Sindarin 

loss

noun. snow

The usual Sindarin word for “snow” (Let/278; PE17/161; RGEO/62), especially fallen and long-lying snow (VT42/18), derived from primitive ✶lossē (PE17/161) based on the root √(G)LOS (PE17/26; RGEO/62). It sometimes appeared in a shorter form los (PE17/26, 161). See the entry on [s] for a discussion of these long vs. short variations; for purposes of Neo-Sindarin loss is probably preferable.

Conceptual Development: Perhaps the earliest iteration of this word was G. glui “snow” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, likely related to nearby words like G. gloss “white” (GL/40). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. gloss from the root ᴹ√GOLOS was both noun “snow” and adjective “snow-white” (Ety/GOLÓS), but in later writing Tolkien split these into S loss “snow” (see above) and S. gloss “(dazzling) white” (RGEO/62; VT42/18).

Cognates

  • Q. lossë “snow, fallen snow; snow-white, snowy” ✧ PE17/026; PE17/161; SA/los; RGEO/61

Derivations

  • (G)LOS “snow, whiteness” ✧ PE17/026; RGEO/61; SA/los; VT42/18
  • lossē “snow” ✧ PE17/161
    • (G)LOS “snow, whiteness” ✧ PE17/161; VT42/18

Element in

  • S. Aeglos “Snow-point” ✧ SA/los
  • S. aeglos “icicle, (lit.) snow-point; snowthorn (a plant)”
  • S. Amon Uilos “Hill of Ever-snow” ✧ SA/los
  • S. Fanuilos “Bright (Angelic) Figure upon Uilos” ✧ Let/278
  • S. Lossarnach “Flowery Arnarch” ✧ VT42/18
  • S. lossen “snowy” ✧ RGEO/62
  • S. Lossoth “Snowmen” ✧ PE17/161; RGEO/62
  • S. Nimphelos “Pale ?Snow”
  • S. Uilos “Ever-snow”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
LŎS > los[lossē] > [losse] > [loss]✧ PE17/026
lossē > loss[lossē] > [losse] > [loss]✧ PE17/161
los > loss[lossē] > [losse] > [loss]✧ RGEO/61
los > loss[lossē] > [losse] > [loss]✧ SA/los
(G)LOS > loss[lossē] > [losse] > [loss]✧ VT42/18

Variations

  • los ✧ PE17/026
  • lŏs ✧ PE17/161
  • Loss ✧ VT42/18
Sindarin [Let/278; PE17/026; PE17/161; RGEO/62; SA/los; VT42/18] Group: Eldamo. Published by

loss

noun. snow (especially fallen or long-lying snow)

Sindarin [S/434, VT/42:18, RGEO/70] Group: SINDICT. Published by

loss

noun. snow

_ n. _snow. Q. losse. >> glos, glosui, los, Loss(h)oth

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:161] < LOS snow (as a substance or a white mass). Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

gloss

adjective. snow-white, dazzling-white

Sindarin [Ety/359, RGEO/70, VT/42:18] Group: SINDICT. Published by

los

noun. snow

los

snow

{ŏ}_ n. _snow. Q. losse. >> glos, glosui, loss, Loss(h)oth

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:161] < LOS snow (as a substance or a white mass). Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

glawar

blossom

n. (golden) blossom. Q. loar, lávar.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:159] < LAW, LAWAR. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

lúth

noun. blossom

_ n. Bot. _blossom, inflorescence. >> Lúthien

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:15:161] < LOT, LOTH flower. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

uilos

noun/adjective. always white, ever white as snow

Sindarin [RGEO/74, Letters/278, UT/55] ui- + loss "everlasting snow, ever (white as) snow. Group: SINDICT. Published by

uilos

noun/adjective. a small white everlasting flower also called simbelmynë or "evermind"

Sindarin [RGEO/74, Letters/278, UT/55] ui- + loss "everlasting snow, ever (white as) snow. Group: SINDICT. Published by

fain

noun/adjective. cloud

Sindarin [Ety/387, WR/288, RC/268, VT/46:15, X/EI] Group: SINDICT. Published by

rhovan

noun. wilderness

Sindarin [Rhovanion LotR/Map, VT/46:10] Group: SINDICT. Published by

edlothia-

verb. to blossom, flower

The sentence from WR/293 is hardly legible and is not translated, but this word is however a plausible form

Sindarin [edlothiand WR/293, X/TL] Group: SINDICT. Published by

glân

adjective. white, [bright shining] white; [N.] clear; [G.] pure, †bright; [ᴱN.] clean

Derivations

Element in

silivren

adjective. (white) glittering

Sindarin [LotR/II:I, RGEO/72] silif+-ren. Group: SINDICT. Published by

faen

white

(radiant). No distinct pl. form.

fain

noun/adjective. white

Sindarin [Ety/387, WR/288, RC/268, VT/46:15, X/EI] Group: SINDICT. Published by

fain

white

; no distinct pl. form.

nim

white

_adj. _white. >> Nimbrethil

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:19] < T. _nimbi _white. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

nim

white

_adj. _white (usual word). >> nimp, nimras

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:168] < _nimbĭ _< _nimpĭ_. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

nim

adjective. white

Cognates

  • Q. ninquë “white; chill, cold; pallid” ✧ SA/nim

Derivations

  • At. nimbi “white” ✧ PE17/019
    • ninkwi “white, pale”
    • NIK(W) “(also of) snow, ice, snow, ice; *white” ✧ PE17/168
  • ninkwi “white, pale” ✧ PE17/168
    • NIK(W) “(also of) snow, ice, snow, ice; *white” ✧ PE17/168
  • S. nimp “pale, pallid, white, pale, pallid, white; small and frail, [ᴱN.] wan, sickly” ✧ SA/nim
    • NIK(W) “(also of) snow, ice, snow, ice; *white” ✧ PE17/168
    • nimpĭ “small” ✧ VT48/18
    • NIP “small (usually with connotation of weakness)” ✧ VT48/18

Element in

  • S. Barad Nimras “White Horn Tower” ✧ SA/nim
  • S. Ered Nimrais “White Mountains, (lit.) White-horns Mountains” ✧ SA/nim
  • S. Nimbrethil “Silver-birches” ✧ PE17/019; PE17/019; SA/nim
  • S. Nimloth “White Blossom, Pale Blossom” ✧ SA/nim
  • S. Nimras “White Horn” ✧ PE17/168
  • S. Nimrodel “Lady of the White Cave”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
At. nimbi > nim[nimbi] > [nimbe] > [nimb] > [nimm] > [nimm] > [nim]✧ PE17/019
Sindarin [PE17/019; PE17/168; SA/nim] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nimp

white

(nim-) (pale); no distinct pl. form.

loss

snow

(construct los; pl. lyss if there is a pl.) (RGEO:61-62, Letters:278, VT42:18) (Note: homophones mean ”flower” [more commonly loth] and ”wilderness”.).

loss

snow

(fallen snow) loss (construct los; pl. lyss if there is a pl.) (RGEO:61-62, Letters:278, VT42:18) (Note: homophones mean ”flower” [more commonly loth] and ”wilderness”.).

loss

fallen snow

(construct los; pl. lyss if there is a pl.) (RGEO:61-62, Letters:278, VT42:18) (Note: homophones mean ”flower” [more commonly loth] and ”wilderness”.)

loss

fallen snow

loss (construct los; pl. lyss if there is a pl.) (RGEO:61-62, Letters:278, VT42:18) (Note: homophones mean ”flower” [more commonly loth] and ”wilderness”.)

loss

wilderness

(construct los; pl. lyss). (Note: homophones mean ”flower” [more commonly loth] and ”fallen snow”.)

gloss

white as snow, dazzling white

(in compounds -los), lenited ’loss; pl. glyss.

gloss

white as snow, dazzling white

(in compounds -los), lenited ’loss; pl. glyss.  

gloss

dazzling white

(in compounds -los), lenited ’loss; pl. glyss

lossen

snowy

(pl. lessin, for archaic lössin). Adj.

edlothia

blossom

(verb) #edlothia- (i edlothia, in edlothiar) (flower);

edlothia

blossom

(i edlothia, in edlothiar) (flower);

lossoth

snow-men

(a coll. pl.)

loth

blossom

loth (see

loth

blossom

(see

edlothiad

blossoming

(flowering), pl. edlothiaid if there is a pl.

eriador

wilderness

(a region in Middle-earth), pl. eriadyr if there is a pl.

gwaith

wilderness

(i ’waith) (also meaning manhood, manpower, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, people, region), no distinct pl. form except when marked as pl. by article (in gwaith).

rhovannor

wilderness

1) rhovannor (?i throvannor or ?i rovannor the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhovennyr (?idh rovennyr) (VT46:10); 2) Eriador (a region in Middle-earth), pl. eriadyr if there is a pl.; 3) gwaith (i **waith) (also meaning manhood, manpower, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, people, region), no distinct pl. form except when marked as pl. by article (in gwaith). 4) loss (construct los; pl. lyss). (Note: homophones mean ”flower” [more commonly loth**] and ”fallen snow”.)

rhovannor

wilderness

(?i throvannor or ?i rovannor – the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhovennyr (?idh rovennyr) (VT46:10)

goloth

flower

(i ’oloth) (collection of flowers), pl. gelyth (i ngelyth = i ñelyth). Archaic pl. gölyth. Also in the form gwaloth (i ’waloth), pl. gwelyth (in gwelyth). Also goloth.

dannen

fall

”ebb, low tide”, which however has different mutations.

dannen

fallen

dannen (lenited dhannen, pl. dennin); see FALL. Notice the homophone dannen ”ebb, low tide”, which however has different mutations.

dannen

fallen

(lenited dhannen, pl. dennin); see

glân

white

1) glân (clear), lenited lân, pl. glain. (UT:390, VT45:13). Note: a homophone means ”hem, border”. 2) nimp (nim-) (pale); no distinct pl. form. 3) faen (radiant). No distinct pl. form. 4) fain; no distinct pl. form.

glân

white

(clear), lenited ’lân, pl. glain. (UT:390, VT45:13). Note: a homophone means ”hem, border”.

nínim

snowdrop

(”white tear”), no distinct pl. form; coll. pl. nínimmath. – The niphredil seems to be a flower similar to the snowdrop (no distinct pl. form; coll. pl. niphrediliath)

silivren

glittering white

(lenited hilivren; pl. *silivrin**). *Verb