gald

noun. tree

A Doriathrin noun for “tree” derived from the root ᴹ√GÁLAD (Ety/GALAD), probably from a primitive form ✱✶galadā with the second a lost due to the Ilkorin Syncope. Note that the first element [[ilk|[gal-] did not reduce to [gl-]]] because the initial syllable was stressed in the primitive word.

galbreth

noun. beech

A Doriathrin (and Falathrin) noun for “beech (tree)”, a combination of gald “tree” and breth “(beech) mast” (Ety/GALAD, BERÉTH). The second element originally meant “beech”, but later meant “mast”; this original meaning seems to be preserved in this compound.

neldor

noun. beech

A Doriathrin noun for “beech (tree)”, properly referring to Hirilorn with a true meaning of “three trunks” (Ety/NEL). Tolkien indicated it was a combination of neld “three” and orn “tree”, though it is unclear why the final -n vanished. He marked this derivation with a “?” perhaps because of this uncertainty.

Conceptual Development: Tolkien seems to have coined this word to explain names like Neldoreth. Its most obvious precursor is ᴱQ. neldor (QL/65).

orn

noun. tree

A Doriathrin noun for “tree” derived from the root ᴹ√ÓR-NI or ᴹ√ÓRON (Ety/ÓR-NI, EtyAC/NEL). According Tolkien, it was “in Doriath used especially of beech, but as a suffix [it was] used of any tree of any size” (Ety/ÓR-NI). The root ᴹ√ÓR-NI in The Etymologies suggests a primitive form of ᴹ✶ornĭ, but elsewhere Tolkien indicated the primitive form was ᴹ✶ornē (e.g. on SD/302). Both primitive forms would have produced Ilk. orn, as noted by Helge Fauskanger (AL-Doriathrin/orn).