Elrond

noun. Elrond

prop. n.

elrond

masculine name. Star-dome

Lord of Rivendell (LotR/170). His name is translated “Star-dome” (Let/448, WJ/414), a combination of êl “star” and rond “vaulted roof” (SA/rond, WJ/414).

Conceptual Development: The name Elrond first appeared in early Silmarillion drafts from the late 1920s (SM/38) and was first published in the Hobbit in 1937. His name appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s in two forms: Noldorin Elrond “Starry-dome” (Ety/EL) and Ilkorin Elrond “Vault of Heaven” (Ety/ROD), both with essentially the same etymology as his later Sindarin name. In a few places Tolkien considered alternate etymologies for this name: in Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957, he suggested the final element might be rhond “body” (PE17/183), and in a letter to Rhona Beare from 1958, he suggested the initial element might be archaic †Ell “Elf” (Let/281). Both of these seem to have been transient ideas.

Elrond

noun. starry dome

êl (“star”) + rond (“domed roof”)

elrondhel

feminine name. Elrondhel

Another rejected name for Arwen (PE17/56), apparently a combination of a her father’s name Elrond and the word sell “daughter” (PE17/56), revised to Elrondiel >> Elrenniel. See that entry for further discussion.

Elrond

Elrond

The name Elrond (S, pron. [ˈelrond]) has been translated as "Star-dome", and "Vault of Heaven" recalling the glory of Menegroth though at an earlier stage, it was supposed to mean "Elf of the Cave". His Quenya name was most likely Elerondo, isolated from the patronymic Elerondiel, "daughter of Elrond".

Elrond

Star-dome

The name Elrond has been translated as "Star-dome", and "Vault of Heaven" recalling the glory of Menegroth though at an earlier stage, it was supposed to mean "Elf of the Cave". His Quenya name was most likely Elerondo, isolated from the patronymic Elerondiel, "daughter of Elrond".

elrenniel

feminine name. Arwen; *(lit.) Elrond-daughter

Another name for Arwen (PE17/56), a combination of a variant form of her father’s name Elrond and the feminine suffix -iel. Like its Quenya cognate Elerondiel, it is apparently intended to mean “Daughter of Elrond”. There are several variant forms of both the Sindarin and Quenya names, reflecting Tolkien’s uncertainties on the Elvish words for “daughter”: sell versus iell. See those entries for further discussion.

arwen

noun. royal, noble maiden

ar (prefix “high, noble, royal”) + gwend (“maiden, woman”)

arwen

noble maiden

Arwen means "Noble Maiden" in Sindarin (from ara- = "noble" and gwenn = "maiden"). The Quenya form of her name is not entirely certain, but as just a name, it is grammatically possible to calque Arwen to Quenya as Aranwen using aran- and wendë, stem Aranwend-; compare masculine Aranwë), but Arwen itself is also coincidentally a valid Quenya synthesis (using ar-, stem Arwend-), meaning the possibility that Arwen's name is the same in Sindarin and Quenya. Her epessë, Undómiel, means "Evenstar", from Undómë "evening twilight" and el "star".

arwen

Arwen

Arwen means "Noble Maiden" in Sindarin (from ara- = "noble" and gwenn = "maiden"). The Quenya form of her name is not entirely certain, but as just a name, it is grammatically possible to calque Arwen to Quenya as Aranwen (pron. [aˈranwen] using aran- and wendë, stem Aranwend-; compare masculine Aranwë), but Arwen itself is also coincidentally a valid Quenya synthesis (using ar-, stem Arwend-), meaning the possibility that Arwen's name is the same in Sindarin and Quenya. Her epessë, Undómiel, means "Evenstar", from Undómë "evening twilight" and el "star".