lerembas

lembas

lerembas noun "lembas" (waybread of the Elves) (PE17:52); in a later source, the Quenya word for lembas is however given as coimas, q.v.

coimas

noun. life-bread, lembas

A Quenya term for “lembas” (Elven waybread) but of different etymological origins appearing in notes from the 1950s, a combination of √KOY “live” and a reduced form of massa or masta “bread” (PM/395, 403-4). As such, its stem form is likely to be either coimass- or coimast-; I prefer the first of these. Tolkien also had Q. lerembas in notes from the 1960s as a more direct cognate of S. lembas (PE17/51).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya I’d stick to coimas, as the etymology of lerembas is rather muddled.

Cognates

• S. lembas “waybread, journey-bread” ✧ SI/lembas

Element in

• Q. mana i coimas Eldaron? “What is the ‘coimas’ of the Eldar?” ✧ PM/395
• Q. mana i·coimas in·Eldaron? “What is the ‘coimas’ of the Eldar?” ✧ PM/403

Elements

Word	Gloss
KOY	“*live, have life, [ᴹ√] live, have life”
massa	“bread”

coimas

life-bread

coimas noun "life-bread" = Sindarin lembas(SA:cuivië, PM:395); coimas Eldaron "the coimas of the Eldar" (PM:395)

massa

bread

#massa noun "bread" (massamma "our bread", VT43:18); massánië "breadgiver", used as a title of the highest woman among any Elvish people, since she had the keeping and gift of the coimas (lembas). Also simply translated "Lady" (PM:404)

massa

noun. bread

A word for “bread” appearing as massa (VT43/12) or massë (PE17/52) in Tolkien’s later writings, most notably as an element in Q. massánië “breadgiver” (PM/404). It was in competition with, and possibly replaced, the word masta “bread”. The distinction between the two was discussed in notes from 1960s (PE17/52):

> Assume a Primitive Eldarin derivation ✱mbassē “(baked) bread”. The other derivatives were ✱mbasta with short final, an infinitive or verbal noun formation denoting a single action of the stem .. and ✱mbazdā denoting the passive result of the action, and when used substantivally a single product of this: mbazda would thus mean baked or a baked thing ... In Quenya we have masse “bread” as a material, and masta “a cake or loaf” (zd > st).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya I prefer to use massa as the typical word for “bread” rather than massë, to avoid conflict with other words like [ᴹQ.] masse “where”. I would also use masta as a more general word for baked goods, including bread but also other baked things like cakes and loafs.

Cognates

• S. bas(t) “bread”

Derivations

• ✶mbassē “(baked) bread” ✧ PE17/052
  • √MBAS “bake, bake, [ᴱ√] cook; [ᴹ√] knead” ✧ PE17/051

Element in

• Q. ámen anta síra ilaurëa massamma “give us this day our daily bread” ✧ VT43/18
• Q. coimas “life-bread, lembas”
• Q. massánië “Lady, breadgiver”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶mbassē > masse	[mbassē] > [massē] > [masse]	✧ PE17/052

Variations

• masse ✧ PE17/052

lenda

journey

lenda (1) noun "journey" (PE17:60)

lenda

noun. journey, journey, *travel, trip

@@@ extended meaning from NQ-Wiki

Cognates

• ᴺS. lîdh “journey”

Derivations

• √LEN “*way, [ᴹ√] way, (?road)” ✧ PE17/060

Element in

• ᴺQ. lendië “tourism, *traveling”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√LEN > lenda	[lenda]	✧ PE17/060

massë

bread

massë noun "bread" (as a material), variant of massa, q.v. (PE17:52). Notice that *massë has also been extrapolated as a question-word "where?"

massë

noun. bread

masta

noun. bread

mesta

journey

mesta noun ?"journey" (Arct)

lendë

noun. journey

Derivations

• √LED “go, proceed, go, proceed, [ᴹ√] fare, travel”

lembas

noun. waybread, journey-bread

The name of the special bread used by Elves during travel, more literally “waybread”.

Conceptual Development: This word appeared as N. lembas “waybread” in a marginal entry to The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√LEN “(road?), way” [the first gloss is unclear], a variant of ᴹ√LED “go, fare, travel” (EtyAC/LEN). It second element was probably N. bast “bread” (Ety/MBAS). In the narratives themselves, the word lembas appeared in early drafts of Book 2, Chapter 8 “Farewell to Lórien” from The Lord of the Rings (TI/279), which is where it first appeared in the published version as well.

Possible Etymology: Although its second element was probably originally bast “bread”, it is not clear why this word was lembas and not lembast; Noldorin compounds usually retained final st, as in Orchrist and Camlost. The reduction of the st in lembas could be a remnant of earlier ideas; compare it to G. losbas “ryebread” = G. losc + G. bast from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/22, 54).

Nevertheless, Tolkien considered the etymology of lembas somewhat problematic in his later writings. In notes from the 1950s he derived it from OS. lenn-mbass “journey-bread” (PM/404). In notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s Tolkien derived lembas from lendbas where its initial element was lenda “journey” based on the root √LEN or √LED but he did not explain the second element (PE17/60). In notes from the mid-1960s Tolkien wrote:

> lembas “waybread”. This seems meant to be associated with Primitive Eldarin stems ✱LED “go” and ✱MBAS “bake” but is not readily derived from them according to Sindarin developments. Something like ✱leðbast would be expected (PE17/51).

In these notes, Tolkien initially derived the word from ledme-mbasta but struggled to explain the reduction of st. He then started over, saying:

> Simplify this thus: Assume a Primitive Eldarin derivation ✱mbassē, “(baked) bread” ... Evidently lembas is an old compound < led(e)mbasse “bread taken on leaving home (for a long journey)”, the first element being the bare verbal stem. ... lembas would be a reasonable Sindarin development in an obscured compound though leðbas would be expected if the stem √LED had remained in common use (PE17/52).

This revised etymology is more-or-less compatible with the 1950s derivation from OS. lenn-mbass, which is the derivation Christopher Tolkien presented in the Silmarillion Index (SI/lembas).

Cognates

• Q. coimas “life-bread, lembas” ✧ SI/lembas
• Q. lerembas “bread taken on leaving home (for a long journey)” ✧ PE17/052

Derivations

• Os. lenn-mbass “way-bread” ✧ LotRI/Lembas; PE17/060; PM/404; SI/lembas
  • ✶le(n)dembassē “bread taken on leaving home (for a long journey)”
• ✶le(n)dembassē “bread taken on leaving home (for a long journey)” ✧ PE17/051; PE17/051; PE17/052

Elements

Word	Gloss
LED	“go, proceed, go, proceed, [ᴹ√] fare, travel”
bas(t)	“bread”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
Os. len-bas > Lembas	[lenbas] > [lembas]	✧ LotRI/Lembas
✶ledme-mbasta > lenm(e)mbast(a) > lenmbast > lembas	[ledmembasta] > [lenmembasta] > [lenmembast] > [lenmbast] > [lenbast] > [lembast]	✧ PE17/051
✶ledme-mbassē > lembas	[ledmembassē] > [ledmembasse] > [lenmembasse] > [lenmembass] > [lenmbass] > [lenbass] > [lembass] > [lembas]	✧ PE17/051
✶led(e)mbasse > lembas	[ledmbasse] > [lenmbasse] > [lenmbasse] > [lenbass] > [lembass] > [lembas]	✧ PE17/052
Os. lendbas > lembas	[lendbas] > [lenbas] > [lembas]	✧ PE17/060
Os. lenn-mbass > lembas	[lennmbas] > [lenbas] > [lembas]	✧ PM/404
Os. lenn-mbass > lembas	[lennmbas] > [lenbas] > [lembas]	✧ SI/lembas

Variations

• Lembas ✧ LotRI/Lembas; LotRI/Waybread; PMI/Lembas
• leðbast ✧ PE17/051 (leðbast)
• leðbas ✧ PE17/052 (leðbas)

lembas

noun. way bread

lend (“journey”) + (m-)bass (“bread”)

lembas

noun. journey bread made by the Elves

lembas

'way-bread'

n. 'way-bread'. Q. lerembas. >> ledhbas

ledhbas

'way-bread'

{ð} n. 'way-bread'. A form of lembas if the stem LED had remained in common use. >> lembas

lembas

way-bread, journey-bread

lembas, pl. lembais.

lembas

journey-bread

lembas (way-bread), pl. lembais

lembas

way-bread

lembas (journey-bread), pl. lembais

lembas

journey-bread

(way-bread), pl. lembais

lembas

way-bread, journey-bread

pl. lembais.

lembas

way-bread

(journey-bread), pl. lembais

bas(t)

noun. bread

This was the word for “bread” in Sindarin and its conceptual precursors for much of Tolkien’s life, derived from the equally long-lived root √MBAS “bake”. The word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s where G. bast “bread” was derived from the early root ᴱ√M(B)ASA “cook, bake” (GL/22). ᴱN. bast “bread” reappeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/138) and appeared again as N. bast “bread” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√MBAS “knead” (Ety/MBAS).

It appeared without a final t in the Sindarin version of the Lord’s Prayer from the 1950s: anno ammen sír i mbas ilaurui vín “give us this day our daily bread” (VT44/21). However the t was restored in the phrase penim vast “we have no bread” from around 1959 (PE17/144). The late vacillations on the presence and absence of t are likely connected to Tolkien challenges with the derivation of lembas; see that entry for discussion. Likewise, the mutated forms mbas vs. vast indicate some late uncertainty on whether the primitive form began with mb- or b-.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume the normal form was bast “bread” from ancient mbasta, so that lenited forms show mb-.

Cognates

• Q. massa “bread”
• Q. masta “bread, cake, loaf, bread, cake, loaf, *baked good”

Derivations

• √MBAS “bake, bake, [ᴱ√] cook; [ᴹ√] knead”

Element in

• S. anno ammen sír i mbas ilaurui vín “give us this day our daily bread” ✧ VT44/27
• S. lembas “waybread, journey-bread”
• ᴺS. losbas “ryebread”
• S. penim vast “we have no bread” ✧ PE17/144

lend

noun. journey

lenn-

noun. journey

bass

noun. bread

In the Etymologies, the word for "bread" is given as bast , Quenya masta, but it seems that Tolkien later changed his mind and updated the word to bass, as shown in Quenya massánie, Sindarin besain, besoneth "bread-giver", and in the mutated form (i)mbas (apparently prefixed with the article). These latter Sindarin forms are however dubious, as we would rather have expected bessain (as a regular cognate of Quenya massánie) and bassoneth (without i-affection), and possibly a different mutation pattern after the article

bassoneth

noun. bread-giver

See bass for a discussion regarding this word

besain

noun. bread-giver

See bass for a discussion regarding this word

besoneth

noun. bread-giver

See bass for a discussion regarding this word

bessain

noun. bread-giver

See bass for a discussion regarding this word

ledhbas(t)

noun. waybread

bass

bread

bass (i mass, o mbass, construct bas), pl. bais (i mbais). The sg. form with article "imbas" in VT44:23 may be seen as archaic Sindarin, for later *i mas(s) as suggested here. In ”Noldorin”, the word for "bread" was bast (LR:372 s.v. MBAS), but otherwise it would have the same mutations.

bass

bread

(i mass, o mbass, construct bas), pl. bais (i mbais). The sg. form with article "imbas" in VT44:23 may be seen as archaic Sindarin, for later ✱i mas(s) as suggested here. – In ”Noldorin”, the word for "bread" was bast (LR:372 s.v. MBAS), but otherwise it would have the same mutations.

lend

journey

lend (way), pl. lind, coll. pl. lennath. Note: a homophone means ”tuneful, sweet”.

lend

journey

(way), pl. lind, coll. pl. lennath. Note: a homophone means ”tuneful, sweet”.

lîdh

noun. journey

From ✱lēde < √LED “go, proceed”, see also N. ledh- “to go”. Noun forms with long vowels that correspond to basic verbs with short vowels are fairly common in Sindarin, for example: N. mîl n. “love” vs. S. mel- v. “to love”; N. glîr n. “song” vs. N. glir- “to sing”. A direct cognate of Q. lenda “journey” would be ᴺS. lend or lenn, but the form ᴺS. lend already exists as an adjective for “tuneful, sweet”.

Cognates

• Q. lenda “journey, journey, *travel, trip”

Derivations

• √LED “go, proceed, go, proceed, [ᴹ√] fare, travel”

lembas

noun. waybread

Derivations

• ᴹ√LEN “(?road), way” ✧ EtyAC/LEN

Elements

Word	Gloss
LEN	“(?road), way”
M(B)AS	“knead”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√LEN > lembas	[lenbas] > [lembas]	✧ EtyAC/LEN

Variations

• Lembas ✧ TI/279; TII/Lembas

bast

noun. bread

Cognates

• ᴹQ. masta “bread” ✧ Ety/MBAS

Derivations

• ᴹ√M(B)AS “knead” ✧ Ety/KOR; Ety/MBAS

Element in

• Ilk. basgorn “round bread” ✧ Ety/KOR
• N. basgorn “loaf, loaf, [G.] loaf of bread, [ᴱN.] round loaf, cake” ✧ Ety/MBAS

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√MBAS > bast	[mbasta] > [basta] > [bast]	✧ Ety/MBAS

bast

noun. bread