malt

noun. gold (as metal)

malt

noun. gold (as metal)

malthen

adjective. of gold, of gold [metal]

An adjective in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “of gold” based on N. malt “gold (as metal)” under the root ᴹ√SMAL “yellow” (Ety/SMAL). The form was revised to (h)malthen indicating an archaic voiceless hm that was the result of ancient sm (EtyAC/SMAL), but in Tolkien’s later writings the root became √MALAT (PM/366) so this would no longer be the case.

Neo-Sindarin: In Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s, medial lth became voiceless ll (VT42/27), as seen in the noun mallorn “gold tree” and (probably) the later adjective mallen “golden”. However Tolkien said:

> ... among those to whom Sindarin became a language of lore, as the men of Gondor who were or claimed to be of Numenórean race, the spirant [th] was reintroduced from the spelling. In true Sindarin of the Elves or Elf-friends of the early ages the final form [lt] was often introduced medially (VT42/27).

As such, I think malthen “of gold [metal]” may still be viable by analogy with its noun form malt “gold [metal]”, and the adjective mallen may be limited just to golden colors.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had similarly formed G. maltha “golden yellow, rich, mellow” (GL/56) likely based on the early root ᴱ√MALA “yellow” (QL/63).

malthen

adjective. of gold, golden

magl

noun. sword

The word megil (q.v.), probably introduced by the Ñoldor, was also used

hmalt

noun. gold (as metal)

côl

noun. gold (metal)

A word appearing in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of ᴹ√KUL “gold (metal)” (Ety/KUL). Tolkien updated this entry to change the root’s gloss to “golden-red”, after which its Noldorin derivative became N. coll “red”, while elsewhere in The Etymologies the word for “gold (as metal)” became N. malt (Ety/SMAL).

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. †culu used poetically for “gold”, cognate to ᴱQ. kulu “gold” (GL/27) and thus derived from the same early root ᴱ√KULU (QL/49). G. culu was also given as an example noun for declensions in the contemporaneous Gnomish Grammar (PE11/14).

mallorn

noun. gold tree

malen

adjective. yellow, yellow, [ᴱN.] yellowish, pale, wan, sickly

mallen

adjective. of gold

ammarth

noun. fate, doom

côl

noun. gold (metal)

galadh

noun. tree

galadh

noun. tree

glaur

noun. gold

gloriel

adjective. golden

maethon

noun. sword

magol

noun. sword

The word megil (q.v.), probably introduced by the Ñoldor, was also used

magol

noun. sword

malen

adjective. yellow

mallen

adjective. of gold, golden

megil

noun. sword

The word was struck out in the Etymologies, but is well attested in late compounds such as Mormegil or Arvegil (with regular mutation). It is conceivably the Sindarinized form of Quenya makil, coexisting with magol (see tegil and tegol for a similar case)

megil

noun. sword

orn

noun. (any large) tree

orn

noun. tree