fauta- vb. *"to snow" (actually glossed fauta = "it snows") (GL:35)
Quenya
hriz-
to snow
fauta-
to snow
Sindarin
Lossoth
noun. the Snowmen
Lossoth
noun. snowmen
loss (“snow”) + #(h)oth (collective plural suffix) Ss was preserved in the intervocalic position [HKF].
Lossoth
the unfriendly Northern folk who lived in the snow
_ pl2. n. _the unfriendly Northern folk who lived in the snow. >> hoth
lossoth
collective name. Snowmen
The Snowmen of Forochel (LotR/1041). This name is a combination of loss “snow” and hoth “host” (RGEO/62; SA/hoth; PE17/39, 161).
Elements
Word Gloss loss “snow” hoth “host, horde, host, horde, [N.] crowd; group plural; [ᴱN.] folk, [G.] people; †army” Variations
- Loss(h)oth ✧ PE17/039; PE17/161; SA/hoth
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
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
Development Stages Sources √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
los
noun. snow
lôd
verb. (he) floats
dagorath
noun. all the battles
falathrim
noun. people of the Falas
avo
verb. don't!
Used as a negative adverb before an imperative: avo garo "don't do it!". Sometimes used as prefix: avgaro
noro
verb. run! ride!
Untranslated in LotR, but written nora-lim and rendered as "ride on" in RS/196 (not a literal translation) and later translated as "run swift" in RC/195. A verb nor- is attested in the old Gnomish lexicon, PE/11:61, with the meaning "to run, roll"
anglennatha
verb. (he) will approach
ónen
noun. I gave
Written onen in some editions of LotR. In the Qenyaqetsa, Qenya anta- is marked as having an irregular past tense áne. Assuming the same sound-shifts as observed in other words, this would indeed lead to onen in Sindarin, see PE/12:31 and TT/14:48-49
avon
verb. I won't
lammas
noun. account of tongues
galadhad
noun. the Two Trees of Valinor
rochirrim
noun. horse-lords, the people of Rohan
drúwaith
noun. the wilderness of the Drû-men (q.v.)
cuio
verb. live!
lâf
verb. (he) licks
tôl
verb. (he) comes
According to WJ/301, the expression tôl acharn "vengeance comes" was later changed to tûl acharn by Tolkien
rammas
noun. (great) wall
pêd
verb. (he) says
anfangrim
noun. the Longbeards (a tribe of Dwarves)
Lossoth
snow-men
(a northern people living near the bay of Forochel) Lossoth (a coll. pl.)
lossoth
snow-men
(a coll. pl.)
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”.).
gloss
white as snow, dazzling white
(in compounds -los), lenited ’loss; pl. glyss.
lossen
snowy
(pl. lessin, for archaic lössin). Adj.
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)
Primitive elvish
lossē
noun. snow
Derivations
- √(G)LOS “snow, whiteness” ✧ PE17/161; VT42/18
Derivatives
Variations
- loss- ✧ VT42/18
srith
root. snow
Derivatives
- Q.
hrisya-“to snow (impersonal)” ✧ PE17/168
sris
root. snow
An apparently verbal root as √SRIS “snow” appearing in etymological notes from around 1959 with derivatives like Q. hrisse “fall of snow” and Q. hríza “it is snowing”; it replaced a deleted root √SRITH “snow” (PE17/168).
Derivatives
Element in
- Q. hristil “snow (?peak)” ✧ PE17/168
Noldorin
orthor
verb. (he) masters, conquers
thia
verb. it appears
lhôd
verb. (he) floats
osgar
verb. (he) cuts, amputates
sôg
verb. (he) drinks
lhâf
verb. (he) licks
lhammas
noun. account of tongues
síla
verb. (he) shines white
tôg
verb. (he) leads, brings
tôl
verb. (he) comes
According to WJ/301, the expression tôl acharn "vengeance comes" was later changed to tûl acharn by Tolkien
blâb
verb. (he) flaps, beats
The Etymologies seem to list this word as a noun, but it is clearly the third person singular of the verb
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
niqe
noun. snow
Derivations
- ᴹ√NIK(W) “*snow; white” ✧ Ety/NIK-W
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ᴹ√NIK-W > niqe [nikwe] ✧ Ety/NIK-W
Old Noldorin
losse
noun. snow
Element in
- On. Uigolosse “Everlasting snow” ✧ Ety/OY
Gnomish
fô
noun. snow
A noun for “snow” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/35). It was first glossed “a hoard”, probably a cognate of ᴱQ. foa “hoard” under the root the early root ᴱ√FOƷO (QL/38), but its gloss was revised and it was given an new Qenya cognate ᴱQ. fáwe. This change in gloss probably reflects a new root, but nothing in the Qenya Lexicon seems appropriate.
Cognates
- Eq. fáwe “snow” ✧ GL/35
Derivations
- ᴱ√ǶAWA “snow”
Element in
- G. fôtha- “to snow” ✧ GL/35
glui
noun. snow
Derivations
- ᴱ√LOSO
Element in
- G. Mablui “Hand of Snow” ✧ GL/40
Early Primitive Elvish
ƕawa Speculative
root. snow
A hypothetical root explaining words in the Gnomish Lexicon such as ᴱQ. fáwe/G. fô “snow” and ᴱQ. fauta-/G. fôtha- “to snow” (GL/35). Given the existence of ᴱ√FAWA “smell”, I theorize this root may be slightly different, perhaps ?ᴱ√ǶAWA, but that’s just a guess. There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing.
Derivatives
Early Quenya
fáwe
noun. snow
A Qenya noun in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, cognate to G. fô “snow” (GL/35).
Cognates
- G. fô “snow” ✧ GL/35
Derivations
- ᴱ√ǶAWA “snow”
Element in
- Eq. fauta- “to snow” ✧ GL/35
niqis
noun. snow
Derivations
- ᴱ√NIQI “white” ✧ LT1A/Taniquetil; QL/066
Element in
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ᴱ√NIQI > niqis [niqiss] > [niqis] ✧ QL/066 Variations
- niqis- ✧ PME/066
#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)