íta
flash
íta
noun. flash, flash, *lightning
A noun for “a flash” appearing in The Shibboleth of Fëanor as part of a discussion the name Q. Itarillë, S. Idril from the late 1960s, derived from the root √IT (PM/363). It seems to be a bright and direct flash of light, as opposed to ᴹQ. tinde “glint” for a less brilliant and reflected flash of light.
Neo-Quenya: As a flash of light, this word might also be used for “✱lightning” and on this basis used for Neo-Quenya words having to do with electricity.
íta
adverb. very, extremely; (lit.) multiplied, increased
itarillë
feminine name. *Sparkling Brilliance
The Quenya name of S. Idril, from which her Sindarin name was derived (SA/ril, PM/346). Her name is a combination of ita- “to sparkle” and the root √RIL “brilliance” (SA/ril, PM/363 note #42) with the feminine agental suffix -llë, perhaps meaning something like “✱Sparkling Brilliance”. This name also appeared as Itarildë, using the suffix -ldë instead (PM/348, PE17/112).
Conceptual Development: For a very long time, Idril’s Quenya name was Irildë (LT2/216, Ety/KYELEP, WJ/235), with its initial element derived from √ID (Ety/ID, PE17/112). After the publication of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien became dissatisfied with this etymology, as the initial ✶Id- would have developed in Sindarin into Idh-. Tolkien explored several possible solutions to the problem: changing Idril to Ídhril or changing her Quenya name to Itarillë (PE17/112). He eventually settled on the second option (PM/346).
When Tolkien first introduced this new Quenya name, its initial element was íta “very, extremely” from the root √IT “repeat, multiply”, so that her name meant “Very Bright” (PE17/112). Tolkien later changed the meaning of this root to √IT “glitter” with the verb form ita- “to sparkle” (PM/363 note #42), and this was the etymology used by Christopher Tolkien in The Silmarillion appendix (SA/ril).
See Q. Irildë for earlier developments of this name.
íta noun "a flash" (PM:363)