A word for “waterfall” in the name S. Lanthir Lamath “Waterfall of Echoing Voices” (S/235; PM/349). It is probably a combination of the variant root √LAT “fall” (more typically √DAT) and S. sîr “river”, hence “✱falling river”.
Sindarin
lant
noun. fall
lant
noun. clearing in forest
lanthir lamath
place name. Waterfall of Echoing Voices
lanthir
noun. waterfall
lanthir
noun. waterfall
dant
noun. fall
dant
noun. *fall
An untranslated noun appearing in the phrase Narn e·Dant Gondolin ar Orthad en·Êl in Silmarillion drafts from the 1950s (MR/373). The entire phrase probably means “✱Tale of the Fall of Gondolin and the Raising of the Star”, so that dant is probably “✱fall [as a noun]” and is a derivative of the root √DA(N)T “fall down” (PE17/62; VT48/24). Strictly speaking, e·Dant is the form after it has undergone mixed mutation, but an initial d is not modified by mixed mutation, so the unmutated form would be dant as well.
Conceptual Development: This word appears several times in Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s. It was as an element of Dant-ruin(el), a draft name for the falls of Rauros, so probably meaning “✱Fall of Ruinel” (TI/283, 316). It also appeared in drafts of Lord of the Rings appendices in some rejected words for “autumn”: Dant or Dantilais [the latter apparently meaning “✱Fall-of-leaves”], both of which were revised to Dannas (PM/136).
The earliest precursor for this word seems to be G. dont “a fall, a bump, a drop” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/30), related to G. dod- “fall down, drop” and thus likely based on the early root ᴱ√ÐOTO from the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon (QL/86).
lant
fall
_(noun) _1) #lant (pl. laint, coll. pl. lannath). This is apparently a Quenya borrowing, dant being the native Sindarin word. Note: a homophone means ”clearing in forest”. 2) pend (i bend, o phend; construct pen) (declivity), pl. pind (i phind), coll. pl. pennath. 3)
lant
clearing in forest
lant (pl. laint, coll. pl. lannath). Note: a homophone means ”fall”.
lant
fall
(pl. laint, coll. pl. lannath). This is apparently a Quenya borrowing, dant being the native Sindarin word. Note: a homophone means ”clearing in forest”. 2) pend (i bend, o phend; construct pen) (declivity), pl. pind (i phind), coll. pl. pennath. 3)
lant
noun. clearing in the forest
lant
clearing in forest
(pl. laint, coll. pl. lannath). Note: a homophone means ”fall”.
lanthir
waterfall
(no distinct pl. form). Coll. pl. lanthiriath.
lanthir
waterfall
lanthir (no distinct pl. form). Coll. pl. lanthiriath.
lanthir
waterfall
lanthir (no distinct pl. form). Coll. pl. lanthiriath.
dant
fall, falling
(i dhant) (autumn), pl. daint (i naint), also (and maybe particularly when the meaning is "autumn") dannas (i dhannas), pl. dannais (i nannais) (PM:135)
danna-
verb. to fall
A Sindarin verb for “fall” in Notes on Galadriel’s Song (NGS) from the late 1950s or early 1960s, cognate to Q. lanta- and derived from √DAN-TA (PE17/62). Elsewhere the root for “fall down” was √DAT (VT47/29; VT48/24; Ety/DAT), so √DAN-TA was probably a nasal-infixed variant of the root; compare ᴹ√DAT vs. ᴹ√DANT from The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/DAT). In Sindarin, medial ancient nt became nn, so ✱danta- > S. danna-.
Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. {lanta- >>} lantha- “fall onto, settle on, alight” (GL/52). It had a past form lantathi with a light pencil stroke through it indicating was thus tentatively rejected. This Gnomish verb is clearly cognate to ᴱQ. lant- “drop, fall” from the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√LANTAN [LṆTṆ] (QL/51).
The Etymologies of the 1930s had the root {ᴹ√LANT >>} ᴹ√DAT or ᴹ√DANT “fall down” (Ety/DAT, TALÁT; EtyAC/LANTA). Under the entry for ᴹ√DAT, Tolkien had N. dant- “to fall” with passive participle dannen “fallen” (Ety/DAT). Likely N. dant- was a stem form which would become dann- when inflected, since in Noldorin of the 1930s and 40s ancient medial nt also became nn, as it did in Sindarin.
danna
fall
_ v. _fall. Q. lanta-.
cidinn
?. [unglossed]
cinnog
?. [unglossed]
danna-
verb. to fall
Written dant- in the Etymologies
hand
noun. [unglossed]
las
leaf
pl1. lais** **_ n. _leaf. Only applied to certain kinds of leaves, esp. those of trees, and would not e.g. be used of leaf of hyacinth. It is thus possibly related to LAS 'listen', and S-LAS stem of Elvish words for 'ear'. Q. lasse, pl1. lassi.
las
noun. leaf
las(s)
noun. leaf, leaf; [G.] petal
The basic Sindarin word for “leaf”, derived from the root √LAS (PE17/62, 153; PE22/166). It appeared as both lass and las, but I believe the latter is the suffixal form, the result of the Sindarin sound change whereby final ss shortened in polysyllables (LotR/1115). Its plural form was lais, which is of interest because normally consonant clusters prevent i-intrusion]]; compare nern and resg the plurals of narn and rasg. I am of the opinion that the ss was a particular “weak” cluster and allowed intrusion anyway; see the entry on Sindarin plural nouns for further discussion.
Conceptual Development: G. lass “a leaf” appeared all the way back in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, but there Tolkien said it was sometimes used for “petal” = G. tethlas (GL/52). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s it became ᴱN. lhas “leaf” (PE13/148) and N. lhass “leaf” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶lassē under the root ᴹ√LAS (Ety/LAS¹). These 1920s-30s forms were due to the Noldorin sound change whereby initial l was unvoiced to lh. Tolkien abandoned this sound change in Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s, so that lass “leaf” was restored.
lass
noun. leaf
lass
leaf
lond
noun. narrow path or strait
lond
noun. entrance to harbour, land-locked haven
lonn
noun. narrow path or strait
lonn
noun. entrance to harbour, land-locked haven
madu
?. [unglossed]
maud
?. [unglossed]
tagol
noun. post, mark
bâd
pathway
(i vâd, construct bad) (beaten track), pl. baid (i maid).
danna
fall
(verb) ?danna- (i dhanna, i nannar), pa.t. dant, past participle ("fallen") dannen, pl. dennin.
danna
fall
(i dhanna, i nannar), pa.t. dant, past participle ("fallen") dannen, pl. dennin.
dannad
noun. falling
dannen
fallen
dannen (lenited dhannen, pl. dennin); see FALL. Notice the homophone dannen ”ebb, low tide”, which however has different mutations.
dannen
fallen
(lenited dhannen, pl. dennin); see
dannen
fall
”ebb, low tide”, which however has different mutations.
dath
steep fall
(i dhath) (hole, pit, abyss), pl. daith (i naith) (VT45:8).
dû
nightfall
(i dhû) (night, dusk, late evening, darkness), pl. dui (i nui) (SD:302)
fû Speculative
noun. path
A noun appearing only it is plural form fui “paths” in the name Fui ’Ngorthrim “Paths of the Dead” (RC/526). The most plausible singular form is ✱fû “path”.
golas
collection of leaves
(i ’olas) (foliage), pl. gelais (i ngelais = i ñelais), coll. pl. golassath. Archaic pl. göleis. ”
imrad
path
(between mountains, hills or through trackless forest) imrad (pass), pl. imraid.
imrad
path
(pass), pl. imraid.
lasbelin
leaf-withering
(no distinct pl. form).
lass
leaf
lass (pl. #lais). (Letters:282, PM:135).
lass
leaf
(pl. #lais). (Letters:282, PM:135).
loss
fallen snow
(construct los; pl. lyss if there is a pl.) (RGEO:61-62, Letters:278, VT42:18) (Note: homophones mean ”flower” [more commonly loth] and ”wilderness”.)
pada
walk
(i bada, i phadar)
râd
path
râd (track), construct rad, pl. raid (idh raidh).
râd
path
(track), construct rad, pl. raid (idh raidh).
talt
falling
(adj.) talt (lenited dalt, pl. ?telt) (slipping, insecure)
talt
falling
(lenited dalt, pl. ?telt) (slipping, insecure)
thafn
post
(= wooden pillar) thafn, pl. ?thefn, coll. pl. thavnath
thafn
post
pl. ?thefn, coll. pl. thavnath
Waterfall near the house of Dior whose spray inspired the name of his daughter Elwing (S/235). The name was translated “Waterfall of Echoing Voices” (PM/349), a combination of lanthir “waterfall” and the class-plural of lam “echo”. As pointed out by Christoper Tolkien, this name is undoubtedly related to NS. lóm “echo” (SA/lóm).