pl1. cónin {ō} n. prince, chief, head.
Sindarin
caun
noun. prince, chief, head
Cognates
- Q. cundo “lord, guardian, lord, guardian, [ᴹQ.] prince”
Derivations
Element in
- S. Argonui
- S. condir “mayor, *(lit.) chief-man”
- ᴺS. conui “commanding”
- S. Daur a Berhael, Conin en Annûn “Frodo and Sam, princes of the west” ✧ Let/448; LotR/0953
Variations
- caun ✧ PE17/102
caun
noun. outcry, clamour
Derivations
Element in
- S. naergon “woeful lament” ✧ PM/362
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶kānā > caun [kānā] > [kāna] > [kǭna] > [kauna] > [kaun] ✧ PM/362 Variations
- caun ✧ PM/362
caun
noun. prince, ruler
caun
prince
caun
noun. outcry, clamor
can-
verb. to cry out, shout, call
cund
noun. prince
caun
clamour
caun (i gaun, o chaun) (outcry, cry, shout), pl. coen (i choen), coll. pl. conath, the latter often used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362). Note: a homophone of caun means "valour".
caun
clamour
(i gaun, o chaun) (outcry, cry, shout), pl. coen (i choen), coll. pl. conath, the latter often used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362). Note: a homophone of caun means "valour".
caun
valour
(i gaun, o chaun), pl. coen (i choen) if there is a pl. Note: a homophone of caun means "clamour, outcry, cry, shout".
caun
shout
(i gaun, o chaun) (clamour, outcry, cry), pl. coen (i choen), coll. pl. conath, the latter is used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362). Note: a homophone of caun means "valour".
caun
shout
(noun) caun (i gaun, o chaun) (clamour, outcry, cry), pl. coen (i choen), coll. pl. conath, the latter is used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362). Note: a homophone of caun means "valour".
caun
cry
(noun) caun (i gaun, o chaun) (clamour, outcry, shout), pl. coen (i choen), coll. pl. conath, the latter often used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362). Note: a homophone of caun means "valour".
caun
cry
(i gaun, o chaun) (clamour, outcry, shout), pl. coen (i choen), coll. pl. conath, the latter often used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362). Note: a homophone of caun means "valour".
caun
outcry
caun (i gaun, o chaun) (clamour, cry, shout), pl. coen (i choen), coll. pl. conath, the latter used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362). Note: a homophone of caun means "valour".
caun
outcry
(i gaun, o chaun) (clamour, cry, shout), pl. coen (i choen), coll. pl. conath, the latter used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362). Note: a homophone of caun means "valour".
can
shout
(i gân, i chenir) (cry out, call). Adj.
can
shout
can- (i gân, i chenir) (cry out, call). Adj.
can
cry out
(i gân, i chenir) (shout, call). Compare
cund
prince
(i gund, o chund, construct cun), pl. cynd (i chynd) (VT45:24).
conin
prince
(i chonin), occurring in the Cormallen Praise, is translated "princes" (Conin en Annûn = "princes of the west", Letters:308), but it is unclear what the singular would be. (David Salo suggests caun, though this word has two different meanings already; see
ernil
prince
1) ernil (no distinct pl. form), 2) †cund (i gund, o chund, construct cun), pl. cynd (i chynd) (VT45:24). 3) The plural form conin (i chonin), occurring in the Cormallen Praise, is translated "princes" (Conin en Annûn = "princes of the west", Letters:308), but it is unclear what the singular would be. (David Salo suggests caun, though this word has two different meanings already; see SHOUT, VALOUR)
gorn
valour
1) #gorn (i **orn), pl. gyrn (i ngyrn = i ñyrn). Isolated from the name Aragorn, ”Kingly Valour” (PM:xii). Note: a homophone is the adjective ”hasty, vigorous, impetuous”. 2) caun (i gaun, o chaun), pl. coen (i choen) if there is a pl. Note: a homophone of caun** means "clamour, outcry, cry, shout".
ernil
noun. prince
ernil
noun. prince
A noun for “prince” appearing in phrases like Ernil i Pheriannath “Prince of the Halflings” (LotR/768) and Dor-en-Ernil “Land of the Prince” (UT/245). Its initial element is likely a reduced form of aran “king, noble person”; compare to ar(a)- “noble” of similar origin. If so, the a became e due to i-affection. The final -il is harder to explain, because normally -il is a feminine suffix. Perhaps it is a reduction of hîl “heir”, so that the literal meaning is “✱king’s heir, royal heir”.
Conceptual Development: N. ernil also appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (WR/287).
Element in
- S. Dor-en-Ernil “Land of the Prince” ✧ UT/245
- S. Ernil i Pheriannath “Prince of the Halflings” ✧ Let/425; LotR/0768; LotR/0807
Elements
Word Gloss aran “king, lord, chief, (lit.) high or noble person, king, lord, chief, (lit.) high or noble person; [N.] lord (of a specific region)” hîl “heir” Variations
- Ernil ✧ Let/425; LotR/0768; LotR/0807; UT/245
gorn
noun. valor
lost
adjective. empty
lost
adjective. empty
Element in
nalla-
verb. to cry
nallon
verb. I cry
covn
noun. empty, void
cûn
bowed
cûn (bowshaped, bent), lenited gûn; pl. cuin
cûn
bowed
(bowshaped, bent), lenited gûn; pl. cuin
ernil
prince
(no distinct pl. form)
glam
shouting
(i ’lam) (din, uproar, confused yelling of beasts; tumult, confused noise; a body of Orcs), pl. glaim (in glaim), coll. pl. glammath
gorn
valour
(i ’orn), pl. gyrn (i ngyrn = i ñyrn). Isolated from the name Aragorn, ”Kingly Valour” (PM:xii). Note: a homophone is the adjective ”hasty, vigorous, impetuous”.
lost
empty
lost (pl. lyst), also cofn (void), lenited gofn, pl. cyfn
lost
empty
(pl. lyst), also cofn (void), lenited gofn, pl. cyfn
nalla
cry
(i nalla, in nallar). Attested in the 1st person present-tense form nallon ”
The third-age Sindarin word for “prince” (PE17/102), appearing in its plural form conin in the Praises of Cormallen: Daur a Berhael, Conin en Annûn “Frodo and Sam, princes of the west” (LotR/953; Let/448). More generally, caun means “chief” or “head”, and appears as an element in the word condir “mayor, ✱(lit.) chief-man” (SD/129). There is another more archaic Sindarin word for “prince”, †cund, which appears in some old names from Beleriand: Baragund, Belegund and (possibly) Felagund.
Possible Etymology: The etymology of caun “prince” is unclear. David Salo suggested (GS/245) that it is derived from ✶kānō “leader, commander” (originally “crier, herald”). This primitive word also appears as an element in the Quenya names of the sons of Fingolfin: Q. Findecáno (S. Fingon) and Q. Turucáno (S. Turgon). However, caun might instead be derived from an a-fortified form of the root √KUN(DU) “lord; to lead”, so that: ✶kun- > ✶kaun- > S. caun. This second derivation would make S. caun a cognate of Q. cundo “prince”.
Given the uncertain status of √KUN in later writings, a derivation from ✶kānō might be preferable. However, Tolkien stated than in Sindarin, the derivatives of √KAN were used for “cry out, shout, call” but not “order, command” (PM/361). If the Sindarin derivatives of √KAN had nothing to do with leadership, perhaps the archaic word †cund “prince” was altered to caun under the influence of Q. cáno and names like S. Fingon and Turgon, and that is the origin of the modern Sindarin word.
Grammar: This word has an irregular plural: conin “princes” (LotR/953; Let/448). For other words such as êl “star”, such a plural indicates the preservation of ancient priminite n, lost at the end of the singular form. This seems unlikely to be the case here, so likely this irregular plural is by analogy with other plural words.