-ssë (1) locative ending (compare the preposition se, sé "at", q.v.); in Lóriendessë, lúmessë, máriessë, yalúmessë (q.v. for reference); pl. -ssen in yassen, lúmissen, mahalmassen, símaryassen, tarmenissen, q.v. Pronouns take the simple ending -ssë, even if the pronoun is plural by its meaning (messë "on us", VT44:12). The part. pl. (-lissë or -lissen) and dual (-tsë) locative endings are known from the Plotz letter only.
Quenya
-ssë
respective
-ssë
at
-ssë
-ssë
-ssë (3) possible longer form of the 3rd person ending -s; see -s #1. Such an ending probably could not coexist with -ssë #2 above. In one source, Tolkien first queried, then deleted this ending (VT49:49).
-ssë
he loves himself
-ssë (2), 3rd person sg. reflexive ending, melissë "he loves himself", possibly also quernessë *"he turned (himself)" (VT49:20-21). Compare -ttë #2. The ending -ssë* seems prone to confusion with the locative ending; an alternative wording would be the analytical construction melis immo with a separate reflexive pronoun. Tolkien himself changed quernessë to quernes immo **(VT49:20-21).
-ssë
suffix. abstract noun
Cognates
- S. -as “abstract noun”
Derivations
Element in
- Q. alanessë “nicotiana, pipeweed, nicotiana, pipeweed, *tobacco”
- Q. aranus(së) “kingship”
- Q. carpassë “mouth-system; full organized language, including system, vocabulary, metre, etc.”
- Q. celussë “freshnet, water falling out swiftly from a rocky spring”
- Q. entulessë “return”
- ᴺQ. failassë “justice, fair-mindedness”
- Q. findessë “head of hair, person’s hair as a whole”
- Q. incánussë “mind mastership”
- ᴺQ. letinwessë “constellation”
- Q. Lótessë “May, *(lit.) Flower-ness”
- Q. nassë “nature, true-being, *essence; person, individual” ✧ VT49/30
- ᴺQ. omolmessë “corporation”
- ᴺQ. restassë “countryside, the country”
- Q. táris(së) “queenship”
- Q. tengwassë “alphabet”
Variations
- -sse ✧ VT49/30 (-sse)
-ssë
suffix. locative ending
Cognates
- Ad. -zê “at”
Derivations
- ✶sē “at; locative, adessive, inessive” ✧ PE21/79
Elements
Word Gloss se “at, in” Variations
- -ssë ✧ PE17/062
- -sse ✧ PE17/135
- sse ✧ PE21/79
-ssë
suffix. himself, *herself, itself
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶-se-sē̆ > -sse [-sse] ✧ VT49/20 Variations
- -sse ✧ VT49/20
-së
suffix. he, she, it
-s(së)
suffix. he, she, it; him, her, it
Derivations
- ✶se “he, she, it, 3rd person singular pronoun” ✧ VT49/50
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶se/te > -s [-se] > [-s] ✧ VT49/50 Variations
- -s ✧ PE17/075; PE17/075; PE17/110; PE17/190; VT49/16; VT49/48; VT49/51
- -re ✧ PE17/075
- se ✧ PE22/161
- -sse ✧ VT49/28
- -se ✧ VT49/51
-tsë
-tsë
-tsë, dual locative ending (Plotz); see -ssë
essë
he
essë (2) pron? "he" (and also "she, it"?), possible emphatic 3rd sg. emphatic pronoun, attested in the sentence essë úpa nas "he is dumb" (PE17:126)
-s
suffix. he, she, it
se
he, she, it
se (1) pron. "he, she, it" also object "him, her, it", 3rd person sg. Used "of living things including plants" (VT49:37; the corresponding inaimate pronoun is sa). The pronoun comes directly from se as the original stem-form (VT49:50). Stressed form sé, VT49:51, attested in object position in melin sé "I love him" (VT49:21). Ósë "with him/her", VT43:29; see ó-. Long dative/allative sena "[to/for] him" or "at him", VT49:14, allative senna "to him/her" (VT49:45, 46). Compare the reflexive pronoun insë *"himself, herself".
se
at, in
se (2), also long sé, preposition "at, in" (VT43:30; compare the "locative prefix" se- possibly occurring in an early "Qenya" text, VT27:25)
-is
respective
-is ending for the plural form of an unidentified case, by some called "respective" or "short locative" (Plotz)
-më
suffix. abstract noun
Derivations
- ✶-(u)mē “denoting a (single) action”
Element in
Variations
- -me ✧ PE17/169 (-me)
-rë
suffix. abstract noun
Derivations
- ✶-(a)rē “abstract noun”
Element in
Variations
- -re ✧ MC/223 (-re)
-ttë
they love themselves
-ttë (2), 3rd person pl. reflexive ending, as in melittë "they love themselves" (VT49:21). This ending can hardly coexist with #1 above; an alternative wording would be the analytical construction *meliltë intë. Compare -ssë #2.
insë
himself
insë "himself" and "herself", 3rd person sg. personal reflexive pronoun, apparently covering both genders, e.g. *tiris insë "(s)he watches him/herself" (but apparently the general reflexive pronoun immo may also be used, and it may even be preferable since the cluster ns seems unusual for Quenya). Compare insa, the corresponding impersonal form. Insë is derived from earlier imsë, a form that was possibly also used in Quenya (unless "imse" in Tolkien's manuscript is intended as an etymological form only, though it is not asterisked) (VT47:37)
-ro
he
-ro pronominal ending "he", in antaváro, q.v. In Tolkiens later Quenya, the ending -s covers both "he", "she" and "it".
-s (2) ending for the mysterious case sometimes called "respective", actually probably a shorter variant of the locative in -ssë. Pl. -is, dual -tes, partitive pl. -lis.