hen

noun. eye

The Quenya word for “eye”, derived from the root √KHEN for eye-words (PE17/187; Ety/KHEN-D-E) and with stem-form hend- given its dual hendu (WJ/337).

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared as ᴱQ. hen in The Qenya Phonology of the 1910s, derived from primitive ᴱ✶þχe-ndǝ and appearing beside ᴱQ. sé “eye, pupil” < ᴱ✶þeχē (PE12/21). Hen (hend-) “eye” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon though it was marked “†” for archaic (QL/40), and ᴱQ. hend- also appeared in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon as the cognate of G. hen “eye” (GL/48). ᴱQ. hen appeared regularly in documents from the 1920s (PE13/147; PE14/43, 76; PE16/136), although in the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s ᴱQ. sinda was given as the cognate of ᴱN. hen(n) “eye” (PE13/122). The form ᴱQ. sinda seems to have been a transient idea.

A lengthy declension of ᴹQ. hen “eye” appeared in documents from the early 1930s (PE21/52) and in The Etymologies of the 1930s it was based on a new the root ᴹ√KHEN-D-E “eye” (Ety/KHEN-D-E). In both these documents, inflected forms indicate a stem form of hend-. Thus this word and its stem were quite stable in Tolkien’s mind, though he did alter its root from early ᴱ√SEHE [ÞEHE] to later √KHEN.

hen

eye

hen (hend-, as in pl. hendi) noun "eye" (KHEN-D-E); possibly dual #hendu in hendumaica, q.v. Noun henfanwa "eye-screen, veil upon eyes" (PE17:176), adj. henulca "evileyed" (SD:68; cf. ulca).

henfanwa

henfanwa

henfanwa, see hen

henulca

henulca

henulca, see hen-

hendumaica

adjective. sharp-eye[d]

A word for “sharp-eye” (likely an adjective = “sharp-eyed”) appearing in a discussion of the name Maeglin, a combination of dual hendu “pair of eyes” and maica “sharp” (WJ/337).

hendumaica

sharp-eye

hendumaica ("k")noun? adj.? "sharp-eye" (read *"sharp-eyed"?) (WJ:337)

henta-

to eye, to examine (with the eyes), scan; to read (silently)

henta- vb. "to eye, to examine (with the eyes), scan; to read (silently)" (for "read aloud", et-henta is used). Forms cited: Aorist henta, present continuative hentëa, "aorist past" hentanë, perfect ehentanië. Gerund #hentië "reading", isolated from parmahentië "book reading" (PE17:77, 156).

hententa-

spot with eye

hententa- vb. "spot with eye" (direct the eye toward something) (VT49:24). Cf. tenta-, leptenta-.

henfanwa

noun. eye-screen, veil upon eyes

henta-

verb. to eye, examine, read, scan

hendas

?. [unglossed]

henta parma

to read a book

hententa-

verb. to spot with eye

hentië

noun. reading

et-henta

read aloud

et-henta vb. "read aloud" (PE17:77). Compare henta-.

porocë

hen; barn fowl

        **porocë** _("k")noun_ "hen; barn fowl" _(PE16:132)_

hentópa

noun. eyelid

A neologism for “eyelid” coined by Tamas Ferencz, a combination of hen “eye” and [ᴹQ.] tópa “roof”.

hendelë

noun. window

A neologism for “window” coined by Tamas Ferencz from the root √KHEN “eye” and inspired by S. henneth “window”. I prefer to use attested [ᴱQ.] lattin “window”.

hendelúpea cecet

noun. peafowl, (lit.) eye-plumed pheasant

A neologism coined by Dírheron in 2020 as a variant of ᴱQ. keket “pheasant” with the qualifier Q. hende + ᴹQ. lúpe + -a = “eye-plumed”.

henet

noun. window

A neologism for “window” coined by Boris Shapiro in PPQ (PPQ) from the early 2000s based on S. henneth “window”. I prefer to use attested [ᴱQ.] lattin “window”.

hencalcat

noun. eye-glasses, spectacles

henca

adjective. rare (as opposite of dense)

silo

hence

silo adv. "hence" (from here), also sio (VT49:18). The words seem to incorporate -lo, a shorter version of the ablative ending -llo, and -o, the genitive ending that may also be used in an ablativic sense. Compare talo, tó "thence".

sio

hence

sio adv. "hence" (from here), also silo (VT49:18)

silo

adverb. hence

sio

adverb. hence

lelya-

appear, of beautiful things, hence attract, enchant (with dative)

lelya- (3) vb. "appear, of beautiful things, hence attract, enchant (with dative)", pa.t. lélinë (PE17:151)

holyë

noun. hen

porocë

noun. hen, barn fowl, *chicken

sina

this

sina demonstrative "this" (following its noun in our sole example: vanda sina "this oath"). (CO, VT49:18; in the latter source, sina _is called an adjective). _This word would, like Sindarin hen, be derived from primitive ¤sĭnā (VT49:34). Cf. sin #1.

-llo

ablative adverbial suffix

-llo (1) "ablative adverbial suffix" (PE17:72) implying "from" or "out of", as in sindanóriello "out of a grey land", Rómello "from the East" (Nam), Mardello "from Earth" (FS), ulcullo "from evil" (VT43:12), sillumello "from this hour" (VT44:35), yello "from whom" (VT47:21), Manwello *"from Manwë" (VT49:24), Melcorello / Melkorello "from Melkor" (VT49:7, 24). Pl. -llon (so in Plotz) or -llor (in illon, elenillor, raxellor, elendellor, q.v.); dual -lto (Plotz). A shorter form of the ablative ending, -lo, apparently occurs in the words silo "hence" and talo "from there", q.v. In the Etymologies, Tolkien cited the Quenya ablative ending as -ello, evidently including the connecting vowel -e- that may be inserted when the ending is added to a word ending in a consonant (VT45:28), compare Melcorello. See also ló, lo #2.

-o

of goodness

-o (1) genitive ending, as in Altariello, Oromëo, Elenna-nórëo, Rithil-Anamo, Rúmilo, Lestanórëo, neldëo, omentielvo, sindiëo, Valinórëo, veryanwesto, q.v. In words ending in -a, the genitive ending replaces this final vowel, hence atto, Ráno, Vardo, vorondo as the genitive forms of atta, Rána, Varda, voronda (q.v.) Following a noun in -ië, the ending can have the longer form -no, e.g. *máriéno "of goodness" (PE17:59, but contrast sindiëo "of greyness" in PE17:72). Where the word ends in -o already, the genitive is not distinct in form, e.g. ciryamo (q.v.) = "mariner" or "mariners". Pl. -ion and -ron, q.v.; dual -to (but possibly -uo in the case of nouns that have nominative dual forms in -u rather than -t). The Quenya genitive describes source, origin or former ownership rather than current ownership (which is rather covered by the possessive-adjectival case in -va). The ending -o may also take on an ablativic sense, "from", as in Oiolossëo "from (Mount) Oiolossë" (Nam), sio "hence" (VT49:18). In some of Tolkiens earlier material, the genitive ending was -n rather than -o, cf. such a revision as Yénië Valinóren "Annals of Valinor" becoming Yénië Valinórëo (MR:200).

hloirëa

adjective. venomous, venomous, *poisonous

A word appearing in Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957 glossed “venomous”, an adjectival form of Q. hloirë “venom” (PE17/185).

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. henuva “venomous, poisonous”, an adjectival form of ᴱQ. heno (henu-) “venom, poison” (QL/38).

leptenta-

point to/indicate with the finger

leptenta- vb. *"point to/indicate with the finger" (gloss suggested by Patrick Wynne) (VT49:24). Cf. tenta-, hententa-.

maica

sharp, piercing

maica (1) ("k")adj. "sharp, piercing" (SA:maeg), cf. hendumaica and the noun maica below.

parma

book

parma noun "book", also name of tengwa #2 (PAR, Appendix E). In early "Qenya", the gloss was "skin, bark, parchment, book, writings" (LT2:346); Tolkien later revisited the idea that parma basically is a noun "peel" and refers to bark or skin (as primitive writing materials, PE17:86): "peel, applied to bark or skin, hence "book", bark (literally skinning, peeling off), parchment, book; a book (or written document of some size")" (PE17:123). In the meantimeTolkien had associated the word with a root PAR meaning "compose, put together" (LR:380); the word loiparë "mistake in writing" (q.v.) may also suggest that the root PAR at one point was to mean "write", so that a parma was a "written thing". Instrumental form parmanen "with a book" or "by means of a book" (PE17:91, 180), parmastanna "on your book" (with the endings -sta dual "your", -nna allative) (VT49:47), parmahentië noun "book reading" (PE17:77). Other compounds: parmalambë noun "book-language" = Q[u]enya (PAR), #parma-resta noun "book-fair", attested with the endings -lya "thy" and the allative ending -nna (parma-restalyanna *"upon your book-fair") (VT49:38, 39). Parma as the name of the tengwa letter for P occurs compunded in parmatéma noun "p-series", labials, the second column of the Tengwar system (Appendix E).

tenta-

point to, point out; indicate; direct toward, be directed toward

tenta- vb. "point to, point out; indicate; direct toward, be directed toward" (VT49:22-24). Compare hententa-, leptenta-, q.v. When constructed with a direct object, the verb may mean "go forth towards". In our examples, tenta is constructed with an allative (tentanë numenna "pointed westward", VT49:23; this may be the normal construction when the meaning is "point"). Pa.t. tentanë is attested (also with ending -s: tentanes "it pointed", VT49:26); there is also an alternative strong pa.t. form tenantë (VT49:22-23). Other examples of such double past tense forms (e.g. orta-) would suggest that the form tentanë is transitive ("pointed to/out, directed towards, went forth towards"), while tenantë is intransitive ("was directed towards"). Tolkien also considered the pa.t. form tentë, but emended it.

ulca

evil, bad, wicked, wrong

ulca adj. "evil, bad, wicked, wrong" (QL:97, VT43:23-24, VT48:32, VT49:14; compounded in henulca "evileyed", SD:68); variant olca, q.v. Compare noun ulco. The adj. ulca may also itself be used as a noun "evil", as in the ablative form ulcallo "from evil" (VT43:8, 10) and the sentence cé mo quetë ulca *"if one speaks evil" (VT49:19).

yendi

agent

[yendi] noun "agent" (fem.; masc. [hendo]). The word yendi Tolkien changed to yendë before deleting all of this (VT45:16)

estirnë Reconstructed

noun. brow

This word is attested only in the name Elestirnë “Star-brow” (UT/184), and is probably related to the primitive word ✶stīrē “face” (VT41/10). From the name alone, it is difficult to discern what the independent word for “brow” would be. In Quenya, an initial primitive ✶[st-] first reduced to [θ-] and then later to [s-], as in sundo < ᴹ√STUD (Ety/SUD) and selma < √STEL (WJ/319). Thus, ✱sirnë “brow” < ✱þirne < ✱✶stirnē is a possibility.

A primitive initial ✶[st] could be preserved, however, if there was some kind of vocal augmentation, as in estel < √STEL (WJ/318) and astalda < √STAL (PE17/115). Therefore, it is possible that ✱estirnë is the independent form of the word, exactly as it appears within Elestirnë. Usually, though, such vocal augments are the same as the root’s base-vowel (as in the above examples), so ✱istirnë would be a more typical form.

Absent further evidence, this entry uses ✱estirnë for the form of this word, as it appears within the name.

aica

sharp

aica (1) ("k") adj. "sharp" _(AYAK) or "fell, terrible, dire" (PM:347; according to PM:363 seldom applied to evil things)_. In Aicanáro, q.v.

amya-

verb. [unglossed]

arra

adjective. [unglossed]

ata

again

ata adv. "again", also prefix ata-, at- "back, again, re-; second time, double" (AT(AT), PE17:166, cf. ataquanta-, ataquetië) or "two" (PE17:166), also "ambi-" as in ataformaitë, q.v.

au

away

au (2) adv. "away", of position rather than movement (compare oa). PE17:148

cairë

?. [unglossed]

conta-

verb. [unglossed]

cúma

noun. [unglossed]

ecya

sharp

#ecya adj. "sharp" in Ecyanáro ("k") "Sharp Flame", masc. name, Sindarin Aegnor(VT41:14, 19). The Quenya form of Aegnor is elsewhere given as Aicanáro instead.

endya

middle

endya > enya adj. "middle" (ÉNED)

endëa

middle

#endëa adj. "middle" in atendëa, q.v. Compare enya.

endëa

adjective. middle

enya

middle

enya < endya adj. "middle" (EN). Compare #endëa.

felca

adjective. [unglossed]

felehta-

verb. [unglossed], *to excavate, tunnel, mine

An untranslated form appearing in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 derived from the root √PHELEG/PHELEK (PE17/118), possibly a verb derived from ✱phelektā- or ✱phelegtā-. The derivatives of this root had to do with mines and tunnels, so perhaps this verb meant “✱to excavate, tunnel, mine”.

finca

noun. [unglossed]

hamma

chair

hamma noun "chair" (VT45:20)

handa

chair

[?handa] (2) noun "chair"; the reading is uncertain and the word was in any case deleted (VT45:20). In the Etymologies, Tolkien likewise abandoned the root KHAD from which this word was derived, but he may seem to have restored this root later (see har-).

handa

understanding, intelligent

handa (1) adj. "understanding, intelligent" (KHAN)

hando

agent

[hando] noun "agent" (male; fem. [yendi]) (VT45:16)

hanno

brother

hanno noun "brother" (a colloquial form, cf. háno), also used in children's play for "middle finger" (VT47:12, 14, VT48:4, 6)

hanya-

understand, know about, be skilled in dealing with

hanya- vb. "understand, know about, be skilled in dealing with" (KHAN, VT45:21)

hindo

noun. [unglossed]

hindë

noun. [unglossed]

hloirë

venom, poison, poisonousness

hloirë noun "venom, poison, poisonousness" (PE17:185)

hloirëa

venomous

hloirëa adj. "venomous" (PE17:185)

holdë

noun. [unglossed]

háno

brother

háno noun "brother", colloquially also hanno (VT47:12, 14). It is unclear whether Tolkien, by introducing this form, abandoned the older (TLT) word toron (q.v.)

háno

noun. brother

A word for “brother” coined by Tolkien in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s, based on the root √KHAN of the same meaning (VT47/14). It had a diminutive/affectionate variant hanno used as a play name for the middle finger in several places in these notes (VT47/12; VT48/6).

Conceptual Development: The Etymologies of the 1930s had ᴹQ. toron “brother” from the root ᴹ√TOR (Ety/TOR), and the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. herendo “brother” from the early root ᴱ√HESE (QL/40). See those entries for discussion.

háro

?. [unglossed]

hó-

away, from, from among

hó- verbal prefix; "away, from, from among", the point of view being outside the thing, place, or group in thought (WJ:368)

lingi-

verb. [unglossed]

maitya

?. [unglossed]

malsa

?. [unglossed]

melya-

verb. [unglossed], *to be in love

nan

adverb. again

naue

?. [unglossed]

naxa

adjective. evil

naxa

noun/adjective. evil

nem-

verb. appear, seem

nerca

sharp, angular

nerca adj. "sharp, angular" (PE17:55), variant nexa (reading uncertain).

nexa

sharp, angular

nexa adj. "sharp, angular" (PE17:55; the editor indicates that the reading is uncertain, so the variant nerca may be preferred.)

olca

evil, bad, wicked

olca adj. "evil, bad, wicked" (VT43:23-24, VT48:32, VT49:14, PE17:149). The root meaning implies "wickedness as well as badness or lack of worth" (PE17:170). Variant of ulca.

onóro

brother

onóro noun "brother" (of blood-kinship) (TOR, NŌ (WŌ) )

otorno

brother, sworn brother, [male] associate

otorno noun "brother, sworn brother, [male] associate" (TOR, WŌ). Cf. osellë.

parma

noun. book

book, writing, composition

sal-

verb. [unglossed]

si

this

sina

adjective. this

sélo

?. [unglossed]

sóla

?. [unglossed]

thar-

verb. [unglossed]

tomba

noun. [unglossed]

tompë

noun. [unglossed], *pulse, beat

@@@ Neo-meaning “✱pulse, beat” suggested by Röandil on 2023-04-20

toron

brother

toron (torn- as in pl. torni) noun "brother" (TOR; a later source gives háno, hanno [q.v.] as the word for "brother", leaving the status of toron uncertain)

ulco

evil

ulco (stem #ulcu-) noun "evil", pl. *ulqui (VT43:23-24; the stem-form is attested in the ablative case: ulcullo "from evil", VT43:12)

ulco

noun. evil

um(ba)-

prefix. [unglossed]

umbacarin

noun. [unglossed]

wilin

bird

wilin noun "bird" (LT1:273; if this "Qenya" word is to be used in LotR-style Quenya, it must not be confused with the 1st pers. aorist of the verb wil-.)

éna

?. [unglossed]

úmëa

evil

úmëa (2) adj. "evil" (UGU/UMU). Obsoleted by #1 above? Possibly connected to úmëai in Narqelion, if that is a "Qenya" plural form.

úpa-

verb. [unglossed]

úra

evil, nasty

úra (1) adj. "evil, nasty" (VT43:24, VT48:32)

úro

evil

úro noun "evil" (VT43:24); Tolkien may have abandoned this form in favour of ulco, q.v.

þúna

?. [unglossed]

lattin

noun. window