men

way

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

men

noun. way, way; [ᴹQ.] place, spot

Cognates

• S. men “road, way, road, way; [N.] *place”

Derivations

• √MEN “go, move, proceed (in any direction); make for, go towards; have as object, (in)tend; direction, object, point moved toward; region”

Element in

• ᴺQ. catamen “background, milieu”
• Q. formen “north, north, [ᴹQ.] right-hand [direction]” ✧ SA/men
• Q. hyarmen “south, (lit.) left-hand direction” ✧ SA/men
• Q. Ilmen “*Place of Starlight”
• ᴺQ. mancamen “market, (lit.) trade-place”
• ᴺQ. menessë “instead, (lit.) in place”
• Q. mentië “passage, journey, direction of travel”
• ᴺQ. mótamen “office”
• ᴺQ. natsemen “website, (lit.) web-spot”
• Q. númen “west, direction or region of the sunset, occident, (lit.) going down” ✧ SA/men
• ᴺQ. parmen “school, place of study”
• ᴺQ. quermen “a turning, turn, corner (of a street)”
• Q. rómen “east, uprising, sunrise” ✧ SA/men
• ᴺQ. tirmen “theater”
• ᴺQ. tungwemen “tax-office”

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-

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.

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.

me

pronoun. us (exclusive)

Derivations

• ✶mē̆ “2nd person plural exclusive pronoun” ✧ PE17/130
• ✶me “1st-pl-exclusive pronoun” ✧ VT49/50

Element in

• Q. a Aina Fairë, Eru órava (o)messë “God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/15
• Q. a Aina Maria arca atarmë “Holy Mary, pray for us” ✧ VT44/18
• Q. a Aina Neldië Eru Er órava (o)messë “Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/15
• Q. a Eruion Mardorunando, Eru órava (o)messë “God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/15
• Q. a Hrísto órava ómessë “Christ, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/15
• Q. á hyamë rámen úcarindor “pray for us sinners” ✧ VT43/33; VT43/33
• Q. álamë tulya úsahtienna “[and] lead us not into temptation” ✧ VT43/22; VT43/22; VT43/22
• Q. ámen anta síra ilaurëa massamma “give us this day our daily bread” ✧ VT43/18; VT43/18
• Q. ar ámen apsenë úcaremmar “and forgive us our trespasses” ✧ VT43/19; VT43/19
• Q. Atar meneldëa Eru órava (o)messë “God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/15
• Q. Heru órava omessë “Lord, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/15
• Q. i falmalinnar imbë met “on the foaming waves between us” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
• Q. i falmalinnar imbë met “upon the (many) foaming waves between us (two)” ✧ RGEO/59
• Q. imbë met “between you and me” ✧ VT47/11
• Q. immë “ourselves (exclusive)”
• Q. násië “but deliver us from evil: Amen” ✧ VT43/23; VT43/23; VT43/23
• Q. menya “*our (exclusive), our (exclusive); [ᴺQ.] ours”
• Q. ono alyë eterúna me illumë ilya raxellor “but deliver us always from all dangers” ✧ VT44/09
• Q. sí man i yulmar men enquantuva? “*who now shall refill the cups for us?” ✧ Minor-Doc/2013-05-13

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶mē̆ > me	[me]	✧ PE17/130
✶me > mé	[mē]	✧ VT49/50

Variations

• mé ✧ VT49/51

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.

ómen

on/for us

ómen prep. + pron. ?"on/for us" (órava ómen "have mercy on us", VT44:12, changed by Tolkien from the simple dative form men "for us", then replaced by (o)messë)

lér

man

**lér noun "man" (NI1; hypothetical Q form of PQ dēr; the form actually used in Quenya was nér)

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

pronoun. who, who; [ᴹQ.] what

Element in

• Q. man cenuva fána cirya? “Who shall see a white ship?” ✧ MC/221
• Q. man cenuva lumbor ahosta? “Who shall see the clouds gather?” ✧ MC/222; MC/222
• Q. man cenuva métim’ andúnë? “Who shall see the last evening?” ✧ MC/222; MC/222
• Q. man hlaruva rávëa súrë? “Who shall hear the wind roaring?” ✧ MC/222
• Q. man tiruva fána cirya? “Who shall heed a white ship?” ✧ MC/222
• Q. man tiruva rácina cirya? “Who shall heed a broken ship?” ✧ MC/222
• ᴺQ. manwa “whose”
• Q. sí man i yulma nin enquantuva? “who now shall refill the cup for me?” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
• Q. sí man i yulma nin enquantuva? “now who the cup for me will refill?” ✧ RGEO/59
• Q. sí man i yulmar men enquantuva? “*who now shall refill the cups for us?” ✧ Minor-Doc/2013-05-13
• Q. sí man i yulmar n(g)wen enquantuva “*who now will refill the cups for us (dual)” ✧ VT21/06

Elements

Word	Gloss
ma	“interrogative particle”

Variations

• Men ✧ MC/221
• Man ✧ MC/222; MC/222; MC/222; MC/222; MC/222
• man- ✧ PE17/068
• mán ✧ RGEO/58

nér

man

nér (1) (ner-, as in pl. neri) noun "man" (adult male elf, mortal, or of other speaking race) (MR:213, VT49:17, DER, NDER, NI1, VT45:9; see also WJ:393)

nér

noun. man

vëo

man

†vëo noun "man" (WEG; etymologically connected to vëa "manly, vigorous"; the more neutral word for "man" is nér. According to VT46:21, Tolkien indicated that vëo is an archaic or poetic word.) Tolkien at a later point defined the word as "living creature" (PE17:189). Cf. variant wëo, q.v.

-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_)

-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).

-nen

suffix. instrumental

Derivations

• ✶-mē̆n “instrumental, with (which)” ✧ PE21/79

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".

nómë

place

#nómë noun "place", isolated from Nómesseron, q.v. Cf. also sinomë.

nómë

noun. place

Derivations

• √NOM “place”

Element in

• ᴺQ. ainomë “anyplace, anywhere”
• ᴺQ. ilinomë “everywhere”
• ᴺQ. istanómë “school, academy”
• ᴺQ. mancanómë “market, market-place”
• ᴺQ. minomë “instead, in place of, in exchange of”
• ᴺQ. nanomë “someplace, somewhere”
• ᴺQ. nómëa “local”
• ᴺQ. nómessëa “local”
• Q. nómessë “place-name” ✧ VT42/17
• ᴺQ. -non “-place, -spot (forms place-names, area nouns)”
• Q. Quentalë Ardanómion “*History of the Places of Arda” ✧ WJ/206
• Q. sinomë “here, (lit.) in this place”
• Q. tanomë “there, (lit.) in the place (referred to)”

Variations

• Nóme ✧ VT42/17 (Nóme)

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).

Elements

Word	Gloss
engwa	“sickly”

lenna-

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.

-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-.

-ma

suffix. instrumental

Derivations

• ✶-mā “instrumental suffix”

Element in

• Q. carma “tool, implement, means, weapon”
• Q. corma “ring”
• ᴺQ. hlarma “earpiece, receiver”
• Q. lícuma “taper, candle” ✧ MC/223
• Q. tamma “tool”
• Q. yulma “cup, drinking vessel, drinking implement, goblet”

-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).

na

to, towards

na (2) prep. "to, towards", possibly obsoleted by #1 above; for clarity writers may use the synonym ana instead (NĀ1). Originally, Tolkien glossed na as "at, by, near"; the new meaning entered together with the synonyms an, ana (VT45:36).

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

Derivations

• √YA “*there, over there; (of time) back, ago, [ᴹ√] there, over there; (of time) back, ago”

Element in

• Q. yello camnelyes “from whom you received him” ✧ VT47/21
• Q. yenna leltanelyes “to whom you sent him” ✧ VT47/21

ana

to

ana (1) prep. "to" (VT49:35), "as preposition _ana _is used when purely _dative formula is required" (PE17:147), perhaps meaning that the preposition ana can be used instead of the dative ending -n (#1, q.v.) Also as prefix: ana- "to, towards" (NĀ1); an (q.v.) is used with this meaning in one source (PE17:127)_

lie

noun. people

lië

people

lië noun "people" (LI, Narqelion, VT39:6), in Eldalië, losselië, Ornelië (q.v.); possessive #liéva in Mindon Eldaliéva (q.v.); maybe also compounded in #rohtalië, #ruhtalië (q.v.)

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).

-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".

-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).

-nna

to

-n (1) dative ending, originating as a reduced form of -nă "to", related to the allative ending -nna (VT49:14). Attested in nin, men, ten, enyalien, Erun, airefëan, tárin, yondon (q.v.) and also added to the English name Elaine (Elainen) in a book dedication to Elaine Griffiths (VT49:40). The longer dative ending -na is also attested in connection with some pronouns, such as sena, téna, véna (q.v.), also in the noun mariéna from márië "goodness" (PE17:59). Pl. -in (as in hínin, see hína), partitive pl. -lin, dual -nt (Plotz). The preposition ana (#1) is said to be used "when purely dative formula is required" (PE17:147), perhaps meaning that it can replace the dative ending, e.g. *ana Eru instead of Erun for "to God". In some of Tolkiens earlier material, the ending -n (or -en) expressed genitive rather than dative, but he later decided that the genitive ending was to be -o (cf. such a revision as Yénië Valinóren becoming Yénië Valinórëo, MR:200).

-nna

to, at, upon

-nna "to, at, upon", allative ending, originating from -na "to" with fortified n, VT49:14. Attested in cilyanna, coraryanna, Endorenna, Elendilenna, númenórenna, parma-restalyanna, rénna, senna, tielyanna, q.v. If a noun ends in -n already, the ending -nna merges with it, as in Amanna, formenna, Elenna, númenna, rómenna as the allative forms of Aman, formen, elen, númen, rómen (q.v.). Plural -nnar in mannar, valannar, q.v.

aicalë

peak

aicalë ("k")noun "a peak" (AYAK)

-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)

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)

lelya-

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-.

vanya-

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.

hildi

followers

hildi, -hildi noun "followers" (used = mortal men, the Second-born of Ilúvatar) (KHIL) (also Hildor, q.v.). Dat. pl. hildin "for men", a dative pl. occurring in Fíriel's Song. Cf. hildinyar "my heirs", evidently *hildë, hildo "follower, heir" + -inya "my" + -r plural ending (EO)

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”.

Cognates

• S. Echil “Followers” ✧ WJ/219; WJI/Echil; WJ/219; WJI/Hildor
• S. Aphadon “Men, (lit.) Followers” ✧ WJI/Aphadon; WJI/Hildor

Derivations

• √KHIL “follow (behind)” ✧ PE17/018; PE17/101; SA/khil; WJ/387

Element in

• Q. Hildórien “*Land of the Followers” ✧ SA/khil
• Q. Tarcil “High Man, Númenórean” ✧ PE17/018; PE17/101

Elements

Word	Gloss
hildë	“heir, follower, heir, follower; [ᴱQ.] child”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√KHIL > hildi	[kʰildi] > [xildi] > [hildi]	✧ PE17/018
√KHIL > hildi	[kʰildi] > [xildi] > [hildi]	✧ PE17/101
√khil- > Hildor	[kʰildor] > [xildor] > [hildor]	✧ SA/khil
√KHILI > Hildor	[kʰildor] > [xildor] > [hildor]	✧ WJ/387

Variations

• Hildi ✧ MR/130; MRI/Hildi
• hildi ✧ PE17/018; PE17/101; PE17/103

-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-).

adanath

noun. men

adanath

noun. men

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

men

pronoun. us

men

pronoun. us

Changes

• men → mín ✧ VT44/28
• mí ni → mín ✧ VT44/28

Derivations

• ✶me “1st-pl-exclusive pronoun”

Element in

• S. anno ammen sír i mbas ilaurui vín “give us this day our daily bread” ✧ VT44/27
• S. ar díheno ammen i úgerth vin “and forgive us our trespasses” ✧ VT44/27
• S. ir Ithil ammen Eruchín “*when the Moon, for us, the Children of God” ✧ LB/354
• S. sui mín i gohenam di ai gerir úgerth ammen “as we forgive those who trespass against us” ✧ VT44/28; VT44/27

Variations

• men ✧ LB/354; PE17/038; VT44/22 (men); VT44/27
• mín ✧ VT44/28
• mí ni ✧ VT44/28 (mí ni)

men

noun. way, road

men

2nd pl

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

men

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

Cognates

• Q. men “way, way; [ᴹQ.] place, spot”

Derivations

• √MEN “go, move, proceed (in any direction); make for, go towards; have as object, (in)tend; direction, object, point moved toward; region”

Element in

• S. Mengas Dûr “?Dark Gap in the Way”
• S. Men-i-Naugrim “Dwarf Road, (lit.) Way of the Dwarves” ✧ NM/372; UT/280
• ᴺS. uthwen “escape, way out, exit”

Variations

• Menn ✧ NM/372
• Men ✧ UT/280; UTI/Men-i-Naugrim

-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

dîr

noun. man, man, [N.] adult male; agental suffix

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.

Derivations

• ✶ndē̆r “man”
  • √N(D)ER “male (person), man”

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

min

adjective. our

min

noun. peak

A word glossed “peak” appearing in the name S. Min-Rimmon “Peak of the Rimmon” from the Unfinished Index to The Lord of the Rings (RC/511). It is probably a derivative of √MIN.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. mintye “peak”

Derivations

• √MIN “one, first of a series, one, first of a series; [ᴹ√] stand alone, stick out”

Element in

• S. Min-Rimmon “Peak of the Rimmon” ✧ RC/511

Variations

• min ✧ RC/511

-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.

mín

pronoun. us

mín

adjective. our

mín

pronoun. our

Changes

• min → vin ✧ VT44/24
• mín → vín ✧ VT44/28

Element in

• S. anno ammen sír i mbas ilaurui vín “give us this day our daily bread” ✧ VT44/28
• S. ar díheno ammen i úgerth vin “and forgive us our trespasses” ✧ VT44/24

Variations

• min ✧ VT44/22 (min)

-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

-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

an

preposition. to, towards, for

With suffixed article and elision in aglar'ni Pheriannath

an

to

_ prep. _to, for. naur an edraith ammen! 'fire [be] for rescue/saving for us'. aglar an|i Pheriannath  'glory to all the Halflings'.

na

to

e _ prep. _to, towards (of spacetime). n' before vowels. >> nan 2

na

preposition. to

prep. to Na-chaered palan-díriel lit. "To-distance (remote) after-gazing" >> na-chaered, nan 2

adan

noun. man, one of the Second People (elvish name for 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.

Cognates

• Q. Hildor “Men, Aftercomers, (lit.) Followers” ✧ WJI/Aphadon; WJI/Hildor

echil

collective name. Followers

Sindarin equivalent of Q. Hildor “Followers” as a name for Men (WJ/219). It is clearly derived from the same root √KHIL, but otherwise its etymology is unclear. Another Sindarin term with a similar meaning is Aphadon.

Cognates

• Q. Hildor “Men, Aftercomers, (lit.) Followers” ✧ WJ/219; WJI/Echil; WJ/219; WJI/Hildor

-gir

2nd pl

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

othlonn

noun. paved way

Dúnadan

noun. Man of the west, Númenórean

adanadar

noun. man, one of the Fathers of Men

drúadan

noun. wild man, one of the Woses

sad

noun. place, spot

Derivations

• √SAT “space, place; divide, apportion, mark off” ✧ VT42/19

Element in

• ᴺS. alhad “nowhere”
• S. Arahad
• S. Calenhad “Green Space” ✧ UTI/Calenhad; VT42/19
• ᴺS. ilhad “everywhere”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√SAT > sad	[sat] > [sad]	✧ VT42/19

drû

noun. wild man, Wose, Púkel-Man

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

ai

pronoun. for those who

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”.

pâd

noun. way

pâd

way

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

tharbad

noun. cross-way

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”).

ammen

for us, to us, of us

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

way

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

mên

road

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

mên

road

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

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.

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”.

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

ilphen

 noun. everyone

il- (every/all) + pen (someone/somebody).

an

to

(prep.) an (+ nasal mutation), with article ni "to the" (+ nasal mutation in plural).

an

to

(adverbial prefix) an-. 3)

denwaith

people of denwe

(WJ:385);

aeg

horn

(point, thorn). No distinct pl. form. (but aeglir can be used for a range of mountain peaks). Note: aeg is also used as adj. "sharp, pointed, piercing". 2) mîn (i vîn), no distinct pl. form except with article (i mîn), coll. pl. míniath. Note: homophones include the numeral ”one” and the adjective ”isolated, first, towering”. 3) egnas (sharp point; literally "thorn-point"), pl. egnais, coll. pl. egnassath.

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:

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.

firion

mortal man

(pl. firyn).

land

open space

(construct lan, pl. laind) (level), also used as adjective ”wide, plain”.

caew

resting place

(i gaew, o chaew) (lair). No distinct pl. form except with article (i chaew).

sant

privately owned place

(i hant, o sant) (field, garden, yard), pl. saint (i saint) (VT42:20)

tê

way

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

vín

our

vín; see WE

vín

our

; see

curunír

man of craft

(i gurunír, o churunír) (wizard), no distinct pl. form except with article (i churunír), coll. pl. ?curuníriath.

sâd

place

sâd (-had; i hâd, o sâd, construct sad) (spot, limited area naturally or artificially defined), pl. said (i said) (UT:314, VT42:20)

sâd

place

(-had; i hâd, o sâd, construct sad) (spot, limited area naturally or artificially defined), pl. said (i said) (UT:314, VT42:20)  

gwaith

people

gwaith (i **waith) (manhood, manpower, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, region; wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith**).

gwaith

people

(i ’waith) (manhood, manpower, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, region; wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith).

imrath

valley

(pl. imraith)

dúnadan

man of the west

(i Núnadan), pl. Dúnedain (i Ndúnedain) (WJ:378, 386).

rohirrim

people of rohan

(Gondorian pronunciation of Rochirrim; see

gwathuirim

people of dunland

(”shadowy people”) (PM:330);

iathrim

people of doriath

(”Fence-people”) (WJ:378);

thalion

dauntless man

(hero), pl. thelyn. Also used as an adj. ”dauntless, steadfast, strong”. 

haradrim

people of the south

(southerners, southrons);

galadhrim

people of the trees

(Elves of Lórien)

pathu

level place

(i bathu) (sward), analogical pl. pethy (i phethy). Cited in archaic form pathw in the source (LR:380 s.v. PATH); hence the coll. pl. is likely pathwath. In the Etymologies as printed in

till

sharp-pointed peak

(i** dill, o thill, construct til; also -dil, -thil at the end of compounds)  (tine, point, sharp horn), no distinct pl. form except with article (i** thill). Archaic †tild.  

gardh

bounded or defined place

(i ’ardh) (region), pl. gerdh (i ngerdh = i ñerdh);

beorn

noun. man

The shift of e to eo is strange and has no direct parallels, but compare eo from i in meord "fine rain" (< primitive mizdê). Normally final -ô becomes -â in Nandorin (see golda), but here it is simply lost instead of producing *beorna. C.f. meord the other word where we might have expected to see a final -a (in that case from -ê); it may be that final vowels are lost in words that would otherwise come to have more than two syllables. - The shift of primitive s to r in besnô > beorn may be ascribed primarily to the blending with ber(n)ô, but r from z is seen in meord < mizdê; perhaps the s of besnô first became z and then r. Such developments are common in Quenya.

u

preposition. to

Element in

• Bs. Uglúk u bagronk sha pushdug Saruman-glob búbhosh skai “Uglúk to the cesspool, sha! the dungfilth, the great Saruman-fool, skai; Uglúk to torture chamber with stinking Saruman-filth, dung-heap, skai” ✧ LotR/0445; PE17/078; PM/083

anâ

noun. human being

A noun translated “human being” (SD/426) given as an example of a noun ending in a long vowel that (archaically) uses the declension for a strong-noun (SD/437), an example of the extremely rare class of Strong-IIb nouns. By the time of Classical Adûnaic, it could be declined as an ordinary weak-noun instead. It also had masculine and feminine variants anû “(human) man” and anî “(human) woman” (SD/434) but in ordinary speech it seems likely that more specific words would be used: narû “man, male”, zinî “female”, kali “woman”.

Variations

• anā ✧ SD/426; SD/434; SD/437; SD/438

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 >> nēnu >> 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”.

Element in

• Ad. agannâlô burôda nênud “[the] death-shadow [is] heavy on us” ✧ SD/247; SD/312
• Ad. agannūlo burudan nēnum “death-shade heavy-is on-us” ✧ SD/312
• Ad. zâira nênud “longing (is) on us” ✧ SD/247

Variations

• nē ✧ SD/247; SD/312; SD/312

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, but 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 the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s, Tolkien first gave the root 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, 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.

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.

Changes

• MEN → MEN “place, situation, site” ✧ PE21/79

Derivatives

• ✶meinā ✧ VT39/11
  • Q. mína “desiring to start, eager to go” ✧ VT39/11
  • Q. mína- “to desire to go in some direction, wish to go to a place, make for it; to have some end in view, to desire to go in some direction, wish to go to a place, make for it; to have some end in view, *intend” ✧ VT39/11
• ✶mēn- “a way, a going, a mov[ement]” ✧ PE17/165
• ✶omen- “to move to a common point, meet”
  • Q. omen- “to move to a common point, meet, to meet, move to a common point, *(lit.) move together” ✧ PE17/013
• Q. men “way, way; [ᴹQ.] place, spot”
• Q. men- “to go, proceed, move (generally); to come, arrive” ✧ VT49/23
• Q. mendë “*will”
• ᴺQ. menesta “intention, *goal”
• ᴺQ. menesta “motion, movement”
• Q. menta- “to send, cause to go (in a desired direction)” ✧ PE17/165; VT41/06
• ᴺQ. oment- “to meet”
• S. men- “to go”
• S. men “road, way, road, way; [N.] *place”
• ᴺS. menna- “to send, (lit.) make go”
• ᴺS. ment “message”
• ᴺS. mîn “motion”

Element in

• √MENEL “heavens, firmament, heavens, firmament, [ᴹ√] sky”
• ᴺQ. carmen “recipe”
• Q. coimen “life-year”
• ᴺQ. etementa- “to banish, send out, (lit.) out-send”
• ᴺQ. immenwa “automobile”
• ᴺQ. mendar “station, (lit.) way-stop”
• Q. menta- “have as object[ive], (in)tend, proceed, make for, go towards” ✧ PE17/093
• Q. olmen “growth-year”
• ᴺQ. ómen “crossroads”
• Q. turmen “realm”
• ᴺS. goven “crossroads”
• S. menel “the heavens, firmament, region of the stars” ✧ RGEO/64

Variations

• men ✧ RGEO/64; VT41/06; VT42/32
• men- ✧ VT49/23

-mē̆n

suffix. instrumental, with (which)

Derivatives

• Q. -nen “instrumental” ✧ PE21/79

Variations

• mē ✧ PE21/79
• mēn ✧ PE21/79
• mene ✧ PE21/79 (mene)

ndē̆r

noun. man

Derivations

• √N(D)ER “male (person), man”

Derivatives

• S. dîr “man, man, [N.] adult male; agental suffix”

led

root. go, proceed, go, proceed, [ᴹ√] fare, travel

This root appeared in The Etymologies (Ety/LED) and in some later writings (PE17/51, 139) with the basic sense “go”. In the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60, Tolkien decided that √LED was a Quenya-only variant of the original root √DEL (WJ/360, 363). Elsewhere, Tolkien said that √LED was “not much used in Sindarin except in compounds with ✶et ‘out’ as edlen(n)” (PE17/51). Its Sindarin derivative S. lembas “way bread” was reassigned to √LEN (PE17/60). See √DEL and √LEN for further discussion.

Derivatives

• ✶etlendā “exiled” ✧ PE17/051
  • S. edlen(n) “exiled” ✧ PE17/051
• ✶ledmē “leaving, departure” ✧ PE17/051
  • Q. lenwë “leaving, departure” ✧ PE17/051
• ✶lednē ✧ PE17/051
• ✶ledya- ✧ WJ/363
  • Q. lelya- “to go, proceed (in any direction), travel”
• ᴺQ. etelenda “exiled”
• ᴺQ. etelerro “exile”
• Q. lenna- “to come, to come; [ᴹQ.] to go, depart” ✧ PE17/139
• Q. lenda- “to go free”
• ᴺQ. lendë “journey”
• S. glenna- “*to travel”
• ᴺS. lîdh “journey”

Element in

• ✶le(n)dembassē “bread taken on leaving home (for a long journey)” ✧ PE17/052
• S. lembas “waybread, journey-bread” ✧ PE17/051

Variations

• led- ✧ WJ/363

tilte

noun. peak

Derivations

• √TIL “point, horn”

Derivatives

• Q. tildë “a fine sharp point, fine sharp point, [ᴹQ.] spike; (mountain) horn, [ᴱQ.] tip, ️peak”

Element in

• ✶tār(a)-ninqui-tilte “High White Peak” ✧ PE17/186

nom Reconstructed

root. place

A hypothetical root serving as the basis for Q. nómë “place”.

Derivatives

• Q. nómë “place”

men

pronoun. us

men

noun. *place

Derivations

• ᴹ√MEN “go, proceed”

Element in

• N. Men Falros “*Place of Splashing Foam” ✧ WR/326

Variations

• Men ✧ WR/326

men

pronoun. *us

Element in

• N. a tiro’men Gilthoniel “*oh watch us, Gilthoniel” ✧ EtyAC/NDI

Variations

• men ✧ EtyAC/NDI

benn

noun. man, male

forodrim

noun. Northmen

forodwaith

noun. Northmen

forodweith

noun. Northmen

othlon

noun. paved way

rada-

verb. to make a way, find a way

heltha-

verb. to strip

The form helta- in the Etymologies is a misreading according to VT/46:14

othlond

noun. paved way

forodwaith

noun. the lands of the North

forodweith

noun. the lands of the North

dîr

noun. man, referring to an adult male (elf, mortal, or of any other speaking race)

sad Reconstructed

noun. *place

Element in

• N. Calenhad