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

• Q. Tarannon
• S. annon edhellen, edro hi ammen “Elvish gate open now for us” ✧ LotR/0307; PE17/045
• S. Annon-in-Gelydh “Gate of the Noldor” ✧ S/238; SA/annon
• S. Ennyn Durin Aran Moria “the Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria” ✧ LotR/0305; PE17/040
• S. Morannon “Black Gate” ✧ PE17/087; SA/annon
• S. Sirannon “Gate-stream” ✧ SA/annon

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√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

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

annon

noun. great door or gate

annon

great gate

annon (door), pl. ennyn

annon

great gate

(door), pl. *ennyn***

fend

door

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

fen

noun. door, threshold

fen

door

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

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

Development	Stages	Sources
√PHEN > fen	[pʰenna] > [ɸenna] > [fenna] > [fenn]	✧ PE17/181

Variations

• fen ✧ PE17/045; PE17/098; PE17/181
• Fen ✧ RC/550

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".