ílë

star

ílë noun "star" (LT1:269; rather elen, él in LotR-style Quenya.)

él

star

†él noun "star", pl. éli given (WJ:362, EL)

él

noun. star

An archaic or poetic word for star (WJ/362), somewhat common in compounds but in ordinary speech typically appearing as elen. It was derived directly from the primitive root √EL “behold”, the basis for other star words (PM/340; WJ/360).

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared as poetical ᴹQ. él “star” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, already with the derivation given above, though in this document the root ᴹ√EL meant “star” (Ety/EL), a common gloss for the root in later writings as well.

Cognates

• T. él “star” ✧ WJ/362

Derivations

• √EL “lo, behold; star, lo, behold; star, [ᴹ√] starry sky” ✧ PM/340
• ✶ēl “star” ✧ WJ/360
  • √EL “lo, behold; star, lo, behold; star, [ᴹ√] starry sky” ✧ WJ/360

Element in

• Q. Carnil “*Red Star”
• ᴺQ. ëarel “starfish, (lit.) sea-star”
• Q. Elatan “*Star Man”
• ᴺQ. élicombë “galaxy, collection of stars”
• Q. Elostirion “*Star Fort”
• Q. elvëa “starlike”
• Q. Elwë
• Q. Luinil “*Blue Star”
• Q. Undómiel “Evenstar”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√el- > el	[el]	✧ PM/340
✶ēl > él	[ēl]	✧ WJ/360

Variations

• el ✧ PM/340

elen

star

elen noun "star" (SA:êl, elen, EL, VT49:39); pl. eleni (occasionally in verse: eldi) (WJ:362, PE17:127); partitive pl. elelli for elenli (PE17:127), gen. pl. elenion in the phrase Elenion Ancalima "brightest of stars" (LotR2:IV ch. 9; see Letters:385 for translation); elen atta "two stars" (VT49:44), genitive elen atto "of two stars" (VT49:45), eleni neldë "three stars", archaic elenion neldë = "of stars three". Genitive "of 3 stars" = elenion neldë (for archaic elenion neldëo) (VT49:45). Allative elenna "starwards" used as name of Númenor _(Silm; see Elenna)_; ablative pl. elenillor "from stars" in Markirya. **Nai elen siluva ***"may a star shine", VT49:38.

elen

noun. star

The most common Quenya word for “star”, mentioned very frequently, derived from an extended form ✶elen of the root √EL “behold” (PE17/67; WJ/360, 362). Its usual plural form is eleni, but it has an archaic plural †eldi sometimes used in verse, the result of the Ancient Quenya sound whereby [[aq|[ln] became [ld]]] after the ancient plural underwent the Quenya syncope, ✶elenī > AQ. elni; its normal modern plural form eleni was actually a reformation from the singular (PE17/57, 151; WJ/362).

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, though in the original entry for the root ᴹ√EL Tolkien said it was poetical and gave variants ellen and elena (Ety/EL).

Cognates

• S. êl “star” ✧ PE17/024; PE17/024; PE17/067; PE17/127; PE17/151; SA/êl; WJ/362
• T. él “star” ✧ WJ/367
• T. elen “star” ✧ WJ/362

Derivations

• ✶elen “star” ✧ PE17/067; PE17/151; WJ/360
  • √EL “lo, behold; star, lo, behold; star, [ᴹ√] starry sky” ✧ Let/281; PE17/067; VT42/11; WJ/360
• √EL “lo, behold; star, lo, behold; star, [ᴹ√] starry sky” ✧ PE17/151; PM/340; RGEO/65; SA/êl

Element in

• Q. aiya Eärendil elenion ancalima “hail Eärendil, brightest of stars” ✧ LotR/0720; LotR/0915; PE17/090; PE17/101
• Q. ancalima ep’ eleni “brighter than stars” ✧ PE17/056
• Q. ancalima imbi eleni “brightest among stars” ✧ PE17/091
• Q. arcalima ar eleni “A is brightest of all” ✧ PE17/056
• Q. arcalima ep’ eleni “far and away brighter than stars” ✧ PE17/056 (arcalima ep’ eleni)
• Q. elenion ancalima “brightest of stars” ✧ PE17/056; PE17/056; PE17/056; PE17/057; PE17/091
• Q. Elemmacil “*Star Sword”
• Q. Elemmírë “Elven-gem, Star-gem” ✧ PE19/096
• Q. elen atto “of 2 stars” ✧ VT49/45
• Q. Elendil “Elf-friend, Star-lover”
• Q. Elendur “*Star-servant”
• ᴺQ. elengolmë “astronomy”
• Q. elenillor pella talta-taltala “beyond the stars falling” ✧ MC/222
• Q. eleni neldë “*3 stars” ✧ VT49/45
• Q. elenion neldë “of 3 stars” ✧ VT49/45; VT49/45
• Q. Elenna “Starwards”
• Q. elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo “a star shines on the hour of our meeting” ✧ Let/265; LotR/0081; PE17/012; WJ/367
• Q. Elentári “Queen of the Stars, Star-queen”
• Q. Elentir “*Star-gazer”
• Q. Elentirmo “Star-watcher” ✧ UT/213
• Q. Elenwë
• Q. elenya “adjective referring to the stars, *of the stars, stellar” ✧ WJ/362
• Q. Elerondo “Elrond, (lit.) Star-dome”
• Q. Elerossë “Star Foam”
• Q. Elerrína “Crowned with Stars”
• Q. Elessar “Elfstone”
• Q. Elestirnë “Star-brow”
• Q. nai elen atta siluvat aurenna veryanwesto “*may two stars shine upon the day of your wedding” ✧ VT49/44; VT49/44
• Q. nai elen siluva lyenna “*may a star shine upon you” ✧ VT49/39
• Q. nai elen siluva parma-restalyanna meldonya “*may a star shine upon your book-fair, my friend” ✧ VT49/39
• Q. yassen tintilar i eleni “wherein the stars tremble” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
• Q. yassen tintilar i eleni “in which twinkle the stars” ✧ RGEO/59

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶elen > elen	[elen]	✧ PE17/067
✶elni > eldi	[eleni] > [elni] > [eldi]	✧ PE17/151

Variations

• Elen ✧ LotR/0081; WJ/367

tinwë

spark

tinwë noun "spark" (gloss misquoted as "sparkle" in the Etymologies as printed in LR, see VT46:19), also "star"; pl. tinwi "sparks", properly used of the star-imagines on Nur-menel (q.v.). Cf. nillë. (TIN, MR:388) In early "Qenya", tinwë was simply glossed "star" (LT1:269, cf. MC:214). In one late source, the meaning of tinwë is given as "spark", and it is said that this word (like Sindarin gil) was used of the stars of heaven "in place of the older and more elevated el, elen- stem" (VT42:11).

gil-

noun. star

gil-

prefix. spark

_ pref. _spark, often used for 'star'. Form of gail/geil in compounds. >> gail, geil, Gilgalad

gil

noun. star, bright spark

In The Etymologies (Ety/358, corrected by VT/45:15), this word was given as geil , plural gîl. However, later in LotR/E and RGEO/73, Tolkien seems to consider gil as a singular (with no hints in the sources of what the plural would be, besides the collective plural giliath )

gil

noun. star; (bright) spark, silver glint, twinkle of light

The usual word for “star” in Sindarin which replaced archaic/poetic êl; it originally meant “(bright) spark” (RGEO/65; VT42/11). It was derived from the root √(Ñ)GIL meaning “shine (white)” (PE17/152) or “silver glint” (MR/388; PE17/22).

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared as G. gail “a star” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/42), derived from the early root ᴱ√Gil- (GL/38). In the Early Noldorin Grammar Tolkien said ᴱN. gail meant “sign, token, heavenly body” (PE13/123); earlier in this document he gave it the gloss {“life” >>} “sign” (PE13/120 and note #6). In Early Noldorin Word-lists written somewhat later, gail again simply meant “star” (PE13/143), and it was used this way in the Nebrachar poem from around 1930 (MC/217).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave it as N. geil “star” from primitive ᴹ✶gilya under the root ᴹ√GIL “shine (white or pale)” (Ety/GIL; EtyAC/GIL). Christopher Tolkien incorrectly marked geil as a plural form in The Etymologies as published in The Lost Road (LR/358), but Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne corrected this in their Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies (VT45/15). Remnants of this 1930s derivation can be seen in the forms geil/gail in notes from the 1950s, derived from ancient ✶gilyā “silver spark” (PE17/30, 152). Mostly, however, Tolkien represented this word as gil in later writings, including in The Lord of the Rings Appendix E (LotR/1113).

Possible Etymology: The etymology of gil is complicated by Tolkien’s vacillation with the singular form gail (†geil) < ✶gilyā, where the diphthong ai is the result of a-affection of the base vowel from i to e, which after i-intrusion produced ei and this diphthong became ai as usual in final syllables and monosyllables: gilyā [ >✱geli(a)] > geil > gail. Signs of this etymology can be seen in the class plural giliath as in S. Dagor-nuin-Giliath “Battle-under-Stars” (S/106).

With this alternate derivation, the plural form would still be gîl, since the ancient plural -ī prevented a-affection, and the prefixal form likewise would have been gil- (PE17/152). However, this derivation conflicts with Tolkien’s usual presentation of the singular form as gil. In some places Tolkien gave a primitive form like ✶(ñ)gillē (PE17/23) or a Sindarin form gill (PE17/50), but I think it is best to assume primitive ✱gili- to explain singular gil and class-plural giliath.

Cognates

• Q. nillë “silver glint; Valinorian imagines [images of real stars]” ✧ MR/470; PE17/022; MR/388; MR/471

Derivations

• √(Ñ)GIL “shine (white); silver glint; white or silver light” ✧ MR/388; PE17/022; PE17/152
• ✶gilyā “silver spark” ✧ PE17/152
  • √(Ñ)GIL “shine (white); silver glint; white or silver light” ✧ PE17/152

Element in

• S. Borgil “Red-star” ✧ Let/427
• S. Dagor-nuin-Giliath “Battle-under-Stars” ✧ S/106; SA/gil
• S. Gilbarad
• S. Gildor
• S. Gil-Estel “Star of (High) Hope” ✧ SA/gil
• S. Gil-Amdir
• S. Gil-Orrain “Star of High Hope”
• S. Gil-galad “Starlight, (lit.) Star of Radiance” ✧ PE17/023; PE17/050; RGEO/65; SA/gil
• S. Gilmith “*Grey Star”
• S. Gilraen “*Netted Stars” ✧ PE22/159; VT42/11
• S. Gilrain “*Wandering Star”
• S. Gilthoniel “Star-kindler” ✧ PE17/022; RGEO/65
• S. Gilammoth
• S. Orgilion “*Star-day, Saturday”
• S. Osgiliath “Citadel of the Stars” ✧ PE17/023; PE17/030; RC/232; RGEO/65; SA/gil
• S. Thorongil “Eagle of the Star”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶gilyā > geil > gail	[giljā] > [gilja] > [gelja] > [gelia] > [geli] > [geil] > [gail]	✧ PE17/152
√GIL > gîl	[gilji] > [gilī] > [gil] > [gīl]	✧ PE17/152

Variations

• gil- ✧ PE17/023; PE22/159
• geil ✧ PE17/030 (geil)
• gail ✧ PE17/030; PE17/152
• Gill ✧ PE17/050

gill

noun. star

giliath

noun. all the host of stars

el

star

n. star.

tin

noun. spark

_ n. _spark, sparkle (esp. used of the twinkle of stars). >> ithildin

elen

star

pl1. elin, pl2. elenath _n._star. Its collective plural (pl2.) designates 'the (host of all the) stars, (all) the (visible) stars of the firmament'. Q. elen, pl1. eldi, eleni. o menel aglar elenath ! lit. 'from Firmament glory of the stars !'. >> êl

elen

noun. star

tinu

noun. spark, small star

êl

noun. star (little used except in verses)

êl

star

pl1. elin, pl2. elenath** ** n. star. Q. elen, pl1. eldi, eleni, pl2. elelli. >> elen

êl

noun. star

A Sindarin word for “star” that is largely archaic and poetic, and is mainly used as element in names like Elrond (Let/281; WJ/363; Ety/EL); the more usual word for “star” in ordinary speech was gil (RGEO/65). However, the collective form elenath is still used in common speech to refer to the entire host of stars (WJ/363). The plural of êl is elin, as this word was derived from ancient ✶elen, and the final n that was lost in the singular was preserved in the plural. In some cases Tolkien posited a restored analogical singular elen from the plural form (PE17/24, 67, 139), but this isn’t in keeping with the notion that the word was archaic, so I would ignore this for purposes of Neo-Sindarin.

Conceptual Development: This word and its root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where N. el “star” was derived from the root ᴹ√EL of similar meaning, but was “only [used] in names” (Ety/EL). It seems Tolkien introduced the root to give a new etymology for names like N. Elrond and N. Elwing, which initially appeared under the root ᴹ√ƷEL “sky” (Ety/ƷEL).

Cognates

• Q. elen “star” ✧ PE17/024; PE17/024; PE17/067; PE17/127; PE17/151; SA/êl; WJ/362

Derivations

• √EL “lo, behold; star, lo, behold; star, [ᴹ√] starry sky” ✧ Let/281; RGEO/65; SA/êl
• ✶elen “star” ✧ PE17/067; PE17/139; PE22/150; WJ/360
  • √EL “lo, behold; star, lo, behold; star, [ᴹ√] starry sky” ✧ Let/281; PE17/067; VT42/11; WJ/360

Element in

• S. Anglachel “*Iron-of-the-flaming-star”
• S. Anguirel “*Iron-of-the-fiery-star”
• S. Eladar “Starfather”
• S. elanor “pimpernel, small golden star-shaped flower, (lit.) sun-star” ✧ PE17/055
• S. Elbereth “Queen of Stars, (lit.) Star-queen” ✧ PE17/022; RGEO/65
• S. Elrond “Star-dome”
• S. Elros “Star-foam”
• S. Elu ✧ PM/369
• ᴺS. elui “starry”
• S. Elwing “Star-spray” ✧ PM/369
• S. Nan Elmoth “*Valley of Starry Dusk”
• S. Narn en·Êl “*Tale of the Star” ✧ MR/373
• S. Narn e·Dant Gondolin ar Orthad en·Êl “*Tale of the Fall of Gondolin and the Raising of the Star” ✧ MR/373
• S. o menel aglar elenath “from heaven on high the glory of the starry host” ✧ LotR/0238; PE17/024; RGEO/63; RGEO/64

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√EL > êl	[elen] > [ele] > [el] > [ēl]	✧ Let/281
✶elen > êl	[elen] > [ele] > [el] > [ēl]	✧ PE17/067
✶ELEN > êl	[elen] > [ele] > [el] > [ēl]	✧ PE17/139
✶elenī > elin	[elenī] > [eleni] > [elini] > [elin]	✧ PE22/150
√EL > êl	[elen] > [ele] > [el] > [ēl]	✧ RGEO/65
√ele > êl	[elen] > [ele] > [el] > [ēl]	✧ SA/êl
✶elen > êl	[elen] > [ele] > [el] > [ēl]	✧ WJ/360

Variations

• Êl ✧ MR/373
• el- ✧ PE17/022
• elen ✧ PE17/024; PE17/067; PE17/139
• el(en) ✧ PE17/025
• el ✧ PE17/055; PM/369

tîn

spark

n. spark, star. Q. tinwe spark (Poet. star).

gil-

verb. to gleam, shine pale and silver (as of the moon [or stars])

Derivations

• √(Ñ)GIL “shine (white); silver glint; white or silver light”

gîl

star

gîl (i ngîl = i ñîl, o n**gîl, construct gil) (bright spark, silver glint), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gîl = i ñgîl), coll. pl. giliath** (RGEO, MR:388). Poetic †êl (elen-, pl. elin, coll. pl. elenath) (RGEO, Letters:281, WJ:363).

gîl

star

(i ngîl = i ñîl, o n’gîl, construct gil) (bright spark, silver glint), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gîl = i ñgîl), coll. pl. giliath **(RGEO, MR:388). Poetic †êl (elen-, pl. **elin, coll. pl. elenath) (RGEO, Letters:281, WJ:363).

gilion

of stars

(lenited ngilion; pl. gilioen). Archaic ✱giliaun.

tim

small star

(MR:388). Archaic tinw, so the coll. pl. is likely  tinwath. 3)

tint

spark

1) tint (i dint, o thint), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thint), coll. pl. tinnath; 2) tinu (i dinu, o thinu; also -din at the end of compounds), analogical pl. tiny (i thiny). The word is also used =

tint

spark

(i dint, o thint), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thint), coll. pl. tinnath

tinu

spark

(i dinu, o thinu; also -din at the end of compounds), analogical pl. tiny (i thiny). The word is also used =

él

noun. star

Cognates

• Q. él “star” ✧ WJ/362
• Q. elen “star” ✧ WJ/367

Derivations

• ✶ēl “star” ✧ WJ/360
  • √EL “lo, behold; star, lo, behold; star, [ᴹ√] starry sky” ✧ WJ/360

Element in

• T. él síla lúmena vomentienguo “A star shines upon the hour of the meeting of our ways” ✧ WJ/407

Variations

• ēl ✧ WJ/362; WJ/407

elen

noun. star

Cognates

• Q. elen “star” ✧ WJ/362

Derivations

• ✶elen “star” ✧ WJ/360
  • √EL “lo, behold; star, lo, behold; star, [ᴹ√] starry sky” ✧ Let/281; PE17/067; VT42/11; WJ/360

ēl

noun. star

Derivations

• √EL “lo, behold; star, lo, behold; star, [ᴹ√] starry sky” ✧ WJ/360

Derivatives

• Q. él “star” ✧ WJ/360
• T. él “star” ✧ WJ/360

Element in

• ✶eledā “star-folk, of the stars” ✧ WJ/360
• ✶elen-barathī “star-queen” ✧ PE17/066

Variations

• el ✧ PE17/066

elen

noun. star

Derivations

• √EL “lo, behold; star, lo, behold; star, [ᴹ√] starry sky” ✧ Let/281; PE17/067; VT42/11; WJ/360

Derivatives

• ✶elenā “connected with or concerning the stars” ✧ PE17/139
  • Q. Elda “Elf, (lit.) one of the Star-folk” ✧ PE17/139; PE17/152
  • S. Ell “Elf” ✧ PE17/141
    • S. Elleth “Elf-maid” ✧ PE17/141
    • S. Ellon “Elf-man” ✧ PE17/141
  • Q. elenya “adjective referring to the stars, *of the stars, stellar” ✧ WJ/360
  • S. Eledh “Elf” ✧ PE17/139; WJ/360
• Q. elen “star” ✧ PE17/067; PE17/151; WJ/360
• S. êl “star” ✧ PE17/067; PE17/139; PE22/150; WJ/360
• T. elen “star” ✧ WJ/360

Element in

• ✶elenā “connected with or concerning the stars” ✧ WJ/360
• ✶elen-barathī “star-queen” ✧ MR/387
• Q. Elentári “Queen of the Stars, Star-queen” ✧ PE17/022
• S. Elbereth “Queen of Stars, (lit.) Star-queen” ✧ PE17/022; PE17/023

Variations

• ĕlĕn ✧ Let/281
• ELEN ✧ PE17/022; PE17/139; PE17/152
• el-en ✧ PE17/023
• elen- ✧ VT42/11

tini

noun. spark

Derivations

• √TIN “sparkle, spark, sparkle, spark, [ᴱ√] twinkle, [ᴹ√] emit slender (silver pale) beams”

Derivatives

• S. tîn “spark, sparkle, twinkle of stars”

Variations

• tĭnĭ ✧ PE21/80

geil

noun. star, bright spark

geil

noun. star

Derivations

• ᴹ✶gilya “star” ✧ Ety/GIL
  • ᴹ√GIL “shine (white or pale)” ✧ Ety/GIL

Element in

• N. Dagor nuin Giliath “Battle-under-Stars”
• N. Dagor-os-Giliath “Battle under Stars”
• N. Edegil “Seven Stars” ✧ Ety/OT
• N. Gilbrennil “Varda” ✧ Ety/GIL
• N. Gildor
• N. Gil-galad “Starlight” ✧ Ety/GIL
• N. gilhof “dew, *(lit.) star-juice”
• N. gilith “starlight, *region of the stars” ✧ Ety/GIL
• N. Gilthoniel “Star-maker, Lady of the Stars” ✧ Ety/GIL
• N. Argilion “*Star-day”
• N. Osgiliath “Fortress of the Stars”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶gilya > gíl	[gilji] > [gilī] > [gil] > [gīl]	✧ Ety/GIL
ᴹ✶gilya > geil	[gilja] > [gelja] > [gelia] > [geli] > [geil]	✧ Ety/GIL

Variations

• gîl ✧ EtyAC/GIL

gildin

noun. silver spark

giliath

noun. all the host of stars

el

noun. star

Cognates

• ᴹQ. él “star” ✧ Ety/EL
• ᴹQ. elen “star” ✧ Ety/EL; Ety/EL

Derivations

• ᴹ√EL “star, starry sky” ✧ Ety/EL; Ety/EL

Element in

• N. elanor “sun-star”
• N. Elbereth “Queen of Stars, (lit.) Star Queen” ✧ Ety/EL
• N. Elrond “Starry-dome, Sky” ✧ Ety/EL
• N. Elros “Star-foam”
• N. Eldûn “*West-star”
• N. Elrûn “*East-star”
• N. Elwing “Star-spray” ✧ Ety/EL; Ety/EL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√EL > el	[elen] > [ele] > [el]	✧ Ety/EL

tint

noun. spark

tint

noun. spark

Derivations

• ᴹ√TIN “sparkle, emit slender (silver pale) beams” ✧ Ety/TIN

Element in

• N. Tinfang “Starbeard”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√TIN > tint	[tinte] > [tintʰe] > [tinθe] > [tinθ] > [tint]	✧ Ety/TIN

tinw

noun. spark, small star