lossë (2) noun "blossom" ("usually, owing to association with olosse snow, only used of white blossom") (LOT(H) )
Quenya
lossë
snow
lossë
blossom
lossë
noun. inflorescence (of white flowers), [ᴹQ.] (white) blossom, flower, [ᴱQ.] (white) flower; [Q.] inflorescence (of white flowers); [ᴱQ.] rose
This word was associated with white flowers for much of Tolkien’s life. In the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s, ᴱQ. losse was “rose” (QL/65; PME/56), but in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s its plural was translated as “flowers” (PE14/56), while its gloss became “white-flower” in notes associated with the Earendel poem from around 1930 (PE16/100).
The Etymologies written around 1937, Tolkien derived ᴹQ. losse from the root ᴹ√LOT(H) and translated it as “blossom” or “flower”, but specified that it was “usually, owing to association with olosse snow, only used of white blossom” (Ety/LOT(H); GOLÓS). In notes from around 1959, Tolkien said losse was used of “snow” but also as “the laden inflorescence of flowers on trees or shrubs, especially infoliate or pale” (PE17/161).
Neo-Quenya: For purpose of Neo-Quenya, I would assume lossë mainly meant “snow”, but that it could also be used of white flowers, either an individual white flower or a scattering of white flowers on a plant, as if covered by snow (though in the latter case, I would use plural lossi “white flowers” to be less ambiguous).
Derivations
- √(G)LOS “snow, whiteness” ✧ PE17/160
Variations
- losse ✧ PE17/160; PE17/161
lossë
noun/adjective. snow, fallen snow; snow-white, snowy
The general Quenya word for “snow” derived from the root √(G)LOS (PE17/26; VT42/18), more specifically “fallen snow” (RGEO/61), as opposed to a “snow fall” or “✱falling snow” which is hrissë (PE17/168). At various points Tolkien said this word could also be used as an adjective “snowy, snow-white” (RGEO/61; PE17/161), but I would do so only in poetry or in compounds. For more ordinary speech, I would use the adjective form lossëa for clarity (PE17/71, 161; VT42/18). Strictly speaking, the noun and adjective forms of lossë have distinct primitive origins: ✶lossē “snow” vs. ✶lossĭ “snowy, snow-white” (PE17/161), so the stem form of the adjective would be lossi-.
Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s there was a word ᴹQ. olosse “snow, fallen snow” derived from the root ᴹ√GOLOS; Tolkien modified the entry to mark this form as poetic (†) and gave it a variant olos (Ety/GOLÓS).
Cognates
- S. loss “snow” ✧ PE17/026; PE17/161; SA/los; RGEO/61
Derivations
Element in
- Q. lairelossë “summer-snow-white, species of tree in Númenor”
- Q. lossëa “snowy, (snow) white” ✧ PE17/161; VT42/18
- Q. losselië telerinwa “*the white people of the shores of Elfland” ✧ PE16/096
- Q. Oiolossë “Ever (Snow) White” ✧ PE17/161; RGEO/61; SA/los
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √LŎS > losse [losse] ✧ PE17/026 ✶lossē > losse [lossē] > [losse] ✧ PE17/161 ✶lossĭ > losse [lossi] > [losse] ✧ PE17/161 √los > losse [losse] ✧ RGEO/61 √los > lossë [losse] ✧ SA/los √(G)LOS > lossë [glosse] > [ɣlosse] > [losse] ✧ VT42/18 Variations
- losse ✧ PE16/096; PE17/026; PE17/161; PE17/161; RGEO/61
- lossë ✧ SA/los; VT42/18
lossëa
snow-white
lossëa adj. "snow-white" (so in VT42:18; this would be an adjective derived from lossë "snow", but elsewhere, Tolkien implies that lossë itself can also be used as an adjective "snow-white"; see lossë #1 above)
olossë
snow, fallen snow
†olossë noun "snow, fallen snow" (GOLÓS, LOT[H])
olos
snow, fallen snow
†olos (2) noun "snow, fallen snow" (prob. oloss-, cf. the longer form olossë below; this form should be preferred since olos also = "dream, vision") (GOLOS)
silquelosseën
blossom-white hair
silquelosseën ("q") noun "blossom-white hair" (MC:216; this is "Qenya", but compare lossë)
alalbë
noun. inflorescence
alalmë
inflorescence
alalmë (1) noun "inflorescence" (PE17:153), cf. alma #2.
alalmë
noun. inflorescence
A word appearing as {alalbe >>} alalme “inflorescence” in notes from around 1959, derived from √GAL (PE17/153). Compare this to [ᴹQ./ᴱQ.] alalme “elm” from The Etymologies of the 1930s and the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (Ety/ÁLAM; QL/29); in the 1959 notes Tolkien decided “elm” was albe.
Neo-Quenya: In these 1959 notes, the root √GAL had a connection to flowers seen nowhere else; see alma “flower” for discussion. As such, I think this “inflorescence” word was a transient idea, and I would use other words like lós and olos “inflorescence” for purposes of Neo-Quenya.
Changes
alalbe→ alalme “inflorescence” ✧ PE17/153Derivations
- √GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive” ✧ PE17/153
- √
GALAB“flower” ✧ PE17/153
- √GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive” ✧ PE17/153
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √GAL > alalme [galalme] > [ɣalalme] > [alalme] ✧ PE17/153 √GAL-AB > alalbe [galalbe] > [ɣalalbe] > [ɣalalβe] > [alalβe] > [alalbe] ✧ PE17/153 Variations
- alalme ✧ PE17/153
- alalbe ✧ PE17/153 (
alalbe)
fauta-
to snow
fauta- vb. *"to snow" (actually glossed fauta = "it snows") (GL:35)
hriz-
to snow
#hriz- vb. "to snow", impersonal, given in the form hríza "it is snowing". Normally z would turn to r in Exilic Quenya, but since two r's close to one another were disliked, it may be that hriz- became *hris- instead (compare razë "sticks out" becoming rasë instead of **rarë, PE19:73) Past tense hrinsë (with s from the original root SRIS) and another form which the editor tentatively reads as hrissë (the development ns > ss is regular). (PE17:168)
fáwë
snow
fáwë vb. "snow" (GL:35; rather lossë in Tolkien's later Quenya)
niquë
snow
niquë (2) ("q")noun "snow" (NIK-W)
fána
white
fána, fánë (1) adj. "white" (Markirya - fánë as a sg. form in may be a misreading). Compare fanya.
fána
adjective. white, white; [ᴹQ.] cloud
@@@ as suggested by Helge Fauskanger, the form fánë “white” in the Markirya poem may be a slip or misreading
Element in
- Q. man cenuva fána cirya? “Who shall see a white ship?” ✧ MC/221
- Q. man tiruva fána cirya? “Who shall heed a white ship?” ✧ MC/222
Variations
- fáne ✧ MC/221; MC/222
fánë
adjective. white
ninquë
white, chill, cold, palid
ninquë adj. "white, chill, cold, palid" (WJ:417, SA:nim, PE17:168, NIK-W - spelt "ninqe" in Etym and in LT1:266, MC:213, MC:220, GL:60), pl. ninqui in Markirya. Compounded in Ninquelótë noun "White-Flower" (SA:nim), = Sindarin Nimloth, the White Tree of Númenor; ninqueruvissë ("q") "white-horse-on" _(MC:216; this is "Qenya", read _ninqueroccossë or *ninquiroccossë in LotR-style Quenya). Normally ninquë would be expected to have the stem-form ninqui-, given the primitive form ¤ninkwi; Ninquelótë rather than *Ninquilótë must be seen as an analogical form.
merillë
noun. rose
A neologism for “rose” coined by Tamas Ferencz, inspired by S. meril of the same meaning.
Cognates
- S. meril “rose”
Derivations
- ᴹ√M(B)ER “*feast, festive”
lossë (1) noun "snow" or adj. "snow-white" (SA:los, MC:213, VT42:18); losselië noun"white people" (MC:216, PE16:96)