_ n. _ocean.
Sindarin
gaer
adjective. red, copper-coloured, ruddy
gaer
noun. sea
gaer
Sea
gaer
noun. sea
gaer
ocean
gaer
adjective. awful, fearful, awful, fearful, [N.] dreadful
Derivations
Element in
- S. Gaerys “Ossë” ✧ WJ/400
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶gairā > gaer [gairā] > [gaira] > [gair] > [gaer] ✧ WJ/400 Variations
- gaer ✧ WJ/400 (gaer)
gaear
noun. sea
gaear
Sea
gaear
noun. sea
A word for “sea” variously attested as gaear (PE17/027; PM/363; WJ/400), gaer (PE17/27; PE17/149), and aear (Let/386; RGEO/65) in later writings. Of these, I prefer gaear for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, reduced to gaer in compounds.
Possible Etymology: The presence or absence of the initial g- depends on whether the word’s root is √AY(AR) (as it appears in The Etymologies and some later writings) or √GAY(AR) (as it appears in other later writings). See the entry of the root √GAY(AR) for a discussion of this vacillation. Similarly, the form gaer appears primarily as an element in compounds, and can be explained as a reduced form of gaear in that context. For these reasons, this entry uses gaear as the ordinary Sindarin word for “sea”. This has the additional advantage of disambiguating it from the adjective gaer “dreadful”.
Conceptual Development: This word appeared as N. oer or oear “sea” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, reflecting the Noldorin sound change of ai to oe (Ety/AY). However name for the “Great Sea” was N. {Belegar >>} Belegaer in the narratives of this period (LR/19), and the name N. Rhûnaer “Eastern Sea” appeared in draft Lord of the Rings maps from 1943 (TI/307). The element N. oer did appear in the day-of-the-week name N. Aroeren “✱Sea-day” in drafts of The Lord of the Rings appendices, but this was revised to S. Oraeron (PM/130, 138).
Cognates
Derivations
Element in
- S. Aerandir “Sea-wanderer”
- S. Belegaer “Great Sea” ✧ PM/363; SA/ëar; SA/gaer
- S. gaearon “ocean, (lit.) great sea” ✧ PE17/027; PE17/149; PM/363; RGEO/65
- S. Gaerdil “*Sea-lover” ✧ PE17/027
- ᴺS. gaeruil “seaweed”
- S. Gaerys “Ossë” ✧ SA/gaer
- ᴺS. gaessarn “pearl, (lit.) sea-pebble”
- S. nef aear, sí nef aearon “here ... beyond the Sea, beyond the wide and sundering Sea” ✧ LotR/0238; PE17/027; RGEO/63; RGEO/64
- S. Tirith Aear “Sea-ward Tower”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶gaı̯ră > gaer [gaira] > [gair] > [gaer] ✧ PE17/027 ✶Gayar- > gaear [gaiara] > [gaiar] > [gaear] ✧ PM/363 Variations
- aear ✧ Let/386; RGEO/65
- gaer ✧ PE17/027; PE17/149; SA/ëar; SA/gaer
aer
adjective. holy
aer
noun. sea
gaeron
noun. great sea, ocean
gaeron
noun. ocean
_ n. _ocean.
aear
noun. sea
Tolkien changed this word several times, see gaear
aear
Sea
aear
noun. sea
daer
adjective. dreadful
_ adj. _dreadful, horrible, ghastly.
naer
adjective. dreadful
_ adj. _dreadful, horrible, unendurable. Q. naira.
gaearon
noun. great sea, ocean
gaearon
ocean
_n. _ocean. Augmentative form of _gaear _Sea. Q. earon, airon. >> gaear
belegaer
noun. ocean
_ n. _ocean.
belegaer
place name. Great Sea
Name of the “Great Sea” lying between Middle-earth and Valinor (S/37). This name is a compound of beleg “mighty” and gae(a)r “sea” (SA/beleg, gaer; PM/363).
Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name first appeared as N. Belegar (LR/14), soon revised to Belegaer (LR/19). In The Etymologies, it appeared as Belegoer (Ety/ÁLAT, AY, BEL), a reflection of Tolkien’s uncertainty on whether the diphthong [[n|[ai] became [oe] or [ae]]]. In the later Silmarillion revisions from the 1930s, he used Belegaer consistently following the [[n|revision of [oe] to [ae]]].
Elements
Word Gloss beleg “great, mighty; large, big, great, mighty; large, big, [ᴱN.] huge” gaear “sea” Variations
- belegaer ✧ PE17/149
aearon
noun. great sea, ocean
Tolkien changed this word several times, see gaearon
aearon
ocean
_n. _ocean. Augmentative form of _aear _Sea. Q. earon, airon. nef aear, sí nef aearon lit. 'beyond the Sea, here beyond the Great Sea'. >> aear
caran
adjective. red
caran
red
_ adj. _red, ruddy. >> Caradhras
caran
adjective. red
Cognates
- Q. carnë “red, scarlet” ✧ PE17/036; SA/caran
Derivations
- ✶karani “red” ✧ VT41/10
Element in
- ᴺS. amosgarn “robin, (lit.) red-breast”
- S. Caradhras “Redhorn”
- S.
caralluin“*red-blue”- S. Caran-rass “Redhorn” ✧ PE17/036; SA/caran
- S. Caranthir “Red-face” ✧ SA/caran; VT41/10
- S. Carcharoth “Red Maw, ?(lit.) Great Red Fang”
- S. Cardolan “?Red Hill Land”
- S. Carn Dûm “?Red Valley”
- S. Carnen “Redwater”
- ᴺS. melingarn “orange, tawny”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶carani- > caran [karani] > [karane] > [karan] ✧ VT41/10
goeol
adjective. dreadful, terrifying
ruin
adjective. (fiery) red
gaer
holy
gaer (awful, fearful); lenited aear; no distinct pl. form. Note: homophones mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "sea".
gaer
holy
(awful, fearful); lenited ’aear; no distinct pl. form. Note: homophones mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "sea".
gaer
red, reddish
(copper-coloured, ruddy); lenited ’aear; no distinct pl. form. (This is a suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” goer.) Note: homophones mean "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy" and also "sea".
gaer
copper-coloured
1) gaer (red, reddish, ruddy); lenited aear; no distinct pl. form. (This is a suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” goer.) Note: homophones mean "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy" and also "sea". 2) ross (russet, red-haired, reddish), pl. ryss. _(PM:366, VT41:9) _Note: homophones mean ””foam, rain, dew, spray” and also ”polished metal, glitter”
gaer
copper-coloured
(red, reddish, ruddy); lenited ’aear; no distinct pl. form. (This is a suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” goer.) Note: homophones mean "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy" and also "sea".
gaer
ruddy
(copper-coloured, red, reddish); lenited ’aear; no distinct pl. form. (This is a suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” goer.) Note: homophones mean "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy" and also "sea".
gaer
dreadful
1) gaer (awful, fearful; holy); lenited aear; no distinct pl. form. Note: homophones mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "sea". 2) naer (lamentable, woeful, sad); no distinct pl. form.
gaer
dreadful
(awful, fearful; holy); lenited ’aear; no distinct pl. form. Note: homophones mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "sea".
gaer
awful
1) gaer (dreadful, fearful; holy); lenited aear; no distinct pl. form. Note: homophones mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "sea". 2) taur (also tor-, tar- in compounds) (lofty, high, sublime, noble; vast, masterful, mighty, overwhelming, huge), lenited daur, pl. toer. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”great wood, forest”.
gaer
awful
(dreadful, fearful; holy); lenited ’aear; no distinct pl. form. Note: homophones mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "sea".
gaer
adjective. red, copper-coloured, ruddy
gaer
fearful
gaer (dreadful, awful; holy); lenited aear; no distinct pl. form. Note: homophones mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "sea".
gaer
fearful
(dreadful, awful; holy); lenited ’aear; no distinct pl. form. Note: homophones mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "sea".
gaer
red, reddish
gaer (copper-coloured, ruddy); lenited aear; no distinct pl. form. (This is a suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” goer.) Note: homophones mean "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy" and also "sea".
gaear
ocean
gaear (i **aear) (sea), pl. gaeair (i ngaeair** = i ñaeair).
gaear
ocean
(i ’aear) (sea), pl. gaeair (i ngaeair = i ñaeair).
aear
sea
aear (ocean); pl. aeair. The shorter form aer (for N oer) is maybe best avoided since it can be confused with aer "holy", unless the latter is actually a lenited form of gaer. Forms with g-, representing an alternative concept of the word for ”sea”: gaear (i **aear) (ocean), pl. gaeair (i ngaeair = i ñaeair) (PM:363), also gaer (i **aer, no distinct pl. form except with article: i ngaer = i ñaer), but homophones of the latter mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy".
aear
sea
(ocean); pl. aeair. The shorter form aer (for N oer) is maybe best avoided since it can be confused with aer "holy", unless the latter is actually a lenited form of gaer. Forms with g-, representing an alternative concept of the word for ”sea”: gaear (i ’aear) (ocean), pl. gaeair (i ngaeair = i ñaeair) (PM:363), also gaer (i ’aer, no distinct pl. form except with article: i ngaer = i ñaer), but homophones of the latter mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy".
aear
ocean
aear (sea), pl. aeair.
aear
ocean
(sea), pl. aeair.
naer
dreadful
(lamentable, woeful, sad); no distinct pl. form.
gaearon
great ocean
(i ‘Aearon), pl. Gaearyn (i Ngaearyn = i Ñaearyn) if there is a pl.
naru
red
(analogical pl. nery). The archaic fom narw is also listed (LR:374 s.v. NAR1).
caran
red
1) caran (lenited garan, pl. cerain). Also carn (lenited garn, pl. cern), 2) coll (scarlet), lenited goll, pl. cyll (VT45:15, 24). Note: homophones mean "hollow" and also "cloak". 3) born (hot), lenited vorn, pl. byrn, 4) (fiery red) naru (analogical pl. nery). The archaic fom narw is also listed (LR:374 s.v. _NAR_1). 5) rhosc (russet, brown), lenited ?throsc or ?rosc (the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhysc. Cf. also
caran
red
(lenited garan, pl. cerain). Also carn (lenited garn, pl. cern)
gruin
ruddy
(lenited ’ruin, no distinct pl. form)
born
red
(hot), lenited vorn, pl. byrn
coll
red
(scarlet), lenited goll, pl. cyll (VT45:15, 24). Note: homophones mean "hollow" and also "cloak".
iaun
holy place
(fane, sanctuary), pl. ioen, coll. pl. ionath
rhosc
red
(russet, brown), lenited ?throsc or ?rosc *(the lenition product of rh is uncertain)*, pl. rhysc. Cf. also
ross
copper-coloured
(russet, red-haired, reddish), pl. ryss. (PM:366, VT41:9) Note: homophones mean ””foam, rain, dew, spray” and also ”polished metal, glitter”
crann
ruddy
(lenited grann, pl. crain).
crann
ruddy
(of face) crann (lenited grann, pl. crain).
crann
ruddy
1) (of face) crann (lenited grann, pl. crain), 2) gruin (lenited ruin, no distinct pl. form), 3) gaer (copper-coloured, red, reddish); lenited aear; no distinct pl. form. (This is a suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” goer.) Note: homophones mean "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy" and also "sea".
t
awful
aur (also tor-, tar- in compounds) (lofty, high, sublime, noble; vast, masterful, mighty, overwhelming, huge), lenited daur, pl. toer. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”great wood, forest”.
_n._Sea, especially the Great (Western) Sea. Shorter form of gaear.Q. aire (obsolete). >> aear, gaear