In PE/11:31, an older Gnomish word drû, drui meant "wood, forest", and in PE/13:142, the early Noldorin word drú was assigned the meaning "dark". Drû pl. Drúin later came to be used for the name of the Woses, with other derivatives (Drúadan, etc.). "Wose" is actually the modernization of an Anglo-Saxon word wasa only found in the compound wudu-wasa "wild man of the woods", cf. UT/385 sq. In the drafts of the "Ride of the Rohirrim" in WR/343-346, the Woses first appeared as "the dark men of Eilenach". Though internally said to derive from drughu in their own tongue, Tolkien's choice for the Sindarin name of the Woses was apparently influenced by earlier meanings assigned to this word
Sindarin
man
pronoun. *what, who
Cognates
- Q. mana “what, what; [ᴹQ.] who”
Derivations
- √MA “interrogative base, interrogative base; [ᴱ√] root of indef[inite]”
Element in
- ᴺS. amman “why, (lit.) for what”
- S. man agorech? “*and said Rían to Tuor: what have we done?” ✧ VT50/21
- ᴺS. mallú “when, (orig.) what time”
- ᴺS. neman “when, (lit.) during what”
- ᴺS. mivan “where, (lit.) in/at what”
- ᴺS. movan “how, (lit.) by means of what”
- ᴺS. naman “how, (lit.) with what”
- ᴺS. navan “where, whither, to where, (lit.) at/to what”
- ᴺS. oman “whence, from where, (lit.) from what”
- N. uvan “*noone, nobody”
man
pronoun. (?) what?
dîr
noun. man, man, [N.] adult male; agental suffix
Derivations
Element in
- S. Borondir “?Steadfast-man”
- S. Brandir “*Noble Man”
- S. condir “mayor, *(lit.) chief-man”
- S. curunír “wizard, wizard, [N.] man of craft”
- S. dagnir “slayer, bane”
- S. Dírhael “*Wise Man”
- S. dírnaith “wedge-shaped battle-formation, (lit.) man-spearhead”
- S. Emeldir “Manhearted, *Manly-mother”
- S. Haldir
- S. Handir
- S. Hathaldir
- S. Hatholdir “*Axe-man”
- S. herdir “master”
- S. Lindir
- S. Othrondir “?Stronghold Man”
- S. randir “wanderer, wandering man, pilgrim” ✧ PE17/060
- S. Thorondir “*Eagle-man”
Variations
- ndir ✧ PE17/060
drû
noun. wild man, Wose, Púkel-Man
mân
departed spirit
(i vân, construct man), pl. main (i main)
mân
departed spirit
mân (i vân, construct man), pl. main (i main)
Dúnadan
noun. Man of the west, Númenórean
abonnen
noun/adjective. man, one born later than the Elves, a human being (elvish name for men)
adan
noun. man, one of the Second People (elvish name for men)
adanadar
noun. man, one of the Fathers of Men
aphadon
noun. man (elvish name for men)
drúadan
noun. wild man, one of the Woses
adanath
noun. men
echil
noun. human being
dîr
man
1) (adult male of any speaking race) dîr (dír-, also agentive ending -dir or -nir; with article, i nîr, hard mutation as in o ndîr), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndîr); coll. pl. díriath. Also benn (i venn, construct ben), pl. binn (i minn). The latter is in archaic language used = "husband" (the etymological meaning). The ending -we in names may also express ”being, man, person”. 2) (mortal human as opposed to Elf) Adan (pl. Edain; the coll. pl. Adanath is attested). The word Adan came to be used primarily of a member of the Three Houses of the Edain, not of the mortal race of Men in general.
dîr
man
(dír-, also agentive ending -dir or -nir; with article, i nîr, hard mutation as in o ndîr), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndîr); coll. pl. díriath. Also benn (i venn, construct ben), pl. binn (i minn). The latter is in archaic language used = "husband" (the etymological meaning). The ending -we in names may also express ”being, man, person”.
adan
man
(pl. Edain; the coll. pl. Adanath is attested). The word Adan came to be used primarily of a member of the Three Houses of the Edain, not of the mortal race of Men in general.
bôr
trusty man
(boron-) (i vôr, construct bor) (steadfast man, faithful vassal), pl. *b**ŷr* for older beryn, i meryn (archaic böryn, i möryn). In ”Noldorin”, the older pl. forms were berein, beren.
fair
mortal man
(human) fair (fír-), pl. fîr, coll. pl. firiath. Archaic sg. feir (WJ:387). Wheareas the above-mentioned terms are apparently gender-neutral, the following are gender-specific:
curunír
man of craft
(i gurunír, o churunír) (wizard), no distinct pl. form except with article (i churunír), coll. pl. ?curuníriath.
dúnadan
man of the west
(i Núnadan), pl. Dúnedain (i Ndúnedain) (WJ:378, 386).
firion
mortal man
firion (pl. firyn).
firion
mortal man
firion (pl. firyn) and
firion
mortal man
(pl. firyn).
rhavan
wild man
(?i thravan or ?i ravan – the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhevain (?idh revain) (WJ:219). – The following terms apparently apply to ”men” of any speaking race:
thalion
dauntless man
(hero), pl. thelyn. Also used as an adj. ”dauntless, steadfast, strong”.
gwanwen
proper name. Departed
A term the Sindar used for the Elves who left Beleriand for Aman, derived from the same root as Q. vanwa: √WĀ/AWA (WJ/366, 378). Another variation was Gwanwel (WJ/378), perhaps incorporating †Ell “Elf”.
Variations
- Gwanwel ✧ WJ/378; WJI/Gwanwen
bŷr
follower
*bŷr (vassal; construct byr). No distinct pl. form except with article (i mŷr). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” bior, beor. FOLLOWER (used as a term for Mortal Man, the "follower" of the Elves): Aphadon (pl. Ephedyn, coll. pl. Aphadrim) (WJ:387). Also echil (no distinct pl. form); coll. pl. ?echillath
tín
his
*tín (only attested in lenited form dín, following a noun with article). Possibly, the word also covers ”her(s)” and ”its” as a general 3rd person form. If ”his” refers to the same person as the subject, the form ín* is used instead (e.g. i venn sunc i haw ín** ”the man drank his (own) juice”, but *i venn sunc i haw dín ”the man drank his (somebody elses) juice”.
tín
his
(only attested in lenited form dín, following a noun with article). Possibly, the word also covers ”her(s)” and ”its” as a general 3rd person form. If ”his” refers to the same person as the subject, the form ín is used instead (e.g. ✱i venn sunc i haw ín ”the man drank his (own) juice”, but ✱i venn sunc i haw dín ”the man drank his (somebody else’s) juice”.
ín
his
(pronoun referring to the subject, e.g. ✱i venn sunc i haw ín ”the man drank his [own] juice”, as opposed to ✱i venn sunc i haw dín ”the man drank his [= another’s] juice”)
gwanwen
departed
1) (past participle) gwanwen (lenited wanwen; pl. gwenwin), also as noun: a ”departed” one, one of the Elves of Aman: Gwanwen (i **Wanwen), pl. Gwenwin (in Gwenwin) (WJ:378), 2) gwann (dead), lenited wann; pl. gwain**;
gwanwen
departed
(lenited ’wanwen; pl. gwenwin), also as noun: a ”departed” one, one of the Elves of Aman: Gwanwen (i ’Wanwen), pl. Gwenwin (in Gwenwin) (WJ:378)
maw
noun. hand
The Sindarin equivalent of Q. má, likewise derived from the root √MAH or √MAƷ “hand; handle, wield” (PE17/162; VT47/6). However, in Sindarin this word was archaic, used only in poetry, having been replaced in ordinary speech by other words like S. mâb and (less often) cam. Other remnants of this word can be seen in compounds like molif “wrist, (orig.) hand link” and directional words like forvo and harvo for left and right hand side.
Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, G. mô from the early root ᴱ√MAHA was the normal word for “hand”, replacing mab “hand” (< ᴱ√MAHA) which in this document Tolkien decided was instead an irregular dual form of mô (GL/55). It had also had an irregular plural mabin based on this dual, replacing an older plural †maith. In the Gnomish Grammar, its archaic form was †mâ, with the usual Gnomish sound change of ā to ō (GG/14), as opposed to later Sindarin/Noldorin ā to au, spelt -aw when final. Tolkien seems to have abandoned mô as a non-archaic word for “hand” early on, preferring ᴱN. mab “hand” by the 1920s and introducing N. cam “hand” in the 1930s.
Cognates
Derivations
- √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use, handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use; [ᴹ√] hand; [ᴱ√] grasp” ✧ PE17/162
- ✶mā “hand” ✧ VT47/06
- ✶maha “hand, the manager” ✧ PE19/074; PE19/102; VT47/06; VT47/07; VT47/35
- √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use, handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use; [ᴹ√] hand; [ᴱ√] grasp” ✧ VT47/18; VT47/18
- √MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state, good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state; [ᴹ√] use, handle” ✧ VT47/18
- √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use, handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use; [ᴹ√] hand; [ᴱ√] grasp” ✧ PE21/70
- √MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state, good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state; [ᴹ√] use, handle” ✧ VT47/18
- √MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state, good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state; [ᴹ√] use, handle” ✧ VT47/18
Element in
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √MAƷ > maw [mā] > [mǭ] > [mau] ✧ PE17/162 ✶mā > maw [mā] > [mǭ] > [mau] ✧ VT47/06 √mag > maw [mā] > [mǭ] > [mau] ✧ VT47/18
-deid
suffix. his
-deith
suffix. his
-dyn
suffix. his
abonnen
noun/adjective. born later, born after
ai
pronoun. for those who
aphadon
noun. follower
aphadon
noun. follower
Element in
- S. Aphadon “Men, (lit.) Followers” ✧ WJ/387
Elements
Word Gloss aphad- “to follow” -on “masculine suffix” Variations
- Aphadon ✧ WJ/387
aphadrim
noun. followers, men (elvish name for men)
bŷr
noun. follower, vassal
cam
noun. hand
camm
noun. hand
dor
noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live
The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor
dôr
noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live
The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor
dôr
noun. land, land, [N.] region where certain people live, [ᴱN.] country; [G.] people of the land
Cognates
- Q. -ndor “land, country” ✧ SA/dôr
Derivations
Element in
- S. Arnor “Royal Land”
- S. Balannor “Land of the Valar”
- S. bardor “home land, native land” ✧ PE17/164
- S. Berennyr “Brown Lands”
- S. Dor Caranthir “Land of Caranthir”
- S. Dor-Cúarthol “Land of Bow and Helm”
- S. Dor Daedeloth “Land of Great Dread; Land of Shadow of Horror”
- S. Dor Dínen “Silent Land” ✧ S/121
- S. Dor-en-Ernil “Land of the Prince” ✧ UT/245
- S. Dor Firn-i-Guinar “Land of the Dead that Live” ✧ S/188
- S. dorgannas “shapes of the lands, *geography” ✧ WJ/192
- ᴺS. dorgant “landscape, scene, *(lit.) land-shape”
- S. Dor Gyrth i Chuinar “Land of the Dead that Live” ✧ Let/417
- S. Dor Haeron
- S. Doriath “Land of the Fence” ✧ SA/dôr; SI/Doriath; UTI/Doriath; WJ/370
- S. Dor-i-Ndainn “*Land of the Nandor”
- S. Dor i Thuin
- north S. Dor-lómin “*Echoing-land”
- S. Dorloven “*Echoing Land” ✧ PE17/133
- S. Dor-na-Daerachas “Land of Great Dread”
- S. Dor-nu-Fauglith “Land under Choking Ash”
- S. Dor-Rodyn “*Land of the Valar” ✧ MR/200
- S. Dorthonion “Land of Pines” ✧ RC/384; SA/dôr
- S. Dorwinion “Young-land country, land of Gwinion”
- S. Eglador “Land of the Eglir (Forsaken)”
- S. Elennor “*Elf-land”
- S. Eriador “Lonely Land” ✧ SA/dôr
- S. Gondor “Stone-land” ✧ SA/dôr
- S.
Mildor“Wine-land”- S. Mordor “Black Land” ✧ Let/427; SA/dôr
- S. Pelennor “Fenced Land”
- S. Thonador
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶ndor > -dor [-ndorē] > [-ndore] > [-ndor] > [-dor] ✧ PE17/164 ✶ndor > dôr [ndorē] > [ndore] > [dore] > [dor] > [dōr] ✧ SA/dôr ✶ndorē > dôr [ndorē] > [ndore] > [dore] > [dor] > [dōr] ✧ WJ/413 ✶ndorē > -ndor > -nor/-nnor [-ndorē] > [-ndore] > [-ndor] > [-nnor] ✧ WJ/413 Variations
- Dor ✧ Let/417; MR/200; PE17/133; S/121; S/188; SI/Doriath; UT/245; UTI/Doriath; WJ/192
- dor ✧ Let/427; RC/384
- -dor ✧ PE17/164
- Dôr ✧ WJ/370
echil
noun. follower
echil
noun. follower
Derivations
- √KHIL “follow (behind)”
Element in
- S. Echil “Followers” ✧ WJ/219
gwanwen
adjective. departed, departed, *gone, lost [to time], past
Derivations
- √WĀ/AWA “away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago, away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago; [ᴹ√] forth, out”
Element in
Variations
- Gwanwen ✧ WJ/378
hador
masculine name. Warrior
Leader of the House of Hador, one of the three tribes of the Edain (S/147). In a geneology from 1959, the name seems to be translated “Warrior” in Hador Lorindol “the Warrior Goldenhead”, appearing beneath S. Magor “the Sword” and S. Hathol “the Axe” (WJ/234).
Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name appeared as N. Hádor and Hador with both long and short a (LR/146). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. hador was translated as “thrower” (Ety/KHAT).
Element in
- S. Narn e·mbar Hador “*Tale of the House of Hador” ✧ MR/373
mab-
noun. a hand-full, complete hand (with all five fingers)
maw
noun. hand
mâb
noun. a hand-full, complete hand (with all five fingers)
mâb
noun. hand, hand, [N.] grasp
The typical Sindarin word for “hand” (VT47/7, 20), usable in almost any context. It is most notable as an element in the name Mablung “Heavy Hand” (VT47/8). See below for a discussion of its etymology.
Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, where G. mab “hand” appeared as a derivative of the early root ᴱ√MAPA “seize” (GL/55). Tolkien then revised the gloss to “hands”, saying instead it was an irregular dual of G. mô “hand”. The word reverted to singular ᴱN. mab “hand” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/149). These early versions of the word were already an element of Mablung “Heavy Hand(ed)” (LT2/38; LB/311), but also of Ermabwed “One-handed” (LT2/34; LB/119).
In the 1930s it seems Tolkien decided Ilk. mâb “hand” was primarily an Ilkorin word, and the usual word for “hand” in Noldorin was N. cam. Compare Ilkorin Ermabuin “One-handed” and Mablosgen “Empty-handed” with Noldorin Erchamion and Camlost of the same meaning. In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Tolkien had N. mab “grasp” under the root ᴹ√MAPA “seize”, but the version of the entry with that word was overwritten (EtyAC/MAP), leaving only the Ilkorin form mâb. In this period, Mablung may also have been an Ilkorin name.
After Tolkien abandoned Ilkorin in the 1950s, he kept S. Erchamion and Camlost based on cam, but also kept Mablung “Heavy Hand” which must have become Sindarin. In his later writings Tolkien again revisited the etymology of S. mâb “hand”. In a note from Jan-Feb 1968, he wrote:
> It [Q. má = “hand”] did not survive in Telerin and Sindarin as an independent word, but was replaced by the similar-sounding but unconnected C.E. makwā, Q. maqua, T. mapa, S. mab, of uncertain origin, but probably originally an adjectival formation from MAK “strike” ... (VT47/19).
This sentence was struck through, however. In drafts of notes on Elvish Hands, Fingers and Numerals written in or after 1968, Tolkien again derived mâb from √MAP (VT47/20 note #13), but in the final version of these notes he made the remarkable decision to discard this root despite it being a stable part of Elvish for nearly 50 years, declaring it was used only in Telerin and not Quenya or Sindarin (VT47/7). He coined a new etymology for S. mâb “hand” based on ✶makwā “handful” = ✶mā + ✶kwā (VT47/6-7), a variation on the above etymology from √MAK.
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I prefer to ignore Tolkien’s 1968 removal of √MAP “seize”, and so would continue to derive S. mâb “hand” from that root. However, its ancient meaning may have been “✱grasp”, and its eventual use as “hand” might have been influenced by ancient ✶makwā “handful”.
Cognates
- Q. maqua “hand-full, group of five (similar) things; hand (colloquial); closing or closed [hand] (facing down) for taking” ✧ VT47/06; VT47/19; VT47/20
Derivations
- ✶makwā “a hand-full, complete hand with all five fingers” ✧ VT47/06; VT47/07; VT47/19
- √MAK “cut, hew with a sharp edge; kill, slay; forge metal, cut, hew with a sharp edge, [ᴹ√] cleave; sword, fight (with a sword); ️[√] forge metal; kill, slay” ✧ VT47/19
- √MAP “take away, take hold of, grasp, take away, take hold of, grasp, [ᴹ√] lay hold of with hand, seize” ✧ VT47/20
Element in
- ᴺS. mablanthos “sycamore”
- S. Mablung “Heavy Hand” ✧ VT47/07
- ᴺS. mabren “handed, having hands, dextrous”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶makwā > mâb [makwā] > [mapā] > [mapa] > [map] > [mab] > [māb] ✧ VT47/06 ✶makwā > mâb [makwā] > [mapā] > [mapa] > [map] > [mab] > [māb] ✧ VT47/07 ✶makwā > mâb [makwā] > [mapā] > [mapa] > [map] > [mab] > [māb] ✧ VT47/19 √MAP > măpo > mâb [mapo] > [map] > [mab] > [māb] ✧ VT47/20
tîn
adjective. his
tîn
pronoun. his
Non-lenited form suggested by Carl Hostetter (VT31/21).
Element in
- S. ar Iorhael, Gelir, Cordof, ar Baravorn, ionnath dîn “and Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Hamfast his sons” ✧ AotM/062; SD/129
- S. ar Meril bess dîn, ar Elanor, Meril, Glorfinniel, ar Eirien sellath dîn “and Rose his wife; and Elanor, Rose, Goldilocks and Daisy his daughters” ✧ AotM/062; AotM/062; SD/129; SD/129
în
adjective. his (referring to the subject)
bâr
land
(dwelling, house, home, family; earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.
cam
hand
1) cam (i gam, o cham), pl. caim (i chaim), coll. pl. cammath; 2) mâb (i vâb; construct mab), pl. maib (i maib). 3) Archaic †maw (i vaw), pl. moe (i moe). A homophone means ”soil, stain”. (VT47:6) 4) (fist) dond (i dhond; construct don), pl. dynd (i nynd), coll. pl. donnath (VT47:23).
cam
hand
(i gam, o cham), pl. caim (i chaim), coll. pl. cammath
camlann
of the hand
(i gamlann, o chamlann), pl. cemlain (i chemlain).
crûm
left hand
(i grûm, o chrûm, construct crum), pl. cruim (i chruim), coll. pl. crummath. Also ✱hair (i chair), no distinct pl. form (not even with article). Note: hair is also used = ”left” as adjective. Cited in archaic form heir (LR:365 s.v. KHYAR).
daug
warrior
(i naug, o ndaug) (soldier), pl. doeg (i ndoeg), coll. pl. dogath. Compounded as -dog in the name Boldog (= baul-daug, ✱”torment-warrior”)
dond
hand
(i dhond; construct don), pl. dynd (i nynd), coll. pl. donnath (VT47:23).
dôr
land
1) dôr (i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr), coll. pl. dorath (WJ:413), 2) bâr (dwelling, house, home, family; earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.
dôr
land
(i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr), coll. pl. dorath (WJ:413)
forgam
right-handed
(pl. fergaim, for archaic förgeim)
fuir
right hand
pl. fŷr. Also used as adj. "right, north" (VT42:20). In ”Noldorin” the word appeared as (”foeir” =) föir, feir (LR:382 s.v. PHOR).
gwann
departed
(dead), lenited ’wann; pl. gwain
hadron
warrior
(i chadron, o chadron), pl. hedryn (i chedryn), coll. pl. hadronnath.
maethor
warrior
1) maethor (i vaethor), analogical pl. maethyr (i maethyr), 2) (”thrower” or ”hurler”, i.e. of spears or darts) hadron (i chadron, o chadron), pl. hedryn (i chedryn), coll. pl. hadronnath. 3) (primarily Orkish warrior) daug (i naug, o ndaug) (soldier), pl. doeg (i ndoeg), coll. pl. dogath. Compounded as -dog in the name Boldog (= baul-daug, *”torment-warrior”)
maethor
warrior
(i vaethor), analogical pl. maethyr (i maethyr)
maw
hand
(i vaw), pl. moe (i moe). A homophone means ”soil, stain”. (VT47:6)
mâb
hand
(i vâb; construct mab), pl. maib (i maib).
nand
wide grassland
(construct nan) (valley), pl. naind, coll. pl. **nannath **(VT45:36);
parth
enclosed grassland
(i barth, o pharth) (field, sward), pl. perth (i pherth);
A word for “man” as a male person, attested only as an element in compounds or as (archaic?) ndir (PE17/60). This word likely refers to male individuals of all races including Elves, Men, Dwarves and so forth, much like its Quenya cognate Q. nér. This word must have been derived from the primitive subjective form ✶ndēr of the root √N(D)ER “male person”, where the ancient long ē became ī, and the initial cluster nd- became d-, though the ancient cluster would still be reflected in mutated forms, such as in i nîr “the man” rather than ✱✱i dhîr.
Conceptual Development: Perhaps the earliest precursor to this word is (archaic) G. †drio “hero, warrior” with variants driw, driodweg and driothweg, a cognate of ᴱQ. nēr (GL/22). This Gnomish word was derived from primitive ᴱ✶n’reu̯, where the initial nr- became dr-. At this early stage, the root was unstrengthened ᴱ√NERE (QL/65), as reflected in (archaic) ᴱN. nîr “hero, prince, warrior-elf” in the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s (PE13/164).
In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root became ᴹ√DER “adult male, man” of any speaking race and the derived form was N. dîr (Ety/DER). However, in this document Tolkien said:
> EN †dîr surviving chiefly in proper names (as Diriel older Dirghel [GYEL], Haldir, Brandir) and as agental ending (as ceredir “doer, maker”) ... In ordinary use EN has benn [for “man”] (properly = “husband”).
Thus in the scenario described in The Etymologies, dîr “man” was archaic and used only as an element in names or as a suffix. In ordinary speech it was replaced by N. benn, which used to mean “husband” but now meant “man”, while the word for “husband” became N. hervenn (Ety/BES). It is unlikely Tolkien imagined this exact scenario in later Sindarin, however, since the 1930s root for benn was ᴹ√BES “wed”, but by the 1960s the root for husband/wife/marry words had become √BER.
Neo-Sindarin: Since the status of N. benn is questionable given ᴹ√BES >> √BER, many Neo-Sindarin writers prefer to use S. ✱dîr as the Sindarin word for man. I am of the opinion that both dîr and benn are acceptable for “man, male person”. This is because I prefer to retain ᴹ√BES as the root for “marry, wed”, since it is the best basis for attested husband/wife words in (Neo) Sindarin.