neldë cardinal "three" (SA:neldor, NÉL-ED, VT47:11, VT48:6). Eleni neldë "three stars", archaic elenion neldë = *"of stars three". Genitive "of 3 stars" = elenion neldë (for archaic elenion neldëo) (VT49:45; see 54 regarding neldion as the gen. pl.) Cf. also nelya, neldëa, Neldië.
Quenya
enel
between
enel
preposition. in the middle, between
Cognates
- Nan. enel “in the middle, between” ✧ VT47/29
Derivations
Element in
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶ened/enel > enel [enel] ✧ VT47/11 √ened/enel > enel [enel] ✧ VT47/29
entë
noun. centre
Element in
- Q. entya “central, middle”
neldë
cardinal. three
neldë
cardinal. three, three; [ᴱQ.] four
Cognates
Derivations
Element in
- Q. eleni neldë “*3 stars” ✧ VT49/45
- Q. elenion neldë “of 3 stars” ✧ VT49/45; VT49/45
- Q. neldëa “third”
- Q. nel(d)esta “one third”
- Q. Neldië “*Trinity”
- ᴺQ. nellumë “thrice, three times”
- ᴺQ. nelquain “thirty”
- ᴺQ. nelequain “thirty”
- ᴺQ. nelequëan “thirty”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶nelede > nelde [nelede] > [nelde] ✧ VT47/10 √(e)nel-ed > nelde [nelede] > [nelde] ✧ VT47/11 Variations
- nel-de ✧ PE17/095
- nelde ✧ VT47/10; VT47/11; VT48/06; VT49/45
tólë
centre
tólë noun "centre" (LT1:269; the word endë is to be preferred in Tolkien's later Quenya)
olë
cardinal. three
olë (2) cardinal "three" (LT1:258; in LotR-style Quenya Tolkien replaced this "Qenya" form with neldë)
imbë
between
imbë (1) prep "between" (Nam, RGEO:67, VT47:11, PE17:92). This is "between" referring to a gap, space, barrier, or anything intervening between two other things, like or unlike one another (compare enel). The pluralized form imbi implies "among" of several things (ancalima imbi eleni "brightest among stars"); "in the sense 'among' before plurals [imbë] is usually pluralized > imbi even when a plural noun follows". As pointed out by Patrick Wynne, imbi may also be used in the sense of "between" before two singular nouns connected by "and" (as in the example imbi Menel Cemenyë "between heaven and earth"), whereas imbë is used before dual forms, as in the examples imbë siryat "between two rivers", imbë met "between us". Elided imb' in the phrase imb' illi "among all" (VT47:11, 30). A dual form imbit is also mentioned, used to express "in absolute form the sense 'between two things' when these are not named" (apparently meaning that imbit expresses *"between them" referring to two entities, with no noun following) (VT47:30, PE17:92)
mitta
preposition/adverb. between, [ᴹQ.] inwards, into, [ᴱQ.] in; [Q.] between
Derivations
- √MI/IMI “in, within, [ᴹ√] inside” ✧ VT43/30
Element in
- Q. aistana elyë imíca nísi “blessed art thou amongst women” ✧ VT43/30
- Q. Mittalmar “Inlands”
- Q. mittanya- “*to lead (into)”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √mi > mitta- [mitta] ✧ VT43/30 Variations
- mitta- ✧ VT43/30
mitta-
between
mitta- (2) prep. "between" (VT43:30; the final hyphen may suggest that suffixes would normally follow)
enel prep. "between" = "at the central position in a row, list, series, etc. but also applied to the case of three persons" (VT47:11). This preposition refers to the position of a thing between others of the same kind; compare imbë.