-or

suffix. agental suffix

A general agental suffix that developed from the ancient suffix ✶-ro, mainly when final r became syllabic -or after other consonants. This can be seen most clearly in [N.] tavor “woodpecker, [lit.] knocker” derived from older tafr [tavr] < ᴹ✶tamrō (Ety/TAM).

Conceptual Development: This agental suffix also appeared as G. -or in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s in words such as G. nandor “farmer” and G. ecthor “swordsman”. It appeared in a quite a few words in The Etymologies of the 1930s. There is some evidence of it in Tolkien’s later writings, such as S. magor “swordsman” attested in S. Menelvagor “Swordsman of the Sky” (LotR/81), and in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 Tolkien said -or was a variant of the masculine agental suffix -on used after n (PE17/141). This variant had a plural form -yr.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, most people assume -or is a gender-neutral agental suffix.

-or

ending referring to persons or animals used after n

pl1. -yr suff. masc. ending referring to persons or animals used after n. >> -on

amloth

noun. helm crest, (orig.) uprising flower

An element meaning “uprising flower” in the name Ægamloth (archaic for Egamloth) “Pointed Helm-crest” (WJ/318). Tolkien indicated this word was not Sindarin, and it was probably borrowed from Q. ambalotsë of the same meaning. As such, it likely refers only to a helm crest, not a flower.

emel

noun. mother

A word for “mother” in notes on Elvish Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s, along with a diminutive form emelig (VT48/17 note #13). These forms were struck through and replaced by emig as the proper diminutive form from the root √EM (VT48/6), but that doesn’t necessarily invalidate emel = “mother”, which appeared elsewhere as (probably primitive) emel, emer in rough versions of these notes (VT48/19 note #16). These Sindarin forms are unusual in that the medial m did not become v, which means the primitive form was likely based on ✱emm- as suggested by Patrick Wynne (VT48/17 note #14).

Conceptual Development: G. amil “mother” appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s along with rejected forms {anwin, amril} and an archaic variant †amaith (GL/19). The forms {emaith >>} amaith appeared unglossed in Gnomish Lexicon Slips revising that document (PE13/109). In The Etymologies of the 1930s there was a form N. †emil for “mother” under the root ᴹ√AM of the same meaning, but Tolkien said this word was archaic, apparently replaced by N. naneth (Ety/AM¹; EtyAC/AM¹). With N. emil, the a became e via i-affection, but the medial m failing to become v requires an explanation similar to that of 1960s S. emel.

Neo-Sindarin: I generally prefer derivatives of the earlier root √AM for “mother” words in Quenya, but in the case of Sindarin, I find emel and emig from √EM to be better and more widely accepted.

-(r)on

suffix. agental suffix

A (masculine) agental suffix appearing as either -on or -ron. The -on variant is derived from ancient ✶-on(do), as seen in [N.] callon “hero” < ᴹ✶kalrondō (Ety/KAL). The -ron variant arose from the addition of ✶-on(do) to the ancient agental suffix ✶-ro after vowel losses made that suffix indistinct. This can be seen most clearly in [N.] thavron “carpenter” < [ON.] sthabro(ndo) < ᴹ✶stabrō (Ety/STAB). Other times the reduced -r became syllabic -or, as in [N.] tavor “woodpecker, [lit.] knocker” < tafr [tavr] < ᴹ✶tamrō (Ety/TAM).

Sometimes the suffix -(r)on was specifically masculine, as in Ellon vs. Elleth “Elf (m./f.)” and [N.] odhron vs. odhril “parent (m./f.)” (WJ/363; Ety/ONO). Other times it seems to be more neutral in meaning, as in pethron “speaker” or mellon “friend” (PE18/100). As a suffix in names, -on is only masculine.

Conceptual Development: The suffix G. -(r)on dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, but in Early Noldorin Word lists of the 1920s, it usually appeared as ᴱN. -ion.

-on

suffix. masculine suffix

A masculine suffix and ending in male names (PE17/43, 141; WJ/400), probably related to the masculine ending or agental suffix ✶-on(do) (NM/353; Ety/KAL). It becomes -or when following an n (PE17/141).

Conceptual Development: N. -on was often use as a male suffix in the Noldorin of the 1930s and 40s. In Gnomish of the 1910s, it seems G. -os was another common male suffix in words such as G. ainos “(male) god” from neuter G. ain “god” (GL/18) and G. hethos “brother” from neuter G. heth “✱sibling” (GL/48-49), though masculine G. -(r)on was still more common in this early period.

ann

noun. gift

The most commonly accepted Sindarin word for “gift” is S. ann, equivalent to Quenya Q. anna “gift”, both derived from ✶annā based on the root √ANA “towards” (PE17/90). It was also an element in the names Melian “Dear Gift” (SA/mel) and Rían “Crown Gift” (Ety/RIG). However, Tolkien experimented with a variety of other forms throughout his life.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. ôn “gift” related to the verb G. antha- “give” (GL/19, 62), both based on the early root ᴱ√ANA “give, send towards” from the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon (QL/31). The Etymologies of the 1930s had N. {ann >>} ant “gift” under the root ᴹ√ANA “to, towards” (Ety/ANA¹; EtyAC/ANA¹). S. ann “gift” < ✶annā appeared in notes from around 1967 (PE17/90). In Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 Tolkien had S. anw as the equivalent of Q. anwa “gift” (PE22/163), perhaps derived from ✱(h)an-mā.

gondolin

place name. Hidden Rock, (originally) Singing Stone

The hidden city of the Noldor in Beleriand, translated “Hidden Rock”, an adaptation of its Quenya name Ondolindë “Rock of the Music of Water” (S/125). Tolkien stated that the name Gondolin was properly “neither Sindarin or Noldorin [Quenya]” (PE17/29), but the Sindarized name was reinterpretated as a combination of gond “stone” and dolen “hidden” (WJ/201).

Conceptual Development: The name G. Gondolin appeared in the earliest Lost Tales, but at this stage it was translated “Stone of Song” (LT2/158). This was the same meaning as its early Qenya name Ondolinda, with the second element being G. dólin “song” (GL/29, 41; LT1A/Gondolin). In The Etymologies from the 1930s, Tolkien revised the meaning of N. Gondolin to “heart of hidden rock” (Ety/DUL), setting the stage for the later derivation described above.

ir

conjunction. (?) when

This word is not translated. It could be related to Quenya íre "when". Some scholars also consider that it could be the form taken by the article i before a vowel, on a pattern similar to ah . To this respect, it might be interesting to note the ir was the allative/dative form of the article in the old Gnomish lexicon, PE/11:9

o

preposition. from, of (preposition (as a proclitic) used in either direction, from or to the point of view of the speaker)

According to WJ/366, the preposition "is normally o in all positions, though od appears occasionally before vowels, especially before o-". With a suffixed article, see also uin

od

preposition. from, of (preposition (as a proclitic) used in either direction, from or to the point of view of the speaker)

According to WJ/366, the preposition "is normally o in all positions, though od appears occasionally before vowels, especially before o-". With a suffixed article, see also uin

raud

tall

adj. tall, high, lofty, eminent, noble. Q. arta (< áratā). >> Nimrodel, rodel

io

conjunction. when

A neologism coined by Röandil as io “when” posted on 2024-03-19 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), the Sindarin equivalent of Q. yá “when”. In stressed positions, this conjunction might remain iaw. Both of these forms conflict with existing Noldorin words: [N.] io “ago” and [N.] iau “corn”, but that doesn’t preclude their use.

moth

noun. dusk

orchal

adjective. tall, tall; [N.] superior, eminent, lofty

barna-

verb. to till (land), *cultivate; (orig.) to dwell in (a land)

faul

noun. bladder, (orig.) inflated thing

glast

noun. marble

govod

noun. companionship, living together; community, fellowship, *(orig.) eating-together

mallú

adverb. when, (orig.) what time

@@@ primitive manalūme

nethia-

verb. to entertain, (orig.) to make welcome

nogen

noun. boy, lad, urchin; *(orig.) short (of persons)

nuicha-

verb. to take notice, perceive; *(orig.) to smell [something]

@@@ from ✱nusja-

tertha-

verb. to destroy, †(orig.) fill with holes; to devour

anha-

verb. to give

ann

noun. gift

n. gift.

anw

noun. gift

anw

noun. gift

arod

adjective. tall

_ adj. _tall, eminent. Q. aratā.

emel

noun. mother

emig

noun. "litte mother"

emig

noun. index finger (Elvish play-name used by and taught to children)

emmel

noun. mother

o

preposition. from

_ prep. _from, of. In older S. o had the form od before vowels. o menel aglar elenath ! lit. 'from Firmament glory of the stars !'.

o

preposition. from

_ prep. _from. . This gloss was rejected.

tolo

verb. come!

amrûn

uprising

(noun) amrûn (sunrise, orient, east), pl. emrŷn

amrûn

uprising

(sunrise, orient, east), pl. emrŷn

annûn

sunset

annûn (west), pl. ennŷn

annûn

sunset

(west), pl. ennŷn

ant

gift

ant, pl. aint, coll. pl. annath. Also ann (-an at the end of compounds), pl. ain.

ant

gift

pl. aint, coll. pl. annath. Also ann (-an at the end of compounds), pl. ain.

dû

dusk

(i dhû) (night, nightfall, late evening, darkness), pl. dui (i nui) (SD:302).

eitheb

adjective. thorny, *(orig.) full of points; sharp

emig

little mother

(no distinct pl. form except with article: in emig). Also used (in children’s play) as a name for the index finger (VT48:6, 17)

gobel

town

(in archaic sense, cf. other glosses) ) gobel (i **obel) (enclosed dwelling, walled house or village), pl. gebil (i ngebil** = i ñebil). Archaic pl. *göbil.

gobel

town

(i ’obel) (enclosed dwelling, walled house or village), pl. gebil (i ngebil = i ñebil). Archaic pl. ✱göbil.

gorf

impetus

gorf (i **orf) (vigour), pl. gyrf (i ngyrf = i ñyrf), coll. pl. gorvath**

gorf

impetus

(i ’orf) (vigour), pl. gyrf (i ngyrf = i ñyrf), coll. pl. gorvath

ir

when

?ir (not used in questions but to indicate time, as in ”when I saw you, I was glad”). This is one of several possible interpretations of the word, which occurs in a Sindarin poem untranslated by Tolkien (ir Isil ammen Eruchín…síla, ?”when the Moon shines for us Children of Eru…”, The Lays of Beleriand p. 354). By another interpretation, ir is simply a variant of the definite article.(relative pronoun), see THAT

ir

when

(not used in questions but to indicate time, as in ”when

ir

i

is simply a variant of the definite article.

melillin

noun. daffodil, (orig.) yellow song

moth

dusk

1) moth (i voth), pl. myth (i myth). David Salo would read *môth with a long vowel. 2) dû (i dhû) (night, nightfall, late evening, darkness), pl. dui (i nui) (SD:302).

moth

dusk

(i voth), pl. myth (i myth). David Salo would read ✱môth with a long vowel.

naneth

mother

naneth (pl. nenith). Hypocoristic form (”mom”) nana, pl. nenai (but this word is probably rarely pluralized). In a higher style also †emil. No distinct pl. form; coll. pl. emillath. Variant form emel (pl. emil), also spelt emmel (pl. emmil). (VT48:17)

naneth

mother

(pl. nenith). Hypocoristic form (”mom”) nana, pl. nenai (but this word is probably rarely pluralized). In a higher style also †emil. No distinct pl. form; coll. pl. emillath. Variant form emel (pl. emil), also spelt emmel (pl. emmil). (VT48:17)

nigren

adjective. stealthy, (orig.) mouse-like

@@@ re-conceived as a derivative of nigol “mouse”

o

of

(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”.

orn

tall

(pl. yrn). Note: a homophone of the latter means ”tree”.

raegdan

noun. sinner

rhugaron

noun. sinner

tinnu

dusk

tinnu (i dinnu, o thinnu) (twilight, starlit evening, early night without a moon, starry twilight), pl. tinny (i thynny) if there is a pl.

tinnu

dusk

(i dinnu, o thinnu) (twilight, starlit evening, early night without a moon, starry twilight), pl. tinny (i thynny) if there is a pl.

tol

come

tol- (i dôl, i thelir). The present tense tôl is attested (WJ:254). MAKE COME, see FETCH

tol

come

(i dôl, i thelir). The present tense tôl is attested (WJ:254).

toltha

fetch

(make come) toltha- (i doltha, i tholthar)

toltha

fetch

(i doltha, i tholthar)

tond

tall

1) tond (lenited dond; pl. tynd), 2) †orn (pl. yrn). Note: a homophone of the latter means ”tree”.

tond

adjective. tall

tond

tall

(lenited dond; pl. tynd)

-or

suffix. agental suffix

eria-

verb. to rise

A verb in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “rise”, appearing as {oria >>} erio [Noldorin-style infinitive forms], derived from ON. {orta- >>} ortie or orie “rise” [Old Noldorin infinitives] under the root ᴹ√ORO “up, rise, high” (Ety/ORO; EtyAC/ORO). The change of e to i from ON. oria- to N. eria- was due to i-affection. This verb had an archaic [ON?] past †oronte “arose” [likely based on ON. orta-], and modern past form of {orias >>} erias, though this modern past was hard to make out in the source document. The suffix -as is the generalized intransitive past tense suffix for Noldorin/Sindarin derived verbs, as opposed to transitive past -ant.

Conceptual Development: There are some words in Early Noldorin word-lists of the 1920s of similar derivation, incuding ᴱN. rhó “to arise” from primitive ᴱ✶roso- (PE13/152) and rhosta- or amrosta- from primitive ᴱ✶-rosi-, unglossed but appearing under ᴱN. amrost “rising” which served as a gerund for these verbs (PE13/159). See the entry for ᴱN./G. amra- for other early verbs meaning “rise, go up”, based instead on ᴱ√AM(U) “up”.

naneth

noun. mother

A noun for “mother” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the (Noldorin-only?) root ᴹ√NAN (Ety/NAN). It apparently replaced archaic/poetic N. †emil (Ety/AM¹; EtyAC/AM¹).

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon had a similar set of words for “mother”: G. maba, mabir, baba, and mavwin from the early root ᴱ√maƀ “something nice” (GL/57). The last of these appeared as G. mavwen “ancestress” in the Gnomish Lexicon Slips modifying that document, with an archaic meaning of “mother” and variant forms mafwyn and mavuin (PE13/115). In these slips, it seems the normal “mother” word was G. nân (originally glossed “father”) with variant nanwin (PE13/115). This last word is likely the direct precursor of N. naneth.

Neo-Sindarin: I would use S. emel from the late 1960s as the normal word for “mother” in Neo-Sindarin, but would retain N. naneth as a dialectical or more formal variant.

o

preposition. from, of (preposition (as a proclitic) used in either direction, from or to the point of view of the speaker)

According to WJ/366, the preposition "is normally o in all positions, though od appears occasionally before vowels, especially before o-". With a suffixed article, see also uin

-on

suffix. masculine suffix

-we

suffix. masculine suffix

anna-

verb. to give

tonn

adjective. tall

-(r)on

suffix. agental suffix

ant

noun. gift

calen

adjective. green, (orig.) bright-coloured

emil

noun. mother

gorf

noun. impetus, vigour

ant

noun. gift

emil

noun. mother

gorf

noun. impetus, vigour

tol-

verb. to come

toltha-

verb. to fetch, summon, make come

-on

suffix. agental suffix

nana

noun. mother, mummy

naneth

noun. mother

tindu

noun. dusk, twilight, early night (without Moon)

tindu

noun. starry twilight

tinnu

noun. dusk, twilight, early night (without Moon)

tinnu

noun. starry twilight

tond

adjective. tall

tonn

adjective. tall

ammê

noun. mother

A noun for “mother” (SD/434). Tolkien gave two forms of this word, ammî and ammê, with no indication as to which would be preferred. However, ammî resembles a plural word, and Tolkien elsewhere stated that such forms tended to change their final vowel to -ê (SD/438), so my guess is that ammî is an archaic form. This word is probably related to the Elvish root √AM “mother”. Some authors have suggested it is directly related to ᴹQ. amme (AAD/10, AL/Adûnaic), but as Andreas Moehn points out (EotAL/MAM) such basic words are rarely borrowed from other languages, so the relationship is more likely from the Primitive Elvish root.

-ô

preposition. from

A prepositional suffix translated “from” (SD/429). In a few places, the suffix appears with the glide-consonant v (pronounced [w]) between it and a preceding u-vowel (SD/247, 249). It is likely related to the Quenya genitive inflection Q. -o.

Conceptual Development: At an earlier conceptual stage, this suffix was a grammatical inflection, the draft-genitive -ō (SD/438).

-ân Reconstructed

suffix. agental suffix

A suffix that is used in some examples for agental-formation: creating nouns from verbs that indicate the agent who performs the verb’s action. The clearest example is sapthân “wise man” derived (after some ancient sound modifications) from saphad- “to understand”. This formation means “✱one who understands”. Less clear examples are ✱magân “wright, ✱builder”, perhaps from a verb ✱mag- “to build”, and kathuphazgân “conquerer”, perhaps a combined of katha “all” and a verb ?phazag- “to take”, meaning “✱one who takes all”.

It is not clear how this suffix related to the similar participle suffix -ân used for form adjectives from verbs. See the entry on participle for further discussion. Andreas Moehn suggested (EotAL/TAN) that -ân as an agental formation may be related to anâ “human being”.

yô Reconstructed

noun. gift

An element in the name Yôzâyan “Land of Gift” (UT/184, SD/241). The final element of this name is zâyan “land”, so its initial element yô most likely means “gift”, as suggested by several authors (AAD/24, AL/Adûnaic, EotAL/YAW), though Andreas Moehn points out this word could have the form yôz instead (EotAL/YAW).

-û

suffix. masculine suffix

A suffix used to form masculine nouns from common or neuter nouns (SD/435). Another common variant was -ô (SD/438).

am

root. mother

For most of Tolkien’s life, the Primitive Elvish root for “mother” was √AM. This began with the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where Tolkien gave the root as ᴱ√AMA (QL/30). In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was ᴹ√AM with derivatives ᴹQ. amil and (archaic) N. emil “mother” (Ety/AM¹). In Quenya prayers of the 1950s, the word for mother was Q. Amille. In the last few years of his life, however, Tolkien toyed with the notion of changing this root to √EM. In notes associated with Eldarinwe Leperi are Notessi written in the late 1960s, Tolkien first gave the root as am, but then wrote em next to it with a question mark, along with several new em-derivatives (VT48/19 note #16). The Q. affectionate word emme for “mommy” appeared in the main article, indicating Tolkien did, in fact, adopt this new root, at least for some period of time.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Quenya writing, I personally prefer to ignore this late change to the root for “mother” and stick with the √AM-forms Tolkien used for most of his life. However, the √AM-forms were less stable in the Sindarin branch of the languages, so I’d use √EM-forms like S. emel and emig, and would assume √AM and √EM were variants of the root, as they were on VT48/19 (see above).

tul

root. come, approach, move towards (point of speaker), come, approach, [ᴹ√] move towards (point of speaker); [ᴱ√] fetch, bear, bring; (originally) uphold, support, bear, carry

The root √TUL was used for Elvish words having to do with motion towards a speaker for much of Tolkien’s life, but the precise meaning evolved over time. The earliest appearance of this root was as ᴱ√TULU “fetch, bear, bring; move, come”, but with an original sense = “uphold, support, bear, carry” (QL/95). It had a derived verb ᴱQ. tulu- matching the verbal sense of the root along with an added sense “produce, bear fruit”, but it had other derivatives like ᴱQ. tulma “bier, tray” and ᴱQ. tulwe “tall thin pillar, standard, pole; banner” connected to the older “support” sense of the root. It had a similar divergence of meaning in its derivatives from the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, such as G. taul “a pillar” vs. G. tul- “bring; come to” (GL/69, 71). This 1910s root ᴱ√TULU may also have been connected to ᴱ√TḶPḶ which likewise had derivatives having to do with “support” (QL/93).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root ᴹ√TUL had the gloss “come, approach, move towards (point of speaker)” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tul-/N. tol- “come” and ᴹQ. tulta-/N. toltha- “send for, fetch, summon” = “(orig.) make come” (Ety/TUL); in the 1930s the “support” words seem to have been transferred to (probably unrelated) ᴹ√TULUK. √TUL “come” was mentioned regularly in Tolkien’s later writings (PE22/103; PE17/188; PE22/156), in one 1969 note with the extra gloss “approach” (PE22/168), so the 1930s senses for the root seem to have been retained thereafter.

ʒō

preposition. from

amal

noun. mother

annā

noun. gift

ornā

adjective. uprising, tall

orya-

verb. to rise

tul-

verb. come, is coming, has come, is here, I come, have come

us(u)kwē

noun. dusk

ăwă

preposition. from

ṃbart(ă)

noun. fate, doom; (orig.) permanent establishment

ṇdūnē

noun. sunset

galast-

noun. marble, (orig.) thing pleasant to touch

gō

preposition. from

amas

noun. mother

amma

noun. mother

amme

noun. mother

em

root. mother

emel

noun. mother

emer

noun. mother

-mo

suffix. agental suffix

A suffix of which Tolkien said “the ending -mo often appeared in names or titles, sometimes with an agental significance” (WJ/400). It is based on the pronoun mo “(some)one”. This suffix is often specifically neuter, as in [ᴹQ.] nilmo “friend” vs. male and female [ᴹQ.] nildo and nilde (Ety/NIL).

Conceptual Development: The suffix ᴱQ. -mo appears all the way back in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s in words like ᴱQ. laulemo “inhabitant” and ᴱQ. qolimo “invalid” (QL/52, 78).

-r(o)

suffix. agental suffix

An agental suffix derived from ancient ✶-rō̆ (WJ/371), usually appearing as suffixal -r but sometimes as -ro as in quentaro “speaker, minstrel” (PE19/83; PE18/51). The fuller form appears especially in cases where the word is taken to be masculine: compare its feminine form [ᴹQ.] quentare “minstrel [f.]” (PE23/85). Tolkien indicated -rō was sometimes accompanied by nasal infixion, and that there was another variant -rdŏ > rd (WJ/371), but there are no clear signs of -r(d) in his later writings (but see the ᴱQ. examples below).

Based on the example ontari “parents” plural of [ᴹQ.] ontaro “parent [m.]”, it seems the usual plural form of this suffix may be -ri even in cases where -ro survived into Modern Quenya. This plural could be because of Quenya’s general dislike of repeated r-sound. However, ontaro may also be a specifically masculine form of an unattested gender neutral ✱ontar “parent” and ontari may be the plural of that gender neutral form, in which case likely there is no plural for the specifically masculine form. Regardless of the exact phenomenon in play, I would assume the plural of words like quentaro “minstrel” is quentari, referring to a group of minstrels of any gender.

Conceptual Development: There are no examples of -ro in the Early Qenya of the 1910s and 20s, but there are examples of agental -r and sometimes -ar, as in ᴱQ. maksar “cook” from ᴱQ. maksa- (QL/59), and ᴱQ. vaktelear “merchant” from ᴱQ. vaktele “trade” (QL/99). There are also examples of -r(d), such as ᴱQ. ektar (ektard-) “swordman” (QL/35) and ᴱQ. moar (moard-) “shepherd” (QL/60).

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.

anna

noun. gift, (orig.) thing handed, brought or sent to a person, gift, (orig.) thing handed, brought or sent to a person, *present

A word for “gift”, also the name of tengwa #23 [h] (LotR/1123), derived from the root √ANA “motion to” and more precisely meaning “a thing handed, brought or sent to a person” (PE17/91).

Conceptual Development: The earliest iteration of this word was ᴱQ. an (and-) “gift” in the Qenya Lexicon under the early root ᴱ√ANA (QL/31). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon Tolkien gave ᴱQ. anō as the equivalent of G. ôn “gift” (GL/62). The Etymologies of the 1930s had ᴹQ. anna “gift” under the root ᴹ√ANA “to, towards” (Ety/ANA¹). The word anna “gift” appeared among tengwar names in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1930s and 1940s, though in the former it was for double nn [5P] (PE22/23) and in the later was the name of a variant short vowel carrier [ゼ] not appearing in Tolkien’s later writing, and in any case the paragraph with this name was deleted (PE22/52 note #193).

In Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 Tolkien had both anna “gift” and anwa “gift” (PE22/163), the latter perhaps derived from ✱(h)an-mā. Tolkien indicated that this version of the noun influenced by {√ƷAN >>} √HAN “enhance, enrich, add to”.

Use as a Tengwar Name: The application of anna as the name for tengwa #23 is quite mysterious. In Quenya this tengwa was originally used to represent a voiced velar spirant ʒ < g, and after that sound was lost was used only to represent consonantal y by adding a palatal marker [hÍ]. Since anna has nothing to do with either sound, my best guess is that the name anna comes from some “full mode” where tengwar #23 represents the vowel a, except that in most full modes it represents the vowel o.

Alternately, it may be that at some point Tolkien imagined the noun anna as being derived from ʒannā; see the [rejected] root √ƷAN in its 1969 etymology noted above. In the 1930s this tengwa was named Osse either as a vowel sign for o or as a derivation of ᴹ√GOS (PE22/22), and in the 1940s it was named {’anne >>} ’enne “thought, purpose” where the ’ indicates lost ʒ (PE22/51 and note #190).

orta-

verb. to rise

Tolkien defined an intransitive verb orta- “to rise” based on the root √OR “rise”, first mentioned in The Etymologies of the 1930s where Tolkien had ᴹQ. orta- glossed both transitive “raise” and intransitive “rise” (Ety/ORO). This intransitive verb reappeared in the Quenya Verbal System of 1948 as ta-formative ort(a), contrasted with ta-causative ᴹQ. ortā́ “raise, lift” = “✱make rise” (PE22/114). In this paradigm, intransitive “rise” was distinguished from transitive “raise” mainly in its half-strong past tense oronte “rose” (or archaic †ronte), as opposed weak past ortane “raised, lifted” (PE22/115).

In QVS, Tolkien gave another intransitive verb ᴹQ. orya-, and said “to avoid the confusion with the causatives -ya was preferred for intransitives: so oryane, rose, ortane, raised” (PE22/115). This seems to indicate orya- “rise” was preferred. Despite this, intransitive orta- “rise” continued to appear in Tolkien later writings (PE17/52, 64; PE21/77; PE22/164) as an alternate to orya- “rise”, which appeared regularly as well (see that entry for details).

Conceptual Development: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I prefer the more distinctive verb orya- for “rise”, and I use orta- only for transitive “raise”. However, some Neo-Quenya writers like the idea of a transitive/intransitive verb distinguished by different past forms. For example Helge Fauskanger used orta- for both “rise” and “raise” in his NQNT (NQNT).

orya-

verb. to rise

An intransitive verb for “to rise” mentioned in various places in Tolkien’s later writings of the 1940s, 50s and 60s, based on the root √OR “rise” (PE17/64; PE22/114, 156). Tolkien usually described it as a ya-formative verb with a half-strong past oronye (PE17/64, 77; PE22/164), though Tolkien occasionally gave it a weak past oryane (PE22/115, 157).

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. oro- “rise” based on the early root ᴱ√ORO (QL/70). In a rejected page of verbs and roots from the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) written in 1948, Tolkien had [verb?] ᴹQ. oro, orro “up, rise (from ground)” derived from the root ᴹ√SRŌ (PE22/127), but in the main document he used ya-formative ᴹQ. orya- for “rise” (PE22/114-115), possibly the first appearance of this version of the verb. Tolkien sometimes gave the intransitive Quenya verb for “to rise” as ta-formative orta- with half-strong past oronte; see that entry for discussion.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I prefer orya- “rise” with half-strong past oronye, and because Tolkien said “-ya was preferred for intransitives” (PE22/115).

töa

noun. wood (as material)

A word for “wood” mentioned in passing in notes on the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 (VT39/6), also appearing in a list of “large & small” roots from around 1968 with the gloss “wood as material” and derived from the root √TAW “wood” (PE17/115).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien instead had ᴹQ. tavar “wood (material)” derived from primitive ᴹ✶tawar of the same meaning, from the extended root ᴹ√TÁWAR “wood, forest” (Ety/TÁWAR). In this earlier conception, the awa became ava rather than reducing to oa because the initial a was stressed. Stress alone was probably not enough to preserve ancient áwa in Tolkien’s later conception of the language’s phonetic development.

yá

conjunction. when

A relative conjunction “when” appearing in various phrases in Tolkien’s writings of the 1950s and 60s, a vowel-lengthened form of the relative pronoun ya.

Conceptual Development: Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from 1948 had ᴹQ. í glossed “(relative) at the time mentioned, at the same time”, a vowel-lengthened form of the relative pronoun ᴹQ. i (PE23/109). This was also given the gloss “when, whenever” in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from this same period (PE22/121). Earlier still, ᴹQ. íre was used as the relative conjunction “when” in Fíriel’s Song of the 1930s. In the Early Qenya Grammar it seems ᴱQ. yan “when” served this function (PE14/59).

amya

noun. mummy, (orig.) my mother

An affectionate word used by a child to address his or her mother (PE17/170), also appearing as emya (VT47/10; VT48/6, 19) along with other variants like amye or amilye (VT47/26-27, 32). It is a reduction of the possessive form: amilinya “my mother”. See amil(lë) “mother” for a discussion of the am-/em- variation.

andúnië

place name. Sunset

A city in western Númenor, “so called because it faced the sunset” (S/261). It is andúnë “sunset” with the abstract-noun suffix -ië.

Conceptual Development: The name ᴹQ. Andúnie appeared in the earliest tales of Númenor, first as a name for Númenor itself (LR/14), but soon changing to the name of a major city of that land (LR/25). At one point Tolkien considered changing this name to ᴹQ. Undúnië, but he soon rejected the idea (SD/333, SD/340 note #2).

orya-

verb. *to raise

An untranslated verb appearing in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 as an example of a ya-causative verb (PE22/164). It appears to be derived from the root √OR “rise” + the causative suffix ✶-yā. In theory it would have the same meaning as ta-causative orta- “raise = cause to rise”. However, Tolkien probably intended this verb to be purely theoretically, to illustrate the conjugation of its verb class, and not an actual verb within the Quenya language.

axanwë

noun. logic, (orig.) law of thought

A neologism coined by Arael posted on 2023-12-15 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), originally a combination of axan “law” and sanwë “thought”, with some reductions.

tuncirwë

noun. magnetism, (orig.) push-pull phenomenon

A neologism for “magnetism” coined by Arael posted on 2025-08-25 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), derived from ✱tuk-nid-mē as a combination of ᴹ√TUK “draw, ✱pull” and √NID “thrust, ✱push”.

amnuféra

noun. [physics] potential, (orig.) up-down readiness

A neologism for “potential” coined by Arael posted on 2025-08-25 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of √AM “up”, √NU “down”, and √PHER “ready”.

apterya-

verb. to repair, fix, (orig.) make ready again

A neologism for “repair, fix” coined by Shihali posted on 2018-01-24 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination at(a)- “double, a second time” and ferya- “make ready”, so more literally “make ready again”.

menda

adverb. approximately, circa, about, (orig.) towards the direction

A neologism coined by Luinyelle posted on 2024-06-03 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of √MEN “direction” and ancient suffix -da “toward”.

ticuta-

verb. to smelt, (orig.) make melt

A neologism for “to smelt” coined by Orondil in 2021-03-04 on the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) based on the early root ᴱ√TIQI [TIKW] having to so with melting, so more literally “✱to make melt”.

-on

suffix. masculine suffix

andúnë

noun. sunset, evening, (orig.) going down; west

halla

adjective. tall

o

preposition. from

penna

noun. vowel; (orig.) lacking

aita-

verb. to astound, surprise, shock, (orig.) make aghast

@@@ Discord 2022-08-22, is a homonym of aita- “worship”, but is a causative (-tā) rather than a formative (-tă); given these associations, this verb in modern Quenya is probably used more for positive surprise than negative shock

alas

noun. marble

malumë

adverb. when

quilin

adjective. bright-coloured, adorned, embroidered, adorned; (orig.) bright-coloured, *embellished; embroidered

tiuta-

verb. to corroborate, confirm; to comfort, console, *(orig.) to make firm; to strengthen

tumba-

verb. to cast down (into depths); *to dive; (orig.) to go or cause to go deep, endeepen

-va

from

-va possessive ending, presumably related to the preposition va "from". In Eldaliéva, Ingoldova, miruvóreva, Oroméva, rómeva, Valinóreva (q.v. for references), Follondiéva, Hyallondiéva (see under turmen for references). Following a consonant, the ending instead appears as -wa (andamacilwa "of the long sword", PE17:147, rómenwa *"of the East", PE17:59). Pl. -vë when governing a plural word (from archaic -vai) (WJ:407), but it seems that -va was used throughout in late Exilic Quenya (cf. miruvóreva governing the plural word yuldar in Namárië). Pl. -iva (-ivë*), dual -twa, partitive pl. -líva**.

Ambarónë

uprising, sunrise, orient

Ambarónë noun "uprising, sunrise, Orient" (AM2)

Andúnië

sunset

Andúnië (apparently a variant form of andúnë) place-name, a city and port on the western coast of Númenor, said to mean "sunset". (Appendix A, Silm, UT:166, NDŪ/VT45:38)

Valarauco

demon of might

Valarauco ("k") noun "Demon of Might" (here vala- assumes its basic meaning "power, might"), Sindarin balrog(WJ:415). Pl. Valaraucar (sic, not -or) "Balrogs", apparently containing rauca (q.v.) as an alternative form of rauco "demon" (SA:val-, SA:rauco). Earlier forms from the "Qenya Lexicon" are Valcaraucë, Malcaraucë (q.v.), apparently abandoned in LotR-style Quenya.

aiqualin

tall

aiqualin ("q")adj. "tall", plural form (???) (MC:216; this is "Qenya" - but cf. aiqua above.)

alas

marble

alas (alast-) noun "marble" (QL:30, GL:39).

amal

mother

amal noun "mother"; also emel (VT48:22, 49:22); the form amil (emil) seems more usual.

amil

mother

amil noun "mother" (AM1), also emil (q.v.) Longer variant amillë (VT44:18-19), compounded Eruamillë "Mother of God" in Tolkien's translation of the Hail Mary (VT43:32). If amil is a shortened form of amillë, it should probably have the stem-form amill-. Also compare amilyë, amya, emya. Compounded amil- in amilessë noun "mothername" (cf. essë "name"), name given to a child by its mother, sometimes with prophetic implications (amilessi tercenyë "mother-names of insight"). (MR:217).

amilyë

mummy

amilyë or milyë (cited as (a)milyë), noun "mummy", also used as a play-name of the index finger, but Tolkien emended it to emmë, emya. (VT48:4) In its basic sense, (a)milyë would be a variant of amil, amillë "mother", q.v.

ammë

mother

ammë noun "mother" (AM1)

andúne

noun. sunset

sunset

andúnë

sunset, west, evening

andúnë noun "sunset, west, evening" (NDŪ, Markirya, SA), also in Namárië: Andúnë "West" (but the standard Quenya translation of "west" is Númen) (Nam, RGEO:66) Cf. andu- in Andúnië, Andúril.

anna

gift

anna noun "gift" (ANA1, SA), "a thing handed, brought or sent to a person" (PE17:125), also name of tengwa #23 (Appendix E); pl. annar "gifts" in Fíriel's Song. Masc. name Annatar "Lord of Gifts, *Gift-lord", name assumed by Sauron when he tried to seduce the Eldar in the Second Age (SA:tar). Eruanna noun "God-gift", gift of God, i.e. "grace" (VT43:38)

anna, anwa

noun. gift

anwa

noun. gift

emel

mother

emel noun "mother"; also amal (VT48:22, 49:22); the form amil (emil) seems more usual.

emil

mother

emil noun "mother", emilinya "my mother" (also reduced to emya) the terms a child would use in addressing his or her mother (VT47:26). Emil would seem to be a variant of amil. Also compare emel.

emil

noun. mother

emmë

mummy

emmë (1) noun "mummy", hypocoristic form of "mother", also used in children's play for "index finger" and "index toe" (VT47:10, 26, VT48:4, 6, 17, 19). Also emya.

emya

mummy

emya noun "mummy", also used in children's play for "index finger" and "index toe" (VT47:10, 26, VT48:4, 6). Said to be a reduction of emenya *"my mother", seemingly presupposing #emë as a word for "mother" (but this word normally appears as emil or amil, incorporating a feminine ending). In VT48:19, emya is explained as deriving from em-nya "my mother". Compare emmë # 2.

emya

noun. mummy, (orig.) my mother

halda

adjective. tall, tall; [ᴱQ.] wide, broad

halla

tall

halla (1) adj. "tall" (Appendix E, footnote)

histë

dusk

histë noun "dusk" (LT1:255)

ho

from

ho prep. "from" (3O); cf. hó-

hísë

dusk

hísë (2) noun "dusk" (LT1:255). A "Qenya" form possibly obsoleted by #1 above.

irin

town

irin noun "town" (LT2:343; hardly a valid word in Tolkien's later Quenya)

ló

from

ló, lo (2) prep. "from", also used = "by" introducing the agent after a passive construction: nahtana ló Turin *"slain by Túrin" (VT49:24). A similar and possibly identical form is mentioned in the Etymologies as being somehow related to the ablative ending -llo, but is not there clearly defined (VT45:28). At one point, Tolkien suggested that lo rather than the ending -llo was used with proper names (lo Manwë rather than Manwello for "from Manwë"), but this seems to have been a short-lived idea (VT49:24).

lómë

dusk, twilight

lómë noun "dusk, twilight", also "night"; according to SD:415, the stem is lómi- (contrast the "Qenya" genitive lómen rather than **lómin in VT45:28). According to PE17:152, lómë refers to night "when viewed favourably, as a rule, but it became the general rule" (cf. SD:414-415 regarding lōmi as an Adûnaic loan-word based on lómë, meaning "fair night, a night of stars" with "no connotations of gloom or fear"). In the battle-cry auta i lómë "the night is passing" (Silm. ch. 20), the "night" would however seem to refer metaphorically to the reign of Morgoth. As for the gloss, cf. Lómion masc. name "Child of Twilight [dusk]", the Quenya name Aredhel secretly gave to Maeglin _(SA). Otherwise lómë is usually defined as "night" (Letters:308, LR:41, SD:302 cf.414-15, SA:dú)_; the _Etymologies defines lómë as "Night [as phenomenon], night-time, shades of night, Dark" (DO3/DŌ, LUM, DOMO, VT45:28), or "night-light" (VT45:28, reading of _lómë uncertain). In early "Qenya" the gloss was "dusk, gloom, darkness" (LT1:255). Cf. lómelindëpl. lómelindi "nightingale" _(SA:dú, LR:41; SD:302, MR:172, DO3/DŌ, LIN2, TIN). _Derived adjective #lómëa "gloomy" in Lómëanor "Gloomyland"; see Taurelilómëa-tumbalemorna...

mamil

mother, mummy

mamil noun *"mother, mummy" (UT:191)

naicando

sinner

#naicando (and #naico, both attested as plural forms in -or) noun "sinner" (VT43:33; Tolkien may have abandoned these forms i favour of #úcarindo)

naico

sinner

naico (1) noun "sinner"; see naicando

ontari

mother

ontari noun "mother" or etymologically "begetter, parent" (fem.); clashing with the plural ontari "parents", this was apparently an emphemeral form (see ontarë, ontaril, ontarië for other feminine forms of "begetter, parent") (VT44:7)

ontaril

mother

ontaril noun "mother", female *"begetter" (cf. onta-). Variant of ontarë. (VT43:32)

orna

tall, high, lofty

orna adj. (2) "tall, high, lofty" (PE17:112, 186), also orwa

orró-

uprising, sunrise, east

orró-, hró- "uprising, sunrise, east" (PE17:18), element underlying words like the following, and also hróna (q.v.)

orwa

tall, high, lofty

orwa adj. (2) "tall, high, lofty" (PE17:112, 186), also orna

tul-

come

tul- vb. "come" (WJ:368), 1st pers. aorist tulin "I come" (TUL), 3rd pers. sg. tulis "(s)he comes" (VT49:19), perfect utúlië "has come" (utúlien "I am come", EO), utúlie'n aurë "Day has come" (the function of the 'n is unclear; it may be a variant of the article "the", hence literally "the Day has come"). Past tense túlë "came" in LR:47 and SD:246, though an alternative form *tullë has also been theorized. Túlë in VT43:14 seems to be an abnormal aorist stem, later abandoned; tula in the same source would be an imperative. Prefixed future tense entuluva "shall come again" in the Silmarillion, future tuluva also in the phrase aranielya na tuluva* "may thy kingdom come" (VT44:32/34), literally apparently "thy kingdom, be-it-that (it) will come". In early "Qenya" we have the perfects tulielto "they have come" (LT1:114, 270, VT49:57) and tulier "have come", pl., in the phrase I·Eldar tulier "the Eldar have come"(LT1:114, 270). Read probably utúlieltë, Eldar utúlier** in LotR-style Quenya.

tul-

verb. come

tulu-

fetch, bring, bear; move, come

tulu- vb. "fetch, bring, bear; move, come" (LT1:270; compare tulta- in Tolkien's later Quenya)

tunda

tall

tunda adj. "tall" (TUN)

usque

noun. dusk

dusk

usque

noun. dusk, twilight

va

from

va prep. "from" (VT43:20; prefixed in the form var- in var-úra "from evil", VT43:24). In VT49:24, va, au and o are quoted as variants of the stem awa "away from".

yá

when

yá (2) conj. "when" in the sentence yá hrívë tenë, ringa ná "when winter comes, it is cold" (VT49:23). Compare írë #2.

í(qua), illume, iquallume

conjunction. when, whenever

írë

when

írë (2) conj. "when" (subordinate conjunction, not question-word: írë Anarinya queluva, "when my sun faileth") (FS). Compare yá #2.

úcarindo

sinner

#úcarindo (pl. úcarindor, VT43:27) noun "sinner"; cf. úcar-. The form úlcarindor occurring in an older variant of the text in question seems abnormal, since Quenya rarely has a long vowel in front of a consonant cluster (VT43:33)

eccoia

adjective. thorny

nenquet-

verb. to condescend, (orig.) speak down the nose

tarquin(a)

noun/adjective. salt meat; salted, dried, *(orig.) preserved

emmë

noun. mother

ho

preposition. from

han-

verb. to give