mallorn

noun. golden tree of Lothlórien

mallorn

noun. golden tree

mall (“golden, of gold”) + orn (“tree”)

mallorn

noun. 'golden-tree'

pl1. mellyrn** ** pl1. n.Bot.'golden-tree'. It was a gift from Gil-galad, who had the seed from Eressea (by way of Númenor). >> malh, mall

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 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).

Cognates

• Q. malinornë “mallorn, (lit.) golden/yellow tree” ✧ PE17/051; PE17/080; UTI/malinornë; UTI/mallorn

Derivations

• Os. malthorn “gold tree” ✧ PE17/050; VT42/27

Elements

Word	Gloss
malt	“gold, gold (as metal)”
orn	“(tall straight) tree”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
Os. malþorn > malhorn > mallorn	[maltorne] > [maltʰorne] > [malθorne] > [malθorn] > [mallorn]	✧ VT42/27

Variations

• Mallorn ✧ LotRI/Mallorn

malhorn

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

neldor

noun. beech

A Sindarin word for “beech” appearing in the names Taur-na-Neldor “Beech-forest” (LotR/469; RC/384) and Neldoreth, the name of a forest with beeches (S/55; PE17/81).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Ilk. neldor was an Ilkorin word based on ᴹ√NÉL-ED “three”, which Tolkien said was “properly name of Hirilorn the great beech of Thingol with three trunks = neld-orn ? [question mark from Tolkien]” (Ety/NEL). In the 1910s and 20s, ᴱQ. neldor “beech” was an Early Qenya word (PE16/139; QL/65), and its cognates in this period were G. deldron “beech” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/30), G. deil(i)an or delwen “beech” in Gnomish Lexicon Slips (PE13/112), and ᴱN. {de(i)lian >>} deilian “beech-tree” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/142).

Possible Etymology: The Ilkorin derivation from √NELED is no longer suitable in Sindarin, since we would expect [[s|[d] > [ð]]] as in S. neledh “three”. It is possible Tolkien simply never reexamined the etymology of this word after it became Sindarin. Alternately, it could be nel- “tri-” + taur “forest” or -dor “-lord” or something similar.

Element in

• S. Neldoreth ✧ SA/neldor
• S. Taur-na-Neldor “Beech-forest” ✧ LotR/0469

Elements

Word	Gloss
nel-	“tri-”
orn	“(tall straight) tree”

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)

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).

Cognates

• Nan. galad “tree” ✧ MR/182; PE17/060
• Q. alda “tree, tree, [ᴱQ.] branch” ✧ Let/426; LotR/1113; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/063; PE17/136; PE17/153; PE17/153; RGEO/65; SA/alda; NM/352

Derivations

• ✶galadā “great plant, tree” ✧ Let/426; NM/349; NM/352; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/063; PE17/135; PE17/153; PE17/153; UT/266
  • ᴹ√GALAD “tree”
  • ᴹ√GAL “grow, thrive” ✧ Ety/GALA
  • √GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive” ✧ Let/426; PE17/025; PE17/135; PE17/153; PE17/153

Element in

• S. Bregalad “Quickbeam; (lit.) Quick (Lively) Tree”
• S. Caras Galadhon “City of the Trees” ✧ Let/426; NM/352; SA/alda; UT/267
• S. Caras i-Ngelaidh “City of the Trees” ✧ PE17/060
• S. Galadhon
• S. galadhremmen “tree-meshed” ✧ PE17/136
• S. Galadhrim “Tree-people” ✧ Let/426; PE17/050; SA/alda; UT/267
• S. Galadlóriel “Golden Rain, (lit.) Golden Tree”
• S. Galador
• S. Galadriel “Glittering-garland” ✧ SA/kal; UT/267
• S. Galadwen
• S. Galathilion “White Tree”
• S. Gelennil “Lover of Trees”
• S. lais geledhion “leaves of trees” ✧ PE17/097
• S. o galadhremmin ennorath “from tree-tangled middle-lands” ✧ PE17/025
• S. Orgaladh “Day of the Tree, *Tuesday”
• S. Orgaladhad “Day of the Two Trees, *Tuesday”
• S. si loth a galadh lasto dîn “*here flower and tree listen [in] silence” ✧ LB/354

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶galadā > galadh	[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]	✧ Let/426
✶galada > galað	[galada] > [galaða] > [galað]	✧ NM/352
✶galadā > galadh	[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]	✧ PE17/025
✶galadā > galadh	[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]	✧ PE17/050
✶galadā > galadh	[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]	✧ PE17/063
✶galadā > galaða > galað > galadh	[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]	✧ PE17/135
✶galadā́ > galað	[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]	✧ PE17/153
✶galadā > galað	[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]	✧ PE17/153
✶galadā > galadh	[galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað]	✧ UT/266

Variations

• galað ✧ MR/182; MR/470; NM/349; NM/352; PE17/060; PE17/153; PE17/153

brethil

noun. beech, beech-tree, silver birch

mallorn

Mallorn

The word comes from malt ("gold") and orn ("tree"). In Gondor Sindarin the same word was pronounced Malthorn. Malinornë is the Quenya translation of Mallorn.

mallorn

golden-tree

E (a species of tree specific to Middle-earth, apparently beech-like) mallorn (i vallorn), pl. mellyrn (i mellyrn).

mallorn

golden-tree

(i vallorn), pl. mellyrn (i mellyrn).

orn

tree

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

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.

huorn

walking tree of fangorn

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

neldor

beech tree

(pl. neldyr), also brethorn (i vrethorn), pl. brethyrn (i mrethyrn) (VT46:3). The mallorn or ”golden-tree” found in Lórien was supposedly beechlike: mallorn (i vallorn), pl. mellyrn (i mellyrn).

galadhrim

people of the trees

(Elves of Lórien). Adj.

lebethron

oak tree

.

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

nothlir

family tree

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

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).

fêr

beech

†fêr (stem feren-, pl. ferin) (mast);

fêr

beech

(stem feren-, pl. ferin) (mast);