airen
noun. sea
airë
sea
airë
noun. sea
An archaic word for “sea” which fell out of use to due conflict with “holy” words like aira or airë; it was a noun form of primitive ✶gaı̯ră (PE17/27). The more common modern word for “sea” is ëar.
Conceptual Development: ᴹQ. aire “sea” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of ᴹ√AYAR (Ety/AY); it appeared beside a form ᴹQ. airen that might be a genitive form, or might be a longer form; see the entry on ᴹQ. airon for discussion.
Cognates
- S. gaear “sea” ✧ PE17/027
Derivations
Element in
- Q. airon “ocean” ✧ PE17/027
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶gaı̯ră > aire [gaira] > [ɣaira] > [aira] ✧ PE17/027 Variations
- aire ✧ PE17/027 (aire)
váya
sea
váya noun "sea" (considered as "waters, motion"). The wording of the source indicates that Tolkien only tentatively considered such a word (PE17:33)
vëa
sea
vëa (3) noun "sea" (MC:213, 214, 216; possibly obsoleted by #1 and #2 above, though some argue that the initial element of the late names Vëantur and Vëandur [q.v.] could be vëa #3 rather than #2 (it can hardly be #1) . In any case, the normal word for "sea" in LotR-style Quenya seems to be ëar.) Inflected vëan "sea" (MC:220), vëar "in sea" (a "Qenya" locative in -r, MC:213), vëassë "on sea" (MC:220). Cf. also vëaciryo.
áya
awe
áya noun "awe" (PM:363)
áya
noun. awe
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶gāyā > áya [gājā] > [ɣājā] > [ājā] > [āja] ✧ PM/363
ëar
sea
ëar noun "sea" (AYAR/AIR [gives also dat. sg. ëaren],WJ:413; see Letters:386 for etymology). Not to be confused with the pl. form of the verb ëa "be, exist". Pl. ëari "seas" (FS, LR:47); Eär "the Great Sea" (cf. ëaron "ocean"), ablative Eärello "from the Great Sea", et Eärello "out of the Great Sea" (EO). Eärë noun "the open sea" (SD:305). Compound ëaruilë noun "seaweed" (UY). Found in proper names like Eärendil "Sea-friend", Eärendur masc. name, *"Sea-servant"; in effect a variant of Eärendil(Appendix A). Eärendur was also used ="(professional) mariner" (Letters:386).Fem. name Eärwen "Sea-maiden" (Silm); Eärrámë "Sea-wing", "Wings of the Sea", name of Tuor's ship (RAM, AYAR/AIR, SA)
aear
noun. sea
Tolkien changed this word several times, see gaear
aear
Sea
aear
noun. sea
aearon
noun. great sea, ocean
Tolkien changed this word several times, see gaearon
aer
noun. sea
anwar
noun. awe
anwar
noun. awe
Element in
- S. Amon Anwar “Hill of Awe” ✧ UT/301
- ᴺS. enweria- “to revere”
Variations
- Anwar ✧ UT/301; UTI/Anwar
gaear
noun. sea
gaear
Sea
gaear
noun. sea
A word for “sea” variously attested as gaear (PE17/027; PM/363; WJ/400), gaer (PE17/27; PE17/149), and aear (Let/386; RGEO/65) in later writings. Of these, I prefer gaear for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, reduced to gaer in compounds.
Possible Etymology: The presence or absence of the initial g- depends on whether the word’s root is √AY(AR) (as it appears in The Etymologies and some later writings) or √GAY(AR) (as it appears in other later writings). See the entry of the root √GAY(AR) for a discussion of this vacillation. Similarly, the form gaer appears primarily as an element in compounds, and can be explained as a reduced form of gaear in that context. For these reasons, this entry uses gaear as the ordinary Sindarin word for “sea”. This has the additional advantage of disambiguating it from the adjective gaer “dreadful”.
Conceptual Development: This word appeared as N. oer or oear “sea” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, reflecting the Noldorin sound change of ai to oe (Ety/AY). However name for the “Great Sea” was N. {Belegar >>} Belegaer in the narratives of this period (LR/19), and the name N. Rhûnaer “Eastern Sea” appeared in draft Lord of the Rings maps from 1943 (TI/307). The element N. oer did appear in the day-of-the-week name N. Aroeren “✱Sea-day” in drafts of The Lord of the Rings appendices, but this was revised to S. Oraeron (PM/130, 138).
Cognates
Derivations
Element in
- S. Aerandir “Sea-wanderer”
- S. Belegaer “Great Sea” ✧ PM/363; SA/ëar; SA/gaer
- S. gaearon “ocean, (lit.) great sea” ✧ PE17/027; PE17/149; PM/363; RGEO/65
- S. Gaerdil “*Sea-lover” ✧ PE17/027
- ᴺS. gaeruil “seaweed”
- S. Gaerys “Ossë” ✧ SA/gaer
- ᴺS. gaessarn “pearl, (lit.) sea-pebble”
- S. nef aear, sí nef aearon “here ... beyond the Sea, beyond the wide and sundering Sea” ✧ LotR/0238; PE17/027; RGEO/63; RGEO/64
- S. Tirith Aear “Sea-ward Tower”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶gaı̯ră > gaer [gaira] > [gair] > [gaer] ✧ PE17/027 ✶Gayar- > gaear [gaiara] > [gaiar] > [gaear] ✧ PM/363 Variations
- aear ✧ Let/386; RGEO/65
- gaer ✧ PE17/027; PE17/149; SA/ëar; SA/gaer
gaearon
noun. great sea, ocean
gaer
noun. sea
gaer
Sea
gaer
noun. sea
gaeron
noun. great sea, ocean
aear
sea
aear (ocean); pl. aeair. The shorter form aer (for N oer) is maybe best avoided since it can be confused with aer "holy", unless the latter is actually a lenited form of gaer. Forms with g-, representing an alternative concept of the word for ”sea”: gaear (i **aear) (ocean), pl. gaeair (i ngaeair = i ñaeair) (PM:363), also gaer (i **aer, no distinct pl. form except with article: i ngaer = i ñaer), but homophones of the latter mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy".
aear
sea
(ocean); pl. aeair. The shorter form aer (for N oer) is maybe best avoided since it can be confused with aer "holy", unless the latter is actually a lenited form of gaer. Forms with g-, representing an alternative concept of the word for ”sea”: gaear (i ’aear) (ocean), pl. gaeair (i ngaeair = i ñaeair) (PM:363), also gaer (i ’aer, no distinct pl. form except with article: i ngaer = i ñaer), but homophones of the latter mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy".
anwar
awe
anwar (pl. enwair if there is a pl.)
anwar
awe
(pl. enwair if there is a pl.)
azra
noun. sea
The Adûnaic word for “sea” (SD/429), appearing as azar in some early texts (SD/305). It is fully declined on SD/431.
Element in
- Ad. azra-zâin “sea-lands, maritime regions” ✧ SD/429; SD/435
- Ad. azrîya du-phursâ akhâsada “that [the] seas should gush into [the] chasm” ✧ SD/247
- Ad. azrē nai {phurusam >>} phurrusim akhās-ada “seas might-flow Chasm-into” ✧ SD/311
- Ad. Azrubêl “Sea-lover, Friend of the Sea” ✧ PM/373; SD/305; SD/429
Variations
- azar ✧ PM/373; SD/305
pharaz
noun. sea
A draft word for “sea”, deleted and replaced with azar (SD/305), which later become azra. This word reappeared later with a different meaning: pharaz “gold”.
Changes
pharaz→ azar “sea” ✧ SD/305Element in
- Ad.
Pharazîr“Sea-lover” ✧ SD/305 (Pharazîr*)Variations
pharaz✧ SD/305 (pharaz)
ay(ar)
root. sea
Changes
AY(AR)→ GAY(AR) ✧ PE17/027Derivatives
Element in
Variations
- AYAR ✧ Let/386; PE18/097
- AYA(R) ✧ PE17/149; PE17/160
aer
noun. sea
oear
noun. sea
oear
noun. sea
oer
noun. sea
oer
noun. sea
Cognates
Derivations
- ᴹ√AY(AR) “sea” ✧ Ety/AY; Ety/AY; Ety/UY
Element in
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ᴹ√ÁYAR > oear [ajar] > [aiar] > [oear] ✧ Ety/AY ᴹ√AI̯R > oer [ajr] > [air] > [oer] ✧ Ety/AY Variations
- oear ✧ Ety/AY
- aer ✧ TI/307 (aer)
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!
aire
noun. sea
Changes
aire→ airen “sea” ✧ PE22/023Cognates
- N. oer “sea” ✧ Ety/AY
Derivations
- ᴹ√AY(AR) “sea” ✧ Ety/AY
Element in
- ᴹQ. Alataire “Great Sea” ✧ Ety/AY
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ᴹ√AI̯R > aire [aira] ✧ Ety/AY
airen
noun. sea
Derivations
- ᴹ√AY(AR) “sea” ✧ Ety/AY
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ᴹ√AI̯R > airen [airen] ✧ Ety/AY
earen
noun. sea
vea
noun. sea
Derivations
Element in
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ᴹ✶vaı̯ā > vea [vajā] > [vea] ✧ PE21/17 Variations
- vea ✧ PE21/08; PE21/17
ay(ar)
root. sea
Derivatives
Element in
Variations
- AY ✧ Ety/ÁLAT; Ety/AY; Ety/BEL; Ety/LIN¹; Ety/RAM; Ety/UY
- AYAR ✧ EtyAC/AY
- AIR ✧ EtyAC/AY
vaiā
noun. sea
Derivations
- ᴹ√WAY “enfold”
Derivatives
- ᴹQ. vea “sea” ✧ PE21/17
Element in
- ᴹ✶vaianer “sailor”
Variations
- vaı̯ā ✧ PE21/17
saroth
noun. sea
gwai
noun. sea
A word for “sea” in Early Noldorin Word-lists from the 1920s (PE13/146), probably a cognate of ᴱQ. vea “sea” from this same period. It is probably a later iteration of G. Bai “the Outer Seas” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, cognate of ᴱQ. Vai as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (GL/21; LT1A/Vai).
Cognates
- Eq. vea “sea”
Derivations
- ᴱ√VAẎA “enfold, wind about”
Element in
- En. gwaithlos “*sea-shore” ✧ PE13/146
vea
noun. sea
Cognates
- En. gwai “sea”
Derivations
- ᴱ√VAẎA “enfold, wind about”
Element in
- Eq. vea qalume “the sea heaving” ✧ MC/214
- Eq. lúnelinqe vear “in the flowing sea” ✧ MC/213
- Eq. vea falastane “the sea surging” ✧ MC/213
- Eq. kiryasse Earendil or vea “Earendel, upon a ship upon the sea” ✧ MC/216; PE16/100; PE16/104
- Eq. lutsilya lúne veasse “*sailing on a blue sea” ✧ PE16/056; PE16/057; PE16/060
- Eq. lutsilya móre veasse ✧ PE16/060
- Eq. veakirya “sea-ship”
- Eq. vean falastanéro “the sea with loud surf” ✧ MC/220; PE16/057; PE16/060; PE16/062; PE16/072; PE16/074
- Eq. vean san falastuváre alkalótefalmarínen “*the sea then will surge with waves like shining blossoms” ✧ PE16/077
- Eq. veasse lúnelinqe “upon the blue streams of the sea” ✧ MC/220; PE16/062; PE16/072; PE16/074
Variations
- vea ✧ MC/213; MC/214; MC/216; PE16/100; PE16/104; PE16/138
airë (2) noun "sea" (the form airen is given, intended as a genitive singular when Tolkien wrote this; in LotR-style Quenya it would rather be a dative sg.) (AYAR/AIR; cf. airon)