syncope; this theory is supported by its Quenya cognate ᴹQ. haran.

laur

noun. gold

A Doriathrin noun for “gold” developed from primitive ᴹ✶laurē, properly golden light rather than the metal (Ety/LÁWAR).

tal

noun. foot

A noun for “foot” derived from the ᴹ√TAL (Ety/TAL). It is unusual in that its plural form tel involved Ilkorin i-affection but not the suffix -in, as noted by Helge Fauskanger (AL-Ilkorin/tal).