cenima ("k") adj. "visible" (PE17:175); cf. cen- "see". Read possibly *cénima; see -ima and cf. hraicénima "scarcely visible" (PE17:154).
Quenya
cen
noun. sight, sight, *sense of sight
cen-
see, behold
cenima
visible
cendelë
noun. face, face, *visage
A word for “face” in the Ambidexters Sentence of the late 1960s (VT49/8). Patrick Wynne suggested it is likely an abstract noun formation from the verb cenda- “watch, observe”, and hence similar in origin to English/French “visage” which likewise originated from a Latin verb meaning “to see” (VT49/21). Earlier “face” words ᴱQ. alma and ᴱQ. yéma have similar derivations, as pointed out by Patrick Wynne.
cenai
if it be that
cenai ("k") conj. "if it be that" (VT49:19). This word presupposes ce = "if"; other sources rather make qui the word for "if", whereas ce or cé is used = "maybe".
cenasit
if it be so, may be, perhaps
cenasit, canasta ("k")adv. "if it be so, may be, perhaps" (VT49:19). Compare cenai.
cenda-
watch
cenda- vb. "watch" (not "guard", but observe to gain information), also used = "read". Cenda = also noun "reading", as in sanwecenda "thought-inspection, thought-reading". (VT41:5, PE17:156)
cendelë
face
cendelë noun "face" (VT49:21)
cendë
point
cendë noun "point" (PE16:96)
centa
communication, enquiry, *essay
centa noun "communication, enquiry, *essay"; Ósanwë-centa ("k") "Communication of Thought", an appendix to Pengolodh's Lammas or "Account of Tongues" (VT39:23, MR:415); cf. also essecenta, q.v.
centano
potter
centano ("k")noun "potter" (TAN, VT45:19)
cen-
verb. to see, behold, look, to see, behold, look, *perceive
cenda
noun. inspection, reading
cenya
adjective. *seeing
cenítë
adjective. seeing, *able to see
cenda-
verb. to watch (intensively), observe (for some time); to read
cendë
noun. point
centa
noun. enquiry, *essay
cenwa
noun. ?reading
cenai
conjunction. if it be that
cenasit
adverb. if it be so, may be, perhaps
cenasta
adverb. if it be so, may be, perhaps
cenya
verb. see, perceive
ceníte
adjective. [seeing]
ascenë
visible, easily seen
ascenë, ascénima (þ) adj. "visible, easily seen" (PE17:148)
pirucendëa
on the points of her toes
pirucendëa adj. "on the points of her toes" (PE16:96); see pirë, cendë. In earlier "Qenya", the word had a wholly different meaning: adj. "whirling lightly" (MC:215). Compare pirucenda ("k") "pirouetting" in QL:74.
cennome
noun. point of view, vista
A neologism for “point of view, vista” arising from a conversation on the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) and posted on 2024-09-27, a combination of cen- “see” and nómë “place”. It can be used in phrases like cennomenyallo “from my point of view” and cennomelyanna “to your point of view, to (add to) what you said”.
ceniril(lë)
noun. mirror
A neologism for “mirror” appearing in ABNW (ABNW) from the early 2000s as the cognate of S. cenedril “looking-glass” (RS/456), but in notes published in 2007 Tolkien said this word had no direct cognate in Quenya, and that its equivalent was Q. cilintilla (PE17/37).
cenenca
adjective. blind, sightless
cennassë
noun. pottery, ceramic vessel
centánië
noun. ceramics, pottery-craft
cenya-
verb. to study
cénë
noun. sight
entya
central, middle
entya, enetya adj. "central, middle" (VT41:16; these forms, as well as the noun entë "centre", come from a late, somewhat confused source; the adjective #endëa and the noun endë from earlier material may fit the general system better, and #endëa is even found in the LotR itself as part of the word atendëa, q.v.)
entë
center
entë (2) noun "center" (VT41:16; endë is perhaps to be preferred, see entya)
haranyë
century
haranyë noun, last year of a century in the Númenórean calendar (or possibly the word for "century" itself; Tolkien's wording is unclear) (Appendix D)
tólë
centre
tólë noun "centre" (LT1:269; the word endë is to be preferred in Tolkien's later Quenya)
endë
noun. centre, middle, centre, middle; [ᴹQ.] core
entya
adjective. central, middle
entë
noun. centre
haranyë
noun. century (100 years)
endë
core, centre, middle
endë noun "core, centre, middle" (NÉD, EN, VT48:25)
enda
noun. heart; centre, heart; centre, *interior
cilin
noun. glass, glass [transluscent or reflective]
á
immediate time reference
a (3), also á, imperative particle. An imperative with "immediate time reference" is expressed by á in front of the verb (or "occasionally after it, sometimes before and after for emphasis"), with the verb following in "the simplest form also used for the uninflected aorist without specific time reference past or present or future" (PE17:93). Cf. a laita te, laita te! "[o] bless them, bless them!", á vala Manwë! "may Manwë order it!", literally "o rule Manwë!" (see laita, vala for reference); cf. also á carë "do[!]", á ricë "try!", á lirë "sing[!]", á menë "proceed[!]", a norë "run[!]" (PE17:92-93, notice short a in this example), á tula "come!" (VT43:14). In the last example, the verb tul- "come" receives an ending -a that probably represents the _suffixed form of the imperative particle, this apparently being an example of the imperative element occurring both "before and after" the verbal stem "for emphasis" (PE17:93)_. This ending may also appear on its own with no preceding a/á, as in the command queta "speak!" (PE17:138). Other examples of imperatives with suffixed -a include cena and tira (VT47:31, see cen-, tir-); the imperatives of these same verbs are however also attested as á tirë, á cenë (PE17:94) with the imperative particle remaining independent and the following verb appearing as an uninflected aorist stem. This aorist can be plural to indicate a 3rd person pl. subject: á ricir! "let them try!" (PE17:93). Alyë (VT43:17, VT44:9) seems to be the imperative particle a with the pronominal suffix -lyë "you, thou" suffixed to indicate the subject who is to carry out the command; attested in the phrase alyë anta "give thou" (elided aly' in VT43:11, since the next word begins in e-: aly' eterúna me, *"do thou deliver us"); presumably other pronominal suffixes could likewise be added. The particle a is also present in the negative imperatives ala, #ála or áva, q.v.
tuxatalya
noun. centipede
nitwa
noun. censer
@@@ Discord 2023-01-11, form corrected niswa >> nitwa on 2024-10-28
sentimeter
noun. centimeter
tuxantur
noun. centurion
endenta-
verb. to center, centralise; to focus, focalise
A neologism coined by Orondil and Raccoon, posted on 2025-04-10 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) as causative verb form of √ENED “centre”.
canwa
noun. face
A word appearing as kanwarya in one of the drafts of the Ambidexters Sentence, apparently a 3rd-sg possessive form meaning “✱his face” (VT49/6, 21). Patrick Wynne suggested it might be derived from √KAT “shape” as in katmā > kanwa, patterned after Latin “faciēs” which also originally meant “shape”. It seems the n in this word was revised, but what the change was intended to be is unclear. Tolkien eventually revised this word to cendelë, so canwa was probably abandoned.
-ima
fair
-ima adjectival suffix. Sometimes it is used to derive simple adjectives, like vanima "fair" or calima "bright"; it can also take on the meaning "-able" (PE17:68), as in mátima "edible" (mat- "eat"), nótima "countable" (not- "count") and (with a negative prefix) úquétima "unspeakable" (from quet- "speak"). Note that the stem-vowel is normally lengthened in the derivatives where -ima means "-able", though this fails to occur in cenima "visible" (q.v., but contrast hraicénima, q.v.) and also before a consonant cluster as in úfantima "not concealable" (PE17:176). "X-ima" may mean "apt to X" (when the ending is added to an intransitive verbal stem), as in Fírimar "mortals", literally "those apt to die" (WJ:387). The adj. úfantima "not concealable" (PE17:176) also appears as úfantuma (PE17:180), indicating the existence of a variant ending -uma (possibly used to derive adjectives with a "bad" meaning; compare the ending *-unqua next to -inqua, q.v.)
-stir
suffix. face
An element meaning “face” in the name Carnistir “Red-Face” (S. Caranthir), derived from primitive ✶stīrē (PM/353; VT41/10). Its form as an independent word would mostly likely be ✱síre (Classical Quenya þíre), but that would conflict with sírë “river” in spoken Quenya (Tarquesta). There are a number of other Quenya “face” words attested, such as cendelë, so it is probably safer to use one of these for purposes of Neo-Quenya.
-uva
fill
-uva future tense ending. In avuva, caluva, cenuva, hiruva, (en)quantuva, (en)tuluva, laituvalmet, lauva, maruvan, termaruva, tiruvantes. A final -a drops out before the ending -uva is added: quanta- "fill", future tense quantuva (PE17:68). A verbal stem in -av- may be contracted when -uva follows, as when avuva is stated to have become auva (VT49:13). Origin/etymology of the ending -uva, see VT48:32. In VT49:30, the future tense of the verb "to be" is given as uva, apparently the future-tense "ending" appearing independently, but several other sources rather give nauva for "will be" (see ná #1).
Endor
middle-earth
Endor place-name "Middle-earth" (SA:dôr, NDOR), "centre of the world" (EN); also long form Endórë "Middle-earth" (Appendix E); allative Endorenna "to Middle-earth" in EO. The form Endór in MR:121 may be seen as archaic, intermediate between Endórë and Endor (since long vowels in a final syllable are normally shortened: Endór > Endor). Endór functions as an uninflected genitive in the source: Aran Endór, "King of Middle-earth".
a-
see
a- (2) a prefix occurring in the Markirya poem (Tolkien first used na-, then changed it). It may be prefixed to verbal stems following a noun that is the object of sense-verbs like "see" and "hear" when the verb it is prefixed to describes what happens to this noun, as in man cenuva lumbor ahosta[?] (changed from na-hosta), "who shall see the clouds gather?" (hosta = "gather").
anta
face
anta (2) noun "face" (ANA1, VT45:5). Cf. cendelë.
calca
noun. glass
A word for “glass” appearing in notes from around 1968 as a derivative of √KALAK (VT47/35).
Conceptual Development: There was a similar form ᴱQ. talqe (talqi-) “glass” in the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s (PME/88; QL/88). It also appeared in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon with a Gnomish cognate G. celc, both words being based on variant early roots ᴱ√kail(i)k and ᴱ√tail(i)k (GL/25).
In The Etymologies of the 1930s, the word for “glass” was ᴹQ. hyelle from the root ᴹ√KHYEL(ES) “glass” with Noldorin cognate N. hele (Ety/KHYEL(ES)). In notes on Words, Phrases and Passages in the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien instead said that “there was no common Eldarin word for glass”, and that the Sindarin word for “glass” was borrowed from Khuzdul while the Quenya word was cilin (PE17/37). Tolkien’s last published word for “glass” was calca as noted above (VT47/35), which seems to be a restoration of the early root ᴱ√kail(i)k.
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use calca as the main Quenya for “[clear] glass”, but would retain cilin as another word for transluscent or reflective glass.
canwa
face
#canwa (2) noun "face", isolated from canwarya ("k") *"his face", evidently an ephemeral form Tolkien abandoned in favour of cendelë, q.v. (VT49:21; see VT49:34 regarding uncertainties as to the manuscript reading)
ces-
to search (for something), to examine (something) in order to find (something)
ces- (Þ) ("k"), "to search (for something), to examine (something) in order to find (something)"; the root meaning is given as "enquire of, question, examine" (something). Cesë parma "to look in a book" (for a passage or information required); here the aorist stem cesë is used as infinitive. Notice that ces- here takes a simple direct object parma (not locative *parmassë, despite the translation). Past tense cense (Þ) given, replacing the phonologically expected form centë (also cited). (PE17:156)
enda
heart
enda noun "heart", but not referring to the physical organ; it literally means "centre" (cf. endë) and refers to the fëa (soul) or sáma (mind) itself. (VT39:32)
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).
lomba
adjective. blind
A word for “blind” in a deleted paragraph of notes from 1969, derived from the root √DOM “dark” (PE22/153 note #50). This paragraph was deleted because of Tolkien’s shifting thoughts on the behavior of the prefix la-, so I think [ᴺQ.] lomba “blind” may remain viable for purposes of Neo-Quenya. I think this word may refer to temporary blindness, as opposed to lacenítë for one who is permanently unable to see.
cénima
adjective. visible, visible, [ᴹQ.] able to be seen
nívë
noun. face
endëa
adjective. middle, middle, *average
essë
noun. name
cellóra
adjective. blind, sightless
cénelóra
adjective. blind
-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).
Ambarenya
middle-earth
Ambarenya, older [MET] Ambarendya place-name "Middle-earth" (but the more usual word is Endor, Endórë) (MBAR)
Endamar
middle-earth
Endamar place-name "Middle-earth" (EN, MBAR, NDOR). However, Middle-earth is normally called Endor, Endórë.
alima
fair, good
alima adj. "fair, good" (also alya) (PE17:146)
alya
fair, good
alya (1) adj. "fair, good" (PE17:146), "prosperous, rich, abundant, blessed" (GALA). In a deleted entry in Etym, the glosses provided were "rich, blessed"; another deleted entry defined alya as "rich, prosperous, blessed". (GALA, [ÁLAM], VT42:32, 45:5, 14)
angal
noun. mirror, mirror, *reflective surface
calca
glass
calca noun "glass" (VT47:35); compare hyellë, cilin.
can-
cardinal. four
can- (1) (prefix)("k") "four" (KÁNAT)
canta
cardinal. four
canta (1) ("k") cardinal "four" (KÁNAT, VT42:24, VT48:6). In the Etymologies as printed in LR, this word was cited with a final hyphen (as if it were a verb), but the hyphen does not actually appear in Tolkien's manuscript (VT45:19). Ordinal cantëa ("k") "fourth" (VT42:25) Compare cantil.
canta
cardinal. four
cemi
earth, soil, land
cemi noun "earth, soil, land"; Cémi ("k")"Mother Earth" (LT1:257; the "Qenya" word cemi would correspond to cemen in LotR-style Quenya)
cemnaro
potter
cemnaro ("k")noun "potter" (TAN). First written as cemenáro (VT45:19).
cilin
glass
cilin noun "glass" ("often used as in English ("often used as in English for any thing or implement made of glass") (PE17:37). Compare calca, hyellë.
cénima
adjective. visible
elwen
heart
elwen noun "heart" (LT1:255; rather hón or enda in LotR-style Quenya)
endor
noun. Middle-earth
endya
middle
endya > enya adj. "middle" (ÉNED)
endëa
middle
#endëa adj. "middle" in atendëa, q.v. Compare enya.
enya
middle
enya < endya adj. "middle" (EN). Compare #endëa.
esse
noun. name
esta-
verb. name
hyellë
glass
hyellë noun "glass" (KHYEL(ES), VT45:23; the later source also provides the unglossed form hyelma, which may be a synonym of hyellë; alternatively hyellë could be "glass" as a substance, whereas hyelma_ rather refers to "a glass" as a drinking vessel). _In later sources, cilin or calca is given as the word for "glass".
hón
heart
hón noun "heart" (physical) (KHŌ-N); hon-maren "heart of the house", a fire (LR:63, 73; this is "Qenya" with genitive in -en, not -o as in LotR-style Quenya read *hon-maro?)
indo
heart, mood
indo (1) noun "heart, mood" (ID), "state" (perhaps especially state of mind, given the other glosses) (VT39:23), "mind, region/range of thought, mood" (PE17:155, 179), "inner thought, in fea as exhibited in character or [?personality]" (PE17:189). In another post-LotR source, indo is translated "resolve" or "will", the state of mind leading directly to action (VT41:13). Indo is thus "the mind in its purposing faculty, the will" (VT41:17). Indo-ninya,a word occurring in Fíriels Song, translated "my heart" (see ninya). In the compound indemma "mind-picture", the first element would seem to be indo.
kemen
earth
kemen noun "earth"; see cemen.
linda
fair, beautiful
linda adj. "fair, beautiful" (of sound) (SLIN, LIND; VT45:27), "soft, gentle, light" (PE16:96), "beautiful, sweet, melodious of sound" (PE17:150); for Linda as a noun, see Lindar.
mar
earth
mar (1) noun "earth" (world), also "home, dwelling, mansion". Stem mard- (VT46:13, PE17:64), also seen in the ablative Mardello "from earth" (FS); the word is used with a more limited sense in oromardi "high halls" (sg. oromar, PM17:64), referring to the dwellings of Manwë and Varda on Mt. Taniquetil (Nam, RGEO:66). The initial element of Mardorunando (q.v.) may be the genitive mardo (distinguish mardo "dweller"). May be more or less identical to már "home, house, dwelling" (of persons or peoples; in names like Val(i)mar, Vinyamar, Mar-nu-Falmar, Mardil) (SA:bar, VT45:33, VT47:6). Már is however unlikely to have the stem-form mard-; a "Qenya" genitive maren appears in the phrase hon-maren, q.v., suggesting that its stem is mar-. A possible convention could therefore be to use már (mar-) for "home, house" (also when = household, family as in Mardil, q.v.), whereas mar (mard-) is used for for "earth, world". Early "Qenya" has mar (mas-) "dwelling of men, the Earth, -land" (LT1:251); notice that in LotR-style Quenya, a word in -r cannot have a stem-form in -s-.
maril
glass, crystal
maril noun "glass, crystal" (VT46:13; if this is to be the same word as the second element of Silmaril, the stem-form would be marill-, cf. pl. Silmarilli)
mentë
point, end
mentë noun "point, end" (MET)
minasurie
enquiry
minasurie noun "enquiry" (Þ; the word is actually cited as minaþurie) in Ondonóre Nómesseron Minaþurie "Enquiry into the Place-names of Gondor". The editor tentatively analyzes minaþurie as #mina "into" + #þurie (#surië) noun "seeking" (VT42:17, 30-31).
minaþurië
noun. enquiry
mitya
interior
mitya adj. "interior" (MI)
mëar
gore
mëar noun "gore" (LT1:260)
quanta-
fill
quanta- (2) vb. "fill" (PE17:68), cf. enquantuva "will refill" in Namárië. This verb seems to spring from a secondary use of the adjective quanta "full" as a verbal stem, whereas the synonym quat- (q.v.) is the original primary verb representing the basic root KWAT.
quat-
fill
quat- vb. "fill" (WJ:392), future #quantuva "shall fill" (enquantuva "shall refill") (Nam, RGEO:67) Irrespective of the prefix en- "re", the form enquatuva (VT48:11) displays the expected future tense of quat-. The Namárië form enquantuva seems to include a nasal infix as well, which is possibly an optional feature of the future tense. On the other hand, PE17:68 cites the verb as quanta- rather than quat-, and then the future-tense form quantuva would be straightforward.
sanda
name
[sanda, sandë] (þ) (2) noun "name" (VT46:16)
sanya
name
[sanya] (þ) (2) noun ?"name" (reading of gloss uncertain, VT46:16)
tilma
noun. point
tir-
watch, watch over, guard, heed
tir- vb. "watch, watch over, guard, heed", 1st pers. aorist tirin "I watch", pa.t. tirnë (TIR), imperative tira (VT47:31) or á tirë (PE17:94), future tense tiruva "shall heed" in Markirya (also MC:213, 214); also in CO with pronominal endings: tiruvantes "they will guard it" (tir-uva-nte-s "guard-will-they-it"). The stem also occurs in palantíri (q.v.), Tirion place-name "Great Watchtower", a city of the Elves (SA:tir; in MR:176 the translation is "Watchful City")
tiris
watch, vigil
tiris (tiriss-), also tirissë, noun "watch, vigil" (LT1:258, QL:93)
tunta-
see, notice, perceive
tunta- "see, notice, perceive", pa.t. túne (QL:95)
vanya
fair
vanya (1) adj. "fair" (FS), "beautiful" (BAN), a word referring to beauty that is "due to lack of fault, or blemish" (PE17:150), hence Arda Vanya as an alternative to Arda Alahasta for "Arda Unmarred" (ibid., compare MR:254). Nominal pl. Vanyar "the Fair", the first clan of the Eldar; the original meaning of this stem was "pale, light-coloured, not brown or dark" (WJ:382, 383, stem given as WAN), "properly = white complexion and blonde hair" (PE17:154, stem given as GWAN); stems BAN vs. WAN discussed, see PE17:150.
vanë
fair
vanë adj. "fair" (LT1:272; in Tolkien's later Quenya rather vanya)
vanë
adjective. fair, fair, [ᴱQ.] lovely
véla
verb. see
véla (2) vb. "see" (Arct); present/continuative tense of a verbal stem #vel-? The context of the sentence where it occurs ("till I see you next") suggests that this is "see" in the sense of "meet".
>> yomenië
órë
heart
órë (1) noun "heart" (inner mind), also name of tengwa #21 (Appendix E), "premonition" (VT41:13), "nearest equivalent of 'heart' in our application to feelings, or emotions (courage, fear, hope, pity, etc.)" (VT41:13). The órë apparently defines a person's personality, cf. the description of Galadriel in PM:337, that "there dwelt in her the noble and generous spirit (órë) of the Vanyar". Órenya "my heart" (VT41:11).
lomba
adjective. blind
mehar
noun. gore
mitië
noun. interior
cen- ("k")vb. "see, behold", future tense cenuva ("kenuva") "shall see" in Markirya. Imperative cena ("k"), VT47:31.Also #cen = noun "sight" as the final element of some nouns (*apacen, tercen, q.v.) Compare the root KHEN-, KEN-, KYEN- "look at, see, observe, direct gaze" (VT45:21)