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)

ancal-

verb. blaze

blaze

laurë

gold

†laurë noun "gold", but of golden light and colour, not of the metal: "golden light" (according to PE17:61 a poetic word). Nai laurë lantuva parmastanna lúmissen tengwiesto "may (a) golden light fall on your book at the times of your reading" (VT49:47). In Etym defined as "light of the golden Tree Laurelin, gold", not properly used of the metal gold (LÁWAR/GLÁWAR, GLAW(-R), VT27:20, 27, PE17:159). In early "Qenya", however, laurë was defined as "(the mystic name of) gold" (LT1:255, 258) or simply "gold" (LT1:248, 268). In Laurelin and Laurefindil, q.v., Laurenandë "Gold-valley" = Lórien (the land, not the Vala) (UT:253) and laurinquë name of a tree, possibly *"Gold-full one" (UT:168). Laurendon "like gold" or "in gold fashion" (but after citing this form, Tolkien decided to abandon the similative ending -ndon, PE17:58).

fá

noun. *ray of light, flame

An (archaic) Parmaquesta (PQ) noun in the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the 1950s derived from primitive ✶phāy as an example of how ancient final y vanished after long vowels in monosyllables (PE19/104). A few pages earlier, primitive ✶phāy was glossed “flame, ray of light” (PE17/102), so perhaps this was the intended meaning of fá also. But Tolkien said it was given up in favor of the longer form fëa (PE19/104), which elsewhere was usually translated as “spirit”.

Neo-Quenya: Given that this word is archaic and is of uncertain meaning, I would avoid its use for purposes of Neo-Quenya, using words like ᴹQ. alka for “ray of light” and Q. fëa for “spirit”.

Derivations

• ✶phāy “flame, ray of light” ✧ PE19/104
  • √PHAY “spirit, spirit; [ᴹ√] radiate, send out rays of light”
  • √PHA “exhalations (as mists upon water or steams and the like)” ✧ NM/237

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶phāy > fá	[pʰāj] > [pʰā] > [ɸā] > [fā]	✧ PE19/104

Variations

• fá ✧ PE19/104

ruinë

fire, a blaze

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

sá

fire

sá noun "fire" (LT1:265; "Qenya" spelling sâ. 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.

Tar-culu

gold

Tar-culu ("k"), name listed in the Etymologies but not elsewhere attested. The second element is apparently culu "gold" (a word Tolkien seems to have abandoned); Hostetter and Wynne suggest that this may be an alternative name of Tar-Calion (= Ar-Pharazôn "the Golden"); see VT45:24.

culo

gold

[culo, culu ("k")noun "gold" (substance)] (KUL, VT49:47; the word culu_ also occurred in early "Qenya" [LT1:258], but in the Etymologies it was struck out; the regular Quenya word for "gold" is apparently _malta. In another version, culo meant "flame" [VT45:24], but this is apparently also a word Tolkien abandoned.)

malta

gold

malta noun "gold", also name of tengwa #18 (Appendix E). The Etymologies (entry SMAL) instead has malda, q.v. for discussion, but according to VT46:14, the form malta originally appeared in the Etymologies as well. Also compare the root MALAT listed in PM:366.

lacho

verb. flame!

naur

noun. flame

lacha-

verb. to flame

lacha-

verb. to flame

A verb for “to flame” appearing as an imperative in the phrase lacho calad! “flame light!” (UT/65), the verb form of lach “flame”.

Element in

• S. Lacho calad! Drego morn! “Flame light! Flee night!” ✧ UT/065

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. sâ 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

• S. Aegnor “Fell Fire, Sharp Flame” ✧ SA/nár
• S. Baranor “?Eager Fire”
• S. Faenor “Spirit of Fire”
• S. Fëanor “Spirit of Fire” ✧ SA/nár
• S. Goenor “Fell Fire” ✧ PM/363
• S. Narbeleth “October, Sun-fading, Sun-waning”
• S. Nardol “Fire-hilltop”
• ᴺS. narvaenas “firework”
• S. Narwain “January, *(lit.) New Fire”
• S. naur an edraith ammen “fire [be] for saving of us” ✧ LotR/0290; LotR/0299; PE17/038
• S. naur dan i ngaurhoth “*fire against the wolf-horde” ✧ LotR/0299; PE17/038
• S. Nórui “June, *Fiery”
• S. Rodnor
• S. Sammath Naur “Chambers of Fire” ✧ LotR/0942; PE17/038; PE17/101; SA/nár

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√(A)NAR > naur	[nār] > [nǭr] > [naur]	✧ PE17/038

Variations

• Naur ✧ LotR/0299; LotR/0942

lach

noun. (leaping) flame

lach

noun. (leaping) flame

An element meaning “flame” appearing in many names. Christopher Tolkien gave its form as lhach “leaping flame” in the Silmarillion appendix (SA/lhach), but given Lachend “Flame-eyed” (WJ/384) and lacho calad! “flame light!” (UT/65), I think ✱lach is the likelier Sindarin form, which is the form also suggested by HSD (HSD).

Conceptual Development: ᴱN. lhacha “flame” appeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/148).

Element in

• S. Anglachel “*Iron-of-the-flaming-star” ✧ SA/lhach
• S. Borlach “?Steadfast-flame”
• S. bragollach “sudden flame” ✧ SA/lhach
• S. Finellach “?Flame of Hair and Eye”
• S. Lachend “Flame-eyed” ✧ WJ/384

Variations

• lhach ✧ SA/lhach
• Lach ✧ WJ/384 (Lach)

-ruin

suffix. fire

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

naur

noun. fire

naur

fire

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

malt

noun. gold, gold (as metal)

Cognates

• Q. malta “gold (metal), gold as material” ✧ PE17/050

Derivations

• √MALAT “gold”

Element in

• S. Araval
• S. Malbeth “*Golden Word”
• S. mallorn “gold tree, yellow tree”
• S. mallos “golden flower”
• ᴺS. malthos “butter cup”
• S. Malvegil “?Sword of Gold”
• Os. malthorn “gold tree” ✧ PE17/050; VT42/27

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.

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)*.

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

• Q. úrë “heat”

Derivations

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

Element in

• S. Urui “August, *Hot-one”
• S. Urwen

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶ūr > ūr	[ūr]	✧ PE21/71

Variations

• ūr ✧ PE21/71 (ūr)

ûr

fire

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

malad

gold

(as metal) 1) malad (i valad), pl. melaid (i melaid) if there is a pl. 2) malt (i valt), pl. melt (i melt) if there is a pl. (VT42:27). ”Gold” in extended senses: glawar (i **lawar) (sunlight, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair**) (VT41:10) GOLD (COLOUR?) *mall (i vall), pl. mail (i mail) if there is a pl. Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” malt.

malad

gold

(i valad), pl. melaid (i melaid) if there is a pl.

bregedúr

wildfire

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

narthan

fire-sign

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

mall

gold

(i vall), pl. mail (i mail) if there is a pl. – Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” malt.

malt

gold

(i valt), pl. melt (i melt) if there is a pl. (VT42:27). ”Gold” in extended senses: glawar (i ’lawar) (sunlight, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair) (VT41:10)

lóri

noun. gold

Cognates

• Q. laurë “gold (light or colour)” ✧ NM/347; PE17/048
• T. glavarë “golden light”

Element in

• Nan. Lórinand “Valley of Gold(en Light)” ✧ NM/347; PE17/048

Variations

• lōri ✧ NM/347
• lór- ✧ PE17/048

ghâsh

noun. fire

Variations

• Ghâsh ✧ LotRI/Ghâsh

pharaz

noun. gold

A noun meaning “gold”, the only Adûnaic word defined in The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1114).

Conceptual Development: This noun also appears in “Lowdham’s Report on the Adunaic Language” from the 1940s (SD/426).

Element in

• Ad. Pharazôn “Golden” ✧ LotR/1114

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

nāro

noun. fire

Derivations

• √NAR “fire, fire, [ᴹ√] flame”

Element in

• ✶Phayanāro “Spirit of Fire” ✧ PE17/039

phāy

noun. flame, ray of light

Derivations

• √PHAY “spirit, spirit; [ᴹ√] radiate, send out rays of light”
  • √PHA “exhalations (as mists upon water or steams and the like)” ✧ NM/237

Derivatives

• Q. fá “*ray of light, flame” ✧ PE19/104

malat

root. gold

Derivatives

• ✶mal(a)tā “gold (as metal)”
  • Q. malta “gold (metal), gold as material”
• S. malt “gold, gold (as metal)”

Elements

Word	Gloss
MAL	“gold, yellow, gold”

mal

root. gold, yellow, gold

This was the root for Elvish words meaning “yellow” for much of Tolkien’s life, though with some minor variations. It appeared as ᴱ√MALA “yellow” (usually mali-) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. malina “yellow” and ᴱQ. malikon “amber” (QL/58). It also appeared in a list of M-roots at the end of that section (QL/63). It had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. malon “yellow” and G. malthos “butter cup” (GL/56).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s it seems Tolkien first gave this root as ᴹ√MAL (EtyAC/MAL) but rejected this and replaced it with ᴹ√SMAL “yellow” (Ety/SMAL). It had derivatives like ᴹQ. malina/N. malen “yellow”, ᴹQ. malta/N. malt “gold (as metal)” and ᴹQ. malo/N. hmâl “pollen, yellow powder” (< ᴹ✶smalu), with some revisions in Noldorin forms as Tolkien vacillated on whether or not primitive sm- resulted in voiceless nasal hm- or a voiced nasal m-.

This √SMAL vs. √MAL variation seems to have continued into Tolkien’s later writings, as seen in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s where ✶malu >> ✶smalu “dust, grit” (PE21/80), probably a later iteration of ᴹ✶smalu “pollen, yellow powder” from The Etymologies. But it seems Tolkien settled on √MAL as evidenced by the extended root √MALAT “gold” from The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968 (PM/366).

Derivatives

• ✶malnā “yellow, of golden colour”
  • Q. malina “yellow, of golden colour” ✧ PE17/051
• ✶malu “dust”
• ✶smalu “dust, grit, [ᴹ✶] pollen, yellow powder; [✶] dust, grit”
• S. mallen “golden, golden, [N.] of gold”

Element in

• ✶Malaphinde “Goldlocks”
• √MALAT “gold”
• Q. culumalda “laburnum, *(lit.) orange-tree” ✧ SA/mal
• ᴺQ. malicon “amber”
• Q. Malinalda “Tree of Gold” ✧ SA/mal
• ᴺQ. malma “lemon”
• S. Cormallen “Golden Circle” ✧ SA/mal
• S. Malduin “Yellow River” ✧ SA/mal
• S. Malgalad “?yellow radiance”
• S. Mallor
• S. mallorn “gold tree, yellow tree” ✧ SA/mal

Variations

• mal- ✧ SA/mal

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

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√KUL > cûl	[kūl]	✧ EtyAC/KUL

naur

noun. flame

naur

noun. flame

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nár(e) “flame” ✧ Ety/NAR¹

Derivations

• ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” ✧ Ety/NAR¹

Element in

• N. Egnor ✧ Ety/EK
• N. Baranor
• N. Nardol
• N. naur ad i gaurhoth “*fire against the wolf-horde” ✧ TI/187
• N. Narothal “Firefoot”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√NAR¹ > naur	[nār] > [nǭr] > [nour] > [naur]	✧ Ety/NAR¹

lhach

noun. (leaping) flame

naur

noun. fire

rhuin

noun. fire

Element in

• N. Orodruin “Mountain of Fire” ✧ TI/028

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

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√UR > úr	[ūr]	✧ Ety/UR

Variations

• úr ✧ Ety/UR (úr)
• ûr ✧ EtyAC/UR (ûr)

glaur

noun. gold

Cognates

• ᴹQ. laure “gold” ✧ Ety/GLAW(-R); Ety/LÁWAR

Derivations

• ᴹ√(G)LAWAR “*gold” ✧ Ety/GLAW(-R); Ety/LÁWAR

Element in

• N. Glorfindel ✧ Ety/LÁWAR
• N. gloriel “golden” ✧ Ety/LÁWAR
• N. Inglor “*Heart of Gold” ✧ Ety/LÁWAR
• N. Maglor “Gold-cleaver” ✧ Ety/MAK

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√GLAW(-R) > glaur	[glawre] > [glaure] > [glǭre] > [gloure] > [glaure] > [glaur]	✧ Ety/GLAW(-R)
ᴹ√GLÁWAR > glaur	[glawre] > [glaure] > [glǭre] > [gloure] > [glaure] > [glaur]	✧ Ety/LÁWAR

Variations

• glor-/lor- ✧ EtyAC/LÁWAR

malt

noun. gold (as metal)

mallen

adjective. of gold, golden

côl

noun. gold (metal)

malthen

adjective. of gold, golden

ûr

noun. fire, heat