malh

golden

adj. #golden. This word is not explicitly presented as S. >> mall, mallorn

malhorn

noun. golden tree of Lothlórien

mall

golden

adj. #golden. This word is not explicitly presented as S. >> malh, mallorn

malthen

golden

1) (of gold) malthen (melthin- in compounds; lenited valthen; pl. melthin), 2) (shining with golden light) glóren (glórin-), lenited lóren; pl. glórin, 3) mallen (lenited vallen; pl. mellin).

malthen

golden

(melthin- in compounds; lenited valthen; pl. melthin)

mallorn

noun. gold tree, yellow tree

Name of the golden trees of Lórien (LotR/346).

Possible Etymology: In notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (WPP) from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien considered a couple etymologies for this word. Initially he derived this word as a combination of malt “gold” and orn “tree”, saying it was “a later Sindarin word (since in earlier times the word malta was only used literally of the metal ‘gold’): older form malh-orn with long voiceless l” (PE17/51). He then considered it as the equivalent of Q. malinornë or maldorne where the initial element was based on ✶malnā “yellow”, with ln becoming ll in Sindarin as opposed to becoming ld in Quenya (PE17/51).

This second etymology seems to have been a transient idea. In notes from the late 1960s Tolkien said: “in The Lord of the Rings ll is used in the manner of modern Welsh for the medial voiceless l; as in mallorn < malhorn < malþorn < malt ‘gold’ and orn ‘tree’ (VT42/27)”. Thus mallorn is the best example of how ancient lt became ll (via lþ) in Sindarin. Whether or not the ll was voiceless in modern Sindarin is an open question, however; in other places Tolkien said ll was eventually voiced (PE17/131).

Conceptual Development: This word was already N. mallorn when it first appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s (TI/226).

galadh

noun. tree

galadh

tree

_n. Bot._tree, like oak (nordh) and beech. A galadh was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. In Sindarin, there was no much distinction in size between galað and orn. A galað was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. Birch, ash and oak are of the orn kind. Q. alda. >> orn

galadh

tree

{ð} n. tree. In Sindarin, there was no much distinction in size between galað and orn. A galað was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. Birch, ash and oak are of the orn kind. Q. alda. >> orn

galadh

noun. tree

The basic Sindarin word for “tree” (LotR/1113), derived from primitive ✶galadā and very well attested. This word dates back at least to The Etymologies of the 1930s, where N. galadh “tree” appeared under the root ᴹ√GALAD (Ety/GALAD). See also orn “(tall) tree” of similar meaning.

Conceptual Development: Gnomish of the 1910s had some earlier version of this “tree” word: G. galdon >> alwen “tree” in the Name-list to the Fall of Gondolin (PE15/24) and archaic/poetic G. †alwen “tree” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/19), the latter probably from the early root ᴱ√ALA “spread” that was the basis for ᴱQ. alda “tree” (QL/29).

glóriel

adjective. golden

This appears to be an adjectival form of glaur “gold (colour or light)” seen only as a element in names like Galadlóriel “Golden Rain” (MR/155; RS/187) [not an exact translation] and Rathlóriel “Golden-bed” (S/235).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s these names had a short o under the root ᴹ√(G)LAWAR, indicating a Noldorin form of N. gloriel (Ety/LÁWAR). The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. glôriol “golden, like gold” based on G. glôr “gold” (GL/40).

lebethron

noun. a tree - its black wood was used by the woodwrights of Gondor

In the original manuscript, one of the earlier (rejected) form of this name was lebendron. Didier Willis proposed the etymology lebed+doron "finger-oak", actually a real tree name (Finger Oak or Quercus digitata)

mallen

adjective. golden, golden, [N.] of gold

An adjective for “golden” mentioned in Tolkien’s “Unfinished Index” of The Lord of the Rings as an element in the name Cormallen “Golden Circle” (RC/625). It may also be seen in Rathmallen, a variant of the name Rathlóriel “Golden-bed”, replacing the second element glóriel “golden” with mallen (WJ/353). The word N. mallen also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√SMAL “yellow” as an “analogical” variant of N. malthen “of gold” (Ety/SMAL).

Possible Etymology: In Tolkien’s later writings, this adjective was probably based on the root √MAL(AT) “gold”, also seen as the basis for the noun malt “gold [as metal]” (PE17/50; VT42/27). It was likely in keeping with the 1950s and 60s sound change whereby medial lth became voiceless ll; a similar sound shift may be seen in S. mallorn “golden tree” < OS. malthorn = malt + orn (VT42/27). In Noldorin of the 1930s lth was preserved, so 1930s N. mallen may have been based on ✱(s)maldina instead.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would use this word only for golden colors, and would use [N.] malthen for “of gold [metal]”; see that entry for discussion.

mallorn

noun. golden tree of Lothlórien

malthorn

noun. golden tree of Lothlórien

orn

noun. (any large) tree

oron

noun. tree

n. Bot. tree. Also in compound -(o)rŏnō. >> orn

galadh

tree

1) galadh (i **aladh), pl. gelaid (i ngelaidh = i ñelaidh) (Letters:426, SD:302). 2) orn (pl. yrn**). Note: a homophone means ”tall”.

galadh

tree

(i ’aladh), pl. gelaid (i ngelaidh = i ñelaidh) (Letters:426, SD:302).

galadhon

of or related to trees

(lenited ‘aladhon, pl. galadhoen). Archaic ✱galadhaun. The latter is based on David Salo’s analysis of the name Caras Galadhon; others have interpreted the last word as some kind of genitive plural, maybe influenced by Silvan Elvish.

galadhrim

people of the trees

(Elves of Lórien). Adj.

glóren

golden

(glórin-), lenited ’lóren; pl. glórin

huorn

walking tree of fangorn

(i chuorn, o chuorn), pl. huyrn (i chuyrn).

lebethron

oak tree

.

mallen

golden

(lenited vallen; pl. mellin).

nothlir

family tree

(family line); no distinct pl. form; coll. pl. nothliriath.

orn

tree

(pl. yrn). Note: a homophone means ”tall”.

toss

low-growing tree

(i** doss, o thoss, construct tos), pl. tyss (i** thyss). Tolkien mentioned ”maple, hawthorn, blackthorn, holly, etc.” as examples of the low-growing trees covered by this word. Specific trees, see

galadh

noun. tree

galadh

noun. tree

gloriel

adjective. golden

mallorn

noun. gold tree

orn

noun. (any large) tree

orn

noun. tree

galad

noun. tree

galad

noun. tree

>> Galadrim

galad

noun. tree

Derived from galadâ "great growth", "tree", applied to stout and spreading trees such as oaks and beeches (UT:266, Letters:426; in the latter source, the root GAL is defined as "grow", intransitive). It is interesting to notice that this word, given in a source much later than the Etymologies that provides most of the Nandorin material, nonetheless agrees well with the older words cited by Tolkien: again we see the loss of original final -â, whereas original post-vocalic d is unchanged as in the word edel.

pharazôn

masculine name. Golden

The son of Gimilkhâd who usurped the throne to become the 25th and final ruler of Númenor, translated “Golden” (LotR/1114, S/270). His Quenya name was Tar-Calion. Since Calion appears to mean “✱Son of Light”, Ar-Pharazôn is an example of a Númenórean ruler whose Adûnaic and Quenya names had different meanings.

The first element in his name is the noun pharaz “gold”. Since Pharazôn is glossed “Golden”, the second element -ôn may be an adjectival suffix. Andreas Moehn instead suggested (EotAL/PHAR’Z) that the name means “✱Golden One”, closer to its Quenya equivalent, and that the suffix -ôn is a masculine variant of the agental suffix -ân. Either way, the name is also notable in that it does not undergo the Adûnaic syncope when its suffix is added.

Conceptual Development: The name also appeared in “The Notion Club Papers” from the 1940s (SD/311), in some examples inflected into the subjective case (SD/247, 428-9).

galada

noun. tree

galla

noun. tree

alda

tree

alda noun "tree" (GALAD, GÁLAD, SA, Nam, RGEO:66, LR:41, SD:302, LT1:249, LT2:340, VT39:7), also name of tengwa #28 (Appendix E). Pl. aldar in Narqelion; gen. pl. aldaron "of trees" in Namárië. Etymology of alda, see Letters:426 and UT:266-7. The latter source states that primitive ¤galadā, whence Quenya alda, originally applied to stouter and more spreading trees such as oaks or beeches, while straighter and more slender trees such as birches were called ¤ornē, Quenya ornë - but this distinction was not always observed in Quenya, and it seems that alda became the general word. According to PE17:25, primitive galada (sic) referred to "a plant (large) and was a general term". Place-name Aldalómë ""tree-night" or "tree-shade-night" (LotR2:III ch. 4, translated in PE17:82); Aldarion masc. name, *"Son of (the) Trees" (Appendix A), Tar-Aldarion a Númenorean King (UT:210). Aldaron a name of Oromë (Silm); aldinga "tree-top" (VT47:28), aldarembina (pl. aldarembinë attested) adj. "tree-tangled", the cognate of Sindarin galadhremmin**(PM:17:26).Aldúya fourth day of the Eldarin six-day week, dedicated to the Trees (Appendix D). The word seems to include Aldu, a dual form referring to the Two Trees. The Númenóreans altered the name to Aldëa (presumably < aldajā), referring to one tree (the White) only. The dual Aldu seems to occur also in Aldudénië** "Lament for the Two Trees" (a strange word, since Quenya does not permit intervocalic d as in this word perhaps the Vanyarin dialect of Quenya did) (Silm)

alda

noun. tree

alda

noun. tree, tree, [ᴱQ.] branch

The basic Quenya word for “tree” (LotR/1113), derived from primitive ✶galadā and very well attested. This word dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s where ᴱQ. alda “tree” appeared under the early root ᴱ√ALA “spread” (QL/29). Tolkien seems to have switched its derivation to ✱galadā in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where ᴹQ. alda “tree” appeared under the root ᴹ√GALAD of the same meaning (Ety/GALAD). See also ornë “(tall) tree” for a discussion of another similar word.

Conceptual Development: There were a few instances where the word alda had a different meaning. In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s, alda was glossed “branch” (PE16/139). In notes from 1959 Tolkien said “✱galadā, originally only large flourishing plant, as tree, and especially one that flowered, Q alda, S galað; the general word for ‘tree’ was Q orne ‘upstanding plant’ (PE17/153)”. But in its numerous appearance elsewhere, alda was simply a general word for “tree”.

laurina

golden

laurina adj. "golden" (LT1:258). Compare laurëa in later material.

laurëa

golden, like gold

laurëa adj. "golden, like gold"; pl. laurië is attested (Nam, RGEO:66)

ornë

tree

ornë noun "tree" _(Letters:308, SD:302: "when smaller and more slender like a birch or rowan", Etym stem ÓR-NI: "tree, high isolated tree"). For the etymology, see Letters:426; for (original) difference in meaning between ornë and alda, see alda. In ornemalin "tree-yellow"; see laurelindórenan lindelorendor... (LotR2:III ch. 4; cf. Letters:308), also as final element in malinornë "yellow-tree, mallorn" (q.v.) Masc. name Ornendil *"Tree-friend" (Appendix A)_, compound Ornelië "tree-folk" (Quenya name of the Galadhrim, the tree-people of Lórien) (TI:239).