leben

cardinal. five

leben

cardinal. five

leben

card

_ card. _five. Q. lepen, lempe. >> eneg

Lebennin

place name. Lebennin

topon.

lebennin

place name. Five Rivers

A region in Gondor with five rivers flowing through into it (LotR/750), translated “Five Rivers” (RC/274), a combination of leben “five” (PE17/95) and the plural nin of nen “water”.

Conceptual Development: When first mentioned in maps for the Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name was translated “Seven Streams” even though it appeared as N. Lebennin (TI/311). Later Tolkien eliminated two of the rivers, making the geography consistent with the name.

Lebennin

noun. five rivers

leben (“five”) + nîn (pl. of nen “lesser river”)

lebenedh

noun. middle finger

A name for the middle finger in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from 1968, a combination of ✶lepe “finger” and enedh “middle” (VT48/5).

leber

noun. finger

The Sindarin word for “finger”, derived from primitive ✶leper and based on the root √LEP “pick up” (VT47/10; VT48/5).

Conceptual Development: Tolkien used various Elvish words for “finger” over his life, but most were based on the root √LEP. The Gnomish Grammar and Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. leptha “finger” (GG/13; GL/53), clearly derived from the early root ᴱ√LEPE that was the basis for contemporaneous Qenya finger words (QL/53). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s it was ᴱN. lhê “finger”, derived from primitive ᴱ✶lept- (PE13/148). In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was N. lhebed “finger” based on the root ᴹ√LEPET of the same meaning (Ety/LEP). In drafts of the 1968 notes mentioned above, Tolkien had S. lebed “finger” (VT47/27), but this was replaced by leber in the finished versions (VT47/23-24 note #30).

lebed

noun. finger

Tolkien later seems to have replaced this form by leber

lebenedh

noun. middle finger

lebent

noun. fourth finger

A name for the fourth finger in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from 1968, cognate to Q. lepente (VT48/5). Its initial element is derived from of ✶lepe “finger” and its second element is likely related to Q. net(ë) “one more [beyond the middle]” (VT47/15), as suggested by Patrick Wynne (VT48/14-15 note #5).

lebent

noun. ring finger

leber

noun. finger

leben

cardinal. five

leben;

leben

five

;

Lebennin

Lebennin

Lebennin means "five rivers" in Sindarin, consisting of leben ("five") + nin ("rivers").

lebenedh

middle finger

1) lebenedh (pl. lebenidh) (VT48:5), 2) tolch (i dolch, o tholch), pl. tylch (i thylch) (VT48:6-12). Also called honeg (i choneg, o choneg), pl. honig (i chonig). The word honeg means ”little brother”, but was used in childrens play for the middle finger.

lebent

ring finger

lebent (pl. lebint) (VT48:5), also called nethig. The word means ”little sister”, but was used in childrens play for the ring finger. (VT47:14, 38-39, VT48:48:6, 17)

lebent

ring finger

(pl. lebint) (VT48:5), also called nethig. The word means ”little sister”, but was used in children’s play for the ring finger. (VT47:14, 38-39, VT48:48:6, 17)

leber

finger

leber (pl. lebir) (VT47:10, 23, 24; VT48:5). This may replace ”Noldorin” lhebed, which we would otherwise update to Sindarin as lebed. For names of specific fingers, see INDEX FINGER, LITTLE FINGER, MIDDLE FINGER, RING FINGER, THUMB.

can

card

_ card. _four. Q. canta. >> canad, leben

canad

card

_ card. _four. Q. canta. >> can, leben

na

be

: The verb ”to be” is poorly attested. Apparently the root is na-. The imperative is attested as no, and nad (used = ”thing”) may be seen as an original gerund *”a being”. It seems that the copula ”is, are” (and ”was, were”?) can be omitted altogether, as in the ”Noldorin” sentence lheben teil brann i annon ”five feet high [is] the door” (AI:92), in Sindarin perhaps *leben tail brand i annon.

na

be

. The imperative is attested as no, and nad (used = ”thing”) may be seen as an original gerund ✱”a being”. It seems that the copula ”is, are” (and ”was, were”?) can be omitted altogether, as in the ”Noldorin” sentence lheben teil brann i annon ”five feet high [is] the door” (AI:92), in Sindarin perhaps ✱leben tail brand i annon.

cae

card

_ card. _ten. Q. cea. >> caen-, mimp. This gloss was rejected.

caen-

card

_ card. _ten. Q. cainen. >> cae, mimp. This gloss was rejected.

eneg

card

_ card. _six. Q. enque, enc-. >> odog

er

card

_ card. _one. Q. er. >> min, tad

lebig

noun. little finger

min

card

_ card. _one. Q. min. >> er, tad

na-

verb. to be

neder

card

_ card. _nine. Q. nerte. >> cae, caen-

nel

card

_ card. _three. Q. nelde. Fcan, canad, neledh

niged

noun. little finger

no

verb. be!

nobad

noun. the pair of fingers composed of the thumb and the index (grouped together as in the act of picking something)

odog

card

_ card. _seven. Q. otos. >> tolod

tad

card

_ card. _two. Q. atta. Fnel, neledh

tad

card

card. two. . This gloss was rejected.

tolod

card

_ card. _eight. Q. tolto. >> neder

lheben

cardinal. five

lheben

cardinal. five

lebennin

place name. Seven Streams

lhebed

noun. finger

Tolkien later seems to have replaced this form by leber

lhebed

noun. finger

lebethras

noun. Gondorian tree

lepen

root. five

√LEPEN was the most common root for “five” in Tolkien’s writings, but he explored a variety of other options. Its earliest iteration appeared in the Qenya and Gnomish lexicons as ᴱ√LEH (QL/52) or ᴱ√LEF “half” (GL/53), so I think the actual early form was ✱ᴱ√LEǶE [lexʷe]. At this early stage it had derivatives with the meanings “five”, “ten”, and “half”, but in later writings “ten” became ᴹ√KAYAN >> √KWAY(AM) and “half” became √PER.

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root appeared as ᴹ√LEPEN “five” with variant ᴹ√LEPEK, but ᴹ√LEPEK had no derivatives (Ety/LEP). √LEPEN appeared again in a list of numbers from the late 1950s or early 1960s beside a variant √LENEP; again the variant had no clear derivatives (PE17/95). √LEPEN reappeared in numeric discussions from the late 1960s (VT42/24; VT47/10). In these late discussions Tolkien said that “five” most likely originally from ✱lepem as an ancient plural of √LEP, but it seems this became √LEPEN already in Common Eldarin (CE), given that the Sindarin word for “five” remained S. leben; Tolkien gave varying explanations for this CE sound change, either as dissimilation from p (VT47/26 note 2) or with final -m > -n being the regular phonetic development (VT47/24).

lepene

noun. five

lenep

root. five

lepe

noun. finger

lepem

root. five

leper

noun. finger

lepero

noun. finger

lepen

cardinal. five

leper

noun. finger

nellepë

noun. middle finger

nentë

noun. fourth finger

lemen

cardinal. five

lemen, alternative cardinal "five" (VT48:6, 20); the word normally appears as lempë, but compare lemenya below.

lemen

cardinal. five

lempë

cardinal. five

lepenel

noun. middle finger

lepente

noun. fourth finger

antil

middle finger

[antil noun "middle finger" (VT47:26)]

cantil

fourth finger

[cantil ("k")noun "fourth finger" (VT47:26)]

cantil

noun. fourth finger

ea

verb. be

be

eneldë

middle finger

[eneldë, enellë, enestil noun "middle finger" (VT47:26)]

lemnë

cardinal. five

lempë

cardinal. five

lempë cardinal "five" (LEP/LEPEN/LEPEK, GL:53, VT42:24, VT47:10, 24); lempëa ordinal "fifth", an analogical formation replacing older lemenya, in turn altered from the historically "correct" form lepenya because of analogy with the cardinal lempë "five" (VT42:25; Vanyarin Quenya maintained lepenya, VT42:26)

lepecan

fourth finger

lepecan ("k")noun "fourth finger" (counted from the thumb) (VT47:10, VT48:5), also lepentë

lepecan

noun. fourth finger

A name for the fourth finger in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from 1968, a combination of ✶lepe “finger” and a reduced form of Q. canta “four” (VT47/10). Rough drafts of these notes had lepekan(t) or Q. cantil with the initial element meaning “four” and the final element Q. til “tip” (VT47/27 note #25). Later version of these notes also had lepekan, along with a more obscurely formed Q. lepente (VT48/5), whose second element is likely related to Q. net(ë) “one more [beyond the middle]” (VT47/15), as suggested by Patrick Wynne (VT48/14-15 note #5).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d use lepecan (lepecant-) for “fourth finger” as the best established of all the various forms, with Q. lepente as a more obscure variant.

lependë

middle finger

[lependë] noun "middle finger", also lepenel (VT47:10, VT48:15; struck out)

lependë

noun. middle finger

In rought drafts of notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from 1968, Tolkien coined various words for “middle finger” using initial element √ENED “middle”: Q. enestil, enelde or enelde, the first of these in combination with Q. til “tip” with the usual sound change of d+t > t+t > st (VT47/26). But Tolkien soon revised the form to lepende, a combination of ✶lepe “finger” and Q. endë “middle” (VT47/27).

The word lepende “middle finger” reappeared in the polished version of these notes, along with a variant lepenel (VT47/10). Tolkien said this variant was an older word interpreted as “finger number-three”, but was originally based on Q. enel “in the middle, between” (VT47/11), with d/l variation in the primitive root √ENED (VT47/29 note #43). In yet another version of these notes, lepenel was the only word for “middle finger” (VT48/5).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d use lependë as the usual word for “middle finger”, with †lepenel as an archaic variant.

lepenel

middle finger

lepenel noun "middle finger", also [lependë] (VT47:10, VT48:5; lependë was struck out, VT48:15)

lepentë

fourth finger

lepentë noun "fourth finger" (counted from the thumb) (VT48:5, 14, 15), also lepecan

leper

finger

leper (pl. leperi given) noun "finger" (VT44:16, VT47:10, 14, 24, VT48:5; an older source gives the word for "finger" as lepsë, q.v.)

leper

noun. finger

The Quenya word for “finger” appearing in various notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from 1968, derived from the root √LEP “pick up” (VT47/10; VT48/5).

Conceptual Development: The Quenya “finger” words went through quite a few conceptual changes, but they were always based on the root √LEP. The earliest of these was ᴱQ. let (lept-) “finger” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√LEPE with plural form lepsi (QL/53). In Qenya word lists of the 1920s, however, this became ᴱQ. lepta “finger”, still with the plural lepsi (PE15/72; PE16/137).

The form was ᴹQ. let (leps-) in the Declension of Nouns of the early 1930s (PE21/19, 26), expanded to ᴹQ. lepse “finger” in The Etymologies written around 1937, based on the root ᴹ√LEPET of the same meaning (Ety/LEPET). This form demonstrated the 1930s sound change whereby pt became ps (PE19/44 note #44). Tolkien revised this sound change so that the result remained pt (PE19/44), and in 1940s drafts to The Lord of the Rings Tolkien used the word ᴹQ. rakkalepta “✱claw-fingered” in Treebeard’s description of orcs (SD/68), though in the published version this word only appeared in English.

In the Outline of Phonology from the 1950s (OP1) Tolkien considered restoring the sound change pt > ps (PE19/84 note #75), and Q. lepsë appeared in notes from the late 1950s or early 60s on the tree name S. lebethron, so named because “its leaves (like chestnut) [were] shaped like a fingered hand” (PE17/89). However, he again abandoned this, clarifying that the actual result of [[q|[pt] was a spirantal [ɸt]]] (spelled pt to represent the bilabial pronunciation), and that in Tarquesta pronunciation (Exhilic Quenya of the first age) the [ɸ] vocalized to [u̯] so that ✶lepta > leꝑta > Q. leu̯ta “finger” (PE19/84). Q. lepta appeared in several words in the 1960s: Q. leptafinya “clever-fingered” (PE17/17) and Q. Tyelpelepta “✱silver-fingered” (VT47/27).

In drafts of the 1968 notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals, lepta reappeared as an independent word, but with the gloss “thumb” (VT47/27). In the final versions of these notes, however, Tolkien used leper for “finger”, as noted above.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use leper for “finger”, but would retain lepta as an adjective meaning “fingered”, especially in compounds like [ᴹQ.] raccalepta “claw-fingered”.

lepsë

finger

lepsë noun "finger" (LEP/LEPET; see leper). According to VT45:27, Tolkien derived lepsë from primitive ¤lepti; if so, lepsë should have the stem-form *lepsi-. However, Tolkien struck out the ancestral form lepti, so we cannot be sure whether this idea was maintained or not. In later sources, the word for "finger" appears as leper.

leuta

noun. finger