alta

radiance

alta (2) noun "radiance" (VT42:32, PE17:50). Cf. variant ñalta.

alta

noun. radiance

cal-

shine

#cal- vb. "shine", future tense caluva ("k") "shall shine" _(UT:22 cf. 51). Compare also early "Qenya" cala- ("k")"shine" (LT1:254)_. It is possible that the verbal stem should have a final -a in later Quenya as well, since this vowel would not appear in the future tense caluva (compare valuvar as the pl. future tense of vala-, WJ:404).

cala

light

cala ("k")noun "light" (KAL). Concerning the "Qenya" verb cala-, see #cal- above.

cala

noun. light, light; [ᴱQ.] daytime (sunlight), 12 hours

This is the most common Quenya word for “light”, derived from the root √KAL of similar meaning (RGEO/62; PE17/84). It appears in numerous compounds, either in its full form or in a reduced form cal-.

Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. kala appeared all the way back in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “daytime (sunlight), 12 hours” and derived from the early root ᴱ√KALA “shine golden” (QL/44), but it had the sense “light” in the phrase ᴱQ. i·kal’antúlien “Light hath returned” (LT1/184), and it was given as the cognate of G. gala “light, daylight” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/37).

ᴹQ. kala “light” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√KAL “shine” (Ety/KAL). Somewhat curiously in that document its primitive form was given as ᴹ✶k’lā́ (EtyAC/KAL), a form that also appeared in the first version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ1) from the 1930s (PE18/38). Tolkien may have used this variant form to explain N. glaw “radiance” (< ᴹ✶g’lā́), but in later writings S. glaw “sunshine” was derived from √LAW.

Derivations

• √KAL “light; shine, be bright, light; shine, be bright, [ᴱ√] shine golden” ✧ PE17/084

Element in

• Q. Anducal “*Light of the West”
• Q. Calacirya “Pass of Light” ✧ RGEO/62
• Q. calambar “*light-fated”
• Q. Calantar “Light-giver”
• Q. Calaquendi “Elves of the Light, (lit.) Light Elves”
• ᴺQ. calatengwë “photograph, (lit.) light-writing”
• Q. Calion “*Son of Light”
• Q. Caliondo
• Q. Calmacil “*Sword of Light, Shining Sword”
• Q. Calmindon “Light-tower”
• Q. Herucalmo
• ᴺQ. ruical(a) “firelight”
• Q. ú calo “without the light” ✧ PE17/143; VT39/14

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√CAL > Cala	[kala]	✧ PE17/084

Variations

• Cala ✧ PE17/084; RGEO/62

alcar

noun. radiance

radiance, splendour

cálë

light

cálë ("k")noun "light" (Markirya; in early "Qenya", cálë meant "morning", LT1:254)

cálë

noun. light

A noun for “light” appearing in the versions of the Markirya poem from the 1960s (MC/222-223).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, ᴱQ. kále “morning” was a derivative of the early root ᴱ√KALA “shine golden” (QL/44), and kāle was mentioned again Gnomish Lexicon Slips as a cognate of G. gaul “a light” (PE13/114). The form ᴱQ. kale “day” appeared in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s, but was deleted (PE14/43). It might also be an element in ᴹQ. yúkale “twilight” (= “both lights”) from The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/KAL).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d stick to the better attested Q. cala “light”.

Element in

• Q. cálë fifírula “the light fading” ✧ MC/222

Variations

• kále ✧ MC/222; MC/223

nalta

radiance, glittering reflection

nalta ("ñ")noun "radiance, glittering reflection" (from jewels, glass or polished metals, or water) (PM:347)

calina

light

calina ("k")adj. "light" (KAL), "bright" (VT42:32) "(literally illumined) sunny, light" (PE17:153) but apparently a noun "light" in coacalina, q.v.

calta-

shine

calta- ("k")vb. "shine" (KAL)

accal(a)-

verb. shine

shine (suddenly and) brilliantly, blaze

sil-

shine

sil- vb. "shine" (white), present tense síla "shines, is shining" (FG); aorist silë, pl. silir (RS:324), frequentative sisíla- (Markirya comments), future tense siluva (VT49:38), dual future siluvat (VT49:44, 45)

fairë

radiance

fairë (3) noun "radiance" (PHAY)

aglar

noun. radiance

_n. _radiance, glory. Q. alkar. >> aglareb

calad

gerund noun. light

calad

noun. light

_ n. _light, fire, brightness, shining. >> galad

galad

radiance

1a _ n. _radiance. >> Galadriel, Gil-galad

galad

noun. light, radiance, glittering, reflection (from jewels, glass or polished metal, or water)

galad

light

_ n. _light, fire, brightness, shining. >> calad, Caras Galadon

gail

light

(adjective) 1) gail (bright), lenited ngail, no distinct pl. form (VT45:18), 2) lim (clear, sparkling), no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fish”.

gail

light

(bright), lenited ngail, no distinct pl. form (VT45:18)

calad

light

_(noun) _1) calad (i galad, o chalad), pl. celaid (i chelaid), 2) gaul (i **aul), pl. goel (i ngoel = i ñoel), coll. pl. golath. Note: A homophone means "wolf-howl", but has different mutations. 3) (bright light) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad), (sunlight, brilliance, radiance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid). 4) gâl (gal-, -al in compounds, with article i **âl), pl. gail (i ngail = i ñail).

calad

light

(i galad, o chalad), pl. celaid (i chelaid), 2) gaul (i ’aul), pl. goel (i ngoel = i ñoel), coll. pl. golath. Note: A homophone means "wolf-howl", but has different mutations. 3) (bright light) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad), (sunlight, brilliance, radiance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid). 4) gâl (gal-, -al in compounds, with article i ’âl), pl. gail (i ngail = i ñail).

galad

radiance

1) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad) (bright light, sunlight, brilliance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid), 2) glaw (i **law), pl. gloe (in gloe), 3) thîl; no distinct pl. form, coll. pl. ?thiliath**.

galad

radiance

(i ngalad = i ñalad) (bright light, sunlight, brilliance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid)

lim

light

(clear, sparkling), no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fish”.

glaw

radiance

(i ’law), pl. gloe (in gloe)

glaur

golden light

(i ’laur), pl. gloer (in gloer).

silef

shining white

is listed in LR:385 s.v. SIL as the cognate of Quenya silma of this meaning, but silef is there asterisked, apparently to indicate that it only appears as part of the word Silevril ”Silmaril”. The word silef may also be used = Quenya silima (noun), the crystal substance of the Silmarils.

síla

shine white

(i híla, i sílar) Adj.

glawar

sunlight

(i ’lawar) (gold, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair) if there is a pl. (VT41:10)

thîl

radiance

; no distinct pl. form, coll. pl. ?thiliath.

glóren

shining with golden light

(glórin-) (golden), lenited ’lóren; pl. glórin

glóren

shining with golden light

(glórin-) (golden), lenited ’lóren; pl. glórin.

cala

noun. light

kal

root. light; shine, be bright, light; shine, be bright, [ᴱ√] shine golden

This root was the basis for words having to do with “light” for most of Tolkien’s life. Its derivatives include Q. cala “light” and S. aglar “glory” which likewise retained the same basic form and meaning throughout Tolkien’s life. The root ᴱ√KALA first appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “shine golden” (QL/44) along with a rejected variant ᴱ√ALA “light” (QL/29). In this early iteration, the root ᴱ√KALA included a number of derivatives having to do with daytime, such as ᴱQ. kala “daytime (sunlight), 12 hours” and G. gala “daylight” (QL/44; GL/38). Also of interest is that most of the Gnomish derivatives from this period began with g-, indicating that the true form of the root may have been ✱ᴱ√GALA (or at least a blending with it), since [[eq|initial [g-] became [k-]]] in Early Qenya.

This G/K variation became explicit in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where ᴹ√KAL “shine” had a Noldorin-only variant ᴹ√GAL (Ety/GAL, KAL). Tolkien did consider having a few Quenya derivatives of ᴹ√GAL, but they were all rejected (EtyAC/GAL¹). In the 1930s, it also seems the “daytime” derivatives were transferred to ᴹ√AR “day” (Ety/AR¹). The root √KAL continued to appear in Tolkien’s later writings, variously glossed “shine”, “light” and “be bright”, with such frequency that it is impractical to list all the references. Likewise Tolkien continued to refer to the Sindarin-only variant √GAL on a regular basis; see that entry for details.

The root √KAL had a couple of extended forms of note, in particular √KALAR glossed “be radiant” in the 1930s (PE18/62), also appearing in the vowel-suppressed variant ᴹ√AKLA(R) “radiance, splendour” which served as the basis for Q. alcar/S. aglar “glory, brilliance, splendour, radiance” (PE17/105, 124; PE18/36, 87; VT47/13; Ety/AKLA-R, KALAR); in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s this variant root was given as ᴱ√ḶKḶ instead (QL/30). Tolkien frequently used the extension √KALAT as the representation of triconsontal roots (PE18/33, 86; WJ/392), though the only derivative he ever gave for it was ✶kalatta “a light, lamp” (PE21/80).

Derivatives

• ✶akkal- “to blaze, shine (suddenly and) brilliantly” ✧ PE18/085; PE18/088
  • ᴺQ. accal- “to blaze, shine (suddenly and) brilliantly”
• ✶akla- “to shine out, flash” ✧ PE18/085; PE18/087; PE18/087
  • Q. alca- “to glitter, to glitter, *shine out, flash” ✧ PE18/087
  • ᴺS. agla- “to shine out, flash”
  • ᴺS. agol “flash”
• ✶aklar(a) “radiance, brilliance, glory” ✧ PE17/024
  • Q. alcar “glory, splendour, radiance, brilliance” ✧ PE17/024; PE17/105; PE17/124; PE18/085; PE18/087; VT47/13
  • S. aglar “glory, brilliance, splendour, radiance” ✧ PE17/024; PE17/105; PE17/124; PE18/087; VT47/13
  • T. aclar “glory, splendour” ✧ VT47/13
• ✶kal- “to shine, be bright”
• √KALAR “*be radiant, [ᴹ√] be radiant” ✧ PE18/087
  • ✶aklar(a) “radiance, brilliance, glory” ✧ PE17/105; PE17/124; PE18/085; PE18/085; PE18/087; VT47/13
  • Q. alcar “glory, splendour, radiance, brilliance” ✧ PE17/024; PE17/105; PE17/124; PE18/085; PE18/087; VT47/13
  • S. aglar “glory, brilliance, splendour, radiance” ✧ PE17/024; PE17/105; PE17/124; PE18/087; VT47/13
  • T. aclar “glory, splendour” ✧ VT47/13
  • ✶aklāra “brilliant, glorious” ✧ PE18/087
  • S. aglor “brilliant, glorious” ✧ PE18/087
  • Q. calar “lamp” ✧ VT47/13
  • T. calar “lamp” ✧ VT47/13
• ✶kalma “a light”
  • Q. calma “lamp, (device for shining) light, lamp, (device for shining) light, [ᴱQ.] candle; (day)light”
• ✶kalta- “cause to shine, kindle” ✧ PE22/129
  • Q. calta- “to kindle, to kindle, [ᴹQ.] (cause to) shine, light up, [ᴱQ.] set light to”
• ✶k’la “*light” ✧ PE18/087
• ✶ñ(g)alatā “(reflected) radiance, glitter (of reflected light), glory” ✧ PE17/050
  • Q. nalta “radiance, glittering reflection” ✧ PE17/050; PM/347
  • S. galad “radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss, radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss; [ᴱN.] dawn” ✧ PM/347
  • T. alata “radiance, glittering reflection” ✧ PM/347
• Q. alcar “glory, splendour, radiance, brilliance” ✧ SA/aglar
• Q. cal- “to shine”
• Q. cala “light, light; [ᴱQ.] daytime (sunlight), 12 hours” ✧ PE17/084
• ᴺQ. calainë “serenity, serene”
• ᴺQ. calas “brass”
• Q. calima “bright, luminous” ✧ Let/278; PE17/153
• Q. calina “light, bright, sunny, (lit.) illumined” ✧ PE17/153
• ᴺQ. callë “fair weather, clear sky, blue sky”
• ᴺQ. calta “picture, photography”
• ᴺQ. calwa “lurid”
• ᴺS. aglann “ray of light”
• S. aglar “glory, brilliance, splendour, radiance” ✧ SA/aglar
• S. cal- “to shine”
• S. calad “light, fire, brightness, shining, light, brightness, shining, fire” ✧ PE17/050; PE17/084
• S. calan “day(light)”
• S. calar “(portable) lamp”
• S. calen “green; fresh, vigorous; †bright, green; †bright, [N.] bright-coloured; [S.] fresh, vigorous” ✧ PE17/153; PE17/153; SA/calen; SA/kal
• ᴺS. celia- “to illuminate, light up; to illustrate”

Element in

• √KALAR “*be radiant, [ᴹ√] be radiant” ✧ PE17/105; PE17/124; PE17/156; VT47/13
• √KALAT ✧ WJ/392
• ✶Kalatāna ✧ PE17/084
• ✶ñ(g)alatā “(reflected) radiance, glitter (of reflected light), glory” ✧ PE17/050
• √SKAL “cover, veil, cloak, conceal, cover, veil, cloak, conceal, [ᴹ√] screen, hide (from light), overshadow” ✧ PE17/184
• Q. Altáriel “Galadriel” ✧ PE17/084
• Q. Caltáriel “woman crowned with glory, radiance” ✧ PE17/084
• Q. Calacirya “Pass of Light” ✧ PE17/073; SA/kal
• Q. Calantar “Light-giver” ✧ NM/280
• Q. Calaquendi “Elves of the Light, (lit.) Light Elves” ✧ SA/kal
• Q. Calion “*Son of Light” ✧ SA/kal
• S. Glingal “Hanging Flame”

Variations

• kal ✧ Let/278; PE17/050
• KAL- ✧ PE17/024
• CAL ✧ PE17/084; PE17/150
• kal- ✧ PE18/091; SA/aglar; SA/calen; SA/kal
• Kala ✧ WJ/392

kalat

noun. light

Derivatives

• Os. k’lā́t- ✧ PE18/087

Variations

• kalā́t- ✧ PE18/087

gal

root. light; shine, be bright

A Sindarin-only root for “light; shine”, a variant of √KAL of the same meaning. Its most notable derivative is S. galad “radiance, light”, an element in the names Galadriel and Gil-galad. This root did not explicitly appear in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where the base for Qenya light words was given as ᴱ√KALA “shine golden” (QL/44), but nearly all the Gnomish derivations of this root begin with g-, as in G. gal- “to shine” and G. glarw(ed) “bright, light” (GL/39). Given that [[eq|initial [g] > [k]]] in early Quenya, this makes it very likely the actual early root was ✱ᴱ√GALA, or at the very least a blending of ᴱ√KALA and ᴱ√GALA.

The first explicit appearance of the root ᴹ√GAL “shine” was in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/GAL), where it was given along with an extended root ᴹ√GALAN “bright” (EtyAC/GAL¹). Tolkien considered but rejected having some Quenya derivatives of these roots: ᴹQ. ala “day” and ᴹQ. alan “daytime” (EtyAC/GAL¹), but he seems to have decided that ᴹ√GAL was a Noldorin-only root, as described in the ᴹ√KAL entry from the same set of documents (Ety/KAL).

The root √GAL reappeared in various etymological notes from the 1950s and 60s, where Tolkien again iterated it was not used in Quenya, and was a root specific to Sindarin (PE17/59) and possibly also Nandorin (PE17/50). The root was potentially problematic in the name Gil-galad, however, in that it was not mutated to Gil-’alad. It seems likely that when Tolkien first coined this name, the second element was from N. calad “light” from the root ᴹ√KAL. This root and word survived into Sindarin (UT/65), and Tolkien sometimes still considered it the basis for Gil-galad (PE17/50).

However, at one point he decided the elements in the names Galadriel and Gil-galad were the same; to explain the lack of mutation in Gil-galad, he posited that the root was actually strengthened to √ÑGAL (PE17/59). Galadriel’s name in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968 was based on the root √ÑAL “shine by reflection” (PM/347), so it seems this was the path Tolkien eventually followed. This makes the ultimate status of √GAL “shine” rather unclear, especially since some of its other derivatives like S. uial twilight (PE17/153) were sometimes derived from √ÑAL (PE17/169).

Changes

• GAL → ÑGAL “light” ✧ PE17/059

Derivatives

• ✶gaili “ray”
• √GLAY “light [substance]”
  • S. glae(gal) “light (as an ethereal substance), light (as an ethereal substance), *photons” ✧ NM/283
• ✶ñ(g)alatā “(reflected) radiance, glitter (of reflected light), glory” ✧ PE17/050
  • Q. nalta “radiance, glittering reflection” ✧ PE17/050; PM/347
  • S. galad “radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss, radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss; [ᴱN.] dawn” ✧ PM/347
  • T. alata “radiance, glittering reflection” ✧ PM/347
• S. galad “radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss, radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss; [ᴱN.] dawn” ✧ PE17/084

Element in

• Q. yúyal “twilight” ✧ PE17/153
• S. Galadriel “Glittering-garland” ✧ SA/kal
• S. Galdor
• S. galvorn “type of dark metal devised by Eöl, *(lit.) shining-black” ✧ SA/kal
• S. Gil-galad “Starlight, (lit.) Star of Radiance” ✧ SA/kal
• S. uial “twilight, evendim” ✧ PE17/153

Variations

• gal ✧ Let/278; PE17/050
• GAL ✧ PE17/050; PE17/059; PE17/084; PE17/146; PE17/153; PE17/153; PE17/153
• gal- ✧ SA/kal

gail

noun. bright light

gal-

prefix. light

calad

gerund noun. light

calad

noun. light

Derivations

• ᴹ√KAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL

Element in

• N. Cilgalad “Pass of Light” ✧ Ety/KIL
• N. Gil-galad “Starlight”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√KAL > calad	[kalata] > [kalat] > [kalad]	✧ Ety/KAL

galad

noun. light

Derivations

• ᴹ√GAL “shine” ✧ Ety/GAL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√GAL > galad	[galata] > [galat] > [galad]	✧ Ety/GAL

glaw

noun. radiance

glaw

noun. radiance

Cognates

• ᴹQ. kala “light” ✧ Ety/KAL

Derivations

• ᴹ✶glā “radiance” ✧ Ety/KAL
  • ᴹ√GAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶g’lā́ > glaw	[glā] > [glǭ] > [glou] > [glau]	✧ Ety/KAL

glaur

noun. golden light (of the golden tree Laurelin)

glor-

noun. golden light (of the golden tree Laurelin)

síla-

verb. to shine white