Quenya 

alalmino

elm

alalmino noun? "Elm"-something? (Narqelion)

alalmë

elm, elm-tree

alalmë (2) noun "elm, elm-tree" (ÁLAM, LÁLAM, LT1:249). Cf. alvë in a post-LotR source.

calima

bright

calima adj. "bright" (VT42:32); cf. ancalima; in PE17:56, arcalima appears as another superlative "brightest" (see ar- #2).

albë

noun. elm

alvë

elm

alvë noun "elm" (PE17:146), also pronounced albë. In an earlier source, the word for "elm" is given as alalmë, lalmë.

alvë

noun. elm

A word appearing as alve or albe “elm” in notes from 1959, derived from the root √ALAB of similar meaning (PE17/146, 153).

Conceptual Development: This word was ᴱQ. alalme (alalmi-) “elm (tree)” in the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s, derived from the early root ᴱ√ALA “spread” (QL/29; PME/29). It was ᴱQ. alalme “elm” in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/140), and ᴹQ. alalme or lalme “elm-tree” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the roots ᴹ√ALAM or ᴹ√LALAM (Ety/ÁLAM, LÁLAM). The change to alve/albe was fairly late, as noted above.

Cognates

  • S. alaf “elm” ✧ PE17/153

Derivations

  • ALAB “elm” ✧ PE17/146; PE17/153

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ALAB > albe > alve[galbe] > [ɣalbe] > [ɣalβe] > [alβe] > [alve]✧ PE17/146
ALAB > albe[galbe] > [ɣalbe] > [ɣalβe] > [alβe] > [albe]✧ PE17/153

Variations

  • alve ✧ PE17/146
  • albe ✧ PE17/153
Quenya [PE17/146; PE17/153] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Sindarin 

galan

elm

pl1. gelain _ n. Bot. _elm. . This gloss was rejected.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:153] < GALAM elm. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

glân

adjective. bright, shining white

The word is deduced from its mutated form, but it is worth mentioning that a stem GALÁN "bright", with glan "daylight" (and later "clear") as derivative, is listed in the Etymologies (not included in the published text, but see VT/45:13). Most of the words meaning "white" in the Indo-Eureopean languages come from the original notion of "brightness", e.g. Greek leukós "white" is cognate with Latin lucere "to shine", lux "light". This association of sense is also found in Gnomish, PE/11:39 (glan "clean, pure", from "bright" originally) and in Early Noldorin (PE/13:144, glann "clean"). The similarity with Welsh glan (where the vowel, incidentally, is also long, though this is concealed by Welsh orthographic convention) is also striking

Sindarin [Curunír 'Lân UT/390] Group: SINDICT. Published by

alaf

noun. elm

_ n. Bot. _elm. Q. albe.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:153] < ALAB elm. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

alaf

noun. elm

The Sindarin word for “elm” appearing in notes from 1959, derived from the root √ALAB of similar meaning (PE17/153).

Conceptual Development: Tolkien used similar “elm” words for much of his life. The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. lalm or larm “an elm, elm-wood” along with a more elaborate form G. {lalmin >>} lalmir “an elm tree” (GL/52). These were clearly cognates to ᴱQ. alalme “elm (tree)” under the early root ᴱ√ALA “spread” (QL/29). Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s had an unrelated form ᴱN. {aulin >>} ólin “elm” (PE13/151). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien reverted to N. lalf or N. lalven “elm-tree” under the root ᴹ√ÁLAM of the same meaning (Ety/ÁLAM). This root had a variant ᴹ√LÁLAM, under which Tolkien had N. lhalwen or lhalorn “elm-tree” (Ety/LÁLAM).

Neo-Sindarin: In theory the 1930s “elm” words might be used with some adaptations like ᴺS. lalorn for N. lhalorn, but I’d simply stick to the 1959 “elm” word alaf for purposes of Neo-Sindarin.

Cognates

  • Q. alvë “elm” ✧ PE17/153

Derivations

  • ALAB “elm” ✧ PE17/153

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ALAB > alaf[alab] > [alav]✧ PE17/153
Sindarin [PE17/153] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lalorn

noun. elm-tree

Sindarin [Ety/367, X/LH] lalf+orn. Group: SINDICT. Published by

lalwen

noun. elm-tree

Sindarin [Ety/367, X/LH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

gail

bright

gail (light), lenited ngail; no distinct pl. form (VT45:18). The adj. calen etymologically means "bright", but is used = "green" (q.v.).

gail

bright

(light), lenited ngail; no distinct pl. form (VT45:18). The adj. calen etymologically means "bright", but is used = "green" (q.v.).

gîl

bright spark

(i ngîl = i ñîl, construct gil) (star, silver glint), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gîl = i ñgîl), coll. pl. *giliath** (RGEO, MR:388)*

Primitive elvish

galam

root. elm

Changes

  • GALAMALAB “elm” ✧ PE17/153

Derivatives

  • galmā “flower”
    • Q. alma “flower” ✧ PE17/153

Element in

  • Q. Alalvinórë “Land of Many Elms” ✧ PE17/153 (alalmi-nóre)
Primitive elvish [PE17/153] Group: Eldamo. Published by

alab

root. elm

A root for “elm” in etymological notes probably written around 1959-1960 (PE17/146, 153). It seems to be a replacement for the root ᴹ√(L)ALAM from The Etymologies of the 1930s. This earlier root was connected to √AL(A) “blessed”, and the later variant may have had the same relationship. Tolkien made a point that the later version of this root was not related to √GAL “grow” or the words for “tree” after rejecting alternate roots √GALAB (?“flower”) and √GALAM for “elm” (PE17/146). The derivation ✶galmā > Q. alma “flower” was allowed to stand, so perhaps √GALAM remained valid with the alternate sense “flower”.

Derivatives

  • Q. alvë “elm” ✧ PE17/146; PE17/153
  • S. alaf “elm” ✧ PE17/153
Primitive elvish [PE17/146; PE17/153] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kalinā

adjective. bright

Derivatives

  • Q. calina “light, bright, sunny, (lit.) illumined”

Elements

WordGloss
kal-“to shine, be bright”
-nā“adjective suffix; passive participle”
Primitive elvish [PE22/136] Group: Eldamo. Published by

galā- Reconstructed

verb. to grow (of plants)

@@@ also agor variant past of S. car-

Derivations

  • GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive” ✧ PE22/133

Derivatives

  • Q. ala- “to plant, grow, to grow (of plants) [intr. and trans.], plant; *to thrive, flourish (of other creatures)” ✧ PE22/164
  • S. gala- “to grow” ✧ PE17/131

Variations

  • galā ✧ PE22/133; PE22/134; PE22/134
Primitive elvish [PE17/131; PE22/130; PE22/133; PE22/134; PE22/164] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

lalven

noun. elm-tree

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

lhalorn

noun. elm-tree

Noldorin [Ety/367, X/LH] lalf+orn. Group: SINDICT. Published by

lhalwen

noun. elm-tree

Noldorin [Ety/367, X/LH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lalf

noun. elm-tree

Noldorin [Ety/348] 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!

Doriathrin

gelion

adjective. bright

An adjective meaning “bright” derived from the root ᴹ√GAL, the basis of the river name Gelion (Ety/GYEL). There isn’t enough information to deduce its primitive form, but Helge Fauskanger suggested ✱✶galjānā (AL-Ilkorin/gelion), which seems reasonably plausible.

Derivations

  • ᴹ√GAL “shine” ✧ Ety/GYEL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√GAL > gelion[galjānā] > [galjāna] > [galjōna] > [galiōna] > [geliōna] > [geliōn] > [gelion]✧ Ety/GYEL
Doriathrin [Ety/GYEL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

galan

root. bright

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. ala “day” ✧ EtyAC/GAL¹
  • ᴹQ. alan “daytime” ✧ EtyAC/GAL¹
  • ᴺS. glaen “serene, clear, fair (espec. of weather)”
  • S. glân “white, [bright shining] white; [N.] clear; [G.] pure, †bright; [ᴱN.] clean”
  • N. glan “clear” ✧ EtyAC/GAL¹
  • ᴺS. glanna- “to cleanse, purify, purge, *to clear, make clear”

Variations

  • GALÁN ✧ EtyAC/GAL¹
Middle Primitive Elvish [EtyAC/GAL¹] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

ólin

noun. elm

Changes

  • aulinólin ✧ PE13/151

Variations

  • aulin ✧ PE13/151 (aulin)
Early Noldorin [PE13/151] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

selka

adjective. bright

Derivations

  • ᴱ√SELE “*bright” ✧ QL/083

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√SELE > selka[selkā] > [selka]✧ QL/083
Early Quenya [PME/083; QL/083] Group: Eldamo. Published by