Quenya 

firë

mortal man

firë noun "mortal man" (PHIR), pl. firi given (the latter is not clearly glossed and may also be the archaic form from which firë is derived, since word-final short i became e in Quenya but since we would rather expect the spelling phiri if it were an archaic form, it is best taken as the pl. of firë.)

fire

noun "fire" (LT1:265; "Qenya" spelling . Rather nárë in LotR-style Quenya.)

uru

fire

uru noun "fire" (LT1:271)

úr

fire

úr noun "fire" (UR)This stem was struck out in Etym, but a word that must be derived from it occurs in LotR, so it seems that Tolkien restored it. Early "Qenya" also has Ûr, noun "the Sun" (also Úri, Úrinci ("k"), Urwen) (LT1:271). Cf. Úri.

fairë

radiance

fairë (3) noun "radiance" (PHAY)

ruinë

noun. fire, blaze, blaze, fire

A noun glossed “a fire, a blaze” in etymological notes from around 1964 (DD), derived from the root √RUYU “blaze (red)” (PE17/184). This word is for an individual fire in the physical world, as opposed to Q. nár for elemental fire, fire as a force or as an abstract concept.

Cognates

  • S. ruin “red flame; fiery red”

Derivations

  • RUY “blaze (red)” ✧ PE17/183

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
RUYU > ruine[ruine]✧ PE17/183

Variations

  • ruine ✧ PE17/183

ruinë

fire, a blaze

ruinë noun "a fire, a blaze" (PE17:183). Compare nárë.

nár

flame

nár noun "flame", also nárë (NAR1).Translated "fire" in some names, see Aicanár(o), Fëanáro (where nár apparently has the masculine ending -o added to it). According to PE17:183, nár- is "fire as an element" (a concrete fire or blaze is rather called a ruinë).

nárë

flame

nárë, also short nár, noun "flame" (NAR1, Narqelion). Translated "fire" in some names, see Aicanáro, Fëanáro (where nár apparently has the masculine ending -o, though in the latter name it may also be the genitive ending since Fëa-náro** is translated "Spirit of Fire"). At one point, Tolkien mentioned "nār-" as the word for "fire (as an element)" (PE17:183). Cf. ruinë** as the word for "a fire" (a concrete instance of fire) in the same source.

velca

flame

velca ("k") noun "flame" (LT1:260; nár, nárë would be the normal word in Tolkien's later Quenya)

alcar

noun. radiance

radiance, splendour

Quenya [PE 18:36 PE 18:87] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

alta

radiance

alta (2) noun "radiance" (VT42:32, PE17:50). Cf. variant ñalta.

alta

noun. radiance

Anar

sun

Anar noun "Sun" (ANÁR, NAR1, SA:nár; UT:22 cf. 51); anar "a sun" (Markirya); Anarinya "my Sun" (FS). See also ceuranar, Úr-anar. (According to VT45:6, Tolkien in the Etymologies mentioned anar "sun" as the name of the short vowel carrier of the Tengwar writing system; it would be the first letter if anar is written in Quenya mode Tengwar.) Compounded in the masc. name Anárion "Sun-son" (Isildur's brother, also the Númenorean king Tar-Anárion, UT:210); also in Anardil "Sun-friend" (Appendix A), a name also occurring in the form Anardilya with a suffix of endearment (UT:174, 418). Anarya noun second day of the Eldarin six-day week, dedicated to the Sun (Appendix D). Anarríma name of a constellation: *"Sun-border"??? (Silm; cf. ríma)

anar

noun. Sun

The most common Quenya name for the Sun derived from primitive ✶Anār, an augmented form of the root √NAR “fire” (Let/425; PE17/38; Ety/ANÁR; SD/302, 306).

Conceptual Development: This term appeared in Silmarillion drafts of the 1930s with the gloss “Heart of Flame” (LR/240) and as ᴹQ. Anar “sun” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, already with the derivation given above (Ety/ANÁR, NAR¹).

Cognates

  • S. Anor “Sun” ✧ PE17/038; SA/nár

Derivations

  • NAR “fire, fire, [ᴹ√] flame” ✧ Let/425; PE17/038
  • Anār “Sun” ✧ SA/nár
    • NAR “fire, fire, [ᴹ√] flame”

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
NAR > Anar[anār] > [anar]✧ Let/425
(A)NAR > anā̆r[anār] > [anar]✧ PE17/038
(a)nar > Anar[anār] > [anar]✧ SA/nár

Variations

  • anar ✧ MC/222; PE17/152
  • anā̆r ✧ PE17/038
Quenya [Let/425; MC/222; MR/044; MRI/Anar; NM/280; NM/281; PE17/038; PE17/148; PE17/152; PE21/86; S/099; SA/nár; SI/Anar; UT/022; UTI/Anar; WJI/Anar] Group: Eldamo. Published by

úri

sun

úri noun "sun" (MC:214, 221; this is "Qenya"); genitive úrio "sun's" (MC:216)

cala

light

cala ("k")noun "light" (KAL). Concerning the "Qenya" verb cala-, see #cal- above.

cala

noun. light, light; [ᴱQ.] daytime (sunlight), 12 hours

This is the most common Quenya word for “light”, derived from the root √KAL of similar meaning (RGEO/62; PE17/84). It appears in numerous compounds, either in its full form or in a reduced form cal-.

Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. kala appeared all the way back in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “daytime (sunlight), 12 hours” and derived from the early root ᴱ√KALA “shine golden” (QL/44), but it had the sense “light” in the phrase ᴱQ. i·kal’antúlien “Light hath returned” (LT1/184), and it was given as the cognate of G. gala “light, daylight” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/37).

ᴹQ. kala “light” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√KAL “shine” (Ety/KAL). Somewhat curiously in that document its primitive form was given as ᴹ✶k’lā́ (EtyAC/KAL), a form that also appeared in the first version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ1) from the 1930s (PE18/38). Tolkien may have used this variant form to explain N. glaw “radiance” (< ᴹ✶g’lā́), but in later writings S. glaw “sunshine” was derived from √LAW.

Derivations

  • KAL “light; shine, be bright, light; shine, be bright, [ᴱ√] shine golden” ✧ PE17/084

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
CAL > Cala[kala]✧ PE17/084

Variations

  • Cala ✧ PE17/084; RGEO/62
Quenya [PE17/084; PE17/143; RGEO/62; VT39/14] Group: Eldamo. Published by

calina

light

calina ("k")adj. "light" (KAL), "bright" (VT42:32) "(literally illumined) sunny, light" (PE17:153) but apparently a noun "light" in coacalina, q.v.

cálë

light

cálë ("k")noun "light" (Markirya; in early "Qenya", cálë meant "morning", LT1:254)

cálë

noun. light

A noun for “light” appearing in the versions of the Markirya poem from the 1960s (MC/222-223).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, ᴱQ. kále “morning” was a derivative of the early root ᴱ√KALA “shine golden” (QL/44), and kāle was mentioned again Gnomish Lexicon Slips as a cognate of G. gaul “a light” (PE13/114). The form ᴱQ. kale “day” appeared in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s, but was deleted (PE14/43). It might also be an element in ᴹQ. yúkale “twilight” (= “both lights”) from The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/KAL).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d stick to the better attested Q. cala “light”.

Element in

Variations

  • kále ✧ MC/222; MC/223
Quenya [MC/222; MC/223] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Narsil

sun

Narsil (Þ) noun the sword of Elendil, compound of the stems seen in Anar "Sun" and Isil "Moon"; see Letters:425 for etymology

úr(in)

proper name. Sun

A late remnant of earlier names for the Sun: ᴱQ. Ûr and ᴹQ. Úrin. In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, this name was changed from Úrin >> Naira >> Vása (MR/198), but the form Úr(in) occasionally appeared in some later writings (PE17/148, MR/377). This name was a derivative of the root √UR “heat, be hot” (PE17/148).

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, this name was ᴱQ. Ûr, Ur or Úri “Sun”, but literally meaning “Fire” (LT1/187, QL/98). The name became ᴹQ. Úrin in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/240). It was rejected in The Etymologies along with the root form ᴹ√UR, but reappeared sometimes in later writing as noted above.

Changes

  • ÚrinNaira ✧ MR/198

Derivations

  • UR “heat, be hot” ✧ PE17/148

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
UR > Úrin[ūrin]✧ PE17/148

Variations

  • Úrin ✧ MR/198 (Úrin); MRI/Úr; PE17/148
  • Úr ✧ MR/377; MRI/Úr
Quenya [MR/198; MR/377; MRI/Úr; PE17/148] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nalta

radiance, glittering reflection

nalta ("ñ")noun "radiance, glittering reflection" (from jewels, glass or polished metals, or water) (PM:347)

Calaventë

sun

Calaventë _("k")_noun "Sun" (LT1:254)

Calavénë

sun

Calavénë _("k")_noun "Sun" (lit. "light-vessel", "light-dish") (LT1:254)

Sindarin 

-ruin

suffix. fire

suff. #fire. Q. ruine. >> Angruin

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:183] < RUYU blaze (red). Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

naur

noun. fire

Sindarin [Ety/374, S/435, LotR/II:IV] Group: SINDICT. Published by

naur

fire

_ n. fire. naur an edraith ammen! _'fire [be] for rescue/saving for us'. Q. nár. >> Sammath Naur

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:38:101] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

naur

noun. fire, fire, [N.] flame

The basic Sindarin word for “fire”, derived from the root √NAR of the same meaning (LotR/942; PE17/38) and very well attested. It is derived from primitive ✱nār- since primitive long ā became au in Sindarin. It appeared as N. naur “flame” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the same derivation (Ety/NAR). As a suffix it usually reduces to -nor, since au usually becomes o in polysyllables. As a prefix, though, it is often Nar- before consonant clusters, no doubt because the ancient long ā was shortened before it could become au.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, the word for “fire” was G. with archaic form †sai (GL/66) clearly based on the early root ᴱ√SAH(Y)A “be hot” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Sári; QL/81). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s, the word for “fire” was ᴱN. byr or buir from primitive ᴱ✶ [mburyē] (PE13/139). Tolkien introduced naur in The Etymologies of the 1930s and stuck with it thereafter.

Cognates

  • Q. nár “fire (as an element), fire (as an element); [ᴹQ.] flame” ✧ PE17/038; SA/nár

Derivations

  • NAR “fire, fire, [ᴹ√] flame” ✧ PE17/038

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
(A)NAR > naur[nār] > [nǭr] > [naur]✧ PE17/038

Variations

  • Naur ✧ LotR/0299; LotR/0942
Sindarin [LotR/0290; LotR/0299; LotR/0942; PE17/038; PE17/101; PM/363; SA/nár] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lacho

verb. flame!

Sindarin [UT/65] Group: SINDICT. Published by

naur

noun. flame

Sindarin [Ety/374, S/435, LotR/II:IV] Group: SINDICT. Published by

aglar

noun. radiance

_n. _radiance, glory. Q. alkar. >> aglareb

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:24] < _aklar_ < KAL light. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

galad

radiance

1a _ n. _radiance. >> Galadriel, Gil-galad

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:50] < _kalat_- radiance < GAL < KAL shine. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

lacha-

verb. to flame

Sindarin Group: SINDICT. Published by

Anor

noun. sun

Sindarin [Ety/348, RC/232] Group: SINDICT. Published by

Anor

noun. Sun

_n. Astron._Sun. Q. anār/anăr. >> Ithil

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:30:38:55] < (A)NAR. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

anor

noun. Sun

The most common Sindarin name for the Sun derived from primitive ✶Anār, an augmented form of the root √NAR “fire” (PE17/38; Ety/ANÁR; SD/302-303, 306). The o is the result of ancient ā becoming au and then this au becoming o in polysyllables.

Conceptual Development: The term Anor was first mentioned in conjunction with early tales of Númenor (LR/41). It briefly appeared as N. {ánar >>} Anar “sun” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the entry for ᴹ√NAR (Ety/NAR¹; EtyAC/NAR¹), but as Anor under ᴹ√ANÁR (Ety/ANÁR). In The Notion Club Papers of the 1940s it was Anor, archaic †Anaur (SD/302-303, 306) and it retained this form thereafter.

Cognates

  • Q. Anar “Sun” ✧ PE17/038; SA/nár
  • ᴹQ. Anar “Sun” ✧ SDI2/Anar

Derivations

  • NAR “fire, fire, [ᴹ√] flame” ✧ PE17/038
  • Anār “Sun” ✧ SA/nár
    • NAR “fire, fire, [ᴹ√] flame”

Element in

  • ᴺS. anóren “sunny”
  • S. Anórien “Sunlending, *(lit.) Sun-lands” ✧ SA/nár
  • ᴺS. coranor “solar year, (lit.) sun-round”
  • S. elanor “pimpernel, small golden star-shaped flower, (lit.) sun-star” ✧ PE17/055
  • S. Minas Anor “Tower of the (Setting) Sun” ✧ SA/nár
  • S. Oranor “*(lit.) Sun-day, Sunday”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
(A)NAR > anor[anār] > [anǭr] > [anaur] > [anor]✧ PE17/038

Variations

  • anor ✧ PE17/030; PE17/038; PE17/055
Sindarin [LotRI/Anor; PE17/030; PE17/038; PE17/055; RC/297; SA/nár; SDI2/Anar; SI/Anor] Group: Eldamo. Published by

calad

gerund noun. light

Sindarin [Ety/362, UT/65] Group: SINDICT. Published by

calad

noun. light

_ n. _light, fire, brightness, shining. >> galad

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:84] < GAL. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

calad

noun. light, fire, brightness, shining, light, brightness, shining, fire

A noun for “light” derived from the root √KAL of similar meaning (PE17/50, 84), and appearing in the phrase Lacho calad! Drego morn! “Flame light! Flee night!” (UT/65). In one place it was glossed “light, fire, brightness, shining” (PE17/84), so it seems it could refer to any shining thing or source of light. For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would only use it in reference to “fire” as a source of illumination, not as a flame.

Conceptual Development: N. calad “light” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, already with the derivation given above (Ety/KAL). In this document it was the basis for the final element of the name N. Gil-galad, and this was true in some later writings as well (PE17/50), but Tolkien eventually decided the second element of Gil-galad was (ñ)galad “radiance”, an element also seen in the name of Galadriel (PM/347).

Derivations

  • KAL “light; shine, be bright, light; shine, be bright, [ᴱ√] shine golden” ✧ PE17/050; PE17/084

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
KAL > calad[kalata] > [kalat] > [kalad]✧ PE17/050
CAL > calad[kalata] > [kalat] > [kalad]✧ PE17/084
Sindarin [PE17/050; PE17/084; UT/065] Group: Eldamo. Published by

galad

light

_ n. _light, fire, brightness, shining. >> calad, Caras Galadon

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:84] < GAL. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

lach

noun. (leaping) flame

Sindarin [S/433, X/LH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

galad

noun. radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss, radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss; [ᴱN.] dawn

A word for “radiance, glittering reflection” derived from primitive ✶ñ(g)alatā and the root √Ñ(G)AL “shine by reflection” (PM/347). Most notably it was an element in the names Galadriel and Gil-galad. In the latter name, since the ancient form began with ñg-, its mutated form was -galad rather than the more usual ’alad.

Conceptual Development: This word had a long and intricate history, and was intertwined with the shifting conceptions of various roots and names. It’s earliest iteration was G. {gâl(a) >>} gala “light, daylight” (GL/37), cognate to ᴱQ. kala of similar meaning, derived from the early root ᴱ√KALA “shine golden” (QL/44). Since ancient initial g- became k- in Early Qenya, is very likely the early root was actually ✱ᴱ√GALA. In early notes, Tolkien experimented with various alternate forms for this word such as gâl or gaul (GL/37; PE13/114), and in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s Tolkien had the word ᴱN. galad with the gloss “dawn” (PE13/144).

By the 1930s, Tolkien had revised the phonology of Quenya so that primitive initial g became ʒ and then vanished, but he wished to retain the kal-/gal- variation in “light” words, and so introduced a Noldorin-only variant ᴹ√GAL of the root ᴹ√KAL “shine” (Ety/GAL). In The Etymologies, Tolkien had both N. calad (Ety/KAL) and N. galad (EtyAC/GAL) for “light”, the former appearing in its mutated form as an element in the name N. Gil-galad “Starlight” (Ety/GIL).

S. calad continued to be the basis for the second element of S. Gil-galad in some later writings (PE17/50), but Tolkien began to have problems with another name from The Lord of the Rings, that is Galadriel. When Tolkien first introduced her name, it basically meant “Tree-lady” (TI/249), but this was no longer suitable for her more elevated role in the Legendarium, and in any case the proper Sindarin word for “tree” was galadh. In 1955 notes Tolkien considered making the initial element of her name mean “blessed” or “bliss” instead (NM/346).

In notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s Tolkien connected the names Gil-galad and Galadriel as sharing a common element meaning “light” and experimented with various derivatives of the roots √KAL and √GAL (PE17/50), but couldn’t contrive a satisfactory solution since the shared word would be mutated in Gil-Galad but unmutated in Galadriel. Eventually Tolkien resolved this quandary by introducing a new root √Ñ(G)AL in various notes from the late 1960s (PE17/59-60; NM/353) whose primitive form in Sindarin was strengthened ✶ñgalatā that would produce the correct result for both names. Tolkien discussed this new word at length in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968:

> The name [Galadriel] was derived from the Common Eldarin stem ÑAL “shine by reflection”; ✱ñalatā “radiance, glittering reflection” (from jewels, glass or polished metals, or water) > Quenya ñalta, Telerin alata, Sindarin galad ... The whole = “maiden crowned with a garland of bright radiance” was given in reference to Galadriel’s hair. Galad occurs also in the epesse of Ereinion (“scion of kings”) by which he was chiefly remembered in legend, Gil-galad “star of radiance” (PM/347).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume (ñ)galad refers to radiant, glittering and reflected light, as opposed to S. calad (lit. = “shining”) which refers to direct light and the sources of such light, such as lamps and flames.

Cognates

  • Q. nalta “radiance, glittering reflection” ✧ PM/347
  • T. alata “radiance, glittering reflection” ✧ SA/kal

Derivations

  • GAL “light; shine, be bright” ✧ PE17/084
  • ñ(g)alatā “(reflected) radiance, glitter (of reflected light), glory” ✧ PM/347
    • Ñ(G)AL “gleam, sheen, shine (by reflection)” ✧ NM/350; NM/353; PE17/059; PE17/169; PM/347
    • GAL “light; shine, be bright” ✧ PE17/050
    • KAL “light; shine, be bright, light; shine, be bright, [ᴱ√] shine golden” ✧ PE17/050

Element in

  • S. Caras Galadhon “City of the Trees” ✧ PE17/084
  • S. Galadriel “Glittering-garland” ✧ Let/425; NM/346; PE17/084; PM/347
  • S. Gil-galad “Starlight, (lit.) Star of Radiance” ✧ Let/425; PE17/084; PM/347
  • S. Malgalad “?yellow radiance”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
GAL > galad[galata] > [galat] > [galad]✧ PE17/084
ñalatā > galad[ŋalatā] > [ŋgalatā] > [ŋgalata] > [galata] > [galat] > [galad]✧ PM/347
Sindarin [Let/425; NM/346; PE17/084; PM/347; SA/kal] Group: Eldamo. Published by

galad

noun. light, radiance, glittering, reflection (from jewels, glass or polished metal, or water)

Sindarin [VT/45:13, PM/347, Letters/425] Group: SINDICT. Published by

naur

fire

1) naur (in compounds nar-, -nor) (flame, sun), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath; 2) ûr (heat), pl. uir. Notice the homophone ûr ”wide”.

naur

fire

(in compounds nar-, -nor) (flame, sun), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath

ûr Reconstructed

noun. fire, fire; [ᴱN.] sun

A word for “fire” attested in later writings only as an element in names, such as S. Urui “August, ✱Hot-one” (LotR/1110). It appeared as N. ûr “fire” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√UR “be hot”, but this and related words were deleted when Tolkien changed the sense of the root to “wide, large, great” (Ety/UR). However, √UR “heat” was restored in later writings (PE17/148; PE22/160), and primitive ✶ūr “a fire (on hearth)” appeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s, though Tolkien did mark it with a “?” (PE21/71 and note #8).

Conceptual Development: Perhaps the first precursor to this word was G. †Uril, an archaic word for the Sun in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s appearing beside its modern form G. Aur (GL/75) and clearly a derivative of the early root ᴱ√URU as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Ûr; QL/098). In Gnomish Lexicon Slips revising this document, it became {ŷr >>} hŷr “sun” (PE13/114), and in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s it became ᴱN. {húr >>} úr “sun”, derived from primitive ᴱ✶ourū̆ (PE13/155).

This in turn became N. ûr “fire” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under ᴹ√UR “be hot”, but as noted above the meaning of this root was changed in that document (Ety/UR). Although the root √UR “heat” was later restored, it isn’t clear whether Tolkien also restored ûr “fire”, though there is some secondary evidence of it: primitive ✶ūr “a fire (on hearth)” appeared in notes from the early 1950s, as also noted above (PE21/71).

Neo-Sindarin: If S. naur is (like its Quenya cognate Q. nár) more representative of an elemental or abstract notion of fire, then ûr might be used for an individual physical fire such as one in a fireplace.

Cognates

Derivations

  • ūr “a fire (on hearth)” ✧ PE21/71
    • UR “heat, be hot”

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ūr > ūr[ūr]✧ PE21/71

Variations

  • ūr ✧ PE21/71 (ūr)

ûr

fire

(heat), pl. uir. Notice the homophone ûr ”wide”.

fair

mortal man

(human) fair (fír-), pl. fîr, coll. pl. firiath. Archaic sg. feir (WJ:387). Wheareas the above-mentioned terms are apparently gender-neutral, the following are gender-specific:

bregedúr

wildfire

(i vregedúr), pl. bregedýr (i mregedýr)

narthan

fire-sign

pl. **nerthain** (VT45:20)

firion

mortal man

firion (pl. firyn).

firion

mortal man

firion (pl. firyn) and

lach

flame

(noun) 1) lach (leaping flame), pl. laich; 2) naur (in compounds nar-, -nor) (fire, sun), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath, 3) rill (construct ril) (brilliance, glittering reflected light), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rill).

lach

flame

(leaping flame), pl. laich;  2) naur (in compounds nar-, -nor) (fire, sun), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath, 3) rill (construct ril) (brilliance, glittering reflected light), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rill).

lacha

flame

(verb) *lacha- (i lacha, i lachar). Only the imperative form lacho is attested.

lacha

flame

(i lacha, i lachar). Only the imperative form lacho is attested.

nartha

kindle

(i nartha, in narthar) (VT45:37)

glóren

shining with golden light

(glórin-) (golden), lenited ’lóren; pl. glórin

galad

radiance

1) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad) (bright light, sunlight, brilliance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid), 2) glaw (i **law), pl. gloe (in gloe), 3) thîl; no distinct pl. form, coll. pl. ?thiliath**.

galad

radiance

(i ngalad = i ñalad) (bright light, sunlight, brilliance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid)

glaw

radiance

(i ’law), pl. gloe (in gloe)

thîl

radiance

; no distinct pl. form, coll. pl. ?thiliath.

ruin

red flame

(no distinct pl. form except with article: idh ruin) (blazing fire). Also used as an adj. ”fiery red, burning”. (Silm app, entry ruin; PM:366)

lachenn

flame-eyed

pl. lachinn *(WJ:384, there cited in archaic form lachend)*.

lim

light

(clear, sparkling), no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fish”.

Anor

sun

1) Anor (pl. Anoer if there is a pl.) Archaic Anaur (SD:306). 2) naur (mainly in compounds as nar-, -nor) (flame, fire), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath.

anor

sun

(pl. Anoer if there is a pl.) Archaic Anaur (SD:306).

gail

light

(adjective) 1) gail (bright), lenited ngail, no distinct pl. form (VT45:18), 2) lim (clear, sparkling), no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fish”.

gail

light

(bright), lenited ngail, no distinct pl. form (VT45:18)

naur

sun

(mainly in compounds as nar-, -nor) (flame, fire), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath.

calad

light

_(noun) _1) calad (i galad, o chalad), pl. celaid (i chelaid), 2) gaul (i **aul), pl. goel (i ngoel = i ñoel), coll. pl. golath. Note: A homophone means "wolf-howl", but has different mutations. 3) (bright light) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad), (sunlight, brilliance, radiance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid). 4) gâl (gal-, -al in compounds, with article i **âl), pl. gail (i ngail = i ñail).

calad

light

(i galad, o chalad), pl. celaid (i chelaid), 2) gaul (i ’aul), pl. goel (i ngoel = i ñoel), coll. pl. golath. Note: A homophone means "wolf-howl", but has different mutations. 3) (bright light) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad), (sunlight, brilliance, radiance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid). 4) gâl (gal-, -al in compounds, with article i ’âl), pl. gail (i ngail = i ñail).

glaur

golden light

(i ’laur), pl. gloer (in gloer).

glawar

sunlight

(i ’lawar) (gold, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair) if there is a pl. (VT41:10)

Telerin 

cala

noun. light

Black Speech

ghâsh

noun. fire

Variations

  • Ghâsh ✧ LotRI/Ghâsh
Black Speech [LotR/0327; LotR/1117; LotR/1131; LotRI/Ghâsh; PE17/048] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Adûnaic

ûri

noun. sun

A noun translated “sun” (SD/306, 428). This word appears in the forms ûrê, ûri and ûrî, but Tolkien declared that the form with long î is actually the personified form Ûrî “Lady of the Sun” (SD/426), perhaps the Adûnaic name of Q. Arien. The form ûrê only appears once (SD/426), so ûri is probably to be preferred as the ordinary word for Sun, especially since it is a neuter noun, which ordinarily cannot end in a long (SD/427). Tolkien lists the “later forms Uir, Ŷr” (SD/306), one of which may be the Westron word for “sun”, most likely Wes. uir. As suggested by several authors (AAD/24, EotAL/UR), ûri is probably derived from the Elvish root ᴹ√UR.

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. Anar “Sun” ✧ SD/306

Derivations

  • UR “heat, be hot”

Derivatives

  • Wes. uir “sun” ✧ SD/306

Element in

Variations

  • Ūri ✧ SD/306
  • ūrē ✧ SD/426
  • ūri ✧ SD/428
Adûnaic [SD/306; SD/426; SD/428] Group: Eldamo. Published by

zôr Reconstructed

noun. ?fire, ?foam

An element in the names Gimilzôr and Imrazôr. Imrazôr is difficult to translate, but Gimilzôr is equated to two different Quenya names at different periods of Tolkien’s writing: Elros “Star-foam” in the unfinished “Notion Club Papers” story from 1946 (SD/380), and Telemnar in the list of Adûnaic kings in The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1035). The name Telemnar is unglossed, but a likely translation would be “✱Silver-fire”. Assuming the element zôr has the same meaning as its Quenya equivalents, could mean either “foam” or “fire”. There is a different Adûnaic word for foam: rôth or roth in Rothinzil “Foam-flower”, so perhaps “fire” is a more useful interpretation, albeit quite speculative.

Element in

Primitive elvish

nar

root. fire, fire, [ᴹ√] flame

A root for “fire” first appearing as ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” in The Etymologies of the 1930s along with derivatives like ᴹQ. nár(e)/N. naur “flame” (Ety/NAR¹). There was also an augmented variant ᴹ√ANÁR that served as the basis for “Sun” words: ᴹQ. Anar and N. Anor (Ety/ANÁR). These roots and the various derivatives continued to appear in Tolkien’s later writings in the 1950s and 60s (PE17/38; Let/425), and in one place Tolkien specified that nār- was “fire as an element” as opposed to √RUYU for an actual blaze.

Derivatives

  • Anār “Sun”
    • Q. Anar “Sun” ✧ SA/nár
    • S. Anor “Sun” ✧ SA/nár
  • nāro “fire”
  • Q. Anar “Sun” ✧ Let/425; PE17/038
  • Q. nár “fire (as an element), fire (as an element); [ᴹQ.] flame” ✧ PE17/038
  • Q. Naira
  • S. Anor “Sun” ✧ PE17/038
  • S. naur “fire, fire, [N.] flame” ✧ PE17/038

Element in

  • Q. Narsil “Red and White Flame” ✧ Let/425; PE17/038
  • Q. Narsilion “(Song) of the Sun and Moon”
  • S. narthan “beacon”

Variations

  • (A)NAR ✧ PE17/038; PE17/147
Primitive elvish [Let/425; PE17/038; PE17/147; PE17/166] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nāro

noun. fire

Derivations

  • NAR “fire, fire, [ᴹ√] flame”

Element in

Primitive elvish [PE17/039] Group: Eldamo. Published by

anār

noun. Sun

Derivations

  • NAR “fire, fire, [ᴹ√] flame”

Derivatives

  • Q. Anar “Sun” ✧ SA/nár
  • S. Anor “Sun” ✧ SA/nár

Variations

  • (a)nar ✧ SA/nár
Primitive elvish [SA/nár] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kalat

noun. light

Derivatives

Variations

  • kalā́t- ✧ PE18/087
Primitive elvish [PE18/087; PE21/71] Group: Eldamo. Published by

than

root. kindle, set light to, fire, light

Tolkien used this root primarily to explain the name S. Gilthoniel “Star-kindler”. In a 1955 letter to David Masson, Tolkien gave √THAN “kindle” as the basis for the perfect participle S. thoniel “kindler”, in contrast to S. thôn < ✶stŏna (PE17/82). In Words, Phrases and Passages in the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien gave {√TON >> √TÁN >>} √THĂN/THĀN as the basis for the same name, but with the suffix S. -iel being a feminine suffix (PE17/23; MR/388).

The root √THAN from the 1950s might be a restoration of the unglossed root ᴱ√tan- from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like G. tan “firewood” and G. tantha- “set light to, kindle” (GL/69), along with other forms like G. tôn “fire (on a hearth)” and G. tortha- “scorch” (GL/71). This may be reflected in the deleted forms in the aforementioned note: {√TON >> √TÁN >>} √THĂN/THĀN.

Changes

  • TONTÁN ✧ PE17/023
  • TÁNTHĂN/THĀN ✧ PE17/023

Derivatives

  • S. thoniel “kindler (in the past)” ✧ PE17/082

Element in

  • Q. IlthánielStarkindler” ✧ PE17/023 (Ilthániel*)
  • S. Gilthoniel “Star-kindler” ✧ MR/388; PE17/023
  • S. narthan “beacon”
  • ᴺS. nethan- “to inspire, kindle inside”

Variations

  • thăn/thān ✧ MR/388
  • THĂN/THĀN ✧ PE17/023; PE17/187
  • TON ✧ PE17/023 (TON)
  • TÁN ✧ PE17/023 (TÁN)
Primitive elvish [MR/388; PE17/023; PE17/082; PE17/187] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

naur

noun. fire

Noldorin [Ety/374, S/435, LotR/II:IV] Group: SINDICT. Published by

rhuin

noun. fire

Element in

  • N. Orodruin “Mountain of Fire” ✧ TI/028
Noldorin [PE22/034; TI/028] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ûr

noun. fire

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. úr “fire, heat” ✧ Ety/UR

Derivations

  • ᴹ√UR “be hot” ✧ Ety/UR

Element in

  • N. bregedur “wild fire” ✧ Ety/UR (Vreged-úr)
  • N. Úrui “August, *Hot-one”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√UR > úr[ūr]✧ Ety/UR

Variations

  • úr ✧ Ety/UR (úr)
  • ûr ✧ EtyAC/UR (ûr)
Noldorin [Ety/UR; EtyAC/UR] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ûr

noun. fire, heat

Noldorin [Ety/396] Group: SINDICT. Published by

cûl

noun. flame

A word for “flame” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√KUL “golden-red”, but this word was deleted (EtyAC/KUL).

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. kulo “flame” ✧ EtyAC/KUL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KUL “golden-red” ✧ EtyAC/KUL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KUL > cûl[kūl]✧ EtyAC/KUL
Noldorin [EtyAC/KUL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

naur

noun. flame

Noldorin [Ety/374, S/435, LotR/II:IV] Group: SINDICT. Published by

naur

noun. flame

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. nár(e) “flame” ✧ Ety/NAR¹

Derivations

  • ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” ✧ Ety/NAR¹

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√NAR¹ > naur[nār] > [nǭr] > [nour] > [naur]✧ Ety/NAR¹
Noldorin [Ety/EK; Ety/NAR¹; PE22/034; TI/187] Group: Eldamo. Published by

glaw

noun. radiance

Noldorin [Ety/362] Group: SINDICT. Published by

glaw

noun. radiance

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. kala “light” ✧ Ety/KAL

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶glā “radiance” ✧ Ety/KAL
    • ᴹ√GAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶g’lā́ > glaw[glā] > [glǭ] > [glou] > [glau]✧ Ety/KAL

Anor

noun. sun

Noldorin [Ety/348, RC/232] Group: SINDICT. Published by

anor

noun. Sun

Changes

  • ánarAnar ✧ Ety/NAR¹

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. Anar “Sun” ✧ Ety/ANÁR; Ety/NAR¹; LR/041; LRI/Anar; SD/306; SDI2/Anar

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶Anār “Sun” ✧ Ety/ANÁR; SD/302; SD/306
    • ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” ✧ Ety/ANÁR
  • ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” ✧ Ety/NAR¹

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶anār- > Anor[anārǝ] > [anār] > [anǭr] > [anour] > [anaur] > [anor]✧ Ety/ANÁR
ᴹ✶Anār > Anaur > Anor[anār] > [anǭr] > [anour] > [anaur] > [anor]✧ SD/302
ᴹ✶Anār > Anaur > Anor[anār] > [anǭr] > [anour] > [anaur] > [anor]✧ SD/306

Variations

  • Anar ✧ Ety/NAR¹
  • ánar ✧ EtyAC/NAR¹ (ánar)
  • Anaur ✧ SDI2/Anar (Anaur)
Noldorin [Ety/ANÁR; Ety/NAR¹; EtyAC/NAR¹; LR/041; LRI/Anar; LRI/Anor; SD/303; SD/306; SDI2/Anar] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gail

noun. bright light

Noldorin [Ety/362] Group: SINDICT. Published by

anaur

noun. Sun

calad

gerund noun. light

Noldorin [Ety/362, UT/65] Group: SINDICT. Published by

calad

noun. light

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KAL > calad[kalata] > [kalat] > [kalad]✧ Ety/KAL
Noldorin [Ety/KAL; Ety/KIL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gal-

prefix. light

Noldorin [galvorn, etc.] Group: SINDICT. Published by

galad

noun. light

Derivations

  • ᴹ√GAL “shine” ✧ Ety/GAL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√GAL > galad[galata] > [galat] > [galad]✧ Ety/GAL
Noldorin [EtyAC/GAL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

glaur

noun. golden light (of the golden tree Laurelin)

Noldorin [Ety/358, Ety/368] Group: SINDICT. Published by

glor-

noun. golden light (of the golden tree Laurelin)

Noldorin [Ety/358, Ety/368] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lhach

noun. (leaping) flame

Noldorin [S/433, X/LH] 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!

Westron

uir

noun. sun

A word listed as a later form of Ad. ûri “sun” (SD/306) and therefore perhaps a Westron word, as suggested by Andreas Moehn (EotAL/UR). The other “later form” Ŷr is unlikely to be Westron, since y seems not to be a vowel in Westron.

Derivations

  • Ad. ûri “sun” ✧ SD/306
    • UR “heat, be hot”

Variations

  • Uir ✧ SD/306

Valarin 

uruš/rušur

noun. fire

ithīr

noun. light

Qenya 

fire

noun. mortal man

A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “mortal man” derived from the root ᴹ√PHIR (Ety/PHIR).

Cognates

  • N. feir “mortal man, mortal” ✧ Ety/PHIR

Derivations

  • ᴹ√PHIR “die of natural causes” ✧ Ety/PHIR

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√PHIR > fire[pʰire] > [ɸire] > [fire]✧ Ety/PHIR

faire

noun. radiance

Cognates

  • On. phaire “radiance” ✧ Ety/PHAY

Derivations

  • ᴹ√PHAY “radiate, send out rays of light” ✧ Ety/PHAY

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√PHAY > faire[pʰajre] > [pʰaire] > [ɸaire] > [faire]✧ Ety/PHAY

Variations

  • faire ✧ Ety/PHAY

úr

noun. fire, heat

The word ᴹQ. úr “fire” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√UR “be hot”, but this word was deleted when Tolkien revised the meaning of the root to “wide, large, great” (Ety/UR). However, the root √UR “heat” reappeared in later writings (PE22/160), and úr “fire” appeared in The Feanorian Alphabet of the 1930s as the name of tengwa #36 [.] (PE22/23). It reappeared again in the version of that document from the 1940s, but with the gloss “fire, heat” (PE22/51). In the 1st edition of The Lord of the Rings, the name of tengwa #36 was úr “heat” (RC/736), revised in the 2nd edition to Q. úrë “heat” (LotR/1123).

Conceptual Development: The earliest precursor of ᴹQ. úr “fire” was ᴱQ. uru “fire” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√URU (QL/98).

Neo-Quenya: Based on the development of the names for tengwa #36, it seems 1930s úr “fire” >> 1940s úr “fire, heat” >> 1950s úr “heat” >> 1960s úre “heat”. However, the introduction of Q. úrë “heat” might mean that úr could once again be used for “fire”, and this has long been a popular word in Neo-Quenya. I would retain úr for that purpose, as it also allows us to salvage several fire-related related adjectives. It is possible, though, that the root √UR was restricted to “heat” and can no longer be used for “fire”.

Cognates

  • N. ûr “fire” ✧ Ety/UR

Derivations

  • ᴹ√UR “be hot” ✧ Ety/UR

Element in

  • ᴺQ. urulanya “wick, (lit.) fire-thread”
  • ᴺQ. úruva “fiery, [ᴱQ.] like fire”
  • ᴺQ. ussar “sulphur, (lit.) fire-stone”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√UR > úr[ūr]✧ Ety/UR

Variations

  • ūr ✧ PE22/023; PE22/051
Qenya [Ety/UR; PE22/023; PE22/051] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kulo

noun. flame

A word for “flame” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√KUL “golden-red”, but this word was deleted (EtyAC/KUL).

Cognates

  • N. cûl “flame” ✧ EtyAC/KUL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KUL “golden-red” ✧ EtyAC/KUL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KUL > kulo[kulo]✧ EtyAC/KUL

nár(e)

noun. flame

Cognates

  • N. naur “flame” ✧ Ety/NAR¹

Derivations

  • ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” ✧ Ety/NAR¹

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√NAR¹ > nár[nār]✧ Ety/NAR¹

Variations

  • nár ✧ Ety/NAR¹
  • náre ✧ Ety/NAR¹

anar

noun. Sun

Cognates

  • Ad. ûri “sun” ✧ SD/306
  • N. Anor “Sun” ✧ Ety/ANÁR; Ety/NAR¹; LR/041; LRI/Anar; SD/306; SDI2/Anar
  • S. Anor “Sun” ✧ SDI2/Anar

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶Anār “Sun” ✧ Ety/ANÁR; SD/306
    • ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” ✧ Ety/ANÁR
  • ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” ✧ Ety/NAR¹

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶anār- > Anar[anār] > [anar]✧ Ety/ANÁR
ᴹ√NAR¹ > Anar[anār] > [anar]✧ Ety/NAR¹
ᴹ✶Anār > Anar[anār] > [anar]✧ SD/306

Variations

  • anar ✧ PE22/019; PE22/023
Qenya [Ety/ANÁR; Ety/NAR¹; EtyAC/ANÁR; LR/041; LR/072; LR/240; LRI/Anar; PE22/019; PE22/023; SD/306; SDI2/Anar] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kala

noun. light

Cognates

  • N. glaw “radiance” ✧ Ety/KAL

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶k’lā “light” ✧ Ety/KAL
    • ᴹ√KAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL; PE18/038

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶k’lā́ > kala[kala]✧ Ety/KAL

kalina

adjective. light

Cognates

  • N. calen “green, (orig.) bright-coloured” ✧ Ety/KAL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KAL > kalina[kalina]✧ Ety/KAL

Doriathrin

gôl

noun. light

A (rejected?) Doriathrin noun for “light” derived from primitive ᴹ✶gālæ appearing in The Etymologies (Ety/KAL, EtyAC/KAL). According to Christopher Tolkien’s notes, it was part of a rejected etymology for the name Thingol, but it isn’t clear whether this noun was rejected or if it was just the etymology. Its long primitive vowel [[ilk|[ā] became [ō]]] as was the norm in Ilkorin.

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶gālæ “light” ✧ Ety/KAL
    • ᴹ√KAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL

Element in

  • Ilk. ThingolGrey-wise” ✧ Ety/KAL (Thingol*)

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶gālæ > gôl[gālæ] > [gāla] > [gōla] > [gōl]✧ Ety/KAL

Variations

  • gôl ✧ Ety/KAL (Dor. gôl); EtyAC/KAL (N. gôl)
Doriathrin [Ety/KAL; EtyAC/KAL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Old Noldorin 

phaire

noun. radiance

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. faire “radiance” ✧ Ety/PHAY

Derivations

  • ᴹ√PHAY “radiate, send out rays of light” ✧ Ety/PHAY

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√PHAY > phaire[pʰajre] > [pʰaire] > [ɸaire]✧ Ety/PHAY
Old Noldorin [Ety/PHAY] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

nar

root. flame, fire

Derivatives

  • ᴹ✶Anār “Sun” ✧ Ety/ANÁR
    • ᴹQ. Anar “Sun” ✧ Ety/ANÁR; SD/306
    • N. Anor “Sun” ✧ Ety/ANÁR; SD/302; SD/306
  • ᴹ√NARTA “kindle”
    • ᴹQ. narta- “to kindle, to kindle, *ignite, inflame, set fire to” ✧ EtyAC/NARTA
    • N. Narthas “The Gore” ✧ EtyAC/NARTA
    • N. nartha- “to kindle, to kindle, *ignite, inflame, set fire to” ✧ EtyAC/NARTA
  • ᴹ✶narwā “fiery red” ✧ Ety/NAR¹
    • N. naru “red, [fiery] red” ✧ Ety/NAR¹
  • ᴹQ. Anar “Sun” ✧ Ety/NAR¹
  • ᴹQ. nár(e) “flame” ✧ Ety/NAR¹
  • N. Anor “Sun” ✧ Ety/NAR¹
  • N. naur “flame” ✧ Ety/NAR¹

Element in

  • ᴹQ. Narqelion “Fire-fading, Autumn” ✧ Ety/NAR¹
  • ᴹQ. Narsil
  • N. Egnor ✧ Ety/NAR¹
  • N. Feanor “Radiant Sun” ✧ Ety/NAR¹

Variations

  • ANÁR ✧ Ety/ANÁR
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/ANÁR; Ety/NAR¹] Group: Eldamo. Published by

narta

root. kindle

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “kindle”, with derivatives ᴹQ. narta- and N. nartha- of the same meaning (EtyAC/NARTA). There is a mark above the final A that might be a partially formed macron (NARTĀ), so this “root” may just be an ordinary causative verb “✱make fire” = ᴹ√NAR + ᴹ✶-tā. The root was originally glossed “spear point, gore, triangle” with a derivative [N.] Narthas “gore”, a name that appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts but was eventually replaced by N./S. Naith “angle” (TI/244 note #50).

Changes

  • NARTANARTA “spear point, gore, triangle” ✧ EtyAC/NARTA

Derivations

  • ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire”

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. narta- “to kindle, to kindle, *ignite, inflame, set fire to” ✧ EtyAC/NARTA
  • N. Narthas “The Gore” ✧ EtyAC/NARTA
  • N. nartha- “to kindle, to kindle, *ignite, inflame, set fire to” ✧ EtyAC/NARTA
Middle Primitive Elvish [EtyAC/NARTA] Group: Eldamo. Published by

glā

noun. radiance

Derivations

  • ᴹ√GAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL

Derivatives

  • N. glaw “radiance” ✧ Ety/KAL

Variations

  • g’lā́ ✧ Ety/KAL
  • g’lā ✧ EtyAC/KAL
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/KAL; EtyAC/KAL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

anār

noun. Sun

Derivations

  • ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” ✧ Ety/ANÁR

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. Anar “Sun” ✧ Ety/ANÁR; SD/306
  • N. Anor “Sun” ✧ Ety/ANÁR; SD/302; SD/306

Element in

Variations

  • anār- ✧ Ety/ANÁR
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/ANÁR; SD/302; SD/306] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gālæ

noun. light

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL

Derivatives

  • Ilk. gôl “light” ✧ Ety/KAL
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/KAL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kalat

noun. light

Variations

  • kalat- ✧ PE21/56
Middle Primitive Elvish [PE21/56] Group: Eldamo. Published by

k’lā

noun. light

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL; PE18/038

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. kala “light” ✧ Ety/KAL

Element in

  • ᴹQ. Kalion “Son of Light, Valinorian Elda” ✧ PE21/37 (kalion)

Variations

  • k’lā́ ✧ Ety/KAL
  • klā́ ✧ PE18/038
  • kalĭ ✧ PE21/37 (kalĭ)
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/KAL; EtyAC/KAL; PE18/038; PE21/37] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

noun. fire

Cognates

  • Eq. “fire” ✧ LT1A/Sári

Derivations

  • ᴱ√SAH(Y)A “be hot” ✧ LT1A/Sári

Element in

  • G. Sacha “the Fire-fey” ✧ GL/66

Variations

  • sai ✧ GL/66 (sai); LT1A/Sári (sai)
Gnomish [GL/66; LT1A/Sári] Group: Eldamo. Published by

cantha

noun. flame

A noun in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “flame” (GL/25), probably based on the early root ᴱ√KṆŘṆ [KṆÐṆ] “shine” (QL/47).

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
KṆÐṆ“shine”
-tha“noun or adjective suffix”

galaduir

proper name. Sun

uril

proper name. Sun

Cognates

  • Eq. Ûr “Sun, (lit.) Fire” ✧ LT1A/Ûr

Derivations

  • ᴱ√URU ✧ LT1A/Ûr
Gnomish [GL/75; LT1A/Ûr] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gaul

noun. light

hŷr

noun. sun

A word appearing in the Gnomish Lexicon Slips of the 1910s as {ŷr >>} hŷr “sun” beside a variant G. aur of the same meaning (PE13/114).

Changes

  • ŷrhŷr ✧ PE13/114

Element in

  • G. Aura-nûmin “Sunset” ✧ PE13/114 (Hyrnymi)
  • G. Aurfaiglim “the Sun at noon” ✧ PE13/114 (Hýrfaiglin)
  • G. Auros ✧ PE13/114
  • G. hyrost “*dawn” ✧ PE13/114

Variations

  • ŷr ✧ PE13/114 (ŷr)

aur(a)

noun. Sun

A noun in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s appearing as Aur “Sun” (GL/20), probably a cognate of ᴱQ. Ûr from the root ᴱ√URU as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Ûr; QL/098). It appeared as aura in G. nalos·aura “sunset” and G. orosaura “sunrise” (GL/59, 62). The word G. aur “sun” was also mentioned in Gnomish Lexicon Slips with corrections for that document (PE13/114), but by The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. aur meant “day”, whereas N. Anor became the name of the Sun (Ety/ANÁR, AR¹).

Cognates

  • Eq. Ûr “Sun, (lit.) Fire” ✧ LT1A/Ûr

Derivations

  • ᴱ√URU ✧ LT1A/Ûr

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√URU > Aur[ūra] > [aura] > [aur]✧ LT1A/Ûr

Variations

  • Aur ✧ GL/20; GL/75; LT1A/Ûr; LT1I/Aur
  • aura ✧ GL/59; GL/62 (aura)
  • aur ✧ PE13/114
Gnomish [GL/20; GL/59; GL/62; GL/75; LT1A/Ûr; LT1I/Aur; PE13/114] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

buir

noun. fire

byr

noun. fire

Derivations

Variations

  • buir ✧ PE13/139
Early Noldorin [PE13/139] Group: Eldamo. Published by

fion

noun. mortal man

Element in

  • En. fionwin “woman; (fem.) mortal man” ✧ PE13/143; PE13/143; PE15/62
  • En. fionweg “a man” ✧ PE15/62
Early Noldorin [PE13/143; PE15/62] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lhacha

noun. flame

Early Noldorin [PE13/148] Group: Eldamo. Published by

úr

noun. sun

Changes

  • húrúr ✧ PE13/155

Cognates

  • Eq. auro “sun” ✧ PE13/155
  • Et. úru ✧ PE13/155

Derivations

  • ᴱ✶ourū̆ “sun” ✧ PE13/155

Element in

Variations

  • húr ✧ PE13/155 (húr)
Early Noldorin [PE13/137; PE13/151; PE13/155] Group: Eldamo. Published by

glaiw

noun. light

Derivations

  • ᴱ√KALA “shine golden”
Early Noldorin [PE13/144] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

saχ[a]

noun. fire

Derivations

  • ᴱ√SAH(Y)A “be hot” ✧ QL/081

Element in

  • ᴱ✶saχsōđa “house of fire” ✧ PE12/021; QL/081

Variations

  • saχ ✧ PE12/021; QL/081
Early Primitive Elvish [PE12/021; QL/081] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tana

root. *fire, kindle

Derivatives

  • Eq. tan(y)a “fire”
  • G. tangar “hearthgrate, fireplace” ✧ GL/69
  • G. tan “firewood” ✧ GL/69
  • G. tang “flame, flash” ✧ GL/69
  • G. tantha- “to set light to, kindle” ✧ GL/69
  • G. tôn “fire (on a hearth)” ✧ GL/69; GL/71

Variations

  • tan- ✧ GL/69; GL/71
Early Primitive Elvish [GL/69; GL/71] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tuðu

root. kindle

The root ᴱ√TUŘU “kindle” [TUÐU] appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with variant forms ᴱ√TUSO and ᴱ√TUSU as well as derivatives like ᴱQ. tunda- “kindle”, ᴱQ. turu “wood, properly firewood”, and ᴱQ. tusturin “match” (QL/96). The contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon had a similar primitive form tudh- with derivatives like G. tund “log for the fire”, G. tusta- “inflame, kindle, set light to, burn”, and G. tuthli “match” (GL/72). However, the Gnomish Lexicon also had words like G. drui “wood, forest” and G. duru “wood; a pole, beam, or log” (GL/31). Since initial d- &gt; t- in Early Qenya, it seems likely that ᴱ√TUŘU “kindle” may also represent a blending with an unattested root ✱ᴱ√DURU “wood”.

Many years later Tolkien gave a hypothetical root √TUD in contrasted to √TUL to illustrate certain principles of etymological variations (VT48/25). It is not clear whether this √TUD is related to earlier ᴱ√TUÐU “kindle”. Nevertheless, I think it is worth positing a Neo-Root ᴺ√TUD “firewood, kindling” to salvage Early Qenya and Gnomish words of similar meaning.

Derivatives

  • Eq. tunda- “to kindle” ✧ LT1A/Turuhalmë; QL/096
  • Eq. tundo “firewood, fuel” ✧ QL/096
  • Eq. turu “wood (as material), (orig.) firewood” ✧ LT1A/Turuhalmë; QL/096
  • Eq. turya- “to catch fire” ✧ QL/096
  • Eq. tusture “tinder, chips, firewood” ✧ LT1A/Turuhalmë; QL/096
  • En. dron “wood”
  • G. drui “wood, forest”
  • G. duru “wood; pole, beam, log” ✧ LT1A/Turuhalmë
  • G. tuth “tinder” ✧ GL/72
  • G. tund “log for the fire” ✧ GL/72
  • G. tusta- “to inflame, kindle, set light to, burn (tr.)” ✧ GL/72
  • G. tusc “inflammable; touchy, irritable; explosive” ✧ GL/72

Element in

  • Eq. tustima “inflammable” ✧ QL/096

Variations

  • tudh- ✧ GL/72
  • TURU ✧ LT1A/Turuhalmë
  • TUSO ✧ LT1A/Turuhalmë; QL/096
  • TUŘU ✧ QL/096
  • TUSU ✧ QL/096
  • TUR̂U ✧ QL/096
Early Primitive Elvish [GL/72; LT1A/Turuhalmë; QL/096] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ourū̆

noun. sun

Changes

  • ourǝourū̆ ✧ PE13/155

Derivatives

  • Eq. auro “sun” ✧ PE13/155
  • En. úr “sun” ✧ PE13/155
  • Et. úru ✧ PE13/155

Variations

  • ourǝ ✧ PE13/155 (ourǝ)
Early Primitive Elvish [PE13/155] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

noun. fire

Cognates

  • G. “fire” ✧ LT1A/Sári

Derivations

  • ᴱ√SAH(Y)A “be hot” ✧ LT1A/Sári; QL/081

Element in

  • Eq. Sainen “Saturday”
  • Eq. saqila “fire-red, scarlet” ✧ QL/081
  • Eq. sár(e)a “fiery” ✧ QL/081

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√SAHA > [sax] > [saɣ] > [sā]✧ QL/081

Variations

  • ✧ LT1A/Sári
  • ✧ PME/081
  • ✧ QL/081
Early Quenya [LT1A/Sári; PME/081; QL/081] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tan(y)a

noun. fire

An element meaning “fire” in some early names: tanya in ᴱQ. Tanyasalpe (LT1/187), tana in ᴱQ. Tana Qentima equivalent of G. Tôn a Gwedrin “Tale-fire” (PE15/7; LT2/197), and possibly also in ᴱQ. Fatanyu “Hell” (GL/51). Tan(y)a is likely a derivative of the early root ᴱ√tan- (GL/69, 71).

Cognates

  • G. tôn “fire (on a hearth)”

Derivations

  • ᴱ√TANA “*fire, kindle”

Element in

Variations

  • Tanya ✧ LT1A/Tanyasalpë
  • Tana ✧ PE15/07
Early Quenya [LT1A/Tanyasalpë; PE15/07] Group: Eldamo. Published by

uru

noun. fire

Cognates

  • G. ûr “smith” ✧ GL/75

Derivations

  • ᴱ√URU ✧ LT1A/Ûr; QL/098

Element in

  • Eq. (uru)purnie “conflagration” ✧ QL/075
  • Eq. uruvoite “fiery, having fire” ✧ LT1A/Ûr; QL/098
  • Eq. urúva “like fire” ✧ LT1A/Ûr; QL/098

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√URU > uru[urū] > [uru]✧ QL/098
Early Quenya [GL/75; LT1A/Ûr; QL/075; QL/098] Group: Eldamo. Published by

velka

noun. flame

A noun in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “a flame” derived from the early root ᴱ√(M)BELEKE (GL/22).

Cognates

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√melek/mbelek/belek > velka[βelkā] > [βelka] > [velka]✧ GL/22
Early Quenya [GL/22; LT1A/Melko] Group: Eldamo. Published by

auro

noun. sun

A noun appearing in Early Noldorin Word-lists as {ūru >>} auro, cognate of ᴱN. úr “sun”, and derived from {✶ourǝ >>} ✶ourū̆ (PE13/155). Elsewhere Q. Úr(in) was a name for the Sun from the 1910s up through the 1950s, but Tolkien eventually changed this to Vása (MR/198).

Changes

  • ūruauro ✧ PE13/155

Cognates

  • En. úr “sun” ✧ PE13/155

Derivations

  • ᴱ✶ourū̆ “sun” ✧ PE13/155

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ✶ourū̆ > auro[ouru] > [ouro] > [auro]✧ PE13/155

Variations

  • ūru ✧ PE13/155 (ūru)
Early Quenya [PE13/155] Group: Eldamo. Published by

sári

proper name. Sun

A name for the Sun in the earliest Lost Tales (LT1/186), probably a derivative of the root ᴱ√SAH(Y)A “be hot” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Sári).

Derivations

  • ᴱ√SAH(Y)A “be hot” ✧ LT1A/Sári

Variations

  • Sāri ✧ PE14/014
Early Quenya [LRI/Sári; LT1/186; LT1/198; LT1A/Sári; LT1I/Sári; PE14/014; SMI/Sári] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ahúra

noun. Sun

An early Qenya word for the Sun appearing in a word list from the 1920s (PE15/77). Its etymology is obscure.

Element in

Early Quenya [PE15/77] Group: Eldamo. Published by