Quenya 

luimë

flood

luimë noun "flood" (VT48:23, 30; the additional glosses "floodwater, flooded land" were struck out, VT48:30), "flood, high tide" (VT48:24, 30). According to VT48:30, partially illegible glosses in Tolkien's manuscript may also suggest that luimë can be used for any tide, or for the spring tide (the maximum tide just after a new or full moon).

lúto

flood

lúto noun "flood" (LT1:249)

ulundë

flood

ulundë noun "flood" (ULU), possibly in the sense of (great) river.% Cf. nuinë, oloirë.

ailo

lake, pool

ailo noun "lake, pool" (LT2:339; Tolkien's later Quenya has ailin)

hlöa

noun. flood, fenland

A Quenya cognate of S. lhô appearing in The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor from the late 1960s, rejected when Tolkien revised the primitive form {✶sloga >>} ✶loga and the Sindarin form {lhô >>} (VT42/9-10). I personally prefer the earlier form S. lhô which Tolkien used prior to 1968, and as such I think ᴺQ. hlöa “flood, fenland” is salvagable for purposes of Neo-Eldarin, as a derivative of an s-prefixed variant of √LOG. See the entry on S. l(h)ô for further discussion.

Cognates

  • S. l(h)ô “flood, fenland, flood, fenland; [G.] pool, lake” ✧ VT42/09

Derivations

  • (s)loga “fenland” ✧ VT42/09
    • LOG “wet (and soft), soaked, swampy” ✧ UT/263; VT42/09; VT42/10

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
sloga > hloä[sloga] > [l̥oga] > [l̥oɣa] > [l̥oa]✧ VT42/09

Variations

  • hloä ✧ VT42/09 (hloä)

nendë

noun. lake, lake, [ᴹQ.] pool

A word for “lake” (PE17/52) or “pool” (Ety/NEN), derived from the root √NEN “water”.

Conceptual Development: This word appeared in both The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/NEN) and notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/37) with the same basic meaning and derivation.

Derivations

  • NEN “water, water, [ᴱ√] flow” ✧ PE17/052

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
NEN > nende[nende]✧ PE17/052

Variations

  • nende ✧ PE17/052

Illuin

blue

Illuin place-name, name of one of the Lamps of the Valar; apparently incorporating the element luin "blue" (Silm): hence *"all-blue"?

luinë

blue

luinë adj. "blue", pl. luini (PE17:66, VT48:23, 24, 28, Nam, RGEO:66). Common Eldarin luini- would also be the stem-form in Quenya (VT48:24). Compare luinincë. Apparently -luin in Illuin, the name of one of the Lamps of the Valar (q.v.), Helluin, name of the star Sirius, and Luinil, name of another blue-shining star (or planet). (SA; Luinil is tentatively identified with Neptune, MR:435). Cf. also menelluin "sky-blue", used as noun = "cornflower" (J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator p. 193).

luinë

adjective. blue

Cognates

  • S. luin “blue” ✧ SA/luin; VT48/23; VT48/28
  • T. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/28

Derivations

  • LUY “blue” ✧ VT48/23
  • luini “blue” ✧ VT48/24
    • LUY “blue” ✧ VT48/24

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
LUY > luine[luini] > [luine]✧ VT48/23
luini > luine[luini] > [luine]✧ VT48/24

Variations

  • luine ✧ PE17/066; VT48/23; VT48/24; VT48/28
  • luini ✧ PE17/071
  • luin ✧ SA/luin
Quenya [LotR/0377; PE17/066; PE17/071; RGEO/58; SA/luin; VT48/23; VT48/24; VT48/28] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lúnë

blue

lúnë (stem *lúni-, given the primitive form ¤lugni) adj. "blue" (LUG2, LT1:262; later sources rather give luinë, with pl. form luini_ in Namárië)_. According to VT45:29, lúnë in the Etymologies was changed by Tolkien from lúna.

ninwa

blue

ninwa adj. "blue" (LT1:262)

hlöa

noun. flood, fenland

Sindarin 

blue

adj. blue. . This gloss was rejected.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:136] < _(s)lowā_ < (S)LOW9. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

flood

n. flood.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:96] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

noun. shallow lake, fenland

Sindarin [UT/263, VT/42:8-10] Group: SINDICT. Published by


Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:137] < *_hlaw_, _hlô_ < _slaw_, _slō _< _slōw9_< _slowā_ < SLOW flow freely (fully). Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

noun. flood, fenland

hlô

noun. flood

n. flood.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:96] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

l(h)ô

noun. flood, fenland, flood, fenland; [G.] pool, lake

A noun that served as the final element in various river names. Tolkien was uncertain whether the primitive form of this word began with simple l- or s-prefixed sl-, hence the variation between and lhô. In notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien said the non-suffixal form of this word was hlô “flood” (PE17/96). In notes from 1966-67 he gave a bewildering variety of derivations for this word, but mostly represented it as lhô or hlô in various attempts to connect it to the river name S. Lhûn (PE17/136-137; VT48/27-28).

In notes on The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor from the late 1960s, while discussing the river name S. Gwathló Tolkien said:

> The element -ló was also of Common Eldarin origin, derived from a base (s)log: in Common Eldarin sloga had been a word used for streams of a kind that were variable and liable to overflow their banks at seasons and cause floods when swollen by rains or melting snow; especially such as the Glanduin (described above) that had their sources in mountains and fell at first swiftly, but were halted in the lower lands and flats. ✱sloga became in Sindarin lhô; but was not in later times much used except in river or marsh names. The Quenya form would have been hloä (VT42/9).

Tolkien rejected this etymology, however, replacing it with the following:

> was derived from Common Eldarin base LOG “wet (and soft), soaked, swampy, etc.” The form ✱loga produced S. and T. loga; and also, from ✱logna, S. loen, T. logna “soaking wet, swamped”. But the stem in Quenya, owing to sound-changes which caused its derivatives to clash with other words, was little represented ... the Quenya form of S. would have been ✱✱loa, identical with Q. loa < ✱lawa “year”; the form of S. loen, T. logna would have been ✱✱lóna identical with [Q.] lóna “pool, mere” (VT42/10).

This final etymology appears to be the last one Tolkien wrote on the topic; later in the same document he used the form in discussions of the river name S. Ringló (VT42/13-14). As for the meaning of the word, it seems it applied both to wide rivers with a tendency to flood their banks, as well as fenlands or wetlands in general.

Conceptual Development: As an element in river names, -lo first appeared in the river names N. Gwathlo and N. Ringlo in Lord of the Rings drafts (TI/304; WR/287). G. “pool, lake” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s is possible precursor (GL/54).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I prefer the pre-1968 form of the word lhô, as this is both more distinctive and also allows us to salvage Q. hloä of similar meaning.

Changes

  • lhô ✧ VT42/09

Cognates

  • Q. hlöa “flood, fenland” ✧ VT42/09
  • T. loga “*flood, fenland” ✧ VT42/10

Derivations

  • SLOUN “*descend” ✧ PE17/136; VT48/27
  • LOW “flow freely (fully)” ✧ PE17/136; PE17/137; PE17/137; VT48/27; VT48/28
  • slowā ✧ PE17/137; VT48/28
    • LOW “flow freely (fully)” ✧ PE17/137; VT48/28
  • (s)loga “fenland” ✧ UT/263; VT42/09; VT42/10
    • LOG “wet (and soft), soaked, swampy” ✧ UT/263; VT42/09; VT42/10

Element in

  • S. Gwathló “Greyflood” ✧ PE17/136; PE17/136; PE17/137; UT/263; VT42/09; VT48/27; VT48/27; VT48/28
  • S. Lô Dhaer “Great Fen” ✧ VT42/14
  • S. Onodló “Entwash”
  • S. Ringló “Chillflood” ✧ PE17/096; PE17/136; PE17/136; PE17/137; VT42/13; VT42/14; VT48/27; VT48/27; VT48/28

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
slowā > slŏw̯ > slaw > hlaw[slowā] > [slowa] > [l̥owa] > [l̥ou] > [l̥aw]✧ PE17/137
LOWO > lawa > law[lowā] > [lowa] > [lou] > [law]✧ PE17/137
sloga > lhô[sloga] > [l̥oga] > [l̥oɣa] > [l̥oɣ] > [l̥ōɣ] > [l̥ō]✧ VT42/09
loga > [loga] > [loɣa] > [loɣ] > [lōɣ] > [lō]✧ VT42/10

Variations

  • hlô ✧ PE17/096; PE17/137; VT48/28
  • -lō ✧ PE17/096
  • slō-/(s)lō ✧ PE17/136 (slō-/(s)lō); VT48/27 (slō-/(s)lō)
  • slô ✧ PE17/136 (slô); VT48/27 (slô)
  • hlaw ✧ PE17/137; VT48/28
  • law ✧ PE17/137; PE17/137; VT48/28
  • ✧ UT/263; VT42/09; VT42/10
  • lhô ✧ VT42/09 (lhô); VT42/09 (lhô)
  • -ló ✧ VT42/13
  • ✧ VT42/14 ()
Sindarin [PE17/096; PE17/136; PE17/137; UT/263; VT42/09; VT42/10; VT42/13; VT42/14; VT48/27; VT48/28] Group: Eldamo. Published by

(h)law

noun. flood

ael

noun. lake, pool, mere

Sindarin [Ety/349, S/427, X/OE] Group: SINDICT. Published by

duinen

noun. flood, high tide

Sindarin [VT/48:26] Group: SINDICT. Published by

elu

adjective. (pale) blue

Sindarin [Ety/360, X/W] Group: SINDICT. Published by

luin

adjective. blue

Sindarin [LotR (misc.), S/434, UT/390, Ety/370, VT/48:24] Group: SINDICT. Published by

luin

blue

adj. blue. . This gloss was rejected.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:136] < *_luini-_ blue. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

luin

jhJ5 adjective. blue

Examples: Ered luin, Helluin, Luinil, Mindolluin

Sindarin [Let/448.1013, SA/luin.001, UT/390.0701, VT48/23.1104, VT48/24.2102, VT48/28.3615] Group: Verified and confirmed. Published by

luin

adjective. blue

Cognates

  • Q. luinë “blue” ✧ SA/luin; VT48/23; VT48/28

Derivations

  • LUY “blue” ✧ VT48/23
  • luini “blue” ✧ VT48/24
    • LUY “blue” ✧ VT48/24

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
LUY > Luin[luini] > [luine] > [luin]✧ VT48/23
luini > luin[luini] > [luine] > [luin]✧ VT48/24

Variations

  • Luin ✧ Let/448; VT48/23
Sindarin [Let/448; S/162; SA/luin; UT/390; VT48/23; VT48/24; VT48/28] Group: Eldamo. Published by

shallow lake

(fenland), pl. .

fenland

(shallow lake), pl.

fenland

(shallow lake), pl. ;

fenland

(shallow lake), pl.

shallow lake

(fenland), pl. .

shallow lake

(fenland), pl.

rim

cold pool or lake

; no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rim), coll. pl. rimmath. Note: a homophone means ”crowd, great number, host”.

lâd

lowland

(valley, plain), construct lad, pl. laid

ael

lake

(aelin-, pl. aelin) (pool, mere). In ”Noldorin” oel, pl. oelin.

luin

blue

luin (no distinct pl. form, as demonstrated by the name Ered Luin ”Blue Mountains”) (VT48:24)

lîn

lake

1) lîn (pool), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. #liniath (isolated from Hithliniath, WJ:194). 2) ael (aelin-, pl. aelin) (pool, mere). In ”Noldorin” oel, pl. oelin. 3) nên (water, pool, stream, waterland), construct nen, pl. nîn**. **

lîn

lake

(pool), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. #*liniath*** (isolated from Hithliniath**, WJ:194).

nên

lake

(water, pool, stream, waterland), construct nen, pl. nîn.

nên

waterland

(water, lake, pool, stream), construct nen, pl. nîn;

Telerin 

luinë

adjective. blue

Cognates

  • Q. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/28

Derivations

  • luini “blue” ✧ VT48/24
    • LUY “blue” ✧ VT48/24

Variations

  • luine ✧ VT48/24; VT48/28
Telerin [VT48/24; VT48/28] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Quendya 

ulban

adjective. blue

Khuzdûl

zâram

noun. pool, lake

Element in

Khuzdûl [PE17/037; RS/466] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Primitive elvish

noun. lying water

Derivations

  • LOG “wet (and soft), soaked, swampy”

Derivatives

  • T. “pool, bathing place” ✧ VT47/12

Variations

  • ✧ VT47/12; VT47/35 ()
  • ✧ VT47/34 ()
Primitive elvish [VT47/12; VT47/34; VT47/35] Group: Eldamo. Published by

(s)loga

noun. fenland

Derivations

  • LOG “wet (and soft), soaked, swampy” ✧ UT/263; VT42/09; VT42/10

Derivatives

  • Q. hlöa “flood, fenland” ✧ VT42/09
  • S. l(h)ô “flood, fenland, flood, fenland; [G.] pool, lake” ✧ UT/263; VT42/09; VT42/10
  • T. loga “*flood, fenland” ✧ VT42/10

Variations

  • loga ✧ UT/263; VT42/10
  • sloga ✧ VT42/09 (sloga)
Primitive elvish [UT/263; VT42/09; VT42/10] Group: Eldamo. Published by

luy

root. blue

The Elvish words for “blue” remained very similar throughout Tolkien’s life, but underwent a number of minor conceptual shifts. The word ᴱQ. lūne “blue, deep blue” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s in a collection of words along with ᴱQ. lūle “blue stone, sapphire”, but no root was given (QL/55). The word for “blue” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon was G. luim (GL/55). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, the root for “blue” was ᴹ√LUG with derivatives ᴹQ. lúne and N. lhûn (Ety/LUG²).

Meanwhile, the root ᴹ√LUY appeared in The Etymologies with derivatives ᴹQ. luina and Dor. luin “pale” (EtyAC/LUY), probably connected to ᴱN. Draugluin “Werewolf Pale” from the Lays of Beleriand of the 1920s (LB/205). But in The Etymologies the root ᴹ√LUY was rejected, and Dor. luin “pale” was reassigned to ᴹ√LUG² and then revised in form to Dor. lūn (Ety/LUG²; EtyAC/LUG²).

In addition, there was already evidence of a conceptual shift in the Noldorin words for blue in the 1930s, with the name N. Eredluin “Blue Mountains” being given as an alternative to N. Lhúnorodrim and N. Lhúndirien “Blue Towers” (Ety/LUG²), the latter appearing as N. Luindirien in contemporaneous Silmarillion narratives (LR/267). By the 1950s and 60s, the Sindarin and Quenya words for “blue” had firmly become S. luin (Let/448; S/54; UT/390) and Q. luinë (LotR/377; PE17/66, 71). The root √LUY “blue” appeared in notes from the late 1960s serving as the new basis for these “blue” words (VT48/23-24, 26).

All this made a mess for the river name S. Lhûn (LotR/1134) from The Lord of the Rings which was a remnant of Tolkien’s earlier ideas, and he struggled to find a new basis for that name as discussed by Patrick Wynne in his article on The Problem of Lhûn (VT48/26-29).

Derivatives

  • luini “blue” ✧ VT48/24
    • Q. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/24
    • S. luin “blue” ✧ VT48/24
    • T. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/24
  • ᴺQ. luilë “sapphire, blue stone”
  • Q. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/23
  • ᴺS. lui “blueness; livor, livid mark, *bruise”
  • S. luin “blue” ✧ VT48/23
Primitive elvish [VT48/23; VT48/24; VT48/26] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lugni

adjective. blue

Primitive elvish [PE21/81] Group: Eldamo. Published by

luini

adjective. blue

Derivations

  • LUY “blue” ✧ VT48/24

Derivatives

  • Q. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/24
  • S. luin “blue” ✧ VT48/24
  • T. luinë “blue” ✧ VT48/24

Element in

  • S. Ered Luin “Blue Mountains” ✧ PE17/136; VT48/27

Variations

  • LUINI ✧ PE17/136 (LUINI); PE17/161
  • luini- ✧ PE17/136 (luini-); VT48/27 (luini-)
Primitive elvish [PE17/136; PE17/161; VT48/24; VT48/27] Group: Eldamo. Published by

noun.

Primitive elvish [VT47/35] Group: Eldamo. Published by

sisti

root.

Derivatives

  • ᴺQ. sistë “ulcer, sore, boil”
Primitive elvish Group: Eldamo - neologism/adaptations. Published by

skā

noun.

Primitive elvish [VT47/35] Group: Eldamo. Published by

skū

noun.

Primitive elvish [VT47/35] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

lo

noun. flood

Element in

  • N. Gwathlo “Greyflood” ✧ TI/304

oel

noun. lake, pool, mere

Noldorin [Ety/349, S/427, X/OE] Group: SINDICT. Published by

elw

adjective. (pale) blue

Noldorin [Ety/360, X/W] Group: SINDICT. Published by

oel

noun. pool, lake

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. ailin “pool, lake” ✧ Ety/AY

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶ailin “pool, lake” ✧ Ety/AY

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶ai-lin- > oel[ailin] > [aili] > [ail] > [oel]✧ Ety/AY

lhûn

adjective. blue

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. lúne “blue, blue, [ᴱQ.] deep blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶lugni “blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²
    • ᴹ√LUG “*blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶lugni > lhûn[lugni] > [lugne] > [luŋne] > [lūne] > [lūn] > [l̥ūn]✧ Ety/LUG²
ᴹ✶lugni > luin[lugnī] > [lugni] > [luŋni] > [lūni] > [luin] > [l̥uin]✧ Ety/LUG²
Noldorin [Ety/LUG²] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lhûn

adjective. (unknown meaning)

This word, which also appears on the map of Middle-earth in LotR, is glossed as "blue" in The Etymologies, but Tolkien later rejected this meaning (as luin was already used in that sense). He then proposed several explanations for it, including the possible adaptation of a Dwarvish name into Sindarin, but he apparently never reached a definitive solution.

Noldorin [Ety/370, VT/48:24-29] Group: SINDICT. Published by

Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Qenya 

ulunde

noun. flood

Derivations

  • ᴹ√ULU “pour, flow” ✧ Ety/ULU

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ULU > ulunde[ulunde]✧ Ety/ULU

ailin

noun. pool, lake

Cognates

  • N. oel “pool, lake” ✧ Ety/AY

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶ailin “pool, lake” ✧ Ety/AY

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶ai-lin- > ailin[ailin]✧ Ety/AY

Variations

  • Ailin ✧ Ety/LIN¹
Qenya [Ety/AY; Ety/LIN¹] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lúne

adjective. blue, blue, [ᴱQ.] deep blue

Changes

  • lúnalúne ✧ Ety/LUG²

Cognates

  • N. lhûn “blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²
  • Ilk. lûn “pale” ✧ Ety/LUG²
  • Dan. lygn “pale” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶lugni “blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²; EtyAC/LUG²
    • ᴹ√LUG “*blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Element in

  • ᴹQ. Lunoronti “Blue Mountains” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶lugni > lúne[lugni] > [lugne] > [luŋne] > [lūne]✧ Ety/LUG²

Variations

  • lúna ✧ EtyAC/LUG² (lúna)
Qenya [Ety/LUG²; EtyAC/LUG²] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

ailin

noun. pool, lake

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. ailin “pool, lake” ✧ Ety/AY
  • N. oel “pool, lake” ✧ Ety/AY

Variations

  • ai-lin- ✧ Ety/AY
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/AY] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lugni

adjective. blue

Changes

  • lugnālugni ✧ Ety/LUG²

Derivations

  • ᴹ√LUG “*blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Derivatives

  • Ilk. lûn “pale” ✧ Ety/LUG²
  • Dan. lygn “pale” ✧ Ety/LUG²
  • ᴹQ. lúne “blue, blue, [ᴱQ.] deep blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²; EtyAC/LUG²
  • N. lhûn “blue” ✧ Ety/LUG²

Variations

  • lugnā ✧ EtyAC/LUG² (lugnā)
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/LUG²; EtyAC/LUG²] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

noun. pool, lake

luim

adjective. blue

Cognates

  • Eq. lúne “blue, deep blue” ✧ LT1A/Nielluin

Element in

  • G. Fangluin “Bluebeard” ✧ LT2A/Fangluin
  • G. Niothluimi “the Bee of Azure” ✧ LT1A/Nielluin

Variations

  • luin ✧ LT2A/Fangluin
Gnomish [GL/55; LT1A/Nielluin; LT2A/Fangluin] Group: Eldamo. Published by

luin

adjective. blue

Early Noldorin

ailin

noun. lake

Cognates

  • Eq. ailin “lake, pool” ✧ PE13/136; PE13/158
  • Et. aili(n)s ✧ PE13/158
Early Noldorin [PE13/136; PE13/158] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nainn

adjective. blue

Cognates

  • Eq. ninwa “blue” ✧ PE13/164

Derivations

  • ᴱ✶nindyā “blue” ✧ PE13/150; PE13/164
    • ᴱ√NINI “*blue”

Variations

  • neinn ✧ PE13/164 (neinn)
Early Noldorin [PE13/150; PE13/164] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

oso

root.

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. oksa “joint” and ᴱQ. oswe “hip” (QL/71). In Tolkien’s later writings “joint” words seem to be based on √LIM “link, join” as in Q. málimë/S. molif “wrist, (lit.) hand-link” (VT47/6), but ᴱQ. oswe “hip” may be salvaged as a derivative of ᴹ√OS “round, about” referring instead to a rotating joint rather than a link.

Derivatives

  • Eq. oksa “joint” ✧ QL/071
  • Eq. oswe “hip” ✧ QL/071
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/071] Group: Eldamo. Published by

po

root.

Derivatives

  • Eq. póme “north” ✧ QL/074
  • Eq. póya “[unglossed]” ✧ QL/074

Element in

  • Eq. Ponóre “Norway” ✧ QL/074
  • Eq. Ponórir “the Northlands, Scandanavia” ✧ QL/074
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/074] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nindyā

adjective. blue

Derivations

  • ᴱ√NINI “*blue”

Derivatives

  • Eq. ninwa “blue” ✧ PE13/164
  • En. nainn “blue” ✧ PE13/150; PE13/164

Variations

  • nindyá ✧ PE13/150
Early Primitive Elvish [PE13/150; PE13/164] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nulu

root.

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s marked by Tolkien with a “?” having a single derivative ᴱQ. NÛLE “lead” (QL/68). There are no signs of this root elsewhere in Tolkien’s later writing, and even in the early period he generally used ᴱQ. kanu for “metallic lead” (LT1/100; QL/44).

Derivatives

  • Eq. núle “lead” ✧ QL/068
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/068] Group: Eldamo. Published by

vḷkḷ

root.

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. valkane “torture” and ᴱQ. vilkin “bitter, evil”, serving as the basis for ᴱQ. Valkarauke, the Qenya name of Balrogs (QL/100). In later writings the initial element of this name was derived from √BAL “(divine) power”.

Derivatives

  • Eq. valke “edge, sharp blade” ✧ QL/101
  • Eq. valka “cruel, bitter” ✧ QL/101
  • Eq. vilki- “to cut” ✧ QL/101
  • Eq. vilkin “bitter, evil” ✧ QL/101
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/101] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gwori

root.

Changes

  • WORIGWORI ✧ QL/104

Derivatives

  • Eq. wóre “sweet (to taste only)” ✧ QL/104
  • G. gûri “sweet” ✧ QL/104

Variations

  • WORI ✧ QL/104 (WORI)
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/104] Group: Eldamo. Published by

pol-i

root.

Derivatives

  • Eq. pole “oats, grain (unground kernels of oats, wheat, etc.); flour” ✧ QL/075
  • Eq. polu “kernel” ✧ QL/075
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/075] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Reconstructed

root.

Derivatives

  • Eq. “the two lips, the (closed) mouth” ✧ QL/072
  • G. beg “chin”
  • G. mem “mouth”

Variations

  • ✧ QL/072
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/072] Group: Eldamo. Published by

hama

root.

Derivatives

  • Eq. hant “down, to the ground” ✧ QL/039
  • Eq. han “ground, earth” ✧ QL/039
  • G. ham “ground, level of Earth’s service [surface]”
  • G. hôm “ground, base, bottom, seabed”
  • G. hum “(right) down, (lit.) to bottom”

Element in

Variations

  • HAM ✧ QL/039
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/039] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ru’u

root.

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, probably actually ✱ᴱ√RUƷU, with derivatives like ᴱQ. “dwelling, village, hamlet”, ᴱQ. rue “rest, stillness, remaining, steadfastness”, and ᴱQ. ruin “peace” (QL/80). There were a number of likely-related words in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. “enduring, long suffering; quiet, gentle, docile”, G. “dwelling, house”, and G. rûtha- “dwell, remain”, though Tolkien seems to have rejected the Gnomish forms beginning with rô- (GL/66). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing, but I think it is worth positing a Neo-Root ᴺ√RUH “✱still” to preserve some of these early words.

Derivatives

  • Eq. “dwelling, village, hamlet” ✧ QL/080
  • Eq. “steadfastness, faith, trustiness” ✧ QL/080
  • Eq. rue “rest, stillness, remaining, steadfastness” ✧ QL/080
  • Eq. ruin “peace” ✧ QL/080
  • Eq. rungwa “stiff, solid” ✧ QL/080
  • Eq. rúse “weary”
  • Eq. rúya “unmoved, steadfast” ✧ QL/080
  • G. rô- “to remain, stay, stand; to endure”
  • G. “enduring, long suffering; quiet, gentle, docile”
  • G. rôs “endurance, meekness, patience, gentleness”
  • G. “dwelling, house”
  • G. ruin “inhabited, tilled”
  • G. rûs “endurance, long suffering, patience”
  • G. rust “inhabitation; cultivation, tillage”
  • G. rûtha- “to dwell, remain”
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/080] Group: Eldamo. Published by

siŋi

root.

The root ᴱ√SIŊI appeared unglossed in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives ᴱQ. singe “salt” and (adjective) ᴱQ. singwa “salt” (QL/83). It had similar derivatives the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon: G. sing and singrin “salt”, noun and adjective (GL/67). I think it is worth positing a Neo-Root ᴺ√SIÑGI to salvage these early words.

Derivatives

  • Eq. singe “salt” ✧ QL/083

Element in

Early Primitive Elvish [QL/083] Group: Eldamo. Published by

root.

Derivatives

  • Eq. senda “like, something like, similar” ✧ QL/082
  • Eq. sesta- “to liken, compare, make like, model on, assimilate, imitate” ✧ QL/082
  • Eq. se “as, like, in manner of” ✧ QL/082
  • Eq. seste “similarity” ✧ QL/082

Variations

  • SENE² ✧ QL/082
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/082] Group: Eldamo. Published by

sṣtyṣ

root.

The unglossed root ᴱ√SṢT͡YṢ appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. sastya “sore, galled” and ᴱQ. sist (sisty-) “ulcer, sore” (QL/86). The latter word was also mentioned as siste in “ulcer, boil” as a derivative of ᴱ✶sṣtē (PE12/14), and the primitive form was given as sistyi, though Tolkien did say it was indicative of ancient syllabic (PE12/3). However, in the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s it seems primitive ᴱ✶sṣt- = “✱hiss” (PE13/163); see the entry on ᴹ√SUS “hiss” for discussion.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin I think it is worth positing a Neo-Root ᴺ√SISTI to salvage some of these early words.

Derivatives

  • ᴱ✶sṣtē “ulcer, boil”
    • Eq. sist(e) “ulcer, sore, boil” ✧ PE12/014
  • Eq. sastya “sore, galled” ✧ QL/086
  • Eq. sist(e) “ulcer, sore, boil” ✧ QL/086

Variations

  • sistyi- ✧ PE12/003
  • SṢT͡YṢ ✧ QL/086
Early Primitive Elvish [PE12/003; QL/086] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tum(b)u

root.

Derivatives

  • ᴹ✶tundu “hole”
    • ᴹQ. tundo “hole” ✧ PE21/08
  • Eq. túma “moving”
  • Eq. tum- “to dive”
  • Eq. tumbe “trumpet, (large) horn” ✧ LT1A/Tombo
  • Eq. tumbo “dale, vale” ✧ LT1A/Tombo; QL/095
  • Eq. tumna “deep, profound, dark or hidden” ✧ LT1A/Tombo; QL/095
  • ᴺQ. tumya- “to dip, baptize”
  • Eq. tunda “hole”
  • G. tumla- “to excavate, hollow out” ✧ LT1A/Tombo
  • G. tûm “valley” ✧ LT1A/Tombo
  • G. tum “hollow” ✧ LT1A/Tombo
  • G. tumli “dale” ✧ LT1A/Tombo
  • G. Udum

Variations

  • TUMU ✧ LT1A/Tombo
  • TUM(B)U² ✧ QL/095
Early Primitive Elvish [LT1A/Tombo; QL/095] Group: Eldamo. Published by

aya(la) Speculative

root. lake

Derivatives

  • Eq. ailo “lake, pool”
  • G. ail “lake, pool”

Element in

Early Primitive Elvish Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

lúto

noun. flood

Cognates

  • G. laud “flood; high tide; tide, motion of the sea” ✧ QL/057

Derivations

  • ᴱ√LUTU “*float” ✧ LT1A/Alqaluntë; QL/057

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√LUTU > lūto[lūtō] > [lūto]✧ QL/057

Variations

  • lūto ✧ PME/057; QL/057
Early Quenya [LT1A/Alqaluntë; PME/057; QL/057] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ninda

adjective. blue

ninwa

adjective. blue

Changes

  • ninyaninda ✧ PE16/138

Cognates

  • En. nainn “blue” ✧ PE13/164

Derivations

  • ᴱ✶nindyā “blue” ✧ PE13/164
    • ᴱ√NINI “*blue”
  • ᴱ√NINI “*blue” ✧ QL/066

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ✶nindyā > ninya[nindʲā] > [nindʲa] > [ninja]✧ PE13/164
ᴱ√NINI > ninwa[ninwā] > [ninwa]✧ QL/066

Variations

  • ninya ✧ PE13/164; PE16/138 (ninya)
Early Quenya [LT1A/Nielluin; PE13/164; PE16/138; PME/066; QL/066; VT40/08] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ninya

adjective. blue

lahta-

verb.

Derivations

  • ᴱ√LAHA “*open, extend” ✧ QL/050

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√LAHA > lahta-[laxta-]✧ QL/050
Early Quenya [QL/050] Group: Eldamo. Published by