Quenya 

ciris

cleft, crack

ciris _("k")_noun "cleft, crack" (LT2:337 - obsoleted by cirissë?)

cirya

noun. cleft, pass

A noun for a “cleft”, most notably in Calacirya “Light-cleft” as mentioned in the Namárië poem (RGEO/62; LotR/377).

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name was ᴹQ. Kalakilya (LR/173; MR/102), and the word ᴹQ. kilya “cleft, pass between hills, gorge” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√KIL “divide” (Ety/KIL). The word kilya also appeared with the gloss “chasm” in Lament of Atalante from the 1930s and 40s (LR/47, 56; SD/247, 310), but at some point when composing the final versions of the Namárië poem Tolkien switched to Calacirya, and he made the same change in later versions of Silmarillion drafts (MR/102).

Neo-Quenya: I’d avoid this word for Neo-Quenya, as it is too easily confused with cirya “ship”.

Cognates

  • S. cirith “cleft, ravine, defile, cleft, ravine, defile, [N.] pass”

Derivations

  • KIR “cut, cleave, pass swiftly through; shave; skim (surface), slip along, glide quickly”

Element in

Variations

  • cirya ✧ RGEO/62

hyatsë

cleft, gash

hyatsë noun "cleft, gash" (SYAD), apparently changed by Tolkien from hyassë (VT46:16)

sanca

cleft, split

sanca (þ) ("k") noun? (or adj, or both?) "cleft, split" (STAK)

falqua

cleft, mountain pass, ravine

falqua ("q") noun "cleft, mountain pass, ravine" (LT2:341)

cirila

adjective. cutting

Elements

WordGloss
cir-“to cut, to cut, [ᴱQ.] cleave; *to sail”
Quenya Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

Sindarin 

cirith

noun. cleft, high climbing pass, narrow passage cut through earth or rock, ravine, defile

Sindarin [S/387, UT/426, TC/181, RC/334-335] Group: SINDICT. Published by

cirith

noun. cirith

n.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:87] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

cirith

noun. cleft, ravine, defile, cleft, ravine, defile, [N.] pass

A noun for a cut through earth or rock: a cleft, ravine, defile or pass. It is an abstract noun formation from the root √KIR “cut, cleave”, and thus might have other non-geographic applications such as “a cutting”, but the word criss “cut, slash” is probably better for such purposes.

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared in some revisions to Silmarillion drafts in the early 1930s, as {N. Cris-Ilfing >>} N. Kirith Helvin and {N. Cristhorn >>} N. Kirith-thoronath (SM/146). Neither of these names became established at this stage, but the word Kirith reappeared in Lord of the Rings drafts in 1940s, in names like N. Kirith Ungol “Spider Glen” (TI/330) and N. Kirith Gorgor “Dreadful Pass” (WR/122), after which Tolkien used this word widely. In the Nomenclature of the Lord of the Rings from 1967, Tolkien explained cirith as meaning: “a cleft, a narrow passage cut through earth or rock (like a railway cutting)” (RC/767).

Cognates

  • Q. cirya “cleft, pass”

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
KIR“cut, cleave, pass swiftly through; shave; skim (surface), slip along, glide quickly”
-th“abstract noun”

Variations

  • Cirith ✧ PE22/150; S/238; SA/kir
Sindarin [PE17/087; PE22/150; RC/335; RC/767; S/238; SA/kir] Group: Eldamo. Published by

criss

noun. cleft, cleft, [N.] cut, slash, [G.] gash; [N.] pass, [G.] gully, ravine

A word for a “cleft, cut, slash” (PE21/81; Ety/KIRIS) derived from √KIRIS, a blend of the roots √KIR and √RIS (PE17/87).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to G. criss “cleft, gash, gully” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s where it was probably already a derivative of the early root ᴱ√KIRISI as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (GL/27; LT2A/Cris Ilbranteloth). In the Name-list to The Fall of Gondolin Tolkien gave cris with the definition “a cleft, ravine, or narrow way of waters with high walls” (PE15/21), and in this period it typically appeared in this shorter form within names like G. Cris Ilbranteloth or G. Cris Thorn.

N. criss appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “cleft, cut, slash” under the root ᴹ√KIRIS “cut” (Ety/KIRIS). It also appeared under the root ᴹ√KIR with the gloss “cleft, pass”, but this instance was deleted (EtyAC/KIR). S. criss “cleft” was mentioned in passing in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure (EVS2) from the early 1950s as derived from primitive ✶kirissi (PE21/80-81), and it was mentioned as a blending of roots in notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s as described above (PE17/87). Its use in names diminished over time, however, the only remnant in the final version of The Silmarillion being S. Crissaegrim (S/121).

Neo-Sindarin: In The Etymologies of the 1930s it seems this word was principally used as for a “cleft, cut, slash” independent of geography. I would assume the same is true for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, since criss is used only in a single geographic name in Tolkien’s later writings; S. cirith was use more broadly in geographic features. I would also assume it was a larger and more violent cut (a “gash” or “slash”) compared to S. rest for simple cuts.

Derivations

  • KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”
  • kirissi “cleft” ✧ PE21/80
    • KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
kirissi > criss[kiríssi] > [kirísse] > [krisse] > [kriss]✧ PE21/80
Sindarin [PE17/087; PE21/81] Group: Eldamo. Published by

riss

adjective. cleft

_ adj. _cleft, cloven, separate. Q. rista, risse, rinse. >> Imladris

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:87] < _rinsa_ < RIS cut. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

falch

noun. deep cleft, ravine

Sindarin [Orfalch Echor UT/468] Group: SINDICT. Published by

thanc

adjective. cleft, split, forked

Sindarin [Orthanc S/415, Ety/388] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lond

pass

(harbour, haven, strait; narrow path), pl. lynd, coll. pl. lonnath (as in the name Lonnath Ernin, WR:294).

cirith

cleft

(i girith, o chirith) (cutting, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith)

cirith

pass

(noun) 1) cirith (i girith, o chirith) (cleft, cutting), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith), 2) lond (harbour, haven, strait; narrow path), pl. lynd, coll. pl. lonnath (as in the name Lonnath Ernin, WR:294). 3) (pass between mountains, hills or through trackless forest) imrad (path), pl. imraid.

cirith

pass

(i girith, o chirith) (cleft, cutting), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith)

cirith

cutting

cirith (i girith, o chirith) (cleft, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith)

cirith

cutting

(i girith, o chirith) (cleft, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith)

rist

cleft

(noun) 1) rist (-ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh rist). Note: a homophone means ”cleaver, cutter”, 2) cirith (i girith, o chirith) (cutting, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith), 3) cîl (i gîl, o chîl) (pass between hills, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. A homophone means ”renewal”. 4) criss (i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss), 4) iaw (gulf, ravine), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”, 5) rest (ravine, cut), pl. rist (idh rist), 6) (deep cleft) falch (ravine[?]), pl. felch

rist

cleft

(-ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh rist). Note: a homophone means ”cleaver, cutter”

criss

cleft

(i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss), 4) iaw (gulf, ravine), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”

cîl

cleft

(i gîl, o chîl) (pass between hills, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. A homophone means ”renewal”.

cîl

pass between hills

(i gîl, o chîl) (cleft, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. . A homophone means ”renewal”.

rest

cleft

(ravine, cut), pl. rist (idh rist)

falch

cleft

(ravine[?]), pl. felch

imrad

pass

(path), pl. imraid.

thanc

cleft

(adj.) thanc (forked, split), pl. thainc

thanc

cleft

(forked, split), pl. thainc

aglonn

pass between high walls

(defile), pl. eglynn;

Primitive elvish

kirissi

noun. cleft

Derivations

  • KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”

Derivatives

  • S. criss “cleft, cleft, [N.] cut, slash, [G.] gash; [N.] pass, [G.] gully, ravine” ✧ PE21/80
Primitive elvish [PE21/80] Group: Eldamo. Published by

skey

root. pass

A root in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 given as √SKEY “pass” serving as the basis for Q. xiétë “passing, impermanent”, and illustrating certain phonetic developments for the suffix Q. -itë (PE22/155).

Derivatives

  • ᴺQ. xéya- “to pass (of time, intransitive)”
  • Q. xiétë “passing, impermanent” ✧ PE22/155
  • ᴺQ. xíta- “to pass, spend (time, transitive)”
  • ᴺS. hída- “to (come to) pass, happen”
Primitive elvish [PE22/155] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

cirith

noun. cleft, pass

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
KIR“cut, cleave, pass swiftly through; shave; skim (surface), slip along, glide quickly”

Variations

  • Kirith ✧ WR/122; WR/137
Noldorin [WR/122; WR/137] Group: Eldamo. Published by

criss

noun. cleft, cut, slash

Noldorin [Ety/365, VT/45:23] Group: SINDICT. Published by

cîl

noun. cleft, pass between hills, gorge

Noldorin [Ety/365] Group: SINDICT. Published by

thanc

adjective. cleft, split, forked

Noldorin [Orthanc S/415, Ety/388] 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!

Early Quenya

kisin

adjective. cleft

Derivations

  • ᴱ√KISI “cut, split” ✧ QL/047

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√KISI > kisin[kisin]✧ QL/047
Early Quenya [QL/047] Group: Eldamo. Published by