Quenya 

andon

great gate

andon noun "great gate" (andond-, as in pl. andondi) (AD)

ando

gate

ando (1) noun "gate", also name of tengwa #5 (AD, Appendix E). A deleted entry in the Etymologies gave Ando Lómen, evidently "Door of Night" (VT45:28; notice "Qenya" genitive in -n rather than -o as in LotR-style Quenya)

fenna

door

fenna noun "door" (PE17:45, 181)

fenna

noun. door

fende

noun. door

Quenya [PE 22:166] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

fendë

noun. door

A word appearing as {phende >>} fende “door” in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 (PE22/166 and note #112). The deleted variant probably indicates its primitive form.

Conceptual Development: The earliest “door” word was ᴱQ. posta in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root {ᴱ√PONO >>} ᴱ√BOÐO (QL/75). Another precursor was ᴹQ. fenda “threshold” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√PHEN (Ety/PHEN). In notes from December 1959 (D59) Tolkien gave Q. fenna as a derivative of √PHEN and cognate to S. fen, all meaning “door” (PE17/181).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I prefer 1969 fendë as the word for “door”, but I think [ᴹQ.] fenda “threshold” might remain viable as a separate derivative of the root.

Changes

  • phendefende ✧ PE22/166

Cognates

  • S. fen(n) “door, door; [N.] threshold” ✧ PE17/045; PE17/181

Derivations

  • PHEN “door” ✧ PE17/181

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
PHEN > fenna[pʰenna] > [ɸenna] > [fenna]✧ PE17/181

Variations

  • fenna ✧ PE17/045; PE17/181
  • fende ✧ PE22/166
  • phende ✧ PE22/166 (phende)
Quenya [PE17/045; PE17/181; PE22/166] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Sindarin 

annon

noun. great door or gate

Sindarin [Ety/348, S/428, LotR/II:IV, TAI/150] Group: SINDICT. Published by

annon

great door

pl1. ennyn _ n. _great door, gate. Q. ando. Ennyn Durin Aran Moria 'the doors (of) Durin King (of) Moria'. annon edhellen edro hi ammen! 'Elvish gate open now for us'. >> annon

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:25:40:45:87:90] < _annō_, _annon(d)_- entrances, approaches < ANA to. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

annon

noun. (great) gate, door

A word for a great and strong entrance, typically translated “gate” but also usable in reference to a “great door”, notably in Ennyn Durin “Doors of Durin”, the great doors at the entrance to Moria.

Conceptual Development: The earliest iteration of this word was G. {anda >>} anna “door, opening” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, appearing near adhwen “approach, avenue”, and so likely derived from ✱√AD (GL/17). In the Gnomish Lexicon Slips this become [a]nn “door” derived from ᴱ✶anda (PE13/110). ᴱN. ann “door” reappeared in Early Noldorin word-lists of the 1920s from primitive ᴱ✶andond- and with a new plural form ennyn (PE13/137, 160).

This 1920s plural may have inspired a more elaborate form N. annon “great gate” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, which had the same plural ennyn and appeared under the root ᴹ√AD “entrance, gate” (Ety/AD). On drafts of Thror’s map from 1936, annon was used for “door” in the phrase lheben teil brann i annon ar neledh neledhi gar godrebh “five foot high the door and three may walk abreast” (TAI/150). The longer form annon appeared in various names in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, include the first version of the Moria Gate Spell: N. annon porennin diragas·venwed (RS/451). From there it appeared in several names in the published version of The Lord of the Rings, as well as in the final version of the Moria Gate Spell: annon edhellen, edro hi ammen “Elvish gate open now for us” (LotR/307).

Notes on The Lord of the Rings provide further insights into Tolkien’s vision of this word’s later etymology, the clearest being notes from December 1959 (D59) where Tolkien said:

> The words for “door, gate”, [ancient Sindarin] annō, annon(d)- are derivatives of √ANA “to” and mean originally “entrances, approaches”. Cf. Q ando. Quite distinct is ANAD- “long”, Q andā, S ann/and rare except in old words or names as anduin, Q anduine (PE17/40).

In notes from around 1967 Tolkien gave S. ann(on) “gate” (PE17/90), perhaps indicating he considered restoring the shorter form ann from the 1910s and 20s.

Cognates

  • Q. ando “gate, [great] door; †entrances, approaches” ✧ PE17/040

Derivations

  • NA/ANA “to, towards; at side of, alongside, besides; moreover, in addition, plus” ✧ PE17/040

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ANA > Ennyn[andondi] > [andundi] > [endyndi] > [endynd] > [endynn] > [ennynn] > [ennyn]✧ PE17/040
ANA > annō/annon(d)[andondo] > [andond] > [andonn] > [annonn] > [annon]✧ PE17/040

Variations

  • Annon ✧ LotR/0307; S/238
  • annō/annon(d) ✧ PE17/040 (annō/annon(d))
  • ann(on) ✧ PE17/090
Sindarin [LotR/0305; LotR/0307; PE17/040; PE17/045; PE17/087; PE17/090; S/238; SA/annon] Group: Eldamo. Published by

fen(n)

noun. door, door; [N.] threshold

A word for “door” in the name Fen Hollen “Closed Door” (LotR/826; RC/550). In notes from December 1959 (D59), Tolkien based it on the root √PHEN and gave its Quenya equivalent as fenna, indicating a primitive form of ✱phennā (PE17/181). If so, its ordinary form should be fenn, and this was indeed the form in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (WR/341). Perhaps fen is a reduced pseudo-prefixal form.

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had N. fenn “threshold” derived from ON. phenda under the root ᴹ√PHEN (Ety/PHEN).

Neo-Sindarin: I don’t think the senses “door” and “threshold” are likely to coexist, so for purposes of Neo-Sindarin I would limit fenn to “door” and would use ᴺS. fend < ✱phenda for “threshold”, following the principle that nd remained “at the end of fully accented monosyllables” in Sindarin (LotR/1115).

Cognates

  • Q. fendë “door” ✧ PE17/045; PE17/181

Derivations

  • PHEN “door” ✧ PE17/181

Element in

  • S. Fen Hollen “Closed Door, Shut Door” ✧ PE17/045; PE17/098; RC/550
  • S. fennas “great door, doorway, gateway” ✧ PE17/045

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
PHEN > fen[pʰenna] > [ɸenna] > [fenna] > [fenn]✧ PE17/181

Variations

  • fen ✧ PE17/045; PE17/098; PE17/181
  • Fen ✧ RC/550
Sindarin [PE17/045; PE17/098; PE17/181; RC/550] Group: Eldamo. Published by

fen

noun. door, threshold

Sindarin [Ety/381, LotR/V:IV, WR/341, RC/550, X/ND1] Group: SINDICT. Published by

fen

door

_ n. _door. Q. fenna. >> fennas

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:45:98:181] < PHEN door. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

annon

great gate

(door), pl. *ennyn***

annon

great gate

annon (door), pl. ennyn

and

gate

!and (door), pl. aind, coll. pl. annath. Note that and is more commonly the adj. "long".

and

gate

(door), pl. aind, coll. pl. annath. Note that and is more commonly the adj. "long".

fend

door

(threshold), construct fen, pl. find, coll. pl. fennath, 2) fennas (gateway), pl. fennais, coll. pl. fennassath, 3) annon (great gate), pl. ennyn

Primitive elvish

phen

root. door

The root ᴹ√PHEN first appeared (unglossed) in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. fenda “threshold” and N. fenn “threshold, door” (Ety/PHEN). The root √PHEN “door” reappeared in etymological notes from 1959 as the basis for Q. fendë/S. fen “door” (PE17/181). The most notable name associated with this root was S. Fen Hollen “Closed Door” from The Lord of the Rings (LotR/826; RC/550) along with its precursors in LotR drafts: N. Fenn Forn(en) and N. Fenn Uiforn (WR/338, 341).

Derivatives

  • Q. fendë “door” ✧ PE17/181
  • ᴺS. fend “threshold”
  • S. fen(n) “door, door; [N.] threshold” ✧ PE17/181
Primitive elvish [PE17/158; PE17/181] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

annon

noun. great door or gate

Noldorin [Ety/348, S/428, LotR/II:IV, TAI/150] Group: SINDICT. Published by

annon

noun. great gate, door

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. andon “great gate, great gate, [ᴱQ.] door, gate” ✧ Ety/AD

Derivations

  • ᴹ√AD “entrance, gate” ✧ Ety/AD

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√AD > annon[andondo] > [andond] > [andonn] > [annonn] > [annon]✧ Ety/AD
ᴹ√AD > ennyn[andondi] > [andundi] > [endyndi] > [endynd] > [endynn] > [ennynn] > [ennyn]✧ Ety/AD

Variations

  • Annon ✧ RS/451
Noldorin [Ety/AD; RS/451; TAI/150; TI/182; WR/113] Group: Eldamo. Published by

fenn

noun. door, threshold

Noldorin [Ety/381, LotR/V:IV, WR/341, RC/550, X/ND1] Group: SINDICT. Published by

fend

noun. door, threshold

Noldorin [Ety/381, LotR/V:IV, WR/341, RC/550, X/ND1] Group: SINDICT. Published by

Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Qenya 

andon

noun. great gate, great gate, [ᴱQ.] door, gate

A noun for a “great gate” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, an augmentative form of ᴹQ. ando “gate” under the root ᴹ√AD “entrance, gate” (Ety/AD).

Conceptual Development: The word ᴱQ. andon first appeared in the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s as a cognate of ᴱN. ann “door” (PE13/137, 160). It was also an element in the name ᴱQ. Andonavestan “Gates of Summer” (PE13/143, 160). This earlier iteration was not augmentative as it was in the 1930s.

Cognates

  • N. annon “great gate, door” ✧ Ety/AD

Middle Primitive Elvish

adnō

noun. gate

Derivations

  • ᴹ√AD “entrance, gate” ✧ Ety/AD

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. ando “gate, door” ✧ Ety/AD
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/AD] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

ann

noun. door

tarn

noun. gate

Cognates

  • Eq. tarnon “door” ✧ LT1A/Moritarnon

Derivations

  • ᴱ√TARA “*across”

Element in

  • G. Taruithorn “Oxford” ✧ LT2A/Taruithorn
  • G. tarnon “porter” ✧ GL/69
  • G. Tarn Fui “Door of Night” ✧ LT1A/Moritarnon
  • G. Tarnin Austa “Gates of Summer” ✧ LT1A/Moritarnon
Gnomish [GL/69; LT1A/Moritarnon; LT2A/Taruithorn] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

ann

noun. door

Cognates

  • Eq. andon “door, gate” ✧ PE13/137; PE13/160

Derivations

Element in

  • En. ennion “porter, doorkeeper” ✧ PE13/143
  • En. Ennyn Awest “Gates of Summer” ✧ PE13/143; PE13/160
  • En. orann “doorless” ✧ PE13/156
Early Noldorin [PE13/137; PE13/143; PE13/156; PE13/160] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tarn

noun. gate

A word for “gate” appearing in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/153). G. tarn “gate” also appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/69), and it might have been derived from the early root ᴱ√TARA (QL/89). In Tolkien’s later writing he used S. annon for “gate” (LotR/307; PE17/45).

Derivations

  • ᴱ√TARA “*across”

Element in

Early Noldorin [PE13/153; PE13/156] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

tarnon

noun. door

Cognates

  • G. tarn “gate” ✧ LT1A/Moritarnon

Derivations

  • ᴱ√TARA “*across”

Element in

  • Eq. Moritarnon “Door of Night” ✧ LT1A/Moritarnon
Early Quenya [LT1A/Moritarnon] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ando

noun. door

pondo

noun. gate

Derivations

  • ᴱ√BOÐO “*gate, door” ✧ QL/075

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√BOÐO > pondo[bonðō] > [bonðo] > [bondo] > [pondo]✧ QL/075
Early Quenya [QL/075] Group: Eldamo. Published by

posta

noun. door

Derivations

  • ᴱ√BOÐO “*gate, door” ✧ QL/075

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√BOÐO > posta[boðtā] > [boðta] > [bozta] > [bosta] > [posta]✧ QL/075
Early Quenya [QL/075] Group: Eldamo. Published by