lanta (1) noun "a fall" (DAT/DANT (TALÁT) ), also lantë.
Quenya
lanta
noun/adjective. fall; falling, fall; falling, [ᴱQ.] fallen
lanta
fall
lanta-
verb. to fall, to fall; [ᴱQ.] to drop
The Quenya verb for “to fall”, dating all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, though in that document it had the form ᴱQ. lant- and the additional gloss “drop” (QL/51). In the Qenya Lexicon it was derived from the early root ᴱ√LANTAN [LṆTṆ], but in The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien changed the root {ᴹ√LANTA >>} ᴹ√DA(N)T “fall down” as the basis for ᴹQ. lanta- “to fall” (Ety/DAT; EtyAC/LANTA). Q. lanta- “fall” appeared regularly in Tolkien’s later writings as well (MC/222; PE17/62; VT49/47), most notably in the Namárië poem in its first phrase: ai! laurië lantar lassi súrinen “ah! like gold fall the leaves in the wind” (LotR/377).
The word lanta was occasionally used as a noun for “a fall”; see that entry for discussion.
Neo-Quenya: In Tolkien’s later writings, lanta- was used only for intransitive “fall”. However, we have no Quenya verbs for transitive “drop” other than 1910s ᴱQ. lant-, so I would assume that lanta- can be used this way as well for purposes of Neo-Quenya (QL/51). For example, lantan “I fall” vs. lantan i macil “I drop [make fall] the sword”.
lanta-
fall
lanta- (2) "fall" (DAT/DANT (TALÁT), Narqelion, VT45:26, VT49:54); lantar aorist tense pl. (Nam, RGEO:66); pl. pa.t. lantaner "fell" (pl.) (SD:246); lantier "they fell", a plural past tense of lanta- "fall" occurring in LR:47; read probably lantaner in LotR-style Quenya, as in SD:246. Also sg. lantië "fell" (LR:56); read likewise *lantanë? (The forms in -ier, -ië seem to be properly perfects.) Future tense lantuva, VT49:47. Participle lantala "falling" (with locative ending: lantalassë) in Markirya.
lanta-mindon
fallen-towers
lanta-mindon Qenya pl. noun "fallen-towers"; inflected compound lanta-ránar "in falling-moon" (with pre-classical locative -r) (MC:214; these forms are "Qenya")
lantë
fall
#lantë (1) noun "fall" in Noldolantë, q.v. Also lanta.
lantë
noun. fall
A noun for “fall” appearing as an element of the title Noldolantë “Fall of the Noldor” (S/87).
Neo-Quenya: The word lasse-lanta “leaf-fall” (LotR/1107) indicates the noun for “a fall” should be lanta, which is also how the noun appears in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/DAT). However, there is an alternate form lassewinta “leaf fall” in drafts of the Lord of the Rings appendices (PM/376) where the second element seems to be the infinitive of the verb winta-, so perhaps lasselanta also includes the infinitive of the verb lanta- “to fall”.
The form lantë more strongly resembles other Quenya nouns, which more often end in -e rather than -a. As such, I prefer lantë over lanta as the independent noun for “a fall”.
lantalasselingëa
with a musical sound of falling leaves
lantalasselingëa adj. "with a musical sound of falling leaves" (PE16:96)
lantalca
boundary post or mark
lantalca ("k")noun "boundary post or mark" (VT42:8, 28)
lantar
fall
-r plural ending used on verbs with a plural subject (VT49:48, 50, 51), e.g. lantar "fall" in Namárië (with the plural subject lassi "leaves"), or unduláver as the pl. form of undulávë "licked down, covered" (PE17:72). The ending is sometimes missing where we might expect it; for instance, the verb tarnë "stood" has multiple subjects and yet does not appear as *tarner in PE17:71.
lantë
falling
lantë (2) adj.? participle? "falling" (MC:214; this is "Qenya" - in Tolkien's later Quenya lantala)
lantalca
noun. boundary post or mark
isilmë lantalassë
in the moon falling
The ninteenth line of the Markirya poem (MC/222). The first word is isilmë “moonlight” followed by the active-participle (“-ing”) of the verb lanta- “to fall” with the locative suffix -ssë (“in”), which modifies the entire phrase, as suggested by Helge Fauskanger (AL/Markirya).
Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:
> isilmë lanta-la-ssë = “✱moonlight fall-ing-in”
táli lantalasselingië
*with feet like the music of falling leaves
lantasírë
noun. waterfall, (lit.) falling river
lantanwa
adjective. *fallen
lantanna
noun. banner, standard
lassë
leaf
lassë noun "leaf"; pl. lassi is attested (Nam, RGEO:66, Letters:283, LAS1, LT1:254, VT39:9, Narqelion); gen. lassëo "of a leaf", gen. pl. lassion "of leaves" (earlier lassio) (WJ:407). The word lassë was only applied to certain kinds of leaves, especially those of trees (PE17:62), perhaps particularly _ear-shaped _leaves (cf. the entry _LAS1 _in the Etymologies, where Tolkien comments on the pointed or leaf-shaped Elvish ears and suggests an etymological connection between words for "ear" and "leaf"); see also linquë #3. Compound lasselanta "leaf-fall", used (as was quellë) for the latter part of autumn and the beginning of winter (Appendix D, Letters:428); hence Lasselanta alternative name of October (PM:135). Cf. also lassemista "leaf-grey, grey-leaved" (LotR2:III ch. 4, translated in Letters:224, PE17:62), lassewinta a variant of lasselanta (PM:376). Adj. laicalassë "green as leaves" (PE17:56). See also lillassëa, lantalasselingëa.
talca
post, mark
#talca ("k")noun "post, mark" isolated from lantalca "boundary post or mark" (VT42:28)
lassë
noun. leaf, leaf; [ᴱQ.] petal
The basic Quenya word for “leaf”, derived from the root √LAS (PE17/62, 153; VT39/9). This word dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s where ᴱQ. lasse “leaf” appeared as its own entry (QL/51). ᴹQ. lasse “leaf” also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√LAS (Ety/LAS¹). In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s Tolkien said that lasse meant both “a leaf or petal” (GL/52). After that Tolkien translated it only as “leaf”. In one set of later notes Tolkien said it was even more restricted in meaning, and “only applied to certain kinds of leaves, especially those of trees, and would not e.g. be used of leaf of a hyacinth (linque)” (PE17/62).
Neo-Quenya: Despite Tolkien late declaration, I would use lassë as the general “leaf” word for purposes of Neo-Quenya, though more specialized words may also exist such as linquë “(leaf of a) hyacinth”. I would also use it metaphorically in its Early Qenya sense as the “petal” of a flower where the context is very clear, such as lassi indilo “leaves of a lily” = “lily petals”. But where ambiguous, I would use the neologism ᴺQ. lótelas for “petal”, more literally “flower leaf”.
amya-
verb. [unglossed]
arra
adjective. [unglossed]
axa
waterfall
axa ("ks") (2) noun "waterfall" (LT1:249, 255 - this "Qenya" word may have been obsoleted by # 1 above)
cairë
?. [unglossed]
conta-
verb. [unglossed]
cúma
noun. [unglossed]
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]
hana
noun. post
hendas
?. [unglossed]
hindo
noun. [unglossed]
hindë
noun. [unglossed]
holdë
noun. [unglossed]
hríva
place name. [unglossed]
háro
?. [unglossed]
lingi-
verb. [unglossed]
maitya
?. [unglossed]
malsa
?. [unglossed]
melya-
verb. [unglossed], *to be in love
máriel
feminine name. [unglossed]
naue
?. [unglossed]
níva
?. [unglossed]
sal-
verb. [unglossed]
sélo
?. [unglossed]
sóla
?. [unglossed]
taniquelassë
leaf
taniquelassë noun name of tree (UT:167), perhaps Tanique(til) + lassë "leaf"
thar-
verb. [unglossed]
tomba
noun. [unglossed]
tompë
noun. [unglossed], *pulse, beat
@@@ Neo-meaning “✱pulse, beat” suggested by Röandil on 2023-04-20
um(ba)-
prefix. [unglossed]
umbacarin
noun. [unglossed]
éna
?. [unglossed]
úpa-
verb. [unglossed]
þúna
?. [unglossed]
A noun for “a fall” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√DA(N)T “fall down”, also appearing as an element in ᴹQ. lasselanta “leaf-fall, autumn” (Ety/DAT). Since lasse-lanta “leaf-fall” appeared in The Lord of the Rings appendices, this noun probably remained valid in the 1950s and 60s (LotR/1107). As a noun, its use dates back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where Tolkien had ᴱQ. lanta “a fall, falling” under the early root ᴱ√LANTAN [LṆTṆ] (QL/51).
This word was also used adjectivally in the 1950s version of the Nieninquë poem in the phrase Q. táli lantalasselingie (PE16/96). Base on the circa-1930 version of the poem, this phrase can be loosely translated as “with feet like the music of falling leaves” (MC/216). It was also used adjectivally in the circa-1930 version of the ᴱQ. Oilima Markirya poem, in the phrases ᴱQ. lanta-ránar “in the moon falling” and ᴱQ. lante no lanta-mindon “falling upon fallen towers” (MC/214); the 1960s version of Markirya used different words than lanta.
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would assume lanta is primarily a noun meaning “a fall”, but could be used adjectivally in compounds like lantalasselingëa “✱falling-leaf-musical”, especially in poetry. As a noun, it might just be the infinitive form of the similarly formed verb lanta- “to fall”. A more properly noun-like word for “fall” is lantë (S/87) and its use may be preferable to lanta for an independent noun; see that entry for discussion.