men

noun. road, way, road, way; [N.] *place

A word appearing in the name Men-i-Naugrim, variously translated as “Dwarf Road” (UT/280) or “Way of the Dwarves” (UT/472). In one place it had the form Menn (NM/372). It is clearly based on the root √MEN “go”.

Conceptual Development: This word also appeared in the (untranslated) name N. Men Falros in Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s (WR/326). In The Etymologies of the 1930s its cognate ᴹQ. men was translated “place, spot” (Ety/MEN), so in this period N. men might have meant “✱place” as in Men Falros = “✱Place of Splashing Foam”.

men

2nd pl

_ 2nd pl. pron. _us. >> ammen

men

pronoun. us

men

pronoun. us

men

noun. way, road

men-i-naugrim

place name. Dwarf Road, (lit.) Way of the Dwarves

The road through Mirkwood, glossed “Dwarf Road” (UT/280-281) and translated more literally “Way of the Dwarves” by Christoper Tolkien (UTI/Men-i-Naugrim). It is a combination of men “way”, i “the” and Naugrim “Dwarves”.

men-

verb. to go

The basic Sindarin verb for “go”, derived from the root √MEN (PE17/143). Its archaic past form emēnē was discussed in notes from around 1965 (PE17/93); its modern past would be ✱evín. It also appeared in its gerund form in the sentence niðin __mened__ “I have a mind to go, I intend to go” in notes from 1969 (PE22/165).

Men-i-naugrim

noun. way of dwarves

men (“way, road”) + in (pl. gen. article) + naug (“a dwarf”) + rim (class plural suffix)

sui mín i gohenam di ai gerir úgerth ammen

as we forgive those who trespass against us

The eighth line of Ae Adar Nín, Tolkien’s Sindarin translation of the Lord’s Prayer (VT44/21). The first word is the preposition sui “as”. The second word has the same form as mín “our” but seems to function as men “us” (as it appeared in the first draft of this sentence). The third word is i “who”, followed by gohenam, the 2nd-pl inflection of the verb gohena- “to forgive” with its direct object di, the lenited form of the pronoun ti “them”.

The function of the sixth word ai (“those who”) is difficult to decipher. See the entry for that word for further discussion.

The seventh word gerir is a lenited form of cerir (as it appeared in the draft), which itself is the plural of the verb car- “to do”. This followed by úgerth, the plural of úgarth “trespass, ✱misdeed” and ammen “to us”, a combination of an “to, for” and men “us”.

Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:

> sui mín i gohena-m di [← ti] ai gerir [← cerir] úgerth am-men = “✱as us who forgive-we them who do-(plural) trespasses to-us”

The sense of this phrase seems to be: “as us, who forgive those who do trespasses to us”.

Conceptual Development: Tolkien wrote a draft version (I) before producing a revised version (II) of this phrase (VT44/22, note on line 8). For “as we [us]”, Tolkien used the preposition sui “as” in both versions, but for “us” Tolkien wrote mín >> men in the draft, and then mí ni >> mín in the revision. Of these, men “us” seems to me to be the most consistent with Tolkien’s use of this pronoun elsewhere. Bill Welden discussed possible interpretations of this pronoun usage on VT44/28.

For “forgive”, Tolkien first wrote dihenam in the draft, which is another form of the verb díhena- “forgive” used in the previous line of the prayer. Tolkien replaced this with góhenam in the draft, which appeared as gohenam in the revised phrase. As pointed out by Bill Welden (VT44/29), it isn’t clear whether Tolkien intended to replace díhena- with gohena- generally as the Sindarin verb for “forgive”, or whether both verbs were valid with slightly different connotations.

See the entry for the word ai “✱those who” for a discussion of the development of that word (ayath >> ay >> ai).

Tolkien reversed the order of úgarth “trespass” and cerir “do-(plural)” between the draft and revised versions, which required changing cerir to its lenited form gerir (which Tolkien first wrote mistakenly as garer in the revised version before correcting it to gerir).

In the draft version, Tolkien wrote ann for “against us”, but as Bill Welden points out (VT44/22), Tolkien almost certainly intended ammen as it appeared in the revised version and elsewhere in the prayer, and simply failed to complete this form in the draft.

|  I  |II| |sui| |{mín >>} men|{mí ni >>} mín| |i| |{dihenam >>} góhenam|gohenam| |di| |{ayath >> ay >>} ai|ai| |ugerth|{garer >>} gerir| |cerir|úgerth| |ann|ammen|

-men

suffix. our

_1st pl. poss. suff. our.Maybe the excl. form of this suff. See also the paradigm of poss. suff. in PE17:46. Earlier -em_. >> -em, -main

ammen

pronoun. of us, for us, toward us

men

we

men (accusative mín ”us”, presumably usually lenited vín, which is also the genitive ”our”).

men

we

(accusative mín ”us”, presumably usually lenited vín, which is also the genitive ”our”).

adanath

noun. men

adan (“man”) + ath (collective plural suffix)

adanath

noun. men

aphadon

proper name. Men, (lit.) Followers

The Sindarin form of Q. Hildor “Men, (lit.) Followers” (WJ/387). It is a translation of the Quenya name rather than a true cognate, a combination of the Sindarin verb aphad- “to follow” and the personal suffix -on. A truer Sindarin cognate of Hildor is Echil.

gaurwaith

proper name. Wolf-men

Name of the band of outlaws that Túrin joined, translated “Wolf-men” (UT/85), a combination of gaur “werewolf” and gwaith “people”.

nor-

verb. to run (of men and animals using legs), to run (of men and animals using legs); [G.] to roll [of vehicles]

A verb for “to run”, most famously used in the phrase noro lim, noro lim Asfaloth “run swift, run swift, Asfaloth” (LotR/213; PE17/18). In Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (WPP) from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien indicated its full meaning was “run (of men and animals using legs: not of fluids etc.)” (PE17/18), while in notes from around 1965 Tolkien said it meant “run (or leap: of animals, men etc.)” and was derived from the root √NOR of the same meaning (PE17/168).

Conceptual Development: This verb dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, which had G. nor- “run, roll” (GL/61), clearly based on the early root ᴱ√NORO “run, go smoothly, ride, spin” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Nornorë; QL/67). The root ᴹ√NOR reappeared in a rejected page of verbal roots in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) of 1948, where it was glossed “run as of wheels, roll along” (PE22/127). The verb N. nor- was also used in Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s in the untranslated phrase nora-lim, nora-lim (RS/196).

Neo-Sindarin: It is possible that by the 1950s and 60s, S. nor- could only be used for “run (with legs)”. However, for purposes of Neo-Sindarin I prefer to assume it could still be used of vehicles moving on wheels, but only when those vehicle are moving at or near full speed. It is clear that it cannot be used for running water, however.

Rhovain

noun. 'Wild-Men

_ pl1. n. _lit. 'Wild-Men, Savages'. Q. pl1. Hrávani.

Rhûnedain

noun. 'Men of the East'

_ pl1. n. _lit. #'Men of the East', Men other than the Atani. Q. pl1. Hrónatani. >> rhûn

nor-

verb. run (of men and animals using legs : not of fluids

_v. _run (of men and animals using legs : not of fluids, etc.). Pret. onur. >> noro, northa-

terchil

noun. 'high-Men'

pl1. n. 'high-Men', ancient name of the Edain. A S. form not used. Q. tarcildi, prob. Orkish tark. >> Adan

mên

road

mên (i vên, construct men, in compounds -ven) (way), pl. mîn (i mîn). Cf. also:

mên

way

1. mên (i vên, construct men, in compounds -ven) (road), pl. mîn (i mîn), 2) lend (journey), pl. lind, coll. pl. lennath. Note: a homophone means ”tuneful, sweet”, 3) #pâd (construct pad), i bâd, pl. paid (i phaid). Isolated from Tharbad ”Crossroad”. 4) tê (i dê, o thê) (line), pl. tî (i thî), coll. pl. ?teath.

mên

road

(i vên, construct men, in compounds -ven) (way), pl. mîn (i mîn). Cf. also:

mên

way

(i vên, construct men, in compounds -ven) (road), pl. mîn (i mîn)

edenedair

collective name. Fathers of Men

A term that apparently refers to the leaders of the Edain (MR/373), a compound of the plurals of Adan “man” and adar “father”.

edennil

masculine name. Friend of Men

A name given to S. Finrod for his friendship with the Edain (MR/306). It is a compound of the plural of Adan “Man” and the suffix -dil “friend”.

gwaith

noun. people; region, people, [ᴱN.] men, folk; [N.] manhood; man-power, troop of able bodied men, host, regiment; [S.] region

nern in adanath

legendarium of the Fathers of Men

nern in edenedair

legendarium of the Fathers of Men

rhevain

collective name. Wild-men, Savages

A term for savage humans, appearing both as Rhevain (WJ/219) and Rhovain (PE17/18). The term is the plural of the noun rhovan “wild beast”.

Edenedair

noun. fathers of men

plural of adanadar < adan (“man”) + adar (“father”)

aphadrim

noun. followers (men)

ab (prefix “after”) + pad- (“walk”) + rim (collective plural sufix)

firiath

noun. mortal men

fair (“mortal”) + ath (collective plural suffix)

gaurwaith

noun. wolf-men

(n-)gaur (“werewolves”) + gwaith (“people, folk”)

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)

aphadrim

noun. followers, men (elvish name for men)

drúwaith

noun. the wilderness of the Drû-men (q.v.)

gaurwaith

noun. wolf-men

gwaith

noun. man power, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, people

i glinn hen agorer edain mi velerian, ach hí in ellath îr ed epholar

*this song Men made in Beleriand, but now the Elves alone (?remember) it

os i veleglinn i edain agorer vi veleriann

*from the Great Song that men made in Beleriand

tarlang

noun/adjective. proud, (lit.) stiff-necked; stiff neck (a nickname applied to men of haughty carriage or mood); the stiff/tough passage, proud, [N.] obstinate, [S.] (lit.) stiff-necked; stiff neck (a nickname applied to men of haughty carriage or mood); the stiff/tough passage

ammen

for us, to us, of us

terchil Reconstructed

collective name. High-men

A hypothetical Sindarin equivalent of Q. Tarcil(di) (PE17/101). This term was not used, but is what the Sindarin word would have been if it had developed from the primitive plural ✶tarkhildī.

Conceptual Development: A similar term N. Torfir appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s, probably a combination of taur “high” and feir “mortal man” (EtyAC/TĀ). Torfir also appeared in an earlier version of Glorfindel’s greeting to Aragorn in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (TI/61), where it was a precursor to S. Dúnadan. It seems that in Tolkien’s later conception, Tolkien only used the term Dúnedain to refer to the High Men of the West in Sindarin.

adanadar

father of men

Adanadar, normally pl. Edenedair "Fathers of Men", the early Edain.

adanadar

father of men

Adanadar, normally pl. Edenedair "Fathers of Men", term used of the early Edain. For other terms for ”Men” as opposed to Elves, see FOLLOWER.

adanadar

father of men

normally pl. Edenedair &quot;Fathers of Men&quot;, the early Edain.

gwaith

able-bodied men, troop of

gwaith (i **waith) (manhood, manpower, host, regiment, people, region; wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith**)

gwaith

troop of able-bodied men

gwaith (i **waith) (manhood, manpower, host, regiment, people, region; wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith**).

gwaith

troop of able-bodied men

gwaith (i **waith) (manhood, manpower, host, regiment, people, region; wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith**)

gwaith

able-bodied men, troop of

(i ’waith) (manhood, manpower, host, regiment, people, region; wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith)

gwaith

troop of able-bodied men

(i ’waith) (manhood, manpower, host, regiment, people, region; wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith).

gwaith

troop of able-bodied men

(i ’waith) (manhood, manpower, host, regiment, people, region; wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith)

Lossoth

snow-men

(a northern people living near the bay of Forochel) Lossoth (a coll. pl.)

lossoth

snow-men

(a coll. pl.)

-main

suffix. our

_1st pl. poss. suff. our.Maybe the excl. form of this suff. See also the paradigm of poss. suff. in PE17:46. Earlier -em_. >> -em, -men

bâd

noun. road, road, [N.] beaten track, pathway, [ᴱN.] way, [G.] path

This word appeared in its mutated form vâd “road” in notes from 1969 (PE23/136). The Etymologies of the 1930s had bâd “beaten track, pathway” derived from ON. bata &lt; ᴹ✶batā̆ under the root ᴹ√BAT “tread” (Ety/BAT).

Conceptual Development: A deleted noun G. {bad “way, path”} appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, apparently replaced by bad “building, outhouse, shed”; a similar word bad- “travel” was mentioned but not deleted (GL/21). The word bad also appeared (undeleted) in the name G. Bad Uthwen or Uswen “Way of Escape” in contemporaneous narratives and name lists of the 1910s (LT2/203; PE13/102; PE15/21). In this early period it was likely derived from the early root ᴱ√VAHA having to do with departure and travel (QL/99).

ᴱN. bad “way” reappeared in the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s (PE13/120) and Early Noldorin Word-lists from the same period (PE13/137, 160). A possible later variant can be seen in S. pâd “road, track” mentioned in an explanation of the name Tharbad (PE17/34); see that entry for discussion.

mín

pronoun. our

-enc

suffix. our

_1st pl. poss. suff. _our.Maybe the incl. form of this suff. See also the paradigm of poss. suff. in PE17:46.

-gir

2nd pl

2nd pl. pron. suff. #you. Q. -lle.See paradigm PE17:132.

-m

suffix. we

1st du. pron. suff. #we (you and me). Q. -mmo.See paradigm PE17:132.

-nc

suffix. we

1st du. pron. suff. #we (you and me). Q. -lmo.See paradigm PE17:132. >> -ngid

ai

pronoun. for those who

min

adjective. our

mín

pronoun. us

mín

adjective. our

othlonn

noun. paved way

pâd

noun. way

sad

noun. place, spot

A word meaning “place, spot” appearing in The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor from 1967-69, more precisely “a limited area naturally or artificially defined” (VT42/19-20). It was derived from √SAT “divide, mark off”.

tharbad

noun. cross-way

bad

go

#bad- (i vâd, i medir), pa.t. bant. Isolated from trevad- ”traverse”.

bad

go

(i vâd, i medir), pa.t. bant. Isolated from trevad- ”traverse”.

imrath

valley

(pl. imraith)

lend

way

(journey), pl. lind, coll. pl. lennath. Note: a homophone means ”tuneful, sweet”

mín

us

mín, presumably usually lenited vín (which is also the genitive ”our”); see WE.

mín

us

presumably usually lenited vín (which is also the genitive ”our”); see

pâd

way

(construct pad), i bâd, pl. paid (i phaid). Isolated from Tharbad ”Crossroad”.

tê

way

(i dê, o thê) (line), pl. tî (i thî), coll. pl. ?teath.

vín

our

vín; see WE

vín

our

; see

men

noun. way, way, *direction; [ᴹQ.] place, spot [only in compounds]

A noun or word element, most notably appearing in the four cardinal directions formen, hyarmen, númen, and rómen, which Christopher Tolkien translated as “way” in The Silmarillion appendix (SA/men). This is consistent with the later meaning of its root: √MEN “go, move, proceed”, and in Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959 Tolkien had a primitive form ✶mēn- “a way, a going, a mov[ement]” (PE17/165) which might be the source of Christopher Tolkien’s translation of Q. men.

Conceptual Development: The situation in Tolkien’s earlier writings was different. In The Etymologies of the 1930s ᴹQ. men was translated “place, spot” under the root ᴹ√MEN (Ety/MEN). In this document, it seems the literally meaning of direction words were “✱north-place”, “✱south-place”, etc., as opposed to later “✱north-direction, ✱south-direction”. This can be seen in other words Tolkien used in this period, such as ᴹQ. Ilmen “Place of Light” (SM/241).

This ambiguity continued into Tolkien’s later writings, as can be seen in a 1965 letter to Dick Plotz, where Tolkien translated númen “the direction or region of the sunset” (Let/361). Another example is menel “firmament, high heaven, the region of the stars”, which Tolkien said was “a Q. invention from men (direction, region) + el (the basis of many stars)” in The Road Goes Ever On as published in 1967 (RGEO/65). There are other Quenya words where men refers to a location rather than a direction: ruimen “fireplace, hearth” (PE17/183) and turmen “realm” = “✱mastered-region” (PE17/28), both from the mid-1960s.

However, some words are hard to explain as locations, such as alamen “a good omen on departure”, also from DLN of 1959 (PE17/162). Tolkien used men as an element in the terms coimen “life-year” and olmen “growth-year” in notes from around 1959, which are probably best explained as a “way” or “process” of life or growth (NM/84-85). However the stems of these words ended in mend-, so their element men may be different from what is seen in formen, etc. As another wrinkle, Tolkien regularly used nómë to mean “place” in his later writings, as in sinomë “in this place [= here]” (LotR/967) and tanomë “in that place [= there]” (VT49/11).

It is hard to determine how much of this variation is due to conceptual vacillation on Tolkien’s part. My best guess of the timelime is that:

• In the 1930s men meant “place, spot”, and the root ᴹ√MEN was not verbal (Ety/MEN).

• In the 1940s Tolkien decided that √MEN was verbal, meaning {“intend” &gt;&gt;} “go” (PE22/103).

• By the 1950s Tolkien reformulated men to mean “way, a going” in keeping with the new meaning of the root (PE17/165). In 1948 Tolkien also introduced nómë “place” (PE23/112).

• By the 1960s Tolkien partially reversed himself, deciding men could mean either “way, direction” and “place, region”, but without abandoning nómë.

Neo-Quenya: The word men is somewhat contentious in Neo-Quenya. The word men is a very popular element for “place” in many neologisms (especially older ones), such as ᴺQ. natsemen “website = ✱web-spot”, ᴺQ. tirmen “theater = ✱watch-place” and ᴺQ. mótamen “office = ✱work-place”. However, others feel that this sense has been entirely replaced by nómë, so that men in such compounds should be replaced by a suffix ᴺQ. -non (-nom-).

Given this ambiguity, I would use men only for “way, ✱direction” as a standalone word, and would instead use nómë = “place”. However, given Tolkien’s vacillations as described above, I would allow the use of men as “place, spot, region” in compounds [perhaps originally conceived of as a destination], though I think ᴺQ. -non “-place” is also fine.

men

way

men (2) noun "way" (SA) or "place, spot" (MEN)

men

who

men (3) pron. "who", evidently a misreading or miswriting for man (MC:221, in Markirya)

men

(for) us

men (1) pron. "(for) us", dative form of me, q.v.

men-

verb. to go, proceed, move (generally); to come, arrive, to go, proceed, move (in some direction); to come [when moving to a destination], arrive [+ locative]

The basic Quenya word for “go”, appearing with this meaning in notes from the late 1950s where it was connected to omentië “meeting” (PE17/13). It appeared regularly in Tolkien’s writing thereafter. In Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959 Tolkien specified that its root √MEN meant “go, move, proceed in any direction (irrespective of speaker’s position, or assumed point of thought)” (PE17/165), and in notes associated with the Ósanwe-kenta essay from this same period Tolkien said the root meant “move, proceed (in a direction intended by a person)” (VT41/6). As such, a more accurate translation would be “move (in a direction)”, somewhat more general than English “go”, which often (but not always) has the implication “move (away)”.

Indeed, Tolkien sometimes translated this verb as “come” (PE22/162) or “arrive” (VT49/24). In Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969, when discussing the phrases vá ménanyë “I am not coming” and vá meninyë ó le “I won’t come with you”, Tolkien said:

> E[nglish] says “come” in such cases where there is a question of accompanying others. Q. uses “go” [men-] of movement to or towards any point other than the “here” of the speaker, actual or reported within a narrative (PE22/162).

In notes from around 1968 Tolkien had {√ten &gt;&gt;} √men in various expressions for “arrive”, saying “chiefly in past {tenne &gt;&gt;} menne ‘arrived, reached’, which is usually used with locative not allative: {tennen &gt;&gt;} mennen sís ‘I arrive[d] here’ (VT49/23-24)”. I would interpret this to mean men- + locative (“go at”) could have the sense “arrive”, but (a) this notion could be remnants of the rejected root √TEN and (b) the examples in this note used “arrive” regardless of whether or not the locative was present.

In any case, it seems Q. men- could be translated by a variety of English verbs (“move, go, come, arrive”) depending on the relative positions of the speaker, the mover, and the destination.

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root ᴹ√MEN was unglossed but does not seem to be verbal in sense, since in that document there was no verb form and ᴹQ. men was translated “place, spot” (Ety/MEN). In Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from the late 1940s, Tolkien first glossed ᴹ√MEN as “place, spot”, but that instance of the root was revised to ᴹ√NOM (PE23/112 and note #12). In the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948, the root did have a verbal sense, and Tolkien originally used the verb ᴹQ. men- in the sense “mean, intend, wish”, but then transferred the senses “mean, intend” to ᴹQ. tel- and the sense “wish” to ᴹQ. mer- (PE22/99 note #1, 118 note #106 and #107). In QVS Tolkien first gave the root ᴹ√MEN the translation “aim at, intend, purpose”, indicating that with the allative it meant “make for, proceed towards”, but in red ink he revised the root’s gloss to “go, proceed” (PE22/103 and note #24).

Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Tolkien vacillated on the meaning of the root √MEN switching between “place”, “intend” and “go”, but starting in 1959 he mostly used the verb men- in the sense “go, move (in a direction)”, as described above.

In earlier writings, Tolkien used a variety of different Qenya words for “go”. In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, he had ᴱQ. inta- as the cognate of G. intha “go (indefinite), fare, proceed” (GL/51). In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s he had ᴱQ. ere “goes” and ᴱQ. tie- “go”, but both were rejected without replacement (PE16/133)

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use men- only in the sense “move (in a direction)”, mostly translatable “go” or “come” depending on context. In combination with the locative I would translate men- as “arrive” as in mennen Tirionessë “I arrived at Tirion, (lit.) I went at Tirion”, but I would use anya- as the more usual verb for “reach, arrive at”. I have seen some Neo-Quenya writers use men- for the more general sense “move (not necessarily in some direction)”, as in ᴺQ. menemma “motion picture”. However, I think it is better to have a separate verb for this, so I use [ᴱQ.] lev- “move (intr.)” for this purposes: ᴺQ. levemma “motion picture”.

me

we, us

me (1) 1st person pl. exclusive pronoun "we, us" (VT49:51; VT43:23, VT44:9). This pronoun preserves the original stem-form (VT49:50). Stressed mé (VT49:51). Cf. also mel-lumna "us-is-heavy", sc. *"is heavy for us" (LR:47, mel- is evidently an assimilated form of men "for us", dative of me; the form men is attested by itself, VT43:21). For me as object, cf. álamë** "do not [do something to] us", negative imperative particle with object pronoun suffixed (VT43:19: álamë tulya, "do not lead us"), ámen** "do [something for] us", imperative particle with dative pronoun suffixed (ámen apsenë "forgive us", VT43:12, 18). Dual exclusive met "we/us (two)" (Nam, VT49:51), "you and me" (VT47:11; the latter translation would make met an inclusive pronoun, though it is elsewhere suggested that it is rather exclusive: "him/her and me", corresponding to wet [q.v.] as the true inclusive dual form). Rá men or rámen "for us/on our behalf", see rá. Locative messë "on us", VT44:12 (also with prefix o, ó- ?"with" in the same source). See also ménë, ómë.

men-

verb. go

#men- (4) vb. "go" (VT47:11, cf. VT42:30, VT49:23), attested in the aorist (menë) in the sentence imbi Menel Cemenyë menë Ráno tië "between Heaven and Earth goes the path of the Moon". In the verb nanwen- "return" (or go/come back), -men- is changed to -wen- following nan- "back" (etymological form cited as nan-men-, PE17:166). In examples from VT49:23, 24, Tolkien used men- in the sense of "go as far as": 1st person sg. aorist menin (menin coaryanna "I arrive at [or come/get to] his house"), endingless aorist menë, present tense ména- "is on point of arrival, is just coming to an end", past tense mennë "arrived, reached", in this tense usually with locative rather than allative (mennen sís "I arrive[d] here"), perfect eménië "has just arrived", future menuva "will arrive". All of these examples were first written with the verb as ten- rather than men-, Tolkien then emending the initial consonant.

menya

our

menya (pl. menyë is attested) possessive pron. "our", 1st person pl. exclusive independent possessive pronoun (VT43:19, 35). Evidently derived from the dative form men "for us" by adding the adjectival ending -ya. Compare ninya, q.v.

me

pronoun. us, we (exclusive)

men-

verb. go; come [to any point other than the ’here’ of the speaker]

ar mi cemen rainë i hínin

and on earth peace, good will toward men

The second line of Alcar mi Tarmenel na Erun, Tolkien’s translation of the Gloria in Excelsis Deo prayer. The first word is ar “and”, followed by mi cemen “on earth”, more literally “✱in earth”. The fourth word is rainë “peace, good will” followed by i hínin “toward men”, more literally “✱to the children”, with hínin being the dative plural of hína “child”.

Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:

> ar mi cemen rainë i hín(a)-i-n = “✱and in earth [be] peace the child-(plural)-to”

Conceptual Development: In version I, Tolkien used the assimilated locative of kemende “on earth” instead of mi cemen as in versions II-III. He also wrote an incomplete form r... for “peace” in version I before revising it to sívë. In version II, he first wrote sérë for “peace” before changing it to rainë, the form that was also used in version III.

For “towards men”, Tolkien wrote fírimonnar in version I, the allative plural of Fírimo “mortals”, literally “✱towards mortals”. This form also appeared in version II, but it was rejected, replaced first by híniryannar, the 3rd-sg-possessive (-rya “his”) allative (-nna “towards”) plural of hína = “✱towards his children”. This in turn was replaced by i hinin with a short i (probably a slip) in version II, which was corrected to the form i hínin in version III.

|&#160;&#160;I&#160;&#160;|II|III| |ar| |kemende|mi kemen|mi cemen| |{r... &gt;&gt;} síve|{sére &gt;&gt;} raine|raine| |fírimonnar|{fírimonnar &gt;&gt; híniryannar &gt;&gt;} i hinin|i hínin|

The development for the word for “peace” was the basis for Arden Smith’s suggestion that version I might follow version II-III (VT44/33). The form sérë was the earliest of these words for “peace”, appearing in The Etymologies from the 1930s as ᴹQ. sére “peace”. Taken together with the incomplete form r... in version I, a plausible development would be:

> {sére &gt;&gt;} raine (II-III) &gt;&gt; {r... &gt;&gt;} síve (I)

However, the development of the phrase “towards men” makes more sense if the order of development were the same as the order in the page:

> fírimonnar (I) &gt;&gt; {fírimonnar &gt;&gt; híniryannar &gt;&gt;} i hinin (II) &gt;&gt; i hínin (III)

For this reason, I assume (as did Arden Smith) that the order in the page matches the order of development.

á hyamë rámen úcarindor

pray for us sinners

The sixth line of Aia María, Tolkien’s translation of the Ave Maria prayer. The first word á is the imperative particle, indicating that the verb form hyamë “pray” is an imperative. The third word rámen “for us” is combination of the preposition rá “for” (lit. “✱on behalf of”) and the dative men of the pronoun me “us”. The last word úcarindor “sinners” is the plural of úcarindo “sinner”.

Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:

> á hyamë rá-me-n úcarindo-r = “✱do pray for-us-(dative) sinner-(plural)”

Conceptual Development: In the first two versions of the prayer Tolkien suffixed the pronoun lye “you (polite)” to the imperative particle a: alye (I-II). He also used the verb arca (I-II) instead of hyamë (III-IV) for “pray”. He used several different words for the preposition “for”: atar (I), meter (II), hrá (III deleted) and rá, always followed by the pronoun me “us”, sometimes dative (men) and sometimes not (me).

Tolkien considered several words for “sinners”: ulcarindor (I deleted), naicandor (I), naicor (I replacement), naici (II deleted) and úcarindor (IV). In version II of the prayer, Tolkien replaced “sinners” with a subordinate clause: i naici nar “✱[those] who are sinners” (II deleted) &gt;&gt; i naiquear “✱[those] who sin” (II).

Wynne, Smith and Hostetter analyzed the word naiquear as an adjective used as a plural noun: “sinners” (VT43/34). However, since it replaced a verbal phrase, I think it is likelier to be the present tense of an otherwise unattested verb naiqua- “✱to sin”.

|&#160;|&#160;&#160;I&#160;&#160;|&#160;II&#160;|III|IV| |{arca &gt;&gt;}|alye|á| |{alye &gt;&gt;}|arca|hyamë| |{atarmen &gt;&gt;}|atarme|meterme|{hrá &gt;&gt;} rá men|rámen| |{ulcarindor &gt;&gt;}| naicandor [&gt;&gt; naicor]|i {naici nar &gt;&gt;} naiquear|úcarindor|

ámen anta síra ilaurëa massamma

give us this day our daily bread

The sixth line of Átaremma, Tolkien’s Quenya translation of the Lord’s Prayer. The first word Ámen is a combination of the imperative particle á and the (dative) second person plural pronoun men “[to] us”, followed by the aorist verb form anta “give”. This is followed by síra “this day”, ilaurëa “daily” and massamma “our bread”, the last one being the first person plural exclusive possessive form of massa “bread”.

Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:

> Á-me-n anta síra ilaurëa massa-mma = “✱(imperative)-us-to give this-day daily bread-our”

Conceptual Development: The imperative element á, the verb anta “give” and the dative pronoun men “us” appear in all versions of the prayer, but are arranged differently. In versions I-IV of the prayer, there is an additional subject pronoun l(y)e “you (polite)” [God], either as a suffix -le of the verb anta (I) or the suffix -lye of the imperative element á (IIa-IV). In versions I-IV, the indirect object men “us” appears after the verb.

In earlier versions of the prayer, the Quenya word for “this day” varied from siarë &gt;&gt; hyárë &gt;&gt; hyázë (I-IIa), and then back hyázë &gt;&gt; hyárë &gt;&gt; siar(ë) (IIb-III). Another form siar appears in version IV, but this may be a slip for siare. The form of the adjective “daily” was ilyarëa (I, IIb-IV) or ilyázëa (II), while the word for “bread” was masta (I-IV). These earlier forms probably reflect Tolkien’s previous words for “day” and “bread”: ᴹQ. are and ᴹQ. masta (Ety/AR¹, MBAS), which later become Q. aurë and Q. massa.

|&#160;|&#160;&#160;I&#160;&#160;|IIa|IIb|III|IV|V|VI| |A|Alye|Ámen| |{anta &gt;&gt;}|antale|anta|anta| |{amen &gt;&gt;}|men|&#160;| |{siare &gt;&gt; hyáre &gt;&gt;}|hyáze|{hyáre &gt;&gt;} siare|siar|síra| |ilyarea|ilyázea|ilyarea|ilaurea| |mastamma|massamma|

Versions I-IIa of this line include the phoneme [*z*] (hyáze, ilyázea), which was not seen in Classical Quenya. It was, however, present in Ancient Quenya (LotR/1123) and Vanyarin (PE19/73). It is possible that Tolkien was attempting (at least initially) to write the prayer in a particularly archaic or “high” form of Quenya.

omentië

noun. meeting (of pathways), (lit.) coming together of journey-path, meeting or junction of the directions of two people

sí man i yulmar men enquantuva?

*who now shall refill the cups for us?

-men(d-)

suffix. a single action

atanatar

proper name. Father of Men

A title given to the three houses of the Elf-friends in Beleriand: the Beorians, Hadorians and Halethians, usually appearing in the plural form Atanatári “Fathers of Men” (S/103). More properly, it was used to describe the original leaders of those houses (PM/324). The title is compound of Atan “Man” and atar “father”. It was also the name of the 10th and 16th kings of Gondor (LotR/1038).

atanatárion

proper name. (legendarium) of the Fathers of Men

A Númenórean story cycle containing the three great tales: Beren and Lúthien, the Children of Húrin and the Fall of Gondolin (MR/373). The title is the genitive plural of Atanatar “Father of Men”, so “of the Fathers of Men”. The “legendarium” portion of the English gloss is implied, though it is explicit in the Sindarin equivalent: Nern in Edenedair.

hildor

collective name. Men, Aftercomers, (lit.) Followers

A name for Men as the second-born children of Ilúvatar, following the elves (S/99). This name is a derivative of the root √KHIL (WJ/386-7) and is related to the word hildë “heir, follower”. This term is only attested in the plural, and it isn’t clear whether the singular term ✱Hildo can be used for a single Man (normally Atan). This name was sometimes glossed “Aftercomers” (S/99), but its other gloss “Followers” (S/103) is a better translation. The gloss “Aftercomers” probably alludes to Apanónar “After-born”, another name for Men.

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this term appeared as ᴹQ. Hildi (LR/245). In The Etymologies, the word hildi “followers, mortal men” appeared as a derivative of ᴹ√KHIL (Ety/KHIL), implying a singular form of ✱hilde.

In The Lord of the Rings, the plural term Q. Hildinyar was translated as “my heirs” (LotR/967). When it was written, Tolkien probably intended it to be the same word as Hildi “Men, Followers” (PE17/101, 103). In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, this term was first written Hildi (MR/130) but in the late-50s was changed to Hildor (WJ/219). Perhaps Tolkien split these terms, so that Hildor (singular ✱Hildo) was the proper name for Men, while hildi (singular ✱hildë) was the ordinary word for “follower” or “heir”.

nor-

verb. to run (or leap, of animals or men), to run (of animals or men); to leap

A verb translated “run (or leap: of animals, men etc.)” in notes from around 1965, derived from the root √NOR (PE17/94, 168). It also appeared in its past form norne “ran” in Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (WPP) from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/58).

Conceptual Development: A similar verb ᴱQ. nyor(o)- “run” appeared in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/132, 134). In earlier writings the root had a slightly different meaning: ᴱ√NORO “run, go smoothly, ride, spin” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/67), and ᴹ√NOR “run as of wheels, roll along” in a rejected page of verbal roots in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) of 1948 (PE22/127). The latter document had a distinct verb ᴹQ. rohta- based on the root ᴹ√ROK “run on foot”; in later writings from the 1950s and 60s this root was only used for “horse” words.

Earlier still, the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had several unrelated verbs for “run”: ᴱQ. loqo- “run (of human beings)” under the early root ᴱ√LOQO (QL/56), ᴱQ. pelte- “run” under the early root ᴱ√PELE having to do with revolving things (QL/73), and ᴱQ. yurin [yuru-] “runs” under the early root ᴱ√ẎURU “run” (QL/106). The last of these reappeared as a (Noldorin-only?) root ᴹ√YUR “run” in The Etymologies of the 1930s.

By the 1950s and 60s, the only surviving root for running on legs seems to be √NOR, as described above.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d use Q. nor- only to mean “run (of animals and men)”. For “leap” I would use [ᴹQ.] cap-.

fírië

noun. death (of Men), *natural death

A noun for a natural or peaceful death. This word originated with the death of Míriel, the first wife of Finwë, who choose to pass away after the difficult birth of their son Fëanor. As Tolkien described it:

> For before the passing of Míriel the Eldar of Valinor had no word for “dying” in this manner, though they had words for being destroyed (in body) or being slain. But fírë meant to “expire”, as of one sighing or releasing a deep breath; and at the passing of Míriel she had sighed a great sigh, and then lay still; and those who stood by said fírië “she hath breathed forth”. This word the Eldar afterwards used of the death of Men (MR/250).

As such, this word was based on the verb fir-, originally meaning “breath forth”, but later also being used mainly in the sense of “to die (a nature death)”. Tolkien also used fírië as a noun for “death” in early versions of his Aia María prayer from the 1950s (VT43/34).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s Tolkien had ᴱQ. fé “last hour, death” based on the early root ᴱ√ǶEHE “breath; die, expire”, thus expressing a similar connection between the final breath and death (QL/41). In the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa, the word fē was in fact glossed “act of death, last breath” (PME/41). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had ᴹQ. faire “natural death (as act)” also based on the root ᴹ√PHIR (Ety/PHIR).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d stick with fírie for “(natural) death”, since in Tolkien’s later writing Q. fairë was used for a disembodied spirit. I would use fírie only for a peaceful death. For death by accident, murder or disease I’d use [ᴹQ.] qualme “death agony”.

Hróatani

eastern men

Hróatani noun *"Eastern Men" (PE17:18), as opposed to the Núnatani (Dúnedain, Westmen).

Núnatani

western men

Núnatani noun "Western Men" = Sindarin Dúnedain (WJ:386). Sg. #Núnatan "Dúnadan".

engwar

collective name. Men, (lit.) The Sickly

A somewhat insulting Elvish term for Men (S/103), the plural of the adjective engwa “sickly”.

Conceptual Development: The name ᴹQ. Engwar first appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/245). It also appeared in The Etymologies (Ety/GENG-WĀ).

hanu

male (of men or elves), male animal, man

hanu noun "a male (of Men or Elves), male animal, man" (3AN, VT45:16)

irmin

the world, all the regions inhabited by men

irmin noun "the world, all the regions inhabited by Men" (LT2:343; hardly a valid word in Tolkien's later Quenya)

nor-

verb. run (or leap: of animals, men etc.)

nor- vb. "run (or leap: of animals, men etc.)", pa.t. nornë (PE17:58, 168); cf. nórima, nornoro-

núnatani

collective name. Western Men

The Quenya equivalent of Dúnedain, a compound of núna “western” and the plural of Atan “men” (WJ/386, PE17/18).

tarhildi

high-men, the noble followers

tarhildi, pl. noun "High-men, the Noble followers" (PE17:18), referring to the Dúnedain. Sg. perhaps #tarhil (with stem #tarhild-), cf. tarcil.

atandil

masculine name. Friend of Men

A name given to Finrod for his friendship with the Edain (MR/306). It is a compound of Atan “Man” and the suffix -(n)dil “friend”.

hravani

collective name. Wild-men, Savages

A term for savage humans, appearing both as Hravani (WJ/219) and Hrávani (PE17/18). The term is the plural of the noun hravan “wild beast”.

aiya eldalië ar atanatári, utúlie’n aurë

Behold, people of the Eldar and Fathers of Men, the day has come!

firindil

masculine name. Friend of Men

A variant form of Atandil (VT41/14). It is probably a compound of Fírima “Mortal Man” and the suffix -(n)dil “friend”.

omen- Reconstructed

verb. to move to a common point, meet, to meet, move to a common point, *(lit.) move together

heru órava omessë

Lord, have mercy on us

The first line of Tolkien’s Quenya translation of the Litany of Loreto prayer (VT44/12). The first word is the noun heru “lord” followed by the aorist form of the verb órava- “to have mercy”. The last word omessë “on us” is the locative form (-ssë “on”) of the pronoun me “us”. The significance of the prefix o- is unclear, but Wynne, Smith and Hostetter suggested that it might be the preposition ó (VT44/15), though its translation elsewhere as “with” (VT43/29) does not seem appropriate. It could instead be the prefix o- “together”, though this does not fit well either. In later lines, Tolkien wrote (o)messë indicating the prefix was optional.

Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:

> Heru órava (o)me-ssë = “✱Lord have-mercy us-on”

Conceptual Development: Tolkien explored several ways of expressing “have mercy”. He first wrote a le·ana ocama, apparently meaning “(imperative) you give mercy”, with ocama a noun meaning “mercy” (VT44/12-13). He revised this to simply ocama &gt;&gt; ócama, apparently changing ocama to a verb meaning “to have mercy” (VT44/13). He then changed this verb to órava (VT44/14).

Tolkien also used several forms to express “on us”: dative men &gt;&gt; ómen &gt;&gt; (locative) ómesse.

ono alyë eterúna me illumë ilya raxellor

but deliver us always from all dangers

The third line of Ortírielyanna, Tolkien’s translation of the Sub Tuum Praesidium prayer. The first word is the conjunction ono “but”. The second word alyë is 2nd-person-polite form of the imperative particle á. The third word eterúna is the aorist/infinitive form of the verb eterúna- “to deliver”. The fourth word is the pronoun me “us”.

The fourth word is the adverb illumë “always”, while the fifth word is the adjective ilya “all”. The last word raxellor “from dangers” is the ablative (-llo “from”) plural form of raxë “danger”. The final -r marks it as plural (“dangers”), so it is odd that the preceding adjective is not also plural, but it seems to be the rule that adjectives are not declined into the plural when they modify a noun that is itself in a noun case; see the discussion on Quenya adjectives.

Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:

> ono a-lye eterúna me illume ilya raxe-llo-r = “✱but do-thou deliver us always all danger-from-(plural)”

Conceptual Development: The verb was first written eterunna &gt;&gt; eteruńna, which Wynne, Smith and Hostetter concluded was a slip for eterúna, the form of the verb as it appeared in the Átaremma prayer (VT44/9). The pronoun “us” changed from dative men &gt;&gt; uninflected me (VT44/5). Tolkien consider two other forms for “always”: vora &gt;&gt; vore before settling on illumë. The word for “from dangers” was first written raxalellor &gt;&gt; raxellor, apparently changing the underlying noun raxalë &gt;&gt; raxë (VT44/9).

álamë tulya úsahtienna

[and] lead us not into temptation

The ninth line of Átaremma, Tolkien’s Quenya translation of the Lord’s Prayer. The first word Álamë is a combination of the negative imperative particle ála “not” and the pronoun me “us”. It is followed by the aorist form of the verb tulya “lead” and the allative form úsahtienna “into temptation” of the noun úsahtië “temptation”. Thus, Álamë tulya úsahtienna is more literally “✱imperative-not-us lead temptation-into”. In the final version of the phrase, there is no Quenya element representing the English word “and”.

Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:

> á-la-më tulya úsahtie-nna = “✱do-not-us lead temptation-into”

Conceptual Development: The word ar “and” appears only in version I of the prayer. It was omitted from all later versions for unknown reasons.

The earliest version used a different negative imperative particle úa (I-IIa). Versions IIa-IV also suffixed the pronominal element lye “you (polite)” to the imperative element, as was also the case in line 6 of the prayer. In all early versions of the prayer (I-IV), the object pronoun me appeared after the verb.

The early versions (I-IV) used a different verb mittanya- for “lead”. Tolkien considered several words for “temptation”: terfantië (I deleted) and terpellië (I-IIa), insangarë and sahtië (V deleted), before settling on úsahtië (V-VI). All appear with the allative suffix -nna: “(in)to temptation”.

|&#160;|&#160;&#160;I&#160;&#160;|IIa|IIb|III|IV|V|VI| |ar|&#160;| |{úna &gt;&gt;}|úa|úalye|alalye|Álalye|Álame| |mittanya|tulya| |{men &gt;&gt;}|me|&#160;| |{terfantie &gt;&gt;}|terpellienna|insangarenna|{sahtienna &gt;&gt;} úsahtienna|

man

pronoun. who, who; [ᴹQ.] what

The most common Quenya word for “who”, most notably appearing in the Namárië poem in the phrase sí man i yulma nin enquantuva? “who now shall refill the cup for me?” (LotR/377). It is based on the interrogative element ma (PE17/68). Man might be a general interrogative element “who, what, which”; at one point Tolkien said man was a reduction of mana before vowels (PE23/135). However, in the Markirya, man was used for “who” before consonants, such as man tiruva fána cirya “Who shall heed a white ship?” (MC/222).

In writings from the 1930s and 40s, man was used for “what” (LR/59, 72) or as a general interrogative marker (PE23/99). However, it was used for “who” in the versions of the Oilima Markirya from around 1930 (MC/213-214).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would mostly use man in the sense “who”, before both consonants and vowels. For “what” I would use mana, and as a general interrogative marker I’d use ma. In cases where you want an unambiguous word for “who = what person”, I would use mamo.

-lma

our

-lma pronominal ending "our", 1st person pl. exclusive (VT49:16), also attested (with the genitive ending -o that displaces final -a) in the word omentielmo "of our meeting" (nominative omentielma, PE17:58). Tolkien emended omentielmo to omentielvo in the Second Edition of LotR, reflecting a revision of the Quenya pronominal system (cf. VT49:38, 49, Letters:447). The cluster -lm- in the endings for inclusive "we/our" was altered to -lv- (VT43:14). In the revised system, -lma should apparently signify exclusive "our".

-lwa

our

-lwa, possessive pronominal ending, 1st person pl. inclusive "our" (VT49:16), later (in exilic Quenya) used in the form #-lva, genitive -lvo in omentielvo (see -lv-).

emmë

we

emmë (2) pron. "we", emphatic pronoun; dative emmen (VT43:12, 20). In the source this pronoun is intended as the 1st person plural exclusive; later Tolkien changed the corresponding pronominal ending from -mmë to -lmë, and the plural emphatic pronoun would likewise change from emmë to *elmë. Since the ending -mmë was redefined as a dualexclusive pronoun, the form emmë may still be valid as such, as a dual emphatic pronoun "we" = "(s)he and I".

man

who

man pron. "who" (Nam, RGEO:67, FS, LR:59, Markirya, MC:213, 214); cf. PM:357 note 18, where a reference is made to the Eldarin interrogative element ma, man). However, man is translated "what" in LR:59: man-ië? "what is it?" (LR:59; the stative-verb suffix -ië_ is hardly valid in LotR-style Quenya) _Either Tolkien later adjusted the meaning of the word, or man covers both "who" and "what". Cf. also mana, manen.

man cenuva fána cirya?

Who shall see a white ship?

The first line of the Markirya poem (MC/221). The first word is man “who” (men [sic] in the published version, likely a mistake) followed by the future tense of the verb cen- “to see”. The object of the phrase is the noun cirya “ship”, preceded by the adjective fána “white”. In the published version, the adjective is given in the plural form fáne, but this may be a mistake, as suggested by Helge Fauskanger (AL/Markirya).

Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:

> man cen-uva fána cirya = “✱who see-(future) white ship”

-mie

suffix. *noun ending

-lmë

we

-lmë 1st person pl. pronominal ending: "we" (VT49:38; 51 carilmë *"we do", VT49:16). It was originally intended to be inclusive "we" (VT49:48), including the person(s) spoken to, but by 1965 Tolkien made this the ending for exclusive "we" instead (cf. the changed definition of the corresponding possessive ending -lma, see above). _(VT49:38) Exemplified in laituvalmet "we shall bless them" (lait-uva-lme-t "bless-shall-we-them") (the meaning apparently changed from inclusive to exclusive "we", VT49:55), see also nalmë under ná# 1. (LotR3:VI ch. 4, translated in Letters:308_)

-lwë

we

-lwë, later -lvë, pronominal ending "we" (VT49:51), 1st person pl. inclusive ending, occurring in the verbs carilwë "we do" (VT49:16) and navilwë (see #nav-). The ending became -lvë in later, Exilic Quenya (VT49:51). See -lv-.

-mma

our

-mma "our", 1st person dual exlusive possessive ending: *"my and one others" (VT49:16). At an earlier conceptual phase, Tolkien apparently intended the same ending to be plural inclusive "our" (VT49:55, RS:324), cf. Mélamarimma "Our Home" (q.v.) In the latter word, Tolkien slips in i as a connecting vowel before this ending; elsewhere he used e, as in Átaremma "our Father" (see atar).

-mmë

we

-mmë "we", 1st person dual exclusive pronominal ending: "I and one other" (compare the inclusive dual form -ngwë or -nquë). First written -immë in one source (VT49:57). Carimmë, "the two of us do" (VT49:16, cf. VT43:6). At an earlier conceptual stage, the ending was already exclusive, but plural rather than dual: vammë "we won't" (WJ:371), firuvammë "we will die" (VT43:34), etemmë ?"out of us" (VT43:36); see also VT49:48, 49, 55. Also compare the corresponding emphatic pronoun emmë (q.v.). The ending -lmë replaced -mmë in its former (plural exclusive) sense. In some early material, -mmë was apparently used as an ending for plural inclusive "we" (VT49:55).

-ngwa

our

-ngwa "our", 1st person dual inclusive possessive pronominal ending: *"thy and my", corresponding to the ending -ngwë for dual inclusive "we" (VT49:16)

-ngwë

we

-ngwë "we", 1st person dual inclusive pronominal ending: "thou and I" (compare the exclusive dual form -mmë). Caringwë, "the two of us do" (VT49:16). One source lists the ending as "-inke > -inque" instead (VT49:51, 53, 57; "inke" was apparently Old Quenya). In an earlier pronoun table reproduced in VT49:48, the ending -ngwë is listed as an alternative to -lmë, which Tolkien at the time used as the plural inclusive ending (a later revision made it plural exclusive).

lelya-

verb. go, proceed (in any direction), travel

lelya- (1) vb. "go, proceed (in any direction), travel", pa.t. lendë / elendë (WJ:363, VT14:5, PE17:139) At one point Tolkien assigned a more specific meaning to the underlying root LED: "go away from the speaker or the point in mind, depart" (PE17:52), which would make lelya- a near synonym of auta-. The same source denies that the derivatives of _LED _were used simply for "go, move, travel", but elsewhere Tolkien assigns precisely that meaning to lelya-.

lenna-

verb. go

lenna- vb. "go", pa.t. lendë "went" (LED; cf. lelya-). In the Etymologies as printed in LR, the word lenna- wrongly appears as **linna-; see VT45:27.

lé

way

lé (1) noun "way" = "method, manner" ("as in that is not As way"). Not to be confused with lé as a stressed form of le = plural "you"; Tolkien was himself dissatisfied with this clash (PE17:74).

vand-

way, path

vand- noun "way, path" (LT1:264; a final vowel would seem to be required, but in Tolkien's later Quenya, the words tië or mallë are to be preferred)

vanya-

verb. go, depart, disappear

vanya- (2) vb. "go, depart, disappear", pa.t. vannë (WAN). The verb auta- may have replaced this word in Tolkien's later conception.

ve

we

ve (2) pron. "we", 1st person pl. inclusive (corresponding to exclusive me), derived from an original stem-form we (VT49:50, PE17:130). Variant vi, q.v. Stressed wé, later vé (VT49:51). Dative (*wéna >) véna, VT49:14. Dual wet*, later vet "the two of us" (inclusive; cf. exclusive met) (VT49:51). Also compare the dative form ngwin or ngwen (q.v.), but this would apparently be wen > ven** according to Tolkiens later ideas.

vi

we

vi pron. "we", 1st person inclusive (PE17:130), variant of ve #2.

we

we

we, wé, see ve #2

ye

who

ye (1) singular personal relative pronoun "who", maybe also object "whom" (plural form i). Compare the impersonal form ya. Also attested in the genitive and the ablative cases: yëo and yello, both translated "from whom" (though the former would also mean *"whose, of whom"). (VT47:21)

ye

pronoun. who

men

root. go, move, proceed (in any direction); make for, go towards; have as object, (in)tend; direction, object, point moved toward; region

This root first appeared as unglossed ᴹ√MEN in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where it seemed to be stationary in nature given its derivatives ᴹQ. men “place, spot” and ᴹQ. ména “region” (Ety/MEN). It was an element in direction words like ᴹQ. formen/N. forven, apparently meaning “✱north place” at this conceptual stage. In Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from the late 1940s, Tolkien first glossed ᴹ√MEN as “place, spot”, but that instance of the root was revised to ᴹ√NOM (PE23/112 and note #12), and a bit later in the same document Tolkien gave a new meaning to ᴹ√MEN as “purpose, aim” (PE23/112).

In the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948, Tolkien first gave ᴹ√MEN the gloss “aim at, intend, purpose” with the more specific sense “make for, proceed towards” when used with the allative, but then crossed this out and simply made the gloss “go, proceed” (PE22/103 and note #21). In Common Eldarin: Noun Structure of the early 1950s, Tolkien first gave √MEN the gloss as “place, situation, site”, then revised it to “direction, object, point moved toward” (PE21/79 and note #39).

Thereafter Tolkien mostly gave this root the basic sense “go” (PE17/93, 143, 165; VT39/11; VT42/32). Tolkien gave a somewhat lengthy description of the root in Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959:

> √MEN go, move, proceed in any direction (irrespective of speaker’s position, or assumed point of thought). mēn- a way, a going, a mov[ement] (PE17/165).

Thus in the 1950s and 1960s, Q. formen likely meant “✱north way” rather than “✱north place”. However, in a footnote in The Road Goes Ever On from 1967, Tolkien did say that men had the meaning “direction, region” as part of an explanation of √MENEL “heavens” = men + el (“region of stars”), so it seems Tolkien did not entirely abandon the use of this element as a name for places.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I sometimes see √MEN use for movement in general (as in motion picture) rather than movement in a direction. I personally recommend using ᴱQ. lev- “(intr.) move” from Qenya Wordlists of the 1920s for that purpose (PE16/132) since I think it is important to distinguish “move” from “go”, but if you prefer to use only later words you might be more comfortable expanding the semantic scope of √MEN to movement in general.

@@@ 1950s mendë “will” = “✱intent” and 1964 menta- “have as object, (in)tend”

-mē̆n

suffix. instrumental, with (which)

mēn-

noun. a way, a going, a mov[ement]

nanmen-

verb. return

omen-

verb. to move to a common point, meet

nor

root. run (or leap) of animals or men, run (or leap) of animals or men; [ᴹ√] run as of wheels, roll along, [ᴱ√] go smoothly, ride, spin

This root was the basis for Elvish words having to do with “running” and (in earlier notes) “rolling” for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√NORO “run, go smoothly, ride, spin” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/67), and it had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. nor- “run, roll” (GL/61) and dronn “race, course, track” &lt; ✱n’rond- (GL/31). ᴹ√NORO “run as of wheels, roll along” reappeared in a page of roots in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948, though this page was deleted (PE22/127 note #152). √NOR “run (or leap: of animals, men etc.)” also appeared in some etymological notes associated with The Lord of the Rings, probably from the late 1950s (PE17/168).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I’d retain both senses “run” and “roll” for this root, but limit the latter to the rolling of wheels as an extrapolation from the movement of legs.

swali nerī

washes men, men are washed

swalir nerī

men wash

swalir nerīm

men wash

tarkhilde Reconstructed

proper name. high-Men

men

pronoun. *us

men

noun. *place

men

pronoun. us

men falros

place name. *Place of Splashing Foam

Earlier name for Cair Andros (WR/326), apparently a combination of N. men “✱place”, some form of the root ᴹ√PHAL “foam” and the suffixal form of -ros of rhoss “rain”, perhaps meaning “✱Place of Splashing Foam” as suggested by Roman Rausch (EE/3.33).

a tiro’men gilthoniel

*oh watch us, Gilthoniel

gweith

noun. manhood; man-power, troop of able bodied men, host, regiment

druadan

proper name. Wild Men

gwaith

noun. man power, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, people

gweith

noun. man power, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, people

haradwaith

proper name. Sutherland; Men of the South

othlon

noun. paved way

othlond

noun. paved way

rada-

verb. to make a way, find a way

sad Reconstructed

noun. *place

arpharazōn azgaranādu avalōi-{men >>}si

‽ was waging war‽ Powers on

The first draft of the 3rd phrase of the Lament of Akallabêth (SD/311). It differs from the final version primarily in grammar. It has a difficult-to-interpret form azgaranādu of the verb azgarâ-. See the entry to that verb for possible interpretations. The last word avalōi-si seems to be the draft-dative plural form of Avalô “Power, God”, changed from the draft-instrumental plural form avalōi-men.

adūnāim azūlada

The Adunai (Men of W.) eastward

The first draft of the 8th phrase of the Lament of Akallabêth (SD/312), which is essentially a different sentence from the final version. The first word Adūnāim is the subjective plural of Adûnâ “Númenórean”. The second word, azūlada “eastwards” is the same as in the final version: a composition of azûl “east” and the suffix -ada “(to)wards”.

-ma

suffix. instrumental (draft)

The suffix used for the draft-instrumental case, translated “with” (SD/438). In a later conceptual stage, it became the ordinary prepositional suffix -mâ. Carl Hostetter and Partick Wynne suggested (VSH/33, AAD/19) that the deleted form -men on SD/311 is a separate prepositional suffix “on” related to ᴹQ. men “place”, but I believe it is a variant of the plural instrumental form -main.

avalô

noun. Power, God

An Adûnaic noun translated as “God” or “Power” (SD/247, 305), the equivalent of (and possibly derived from) Q. Vala. It is probably pronounced [awalō], since the sound [w] in Adûnaic was sometime written “v” (SD/434). It frequently appeared in its plural or subjective plural forms Avalôi(m) “Powers, Gods”.

Conceptual Development: In early drafts of Adûnaic its plural was Avalâi with a long â instead of ô, perhaps indicating an earlier singular form Avalâ closer to Vala. Earlier still this word was given as plural Balāi, a more direct derivative of the Elvish root form ᴹ√BAL.

yad-

verb. to go

A verb appearing in the Lament of Akallabêth in the form ayadda “(it) went” (SD/247, VT24/12). Its initial element is the 3rd persons neuter plural suffix a- “it”. This leaves the basic verb form yadda, which is the past tense according to the theories used here.

Conceptual Development: It appeared in the form yadda in the first draft version of the Lament, and this form was also briefly considered as a replacement for unakkha “he-came” in the first sentence of the Lament (SD/312).

nê Reconstructed

pronoun. us

A first person plural object pronoun “us” attested only in the prepositional phrase “on us” in the Lament of Akallabêth, developing though the various drafts as nēnum &gt;&gt; nēnu &gt;&gt; nēnud (SD/247, 312). Most authors identify the element nê as the pronoun (AAD/20, LGtAG, NBA/14), which seems likely since the prepositional element is probably -num/nu/nud related to Q. nu “under”. It is not clear whether this pronoun can also be used as a subject pronoun “we”, or if it must always be an object “us”.