alda

noun. tree, tree, [ᴱQ.] branch

The basic Quenya word for “tree” (LotR/1113), derived from primitive ✶galadā and very well attested. This word dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s where ᴱQ. alda “tree” appeared under the early root ᴱ√ALA “spread” (QL/29). Tolkien seems to have switched its derivation to ✱galadā in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where ᴹQ. alda “tree” appeared under the root ᴹ√GALAD of the same meaning (Ety/GALAD). See also ornë “(tall) tree” for a discussion of another similar word.

Conceptual Development: There were a few instances where the word alda had a different meaning. In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s, alda was glossed “branch” (PE16/139). In notes from 1959 Tolkien said “✱galadā, originally only large flourishing plant, as tree, and especially one that flowered, Q alda, S galað; the general word for ‘tree’ was Q orne ‘upstanding plant’ (PE17/153)”. But in its numerous appearance elsewhere, alda was simply a general word for “tree”.

alda

tree

alda noun "tree" (GALAD, GÁLAD, SA, Nam, RGEO:66, LR:41, SD:302, LT1:249, LT2:340, VT39:7), also name of tengwa #28 (Appendix E). Pl. aldar in Narqelion; gen. pl. aldaron "of trees" in Namárië. Etymology of alda, see Letters:426 and UT:266-7. The latter source states that primitive ¤galadā, whence Quenya alda, originally applied to stouter and more spreading trees such as oaks or beeches, while straighter and more slender trees such as birches were called ¤ornē, Quenya ornë - but this distinction was not always observed in Quenya, and it seems that alda became the general word. According to PE17:25, primitive galada (sic) referred to "a plant (large) and was a general term". Place-name Aldalómë ""tree-night" or "tree-shade-night" (LotR2:III ch. 4, translated in PE17:82); Aldarion masc. name, *"Son of (the) Trees" (Appendix A), Tar-Aldarion a Númenorean King (UT:210). Aldaron a name of Oromë (Silm); aldinga "tree-top" (VT47:28), aldarembina (pl. aldarembinë attested) adj. "tree-tangled", the cognate of Sindarin galadhremmin**(PM:17:26).Aldúya fourth day of the Eldarin six-day week, dedicated to the Trees (Appendix D). The word seems to include Aldu, a dual form referring to the Two Trees. The Númenóreans altered the name to Aldëa (presumably < aldajā), referring to one tree (the White) only. The dual Aldu seems to occur also in Aldudénië** "Lament for the Two Trees" (a strange word, since Quenya does not permit intervocalic d as in this word perhaps the Vanyarin dialect of Quenya did) (Silm)

alda

noun. tree

Aldaron

aldaron

Aldaron noun, a name of Oromë (GÁLAD)

aldalómë

place name. Tree-twilight

An older name of Fangorn forest (LotR/469). It is a compound alda “tree” and lómë “twilight” (RC/385).

aldamir

masculine name. *Tree Jewel

The 23rd king of Gondor (LotR/1038). His name seems to be a compound alda “tree” and mírë “jewel”.

aldaron

masculine name. Lord of Forests, (lit.) Of Trees

A title of Oromë as the Lord of Forests (S/29). The name is genitive plural of alda “tree”, so its literal meaning is “Of Trees”.

Conceptual Development: This name was well established in Tolkien’s lengendarium, appearing as ᴱQ. Aldaron “King of Forests” in the earliest Lost Tales (LT1/66) and in later stories as ᴹQ. Aldaron “Lord of Forests” (SM/79, LR/206), always having the same basic meaning and form. This name appeared in the published version of The Silmarillion, but according to Christopher Tolkien, his father deleted this name from the final version of the “Valaquenta”, leaving only S. Tauron (MR/202, notes §8). A shorter form Aldar appeared in linguistic notes from the 1950s (PE22/86), though whether this form was intended to be a name of Oromë is unclear.

aldarembina

adjective. tree-meshed

Quenya cognate to S. galadhremmen “tree-meshed” (PE17/136) from the Sindarin poem A Elbereth Gilthoniel (LotR/238). It is a combination of Q. alda “tree” and Q. rembina “meshed” (PE17/25-26).

aldarion

masculine name. *Son of Trees

Tar-Aldarion was the name assumed by the sixth ruler of Númenor (LotR/1038, UT/219). His name seems to be a compound aldar “trees” and the patronymic suffix -ion “-son”. He adoped this name “because he was much concerned with trees, and planted great woods to furnish timber for the shipyards” (UT/219).

Aldalemnar

week of the trees, midyear week

Aldalemnar noun "week of the Trees, Midyear week" (LEP/LEPEN/LEPEK (GÁLAD, YEN) )

aldarwa

having trees, tree-grown

aldarwa adj "having trees, tree-grown" (3AR). See -arwa.

aldanil

masculine name. Lover of Trees

A name appearing only in some linguistic notes from the 1950s, beside variant form Alandil (PE21/83).

aldaryas

by Monday [Tuesday]

aldauya

noun. *Tuesday, Day of the Two Trees

aldúya

noun. *Tuesday, Day of the Two Trees

culumalda

culumalda

culumalda noun: a kind of tree (evidently orange-tree, culuma + alda) (SA:mal-)

lavaralda

(golden) blossom

lavaralda (changed by Tolkien from lavarin) noun some kind of tree (alda) (LR:57). The initial element lavar- seems to connect with the root LAWAR having to do with golden colour; cf. lávar "(golden) blossom" (PE17:159).

Nísimaldar

fragrant trees

Nísimaldar noun "Fragrant trees", a region in Númenor (UT:167; evidently #nísima "fragrant", attested here only, + aldar "trees").

amaldar

trees

amaldar ??? (Narqelion; may include aldar "trees")

malda

yellow, of golden colour

malda adj. "yellow, of golden colour" (PE17:51), variant of malina. An earlier source (the Etymologies, entry SMAL) has malda as the noun "gold" but LotR gives malta, q.v., and according to VT46:14 the form malta originally appeared in the Etymologies as well. Since Quenya sometimes uses adjectives as nouns (see for instance fanya), malda could still be regarded as a valid side-form of the noun malta "gold".

palda

adjective. wide, broad, wide, broad, *expansive

alda

alda

The word derives from the Primitive Quendian root GALÁD.

Aldamir

Aldamir

Aldamir is Quenya, from alda meaning "tree", and mírë meaning "jewel".

inga

top, highest point

inga (1) noun "top, highest point" (PM:340), "only applied to shapes pointing upwards...[it] referred primarily to position and could be used of tops relatively broad". Compounded in the nouns aldinga "tree-top" (alda + inga) (VT47:28), ingaran "high-king" (PM:340)

malina

yellow

malina adj. "yellow" (SMAL, Letters:308), "yellow, of golden colour" (PE17:51). Malinalda *"Yellow-tree", a name of Laurelin (SA:mal-; evidently malina + alda), translated "Tree of Gold" in the Silmarillion index. Cf. also malinornë.

ornë

tree

ornë noun "tree" _(Letters:308, SD:302: "when smaller and more slender like a birch or rowan", Etym stem ÓR-NI: "tree, high isolated tree"). For the etymology, see Letters:426; for (original) difference in meaning between ornë and alda, see alda. In ornemalin "tree-yellow"; see laurelindórenan lindelorendor... (LotR2:III ch. 4; cf. Letters:308), also as final element in malinornë "yellow-tree, mallorn" (q.v.) Masc. name Ornendil *"Tree-friend" (Appendix A)_, compound Ornelië "tree-folk" (Quenya name of the Galadhrim, the tree-people of Lórien) (TI:239).

-on

name

-on gen.pl. ending (3O), in aldaron, aranion, elenion, Eldaron, #esseron, Ingweron, Istarion, Númevalion, Quendion, Silmarillion, Sindaron, tasarion (see Nan-Tasarion), Valion, wenderon, yénion. Normally the ending -on is added to the nominative plural, whether it ends in -i or -r, but some nouns in -ë that would have nominative plurals in -i seem to prefer the ending -ron in the genitive (hence #esseron as the gen. pl. of essë "name", though the nominative pl. is attested as essi and we might have expected the gen. pl. *ession; similarly wenderon, Ingweron).

arwa

in control of, possessing

arwa (1) adj. "in control of, possessing" (followed by genitive, e.g. *arwa collo, "having a cloak [colla]"). Also suffix -arwa"having", as in aldarwa "having trees, tree-grown" (3AR). In a deleted entry in the Etymologies, -arwa was glossed "having, possessing, holding, controlling" (VT45:14)

lávar

noun. (golden) blossom

A word in notes from the 1960s for a “(golden) blossom” with variants löar and lávar, both based on the √LAWAR having to with the colour “gold” (PE17/159). The element ᴹQ. lavar also appeared as an element in the name for a Númenorean tree ᴹQ. lavaralda in stories from the 1930s which Tolkien described as having “long green leaves [that] were golden on the undersides” and whose “flowers were pale with a yellow flush” (LR/57-68). For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use lávar for “(golden) blossom”, since that form is more distinctive.

rembina

entangled

rembina adj. "entangled" (VT42:12); aldarembina pl. aldarembinë "tree-tangled", Quenya equivalent of Sindarin galadhremmin(PE17:26)

landa

adjective. wide, wide, [ᴱQ.] broad

esse

noun. name

essë

name

essë (1) noun "name", also later name of Tengwa #31, originally (MET) called árë (ázë). (Appendix E). With a pronominal ending esselya "thy name" (VT43:14). Pl. #essi in PM:339 and MR:470, gen.pl. #esseron "of names" in the compound Nómesseron (q.v.); we would rather have expected *ession, given the nom.pl. essi; perhaps #esser is a valid alternative plural form. Essecarmë noun "name-making" (MR:214, 470), Eldarin ceremony where the father announces the name of his child. Essecenta *("k") noun "Name-essay" (see centa) (MR:415); Essecilmë noun "name-choosing", an Eldarin ceremony where a child named him- or herself according to personal lámatyávë (q.v.) (MR:214, 471). The meaning Tolkien originally assigned to the word essë** in the Etymologies was "place" rather than "name" (VT45:12).

essë

noun. name

esta-

verb. name

landa

wide

landa (2) adj. "wide" (LAD). Maybe in landatavárë = *"wide-wood"? (TI:415)

loar

(golden) blossom

loar noun "(golden) blossom" (not to be confused with the pl. form of loa). Also lávar. (PE17:159)

lávar

(golden) blossom

lávar noun "(golden) blossom". Also loa. (PE17:159)

löar

noun. (golden) blossom

palla

wide, expansive

palla adj. "wide, expansive" (PAL)

sanda

name

[sanda, sandë] (þ) (2) noun "name" (VT46:16)

sanya

name

[sanya] (þ) (2) noun ?"name" (reading of gloss uncertain, VT46:16)

tavar

wood

tavar (1) noun "wood" (TÁWAR)

toina

adjective. wood, wood, *wooden, made of wood

A word glossed “wood” appearing in a list of “large & small” roots from around 1968 derived from primitive ✶tawĭnā (PE17/115) and hence probably an adjective “✱wooden, (made) of wood” as suggested by Helge Fauskanger (QQ/toina).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien instead had ᴹQ. taurina “of wood”, an adjectival form of ᴹQ. tavar “wood (material)” (Ety/TÁWAR). The word ᴹQ. toina appeared in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1940s, but was unglossed, so whether it meant “✱wooden” is unclear.

tulca

yellow

tulca (3) ("k") adj. "yellow". Adopted and adapted from Valarin; the normal Quenya word for "yellow" is rather malina (WJ:399)

turu

wood

turu (3) noun "wood" (properly firewood, but used of wood in general) (LT1:270)

yanda

wide

yanda adj. "wide" (PE17:115); variant of yána #1, q.v.

yanda

adjective. wide

yonda

wide, roomy, extensive

yonda adj."wide, roomy, extensive" (PE17:43), also (as alternative form of yonna) glossed "enclosed", with the latter meaning perhaps intended as the passive participle of the verb yor-

ingëa

adjective. top

@@@ Discord 2022-05-23

galada

noun. tree

galla

noun. tree

galadh

noun. tree

The basic Sindarin word for “tree” (LotR/1113), derived from primitive ✶galadā and very well attested. This word dates back at least to The Etymologies of the 1930s, where N. galadh “tree” appeared under the root ᴹ√GALAD (Ety/GALAD). See also orn “(tall) tree” of similar meaning.

Conceptual Development: Gnomish of the 1910s had some earlier version of this “tree” word: G. galdon >> alwen “tree” in the Name-list to the Fall of Gondolin (PE15/24) and archaic/poetic G. †alwen “tree” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/19), the latter probably from the early root ᴱ√ALA “spread” that was the basis for ᴱQ. alda “tree” (QL/29).

galadh

tree

_n. Bot._tree, like oak (nordh) and beech. A galadh was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. In Sindarin, there was no much distinction in size between galað and orn. A galað was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. Birch, ash and oak are of the orn kind. Q. alda. >> orn

galadh

tree

{ð} n. tree. In Sindarin, there was no much distinction in size between galað and orn. A galað was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. Birch, ash and oak are of the orn kind. Q. alda. >> orn

galadhremmen

adjective. tree-meshed

An adjective meaning “tree-meshed” appearing in the A Elbereth Gilthoniel poem in its plural form galadhremmin (LotR/238). It was a combination of galadh “tree” and remmen “meshed” (PE17/25-26). This word is probably poetic, not in common use.

eneth

noun. name

eryn

noun. wood

esta-

verb. to name

galadh

noun. tree

gelennil

masculine name. Lover of Trees

A name appearing only in some linguistic notes from the 1950s, beside variant form Gleðennil (PE21/83).

glad

noun. wood

glad

noun. wood

A word for a “wood” in the name Methed-en-Glad “End of the Wood” (UT/153) and possibly also Gladuial “✱Twilight Wood” (WJ/183, 188 note #48). It resembles galadh “tree” and is probably related to it, but it cannot be derived directly from the same root ᴹ√GALAD as that would produce ✱✱gladh. It was either derived from a variant root ✱√GALAT, or was a loan word from Nandorin where the word for “tree” was Nan. galad (MR/182; PE17/50, 60).

iand

adjective. wide

land

adjective. wide, broad

land

adjective. wide, broad, wide, broad; [N.] open space, level

lann

adjective. wide, broad

lebethron

noun. a tree - its black wood was used by the woodwrights of Gondor

In the original manuscript, one of the earlier (rejected) form of this name was lebendron. Didier Willis proposed the etymology lebed+doron "finger-oak", actually a real tree name (Finger Oak or Quercus digitata)

malhorn

noun. golden tree of Lothlórien

mallorn

noun. golden tree of Lothlórien

malthorn

noun. golden tree of Lothlórien

orn

noun. (any large) tree

oron

noun. tree

n. Bot. tree. Also in compound -(o)rŏnō. >> orn

taur

noun. great wood, forest

baran

yellow brown

(swart, dark brown, golden-brown), pl. berain.

caw

top

caw (i gaw, o chaw), pl. coe (i choe)

caw

top

(i gaw, o chaw), pl. coe (i choe)

eneth

name

(noun) eneth (pl. enith)

eneth

name

(pl. enith)

eryn

wood

1) (forest) eryn. No distinct pl. form. 2) glâd (i **lâd, construct glad) (small forest), pl. glaid (in glaid**) See FOREST. 2)

eryn

wood

. No distinct pl. form.

ess

noun. name

esta

name

(verb.) esta- (call) (i esta, in estar)

esta

name

(call) (i esta, in estar)

galadh

tree

1) galadh (i **aladh), pl. gelaid (i ngelaidh = i ñelaidh) (Letters:426, SD:302). 2) orn (pl. yrn**). Note: a homophone means ”tall”.

galadh

tree

(i ’aladh), pl. gelaid (i ngelaidh = i ñelaidh) (Letters:426, SD:302).

galadhon

of or related to trees

(lenited ‘aladhon, pl. galadhoen). Archaic ✱galadhaun. The latter is based on David Salo’s analysis of the name Caras Galadhon; others have interpreted the last word as some kind of genitive plural, maybe influenced by Silvan Elvish.

galadhrim

people of the trees

(Elves of Lórien). Adj.

glâd

wood

(i ’lâd, construct glad) (small forest), pl. glaid (in glaid) See FOREST. 2)

huorn

walking tree of fangorn

(i chuorn, o chuorn), pl. huyrn (i chuyrn).

laden

wide

1) laden (plain, flat, open, cleared), pl. ledin (for ”N” lhaden pl. lhedin, LR:368 s.v. LAT), 2) land (plain), pl. laind. Also used as noun ”open space, level”. 3) pann (i bann, o phann, construct pan), pl. pain (i phain). Since the pl. form clashes with *pain ”all” (mutated phain, SD:129), other terms may be preferred for clarity. 4) ûr (pl. uir). Notice the homophone ûr ”fire, heat”.

laden

wide

(plain, flat,  open, cleared), pl. ledin (for ”N” lhaden pl. lhedin, LR:368 s.v. LAT)

land

wide

(plain), pl. laind. Also used as noun ”open space, level”.

lebethron

oak tree

.

malen

yellow

malen (lenited valen; pl. melin).

malen

yellow

(lenited valen; pl. melin).

mâl

yellow powder

(i vâl; construct mal) (pollen), pl. mail or archaic mely (i mail, i mely). Older pl. meil (LR:386 s.v. SMAL).

nothlir

family tree

(family line); no distinct pl. form; coll. pl. nothliriath.

orn

tree

(pl. yrn). Note: a homophone means ”tall”.

palan

over a wide area

(far off)

pann

wide

(i bann, o phann, construct pan), pl. pain (i phain). Since the pl. form clashes with ✱pain ”all” (mutated phain, SD:129), other terms may be preferred for clarity.

tawar

wood

(as material) tawar (i dawar, o thawar) (forest), pl. tewair (i thewair).

tawar

wood

(i dawar, o thawar) (forest), pl. tewair (i thewair).

toss

low-growing tree

(i** doss, o thoss, construct tos), pl. tyss (i** thyss). Tolkien mentioned ”maple, hawthorn, blackthorn, holly, etc.” as examples of the low-growing trees covered by this word. Specific trees, see

ûr

wide

(pl. uir). Notice the homophone ûr ”fire, heat”.

galadh

noun. tree

galadlevnar

proper name. Week of the Trees

Name of a holiday week in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/LEP), a combination of galadh “tree” and the lenited form of lhevnar “week” (EtyAC/LEP).

caw

noun. top

caw

noun. top

galadh

noun. tree

lhand

adjective. wide, broad

lhann

adjective. wide, broad

malen

adjective. yellow

malen

adjective. yellow, yellow, [ᴱN.] yellowish, pale, wan, sickly

orn

noun. (any large) tree

orn

noun. tree

pann

adjective. wide

pann

adjective. wide

taur

noun. great wood, forest

ûr

noun. wide

ûr

adjective. wide

galad

noun. tree

galad

noun. tree

>> Galadrim

galad

noun. tree

Derived from galadâ "great growth", "tree", applied to stout and spreading trees such as oaks and beeches (UT:266, Letters:426; in the latter source, the root GAL is defined as "grow", intransitive). It is interesting to notice that this word, given in a source much later than the Etymologies that provides most of the Nandorin material, nonetheless agrees well with the older words cited by Tolkien: again we see the loss of original final -â, whereas original post-vocalic d is unchanged as in the word edel.

gala(da)ndil

masculine name. Lover of Trees

galadarembinā

adjective. tree-meshed

palnā

adjective. wide, broad

taw

root. wood

Tolkien used a similar set of words for “forest” starting with the earliest versions of Elvish, but their derivation evolved somewhat over time. The earliest related root was ᴱ√TAVA “beam” with variant ᴱ√TAFA (the latter marked by Tolkien with a “?” and with no obvious derivatives) from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as the basis for words like ᴱQ. taule “great tree”, ᴱQ. tauno “forest” and ᴱQ. tavar “dale-sprite” (QL/90). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. tavros/G. taur “forest” and G. tavor “wood fay” (GL/69).

ᴱQ. taure “forest” did not appear as an independent word until drafts of the Oilima Markirya from around 1930 (PE16/62; MC/213). Thereafter Tolkien mostly stuck with Q. taurë and N./S. taur for “forest”. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave the root ᴹ√TAWAR “wood, forest” (Ety/TÁWAR), though in one place it was ᴹ√TAR (EtyAC/TUR). In notes associated with the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 Tolkien gave √TAWA “wood”, and in notes on “large & small” roots from 1968 Tolkien had √TAW “wood” (PE17/115).

tawinā

adjective. wood

yad

root. wide

en

root. name

tulka

adjective. yellow