Primitive elvish

ṃbar

noun. ṃbar

Primitive elvish [PE17/104] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mbar

root. settle, dwell; establish, fix, decide, determine, make a decision, settle; establish, fix, decide, determine, make a decision; dwell, [ᴹ√] inhabit, [ᴱ√] live

This root was connected to the sense “dwell” for all of Tolkien’s life. In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s it appeared as ᴱ√MBARA “dwell, live”, though in Qenya it was blended with ᴱ√ŊWAÐA “tarry, linger” since [[eq|initial [ŋʷ] became [m]]] (QL/60). In Gnomish the two roots remained distinct: G. bar “home” (GL/21) vs. G. gwadh- “dwell” (GL/46). However, other Gnomish derivatives hint at an unstrengthened variant ᴱ√MARA: G. mar “Earth, ground, soil” and G. Môr “The Earth”, of which Tolkien said “mar and môr probably conceal two roots and a confusion; mbara” (GL/56). The source of this confusion might be ᴱ√MARA “ripe” (QL/59, 63).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root appeared as ᴹ√MBAR “dwell, inhabit” (Ety/MBAR); an earlier version of this entry had the extra gloss “build” (EtyAC/MBAR). In The Etymologies, it seems this root was a strengthened form of ᴹ√BAR “raise” (Ety/BAR), but the root ᴹ√MBARAT “fate” seems to be unrelated at this point (Ety/MBARAT). The root mbar- was mentioned in the Outline of Phonetic Development (OP1) from the 1930s (PE19/36) and again as √MBAR “{house >>} dwell” in the second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ2) from around 1950 (PE18/92).

The root √MBAR still had the basic sense “dwell” in Notes on Galadriel’s Song (NGS) from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/64); in those notes it seems it was distinct from both √BAR “raise” and √MAR(AT) or √MBART “doom, fate” (PE17/66). But in notes on Fate from 1968 (NM/226-231; PE17/104-109), Tolkien shifted the meaning of the root:

> English “settle” in its various branches of meaning closely resembles the development of the meanings of √MBAR: thus settlement can mean the act of colonizing or taking up an abode, or the area or place so occupied (by a family or community); or (the terms of) an agreement fixed after debate. The development was not, however, the same: the senses of settle proceed from a sense “place in or take up” a firm position, especially in a place that seems suitable; from which the sense of settling affairs that were in confusion or doubt arose. √MBAR meant basically to make a decision, and the meanings relating to dwelling or occupying land proceeded from that (PE17/105).

This new definition for √MBAR was to support a more direct connection between this root and words like Q. umbar “fate”, hence establishing an etymological relationship to extended √MBARAT for the first time, for example with √MBAR > ✶mbartā- “to define, decree, destine” (PE17/104).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think this late 1960s meaning “settle, decide, establish; (by extension) dwell” is probably the best.

Primitive elvish [NM/226; NM/228; PE17/064; PE17/066; PE17/078; PE17/090; PE17/104; PE17/105; PE17/124; PE17/163; PE17/164; PE18/092; PE22/131] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mbarda

noun. mbarda

Primitive elvish [PE17/106; PE17/107; PE17/163; PE17/164] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mbar(ă)

noun. dwelling, habitation

Primitive elvish [PE17/106; PE17/109; PE17/163; PE17/164; PE19/076; RC/020; SA/bar] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mbar-

verb. to dwell

Primitive elvish [PE22/131] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mbartanō

masculine name. World-artificer

Primitive elvish [LT1A/Talka Marda] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mbartā-

verb. to define, decree, destine

Primitive elvish [PE17/104] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mbar-ndor

noun. home land, native land

Primitive elvish [PE17/164] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mbard(a)

adverb. home, homeward

Primitive elvish [PE21/76] Group: Eldamo. Published by

m(b)arat

root. doom, fate

This root and ones like it were connected to “fate” throughout Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√MṚTṚ or ᴱ√M(B)ṚTṚ “chance” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. mart “a piece of luck”, ᴱQ. mart- “it happens” and ᴱQ. marto “fortune, fate, lot” (QL/63). Thus in QL it seems to have more to do with happenstance than destiny, but in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon its derivatives were G. Bridwen “Fate personified”, G. mart(os) “portion, fate, lot”, G. martion “fated, doomed, fey”, and G. umbart or umrod “fate” (GL/24, 56, 75), so perhaps the root meaning had already begun to shift.

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root appeared as ᴹ√MBARAT “fate” (Ety/MBARAT); this replaced an earlier unstrengthened version ᴹ√MAR-TA, as reflected in the change of the Noldorin form from N. marth >> N. barth (EtyAC/MBARAT), later still N. ammarth >> S. amarth (Ety/MBARAT; SA/amarth). In Notes on Galadriel’s Song (NGS) from the late 1950s or early 1960s Tolkien explicitly said that the root √MAR(AT) or √MBART “doom, fate” was not connected to √MBAR “dwell” (PE17/66), but in notes from the late 1960s he changed his mind and made an etymological connection between the two roots: see √MBAR for details.

Primitive elvish [NM/228; PE17/066; PE17/163] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ṃbart(ă)

noun. fate, doom; (orig.) permanent establishment

Primitive elvish [NM/228; PE17/123; PE17/124; PE18/092; PE19/077; VT41/10] Group: Eldamo. Published by

barathī

noun. queen

Primitive elvish [MR/387; PE17/023; PE17/066] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Sindarin 

bar

noun. dwelling, home

Sindarin [S/428, WR/379-80, SD/129-31] Group: SINDICT. Published by

bar

noun. inhabited land

Sindarin [S/428, WR/379-80, SD/129-31] Group: SINDICT. Published by

bar

noun. house, dwelling, home

bardor

noun. home land, native land

A word for “home land, native land” appearing in notes from the 1960s discussing the root √MBAR, a combination of bâr “dwelling” with dôr “land” (PE17/164).

Sindarin [PE17/164] Group: Eldamo. Published by

barthan

masculine name. World-artificer

A Sindarin name for Aulë. According to Christopher Tolkien, it appeared in a very late note, as a cognate of Q. Martamo (LT1A/Talka Marda). It is a combination of bâr “house, home, dwelling” and a mutated form -than of ✱tân “smith” (attested only in compounds).

Conceptual Development: The earliest form of this name was G. Martaglos “Smith of the World”, appearing in the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s (GL/18, LT1A/Talka Marda.026). A revised form ᴱN. Barthaglon “World Smith” appeared in Early Noldorin word lists from the 1920s (PE13/138). The name appeared as N. Barthan “Earth-smith” or “Earthbuilder” in The Etymologies from the 1930s, the source of the derivation given above (Ety/MBAR, TAN).

Sindarin [LT1A/Talka Marda] Group: Eldamo. Published by

bâr

noun. house, dwelling, home, house, dwelling, home; [N.] earth

The basic Sindarin word for “house, dwelling, home” derived from the root √MBAR “settle, dwell” (PE17/109; PE17/164). This Sindarin word (unlike its Quenya counterpart már) can also be used to refer to the “house” of a clan or family, as in Bar Bëora “House of Bëor” (WJ/230) and Narn e·mbar Hador “✱Tale of the House of Hador” (MR/373). It could also mean “-home (for a people)” in compound names for regions as in Eglamar “Home of the Eglain” and Brithombar (WJ/379; S/120), but it seems this use was archaic and in more recent names the trend was to use dôr “land” (PE17/164).

This word appears as both bâr with long â and bar with short a. As a general rule, it has a long â when used as an independent word, following the general Sindarin principle whereby short vowels (usually) lengthened in monosyllables. It has a short vowel when appearing in compounds or as a “pseudo-prefix” in names like Bar-en-Danwedh “House of Ransom” (S/203).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, where (adverbial?) G. bar appeared as a variant of G. barthi or barai “at home, home” (GL/21). In the Gnomish Lexicon its noun form seems to be G. bara “home” (GL/21), but in the contemporaneous Gnomish Grammar it was bar “home” (GG/8). These Gnomish words were all derived from the early root ᴱ√MBARA “dwell, live” (QL/63).

In Gnomish Lexicon slips, Tolkien modified the word to G. bawr “house” derived from primitive ᴱ✶mbāră (PE13/116). In the Name-list to the Fall of Gondolin Tolkien had G. bar “dwelling” (PE15/21). In the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s it was ᴱN. bâr “house”, though a change in its mutated form {i·bhar >>} i·mâr indicates some vacillation on its primitive form (PE13/120 and note #2). In Early Noldorin word-lists of this period it was bar “house” (PE13/138).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was N. bár “home” written in the margin next to the root ᴹ√MBAR “dwell, inhabit” (EtyAC/MBAR), but it also meant “Earth” in the name N. Barthan “Earth-smith” (Ety/TAN). In later notes (date unknown) this name was S. Barthan “World-artificer” (LT1A/Talka Marda). In notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1930s it was †băr “home”, which became bār after vowels lengthened in monosyllables (PE22/36).

In notes from the 1960s, Tolkien described this word in some detail, first saying:

> In Sindarin bar [< ✱mbăr-] (pl. bair) was used for a single house or dwelling, especially of the larger and more permanent sort; barð [< ✱mbardā̆] was much as English “home”, the (proper) place for one (or a community) to dwell in (PE17/164).

Here it seems bar = “house, dwelling” but bardh = “home”. However, in a later iteration of these notes Tolkien said:

> There were thus tendencies both (a) for Noldorin terms for things peculiar to their culture to be translated into Sindarin forms or imitated ... Examples ... were (a) the use of Sindarin bâr (< ✱mbăr(a)) for “house” a settled built dwelling of a family, larger or smaller: in true Sindarin use it only denoted a small area in which some group had at last settled more or less permanently (PE17/164).

This was revised slightly to read:

> There was thus a tendency: (a) for Noldorin words and terms for things peculiar to their culture to be translated into Sindarin, or imitated ... Examples of these processes are: (a) the use of Sindarin bâr (< ✱mbăr(a)) for “house”: the permanent building serving as the home of a family, larger or smaller, though in genuine older Sindarin use this word referred to a (small) area, in which some group had at last settled, more or less permanently (PE17/164).

Both these later paragraph imply that the original sense of Sindarin bâr was something like “✱settlement (of a group or community)” but came to mean “house, dwelling” under the influence of Quenya már.

Of its uses in compounds Tolkien said:

> This was also in old compounds used (like Q -mar) for a region, but not in ordinary language ... Only in old names was -bar used like Q -mar for a region inhabited by a people. For this Sindarin used usually -dor (< ndor) “land” (PE17/165).

Sindarin [AotM/062; MR/373; PE17/097; PE17/109; PE17/163; PE17/164; S/203; SA/bar; SD/129; UT/040; UT/054; UT/100; WJ/379; WJ/414; WJ/418] Group: Eldamo. Published by

bardh

noun. home

A word for “home” appearing in draft notes from the 1960s discussing the root √MBAR, where it was contrasted with bâr “house, dwelling”:

> In Sindarin bar [< ✱mbăr-] (pl. bair) was used for a single house or dwelling, especially of the larger and more permanent sort; barð [< ✱mbardā̆] was much as English “home”, the (proper) place for one (or a community) to dwell in (PE17/164).

It was also contrasted with milbar “dear home” which was used for the “emotional senses ‘home’ as the place of one’s birth, or desire, or one’s home returned to after journey or exile” (PE17/164). In later versions of these notes on √MBAR, Tolkien mentioned bâr and milbar but not bardh (PE17/109).

Neo-Sindarin: Given its absense from the final version of the √MBAR notes, it is possible Tolkien abandoned bardh “home”. However, I prefer to retain it for purposes of Neo-Sindarin for the ordinary sense of “home”, and reserve milbar for one’s “emotional home” or “✱true home” from which one is currently separated, as opposed to the home that you are living now = bardh. I would use bâr primarily in the sense “house, dwelling”.

Sindarin [PE17/164] Group: Eldamo. Published by

amarth

noun. fate, doom

Sindarin [NM/227; NM/228; PE17/066; PE17/104; PE17/114; PE17/123; PE17/124; PE18/092; PMI/Amarth; S/224; SA/amarth; VT41/10] Group: Eldamo. Published by

amartha-

verb. to define, decree, destine

Sindarin [PE17/104] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ammarth

noun. fate, doom

bardh

home

{ð}_ n. _home, the (proper) place for one (or a community) to dwell in.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:164] < *_mbar_ or _mbardă_ < MBAR settle. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

bereth

noun. queen, spouse

Sindarin [Ety/351, RGEO/74] Group: SINDICT. Published by

rían

noun. queen, queen, *(lit.) crowned-lady

rîs

noun. queen

Sindarin [Ety/383, X/RH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

amarth

fate

(doom), pl. emerth; also manadh (i vanadh) (doom, final end, fortune [usually = final bliss]), pl. menaidh (i menaidh);

bereth

queen

(i vereth) (spouse), pl. berith (i mberith)

bâr

dwelling

bâr (house, home, family; land, earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds

bâr

dwelling

(house, home, family; land, earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds

bâr

home

bâr (dwelling, house, family; land, earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

bâr

home

(dwelling, house, family; land, earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

dortha

dwell

dortha- (i northa, i ndorthar) (stay)

dortha

dwell

(i northa, i ndorthar) (stay)

dôr

dwelling place

(i nôr, construct dor) (land, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr) (WJ:413).

gobel

enclosed dwelling

(i ’obel) (walled house or village, ”town”), pl. gebil (i ngebil = i ñebil). Archaic pl. göbil.

grôd

underground dwelling

(i ’rôd, construct grod) (cave, delving, excavation), pl. grŷd (in grŷd) (WJ:414)

rhûd

dwelling underground

(construct rhud, with article ?i thrûd or ?i rûd – *the lenition product of rh- is uncertain) (artificial cave, rockhewn hall, mine), pl. rhuid (?idh ruid) (PM:365)*.

rían

queen

(”crown-gift”), pl. ríain (idh ríain)

ríen

queen

(crowned lady), pl. ?rîn (idh rîn). The adjective rîn ”crowned” may also be used as a noun ”crowned woman” =  ”queen”, but with no distinct pl. form except when article precedes (idh rîn again); coll. pl. ríniath. Note: a homophone means ”remembrance”.

rîs

queen

1) rîs, no distinct pl. except with article preceding (idh rîs); coll. pl. ?rissath; 2) rían (”crown-gift”), pl. ríain (idh ríain); 3) bereth (i vereth) (spouse), pl. berith (i mberith), 4) ríen (crowned lady), pl. ?rîn (idh rîn). The adjective rîn ”crowned” may also be used as a noun ”crowned woman” = ”queen”, but with no distinct pl. form except when article precedes (idh rîn again); coll. pl. ríniath. Note: a homophone means ”remembrance”.

rîs

noun. queen

Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/adaptations. Published by

rîs

queen

no distinct pl. except with article preceding (idh rîs); coll. pl. ?rissath

úmarth

evil fate

(pl. úmerth)

Quenya 

már

home, house, dwelling

már (mar-) (2) noun "home, house, dwelling" (also "house" in the sense of family as in Mardil, q.v.). See mar above for references. In Mar-nu-Falmar, Mardil, and as final element in Eldamar, Fanyamar, Valimar, Vinyamar..

ambar

noun. fate, doom, fate, doom, [ᴱQ.] lot

umbarta-

verb. to define, decree, destine

martamo

masculine name. World-artificer

A title for Aulë appearing in a very late note (LT1A/Talka Marda). The second element is clearly tamo “smith”, and the first element “World” may be either mar(da) or már. I consider the first of these to be more likely: see the entry for mar(da) for discussion.

Conceptual Development: An early form of this name appeared in the Lost Tales: ᴱQ. Talka Marda “Smith of the World” (LT1/180, LT1A/Talka Marda). The name appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s as ᴹQ. Martan(o) “Earth-smith”, a compound of mar “Earth” and tano “smith” (Ety/MBAR, TAN). In notes from the 1950s, Tolkien revised tano >> tamo (PE17/107), which is probably the origin of the later form of this name.

Quenya [LT1A/Talka Marda] Group: Eldamo. Published by

marta-

verb. to define, decree, destine, to define, decree, destine; [ᴱQ.] to happen (impers.), chance

@@@ NQ. gloss “decide” suggested by Robert Reynolds

farnë

dwelling

#farnë (2) noun "dwelling", in orofarnë (as translated in Letters:224, but in other notes of Tolkiens the word was interpreted "any growing thing or plant", PE17:83)

har-

verb. dwell, abide, reside permanently

Quenya [PE 22:125] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

marda

dwelling

marda noun "dwelling" (PE17:107)

mélamar

home

mélamar noun "home", Exilic Quenya word of emotional sense: place of ones birth or the familiar places from which one has been separated (PE17:109). Mélamarimma noun "Our Home", an expression used by Exilic Noldor for Aman.

turinqui

queen

turinqui ("q") noun "queen" (LT1:260; apparently the fem. of tur. In Tolkien's later Quenya, "queen" is tári.)

tári

queen

tári noun "queen", used especially of Varda (TĀ/TA3, LT1:264), etymologically "she that is high" (SA:tar). Dative tárin in the Elaine inscription (VT49:40), genitive tário in Namárië. Elentári "Starqueen", a title of Varda. (Nam, RGEO:67). Tarinya "my queen" (UT:179; sic, not *tárinya). Táris or tárissë "queenship" (PE17:155)

tári

noun. queen, queen, [ᴱQ.] mistress, lady

Quenya [LotR/0377; PE17/067; PE17/076; PM/363; PM/364; RGEO/58; RGEO/59; SA/tar; UT/179; VT49/40] Group: Eldamo. Published by

varni

queen

varni noun "queen" (LT1:273; rather tári in Tolkien's later Quenya)

rianna

noun. queen

Quenya Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

Noldorin 

ammarth

noun. fate, doom

should be amarth because [[n|[mm] shortened]] @@@

Noldorin [Ety/MBARAT; EtyAC/MBARAT; EtyAC/SIL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

barth

noun. fate

bereth

noun. queen, spouse

Noldorin [Ety/351, RGEO/74] Group: SINDICT. Published by

bereth

noun. queen

Noldorin [Ety/BARATH; Ety/EL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

dortha-

verb. to dwell, stay

Noldorin [Ety/376] Group: SINDICT. Published by

rhîs

noun. queen

Noldorin [Ety/383, X/RH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

rhîs

noun. queen


Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Old Noldorin 

mbar

noun. home

Old Noldorin [EtyAC/MBAR; PE21/58] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

mbar

root. dwell, inhabit

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/BAR; Ety/GAWA; Ety/MBAR; Ety/TAN; EtyAC/ÉNED; EtyAC/MBAR; EtyAC/SIL; PE19/036] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mbarat

root. fate

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/MBARAT; EtyAC/MBARAT; EtyAC/SIL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mbar-

verb. to dwell

Middle Primitive Elvish [PE22/096] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tārī

noun. queen

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/TĀ; PE21/58] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

mbāră

noun. mbāră

Early Primitive Elvish [PE13/116] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mbara

root. dwell, live

Early Primitive Elvish [GL/56; LT1A/Eldamar; QL/060; QL/063] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gu̯ara-

verb. to dwell

Early Primitive Elvish [GL/38] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ẇaða

root. dwell

Early Primitive Elvish [GL/46; QL/102] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Old sindarin

ambar

noun. fate, doom

Old sindarin [PE17/104] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

umbart

noun. fate

Gnomish [GL/56; GL/75; LT2A/Turambar] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mara-

verb. to dwell

(m)bara-

verb. to dwell

-vran

suffix. dwelling

A suffixal form of G. brann (GL/24); see S. barthan for discussion.

-vron

suffix. dwelling

dori

noun. queen

gwadh-

verb. to dwell

A verb appearing as G. gwadh- “dwell” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s with a (deleted) primitive form gu̯ađ (GL/46), likely an allusion to the early root ᴱ√ẆAÐA from the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon (QL/102). In that document, Tolkien gave the Gnomish form as {gwath- >>} gwar-, however, which might align with the deleted primitive form ᴱ✶gu̯ara- “dwell” from the Gnomish Lexicon (GL/38).

Gnomish [GL/46; QL/102] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gwast

noun. dwelling

A noun for “dwelling” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s derived from the early root ᴱ√[[ep|ŋwa[ð]-]] (GL/47).

turwin

noun. queen

Gnomish [GL/72; LT1A/Meril-i-Turinqi; PE13/095; PE15/08] Group: Eldamo. Published by

umrod

noun. fate

Qenya 

umbar

noun. fate, doom

Qenya [Ety/MBARAT; EtyAC/A; EtyAC/MBARAT; PE19/036; PE21/33; PE22/022; PE22/050] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ambar

noun. fate

marta

adverb. home

Qenya [PE21/25; PE21/27] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tári

noun. queen

Qenya [Ety/TĀ; PE21/14] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Doriathrin

bar Reconstructed

noun. home

A noun meaning something like “home” attested only in compounds like Eglamar “Elvenhome”.

tóril

noun. queen

A noun for “queen”, a combination of tôr “king” with the feminine suffix -il, though according to Tolkien it was used only as a title for Melian (Ety/TĀ).

Doriathrin [Ety/TĀ; EtyAC/TĀ] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

am(m)arth

noun. fate

Early Noldorin [PE13/137; PE13/159; PE15/61] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Solosimpi

morta

noun. fate

Solosimpi [PE13/137; PE13/159] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

amarto

noun. fate

turinqi

noun. queen

Early Quenya [LT1A/Meril-i-Turinqi; LT2I/Meril-i-Turinqi; PE15/08; PME/096; QL/095] Group: Eldamo. Published by

turqin

noun. queen

Early Quenya [PME/096; QL/095] Group: Eldamo. Published by

túrani

noun. queen

Early Quenya [QL/095] Group: Eldamo. Published by

varni

noun. queen

Early Quenya [LT1A/Varda; QL/087; QL/102] Group: Eldamo. Published by

wasta-

verb. to dwell

A verb in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s appearing as wastar “I dwell” under the early root ᴱ√ẆAÐA of the same meaning (QL/102).

Early Quenya [QL/102] Group: Eldamo. Published by