Sindarin 

lebethron

noun. a tree - its black wood was used by the woodwrights of Gondor

In the original manuscript, one of the earlier (rejected) form of this name was lebendron. Didier Willis proposed the etymology lebed+doron "finger-oak", actually a real tree name (Finger Oak or Quercus digitata)

Sindarin [LotR/IV:VII, LotR/VI:V, WR/176] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lebethron

noun. name of a hard-wood tree growing in Gondor

n. Bot. name of a hard-wood tree growing in Gondor (Ithilien). Q lepetta. Also used as word for the wood which took a high polish, lebethorn being altered to lebethron and associated with RUN 'rub, grind, smooth, polish'. >> ron. This gloss was rejected.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:89:103] < _lepeth-orn_. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

lebethron

noun. Gondorian hardwood, *(lit.) finger tree

A species of Gondorian hardwood (LotR/694).

Possible Etymology: In notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/89), Tolkien said that the final element -ron was a variant of orn “tree”. However, in an undated note probably from the late 1960s (also PE17/89), Tolkien said this word was originally †lebethorn, but became lebethron under the influence of S. ron “smooth by polishing” < ✱runda, but Tolkien then deleted the adjective ron. Tolkien said the initial element was related to Q. lepse [finger] in the earlier note, but in the late 1960s note said it was related to Q. lepetta, the Quenya word for the tree, so called “probably because its leaves (like chestnut) [were] shaped like a fingered hand”.

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s, Tolkien wrote ᴹQ. {melinon >> lebendron >>} lebethras when he first mentioned this tree (WR/176).

Cognates

  • Q. lepetta “Gondorian hardwood” ✧ PE17/089

Derivations

Elements

WordGloss
leber“finger”
orn“(tall straight) tree”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
lepeth-ron > lebethron[lepettaoroni] > [lepettaroni] > [lepettarone] > [lepettʰarone] > [lepeθθarone] > [lepeθθaron] > [lebeθθaron] > [lebeθθron] > [lebeθron]✧ PE17/089

Variations

  • Lebethron ✧ LotRI/Lebethron
  • lebethorn ✧ PE17/089 (lebethorn)
Sindarin [LotR/0694; LotRI/Lebethron; PE17/089; PE17/103; SDI1/lebethron; WR/180; WRI/lebethron] Group: Eldamo. Published by

malthorn

noun. golden tree of Lothlórien

Sindarin [S/435, LotR/II:IV, VT/42:27, Tengwestie/20031207] malt+orn "tree of gold". Group: SINDICT. Published by

malhorn

noun. golden tree of Lothlórien

Sindarin [S/435, LotR/II:IV, VT/42:27, Tengwestie/20031207] malt+orn "tree of gold". Group: SINDICT. Published by

oron

noun. tree

n. Bot. tree. Also in compound -(o)rŏnō. >> orn

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:89] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

mallorn

noun. golden tree of Lothlórien

Sindarin [S/435, LotR/II:IV, VT/42:27, Tengwestie/20031207] malt+orn "tree of gold". Group: SINDICT. Published by

orn

noun. (any large) tree

Sindarin [Ety/379, S/435, Letters/426] Group: SINDICT. Published by

galadh

noun. tree

Sindarin [Ety/357, S/427, LotR/E, LB/354, RGEO/73, Letters] Group: SINDICT. Published by

galadh

tree

_n. Bot._tree, like oak (nordh) and beech. A galadh was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. In Sindarin, there was no much distinction in size between galað and orn. A galað was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. Birch, ash and oak are of the orn kind. Q. alda. >> orn

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:25:50] < *_galadā _a large plant (general term), tree < GALA grow like plants. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

galadh

tree

{ð} n. tree. In Sindarin, there was no much distinction in size between galað and orn. A galað was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. Birch, ash and oak are of the orn kind. Q. alda. >> orn

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:25:136] < *_galaða_ < *_galadā_ < GAL to grow (like a plant). Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

galadh

noun. tree

The basic Sindarin word for “tree” (LotR/1113), derived from primitive ✶galadā and very well attested. This word dates back at least to The Etymologies of the 1930s, where N. galadh “tree” appeared under the root ᴹ√GALAD (Ety/GALAD). See also orn “(tall) tree” of similar meaning.

Conceptual Development: Gnomish of the 1910s had some earlier version of this “tree” word: G. galdon >> alwen “tree” in the Name-list to the Fall of Gondolin (PE15/24) and archaic/poetic G. †alwen “tree” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/19), the latter probably from the early root ᴱ√ALA “spread” that was the basis for ᴱQ. alda “tree” (QL/29).

Cognates

  • Nan. galad “tree” ✧ MR/182; PE17/060
  • Q. alda “tree, tree, [ᴱQ.] branch” ✧ Let/426; LotR/1113; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/063; PE17/136; PE17/153; PE17/153; RGEO/65; SA/alda; NM/352

Derivations

  • galadā “great plant, tree” ✧ Let/426; NM/349; NM/352; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/063; PE17/135; PE17/153; PE17/153; UT/266
    • ᴹ√GALAD “tree”
    • ᴹ√GAL “grow, thrive” ✧ Ety/GALA
    • GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive” ✧ Let/426; PE17/025; PE17/135; PE17/153; PE17/153

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
galadā > galadh[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]✧ Let/426
galada > galað[galada] > [galaða] > [galað]✧ NM/352
galadā > galadh[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]✧ PE17/025
galadā > galadh[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]✧ PE17/050
galadā > galadh[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]✧ PE17/063
galadā > galaða > galað > galadh[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]✧ PE17/135
galadā́ > galað[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]✧ PE17/153
galadā > galað[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]✧ PE17/153
galadā > galadh[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]✧ UT/266

Variations

  • galað ✧ MR/182; MR/470; NM/349; NM/352; PE17/060; PE17/153; PE17/153
Sindarin [LB/354; Let/426; LotR/1113; MR/182; MR/470; NM/349; NM/352; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/060; PE17/063; PE17/097; PE17/136; PE17/153; RGEO/65; SA/alda; SA/kal; UT/267] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lebethron

oak tree

.

lebethron

Lebethron

Lebethron was a Gondor Sindarin word. The fist element, lebeth, was related to Quenya lepsë, "finger". The second element was said to be derived from oron, "tree", though a later addition also ties it to the root RUN, "rub, grind, smooth, polish". In this light, the tree was named lebethorn, and the wood of the tree lebethron, and the two words merged into one over time. Didier Willis has speculated that it was the "finger-oak", or Quercus Digitata, though the identification of the second element as oron rather than doron, "oak", made that interpretation questionable.

Sindarin [Tolkien Gateway] Published by

lebethron

oak tree

. An unidentified tree (or its wood) is the lebethron.

galadhon

of or related to trees

(lenited ‘aladhon, pl. galadhoen). Archaic ✱galadhaun. The latter is based on David Salo’s analysis of the name Caras Galadhon; others have interpreted the last word as some kind of genitive plural, maybe influenced by Silvan Elvish.

doron

oak tree

doron (i dhoron), pl. deryn (i neryn). In "Noldorin", the pl. was deren.

doron

oak tree

(i dhoron), pl. deryn (i neryn). In "Noldorin", the pl. was deren.

huorn

walking tree of fangorn

(i chuorn, o chuorn), pl. huyrn (i chuyrn).

nothlir

family tree

(family line); no distinct pl. form; coll. pl. nothliriath.

galadhrim

people of the trees

(Elves of Lórien). Adj.

orn

tree

(pl. yrn). Note: a homophone means ”tall”.

galadh

tree

1) galadh (i **aladh), pl. gelaid (i ngelaidh = i ñelaidh) (Letters:426, SD:302). 2) orn (pl. yrn**). Note: a homophone means ”tall”.

galadh

tree

(i ’aladh), pl. gelaid (i ngelaidh = i ñelaidh) (Letters:426, SD:302).

toss

low-growing tree

(i** doss, o thoss, construct tos), pl. tyss (i** thyss). Tolkien mentioned ”maple, hawthorn, blackthorn, holly, etc.” as examples of the low-growing trees covered by this word. Specific trees, see