lost (pl. lyst), also cofn (void), lenited gofn, pl. cyfn
Sindarin
lost
adjective. empty
lost
adjective. empty
lost
empty
lost
empty
(pl. lyst), also cofn (void), lenited gofn, pl. cyfn
gwanwen
adjective. departed, departed, *gone, lost [to time], past
A word for “departed” in the Quendi and Eldar (Q&E) essay from 1959-60 (WJ/378), clearly derived from the root √WĀ “away”. It might be related to the verb gwae- from Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) of 1959 (PE17/148). That verb had an irregular passive participle gwawn or gwanu. The word gwanwen may be a modification of (archaic?) gwanu from DLN to more strongly resemble other passive participles like govannen (LotR/209) or onnen (WJ/387). Alternately, it could be a simple adjective, the Sindarin equivalent of Q. vanwa.
Neo-Sindarin: I would assume that, like its Quenya equivalent, gwanwen has the added connotation of “✱gone, lost [to time], past” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin.
Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. haim or haithin “gone, departed, lost”, the latter based on the verb G. haitha- “hie, go, fare, walk” (GL/47).
lítha-
verb. to let slip, lose, mislay; (intr.) to be lost; to forget
A word for “empty” implied by the names Camlost “Empty-handed” (S/184) and Lothlann “Wide and Empty” (S/123).
Conceptual Development: The Etymologies of the 1930s had N. lhost “empty” under the root ᴹ√LUS (Ety/LUS) with the 1930s sound change of initial *l* to *lh*, a sound change absent from Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s. The Etymologies originally put lost “empty” under the ablative root ᴹ√LŌ “✱from”, but lost was deleted from that entry (EtyAC/LŌ).