morë

noun/adjective. dark, black; darkness, night, dark, black; darkness, [ᴹQ.] blackness, [Q.] night

A word meaning both “dark” and “black” in various compounds, sometimes also functioning as a noun “darkness”. It was derived from primitive ✶mori based on the root √MOR (Let/382).

Conceptual Development: This word has a long history in Tolkien’s languages. It first appeared as ᴱQ. {mōre >>} mōri “night” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s from the early root ᴱ√MORO (QL/62), also appearing as mōre “night” in the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/63). The word mōre was used as “darkness” in the Oilima Markirya poem written around 1930 (MC/214).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s there were two distinct forms: noun ᴹQ. móre “blackness, dark, night” from primitive ᴹ✶mǭri and adjective ᴹQ. more “blackness, dark, night” from primitive from primitive ᴹ✶mori (Ety/MOR; EtyAC/MOR), though the adjective prefix mori- was frequently translated “dark” in contemporaneous compounds: ᴹQ. Morimando “Dark Mando”, ᴹQ. Moriqendi “Dark Elves”, etc. In later writings, the forms with long ó were no longer used, though whether this was intentional or a coincidence is unclear.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would mainly use more as an adjective with the sense “dark”, reserving for the colour “black” the word morna instead. For the noun form, I’d use mornië, but I sometimes use mori- or móri- for “night” in compounds as the time of darkness.

morë

black

morë adj. "black" (MOR), "dark, darkness" (Letters:282). In compounds the stem-form mori- (q.v.) appears, since the primitive form was ¤mori.

amba

more

amba 2) adj. and noun "more", "used of any kind of measurement spatial, temporal, or quantitative" (PE:17:91). Cf. adverb ambë.

amba

more

An adjective or (pro)noun for “more” along with an adverbial form ambë derived from √AMA “addition, increase, plus” (PE17/91). These words were part of a (brief?) conceptual framework around 1967 in which the intensive prefix am- was derived from this root. Elsewhere the root √AM generally meant “up”, and Tolkien seems to have reverted to an-intensives by 1969 as evidenced by anírime “most beautiful” (PE23/133).

Neo-Quenya: Despite these conceptual changes, I think it is worth retaining amba and ambe “more”, perhaps based on ✱an-bā and ✱an-bē. The first of these would clash with amba “up”, but I think it could usually be distinguished by context: á anta amba nin “give more to me” vs. mennes amba i oron “he went up the mountain”. See √AMA for more discussion.

ambë

more

ambë adv. "more", "used of any kind of measurement spatial, temporal, or quantitative" (PE17:91). As noun or adjective, amba.

lil

more

lil adverbial particle "more" (PE14:80)

ambë

adverb. more

yunquenta

cardinal. thirteen, twelve and one more

A variant word for “thirteen”, a combination of yunquë “twelve” and enta “one more” (VT47/15). It also appeared as yunquente with an e (VT47/40). Compare also nel(e)quë “thirteen”.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I think there is an interesting possibility that this word is the basis for duodecimal “teen” words, such as ✱yunquatta “twelve and two”, ✱yunquenel “twelve and three”, ✱yunquecan “twelve and four”, ✱yunquelempe “twelve and five”. I would follow these with [ᴹQ.] nahta “eighteen”, ✱nahtenta “eighteen and one more”, ✱nahtatta “eighteen and two”, ✱nahtanel “eighteen and three”, ✱nahtacan “eighteen and four”, ✱nahtalempe “eighteen and five” and finally [ᴹQ.] yurasta “twenty four = ✱double twelve”, the duodecimal equivalent of “twenty”. This is all quite speculative, however.

entë

adverb. moreover, further(more), what is more

An adverb glossed “moreover, further(more), what is more” with an adjectival variant Q. enta “another, one more”, both derived from √ENET which is an extension of √EN “once more, again” (VT47/15). Of the adjective Tolkien said that it was “not except by implication ‘another different one’ (VT47/40)”, for which I would instead use hyana; see that entry for discussion.

Conceptual Development: The Arctic Sentence from 1929 had a similar word ᴱQ. ento “next”, a possible precursor.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I assume enta only means “another, one more” when used as an adjective. As a pronoun or adverb, I assume [ᴹQ.] enta means “that yonder”, especially when further inflected: á mene entanna “go to that/there yonder” vs. á anta nin enta yulma “give me another [similar] drink” vs. á anta nin hyana yulma “give me another [different] drink”. See the entry on correlatives for further discussion of the “that yonder” use of enta.

yo-

prefix. together (of three or more things)

A prefix appearing as an element in yomenië “meeting, gathering (of three or more coming from different directions)” in the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 (WJ/407). It is clearly based on primitive ✶jō(m) “together” as the plural equivalent of ✶wō (WJ/361), and thus likely means “together (of three or more things)”.

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. so- “together, grouped” under the early root ᴱ√SŌ, a prefixal equivalent of ᴱQ. le “with (accompaniment)” (QL/85). Given the gloss “grouped”, I think so- also applied to multiple items grouped together.

camba

the whole hand, but as flexed, with fingers more or less closed, cupped, in the attitude of receiving or holding

camba noun "the whole hand, but as flexed, with fingers more or less closed, cupped, in the attitude of receiving or holding" (VT47:7)

entë

moreover, further, furthermore, what is more

entë (1) conj. "moreover, further, furthermore, what is more" (VT47:15, VT48:14). Compare yunquentë as a variant of yunquenta, q.v.

net(ë)

noun. one more beyond [the middle]

A word in Quenya used in enumerating series from notes from the late 1960s (VT47/15-16), based on the extended root √ENET. Its original sense seems to be “one more beyond”, and it was used in enumerations where some actual numbers were omitted, except possibly the last such as 1, 2, nete, nete, 5 or 1, 2, (3), nete, nete, 10. As such, it also came to be seen as “the last before 10” and from this became the basis for neter > nertë “9”. In counts up to 5 it had the sense “one more beyond the middle”, associated with the fourth finger which in child games was used for the daughter. By association this finger was given the (technically unrelated) name nette “little girl, daughter” as a more affectionate variant of nésa (néþa) “sister”.

netë

one more, another

netë *"one more, another", used in enumerating a series: e.g. 1, 2, (3), netë, netë, netë...with netë used instead of citing the actual numbers. (VT47:15, VT48:14-15, 31)

yé

what is more

yé (2) conj.? "what is more", also yëa (VT47:31)

yëa

what is more

yëa conj.? "what is more", also yé (#2) (VT47:31)

enta

adjective. another, one more

an quetta

a word more, to add to what has been said

tennoio

adverb. forever, forever[more]

@@@ used for “forever” in NQNT

yé

interjection. lo!, what a ..., what is more

yëa

interjection. what is more

á cenë ancénië

look sharper, closer, more attentively, better, more closely

á lirë amlírië

sing harder / better / with more vigour or with more vocalic art

á menë amménië

proceed with more determination

á norë amnórië

run with more running, run faster

á tirë antírië

watch more closely, observe more attentively

enetya

adjective. spare, extra, more than needed

A neologism coined by Luinyelle posted on 2024-05-14 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), an adjectival form of √ENET “✱one more”.

enet-

prefix. spare, extra, more than needed

A neologism coined by Luinyelle posted on 2024-05-14 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a prefixal form of [ᴺQ.] enetya of the same meaning.

napan-

verb. to add

A verb in Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957, a combination of the prefix na- “plu-” with pan- (PE17/146) whose root √PAN means “arrange, set in order” (PE17/108), so more literally “✱arrange with addition”.

'al-

thrive

'al- (1) vb."thrive" (GALA; the 'simply indicates that the original initial G has disappeared and needs not normally be included, PE17:100) Other sources hint at the meaning "grow" (cf. the root GAL meaning "grow, be healthy; to grow [like a plant]", PE17:153). Compare ala- #4 and #alála- (and cf. ol-).

ala-

verb. grow

alta-

verb. grow

[alta- (3) vb. "grow" (VT45:13) or "make grow" (VT45:14)]

lauya

verb. flourish (green), grow

lauya-

verb. to flourish (green), grow

A verb appearing in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 as an example of a ya-formative verb based on the root √LAW, with both the root and the verb meaning “flourish (green), grow” (PE22/156).

locta-

verb. sprout, put forth leaves or flowers

locta- _("k")_vb."sprout, put forth leaves or flowers" (LT1:258; this would have to become *lohta- in LotR-style Quenya, but later forms like losta- "to bloom" and tuia- "to sprout, spring" are to be preferred.)

lossë

blossom

lossë (2) noun "blossom" ("usually, owing to association with olosse snow, only used of white blossom") (LOT(H) )

losta-

verb. to bloom

losta- vb. "to bloom" (VT42:18)

losta-

verb. to bloom, to bloom, *blossom

A verb for “to bloom” appearing in notes from the late 1960s as a derivative of √LOT(H), but in that document it was deleted (PE17/26). However losta- “to bloom” reappeared in notes on The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor from 1967-69 with the same derivation, and in that document it was not deleted (VT42/18).

Conceptual Development: The verb ᴱQ. {lōta- >>} lōto- “to bloom” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√LO’O (QL/55). Some possible inflected forms for this Early Qenya verb appeared (untranslated) in one of the initial versions of the Oilima Markirya poem (PE16/57-58).

morqua

black

morqua adj. "black" (LT1:261; rather morna in LotR-style Quenya)

napan-

verb. add

napan- vb. "add" (PE17:146)

ol-

verb. grow

ol- vb. "grow" (VT45:13; this may be a primitive root rather than a Quenya verb)

ola-

verb. grow

tiuya-

verb. swell, grow fat

tiuya- vb. "swell, grow fat" (TIW; emended by Tolkien from tiuta-, VT46:19)

tuia-

verb. sprout, spring

tuia- vb. "sprout, spring" (Tolkien's gloss is actually "sprouts, springs", since tuia is also the 3rd pers. sg. present tense [or aorist]) (TUY)

tuima

sprout, bud

tuima noun "sprout, bud" (TUY)

yantya-

verb. add, augment

yantya- vb. "add, augment" (PE15:68)

meletya-

verb. to magnify

pulu-

verb. to swell (intr.)

sampan-

verb. to combine

A neologism for “to combine” coined by Orondil posted on 2023-02-24 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), inspired by sampanë “combination”.

yanta-

verb. to add to, enlarge, increase, augment

mor

black

_adj. _black.

mor-

black

_ pref. _black. >> Moria, morn-

morn

adjective. black, dark

morn

adjective. black

adj. black. >> mor, Morgai

ned

noun. first, *one more; first; *during

This word replaced the preposition uin “of the” in the third version of the King’s Letter, appearing in the phrase nelchaenen ned Echuir “the thirty-first day of Stirring”. Both Carl Hostetter (VT31/30) and David Salo (SG/229) theorized that this replacement has a similar prepositional function, from either √NOT “count” or √NED “middle”. Fiona Jallings suggested it might be a temporal preposition, with sense “during” (FJNS/349).

On VT47/40, note 67, Patrick Wynne suggested that this word might be a cognate of the newly published Quenya word net(ë) “one more”. This theory is supported by the most likely interpretation of nelchaenen. This word seems to mean “thirtieth” rather than “thirty-first”, and Patrick Wynne suggested that nelchaenen ned means “thirtieth and one more” = “thirty-first”. I find this theory the most compelling, and use it here.

cordof

noun. pippin (seed of certain fruits, or more probably small red apple)

am

adverb/adjective. more

A neologism coined by Fayanzār posted on 2018-01-06 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), inspired by ambë “more”. The word am is more frequently used for “up” in Sindarin, but the two senses are close enough that the can coexist, distinguished by context: anno am annin “give up [= more] to me” vs. pado am i bend “walk up the slope”.

gant

adverb/adjective. larger, greater, more, (lit.) increased

anta-

verb. add to

_ v. _add to, give. pa.t. ónen (with pron. suff.).

edlothia-

verb. to blossom, flower

The sentence from WR/293 is hardly legible and is not translated, but this word is however a plausible form

gala-

verb. to grow

An untranslated verb in notes from around 1962 along with a full paradigm of pronominal suffixes (PE17/131-132). The Etymologies of the 1930s had N. galo “to grow” under the root ᴹ√GALA “thrive” (Ety/GALA), and the later Sindarin verb probably has the same meaning.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. {cal- >>} caltha- “wax, grow, flourish” based on the early root ᴱ√cala having to do with growth (GL/25). Gnomish Lexicon Slips modifying that document had altha- “to shoot up, grow (high)” (PE13/109).

glawar

blossom

n. (golden) blossom. Q. loar, lávar.

lúth

noun. blossom

_ n. Bot. _blossom, inflorescence. >> Lúthien

morn-

black

_pref. _black. >> Moria, mor-

edlothia

blossom

(verb) #edlothia- (i edlothia, in edlothiar) (flower);

edlothia

blossom

(i edlothia, in edlothiar) (flower);

edlothia-

verb. to flower, blossom

A word reconstructed by David Salo (GS/230) as a hypothetical element in the phrase Gir... edlothiand na ngalad melon i ni (?sevo) ni (?edran) (WR/293), a verbalized form of ed “out” and loth “flower”. I prefer ᴺS. losta- for this purpose.

edlothiad

blossoming

(flowering), pl. edlothiaid if there is a pl.

gala

grow

gala- (i **ala, i ngalar** = i ñalar)

gala

grow

(i ’ala, i ngalar = i ñalar)

galvorn

black metal

(i ’alvorn), pl. gelvyrn (i ngelvyrn = i ñelvyrn) if there is a pl. (WJ:322). 2) donn (swart, swarty, shady, shadowy) (lenited dhonn, pl. dynn). (VT45:11). Also dunn- in compounds.

goloth

flower

(i ’oloth) (collection of flowers), pl. gelyth (i ngelyth = i ñelyth). Archaic pl. gölyth. Also in the form gwaloth (i ’waloth), pl. gwelyth (in gwelyth). Also goloth.

gythra-

verb. to germinate, be conceived

losta-

verb. to bloom, blossom

A neologism for “to bloom, blossom” coined by Elaran, inspired by Q. losta- of the same meaning.

loth

blossom

loth (see

loth

blossom

(see

môr

black

1. môr (dark), lenited vôr, pl. mŷr (Letters:382), also morn (dark), pl. myrn, lenited #vorn. Note: the word is also used as a noun ”darkness, night”. (Letters:386) The lenited form #vorn appears, compounded, in the name of the

môr

black

(dark), lenited vôr, pl. m**ŷr (Letters:382), also morn (dark), pl. **myrn, lenited #vorn. Note: the word is also used as a noun ”darkness, night”. (Letters:386) The lenited form #vorn appears, compounded, in the name of the

tui

sprout

(noun) tui or (older) tuiw (i dui[w], o thui[w]) (bud), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thui[w])

tui

sprout

or (older) tuiw (i dui[w], o thui[w]) (bud), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thui[w])

tuia

sprout

(verb) tuia- (i duia, i thuiar) (swell, spring)

tuia

swell

(vb.) tuia- (i duia, i thuiar) (spring, sprout)

tuia

sprout

(i duia, i thuiar) (swell, spring)

tuia

swell

(i duia, i thuiar) (spring, sprout)

tuila-

verb. to bud, open (of flowers and leaves)

tuilu-

verb. to bud, open (of flowers and leaves)

A neologism coined by Paul Strack in 2018 specifically for Eldamo inspired by ᴹQ. tuilu- and derived from ✶tuilu-, both of the same meaning (PE22/114, 136). However, we don’t know how u-verbs are inflected in Sindarin, so Elaran suggested the easier-to-conjugate ᴺS. tuila- as an alternative.

morn

adjective. black, dark

morn

adjective. black

môr Archaic

adjective. black

gala-

verb. to grow

gala-

verb. to grow

gwaloth

noun. blossom, collection of flowers

This form replaced deleted goloth in the manuscript of The Etymologies, see VT/45:29. The deleted form is however also later attested in VT/42:18

tui

noun. a sprout, bud

tuia-

verb. to sprout, spring

tuia-

verb. to swell

tuia-

verb. to sprout, spring; to swell

A verb appearing in its Noldorin-style infinitive form tuio in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√TUY “spring, sprout”, the cognate of ᴹQ. tuia “sprouts, springs” (Ety/TUY). Under the root ᴹ√TIW “fat, thick”, Tolkien said the verb tuio meant “to swell” and was cognate to ᴹQ. tiuya- (Ety/TIW). I suspect it was the result of a blending of these two roots and meanings: “sprout, spring” when applied to plants and “swell” otherwise.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had the similarly-derived G. tuitha- “sprout, spring, gush”, likely based on the early root ᴱ√TUẎU (GL/71; QL/96).

tuiw

noun. a sprout, bud

mori

adjective. black

amba

?. more

en

root. again, once more, go on doing; further, beyond, again, once more, go on doing; further, beyond; [ᴹ√] yonder, over there

This root had a variety of senses in Tolkien’s writings, which may or may not be related. In The Etymologies of the 1930s, ᴹ√EN was glossed “yonder, over there” with the adverbial form ᴹQ. en “there, look yon (yonder)” (Ety/EN) and in this sense it was probably a later iteration of the early demonstrative root ᴱ√E “that by you”. This 1930s version of the root seems to be a “remote demonstrative” as opposed to ᴹ√TA “that” which seems to be a more ordinary demonstrative.

In notes from the late 1940s and early 1950s, Q. en was connected to the future (PE22/120, 131; PE23/97), and in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s, Tolkien revised the gloss of primitive ✶en from “yonder” to “next, further, again” (PE21/70, note #4). In later notes Tolkien primarily emphasized the sense “again” with the glosses like “go on doing” in notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/167), and the glosses “again, once more” in a couple of different documents written in 1968 (VT47/15; VT48/25), though in one of these it was given the form √HEN “again”, probably a transient idea (VT41/16). This new meaning for √EN reflects the use of the prefix Q. en- for repetition, such as in enquantuva “shall refill” in the Q. Namárië poem (LotR/377).

It is not clear whether √EN retained the sense “yonder” in Tolkien’s later conception of it. In the aforementioned note where it was glossed “go on doing”, one of its derivatives was Q. en(a) “still” as in Q. quetir en “they still say” (PE17/167), referring to the past rather than the future. On the other hand, in rough notes written around 1968, Tolkien said “en- ‘again’ as [in] enquantuva is prob[ably] [?] ‘further, beyond’ [?in respect of time influenced by ? only in] Q. enta, only with verbs. [?root] ēn” (VT41/16). The words in brackets were added by Carl Hostetter as editorial additions or to indicate unclear text in the original, but the relatively clear glosses “further, beyond” show that at least in that moment, something like the 1930s meaning “yonder” of this root may have remained valid.

nad

root. hollow (of structures or natural features more or less concave with rising sides)

This root and ones like it were connected to the names of dales and vales for much of Tolkien’s life. A likely precursor is ᴱ√NAŘA [NAÐA] from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. nan(d) “woodland” and ᴱQ. nandin “dryad” (QL/64). Words like G. nand “field acre”, G. nandriol “rustic, rural”, and G. nandor “farmer” from the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon are probably derived from the same root, since G. nandir “fay of the country” in the same list is said to be a cognate of ᴱQ. nandin (GL/59). Another likely precursor is ᴱ√NḶDḶ or nḷřḷ [NḶĐḶ] from the Qenya Lexicon, given as nḷđ in the Gnomish Lexicon, with derivatives like ᴱQ. nal (nald-) and G. glith “dell” (QL/66; GL/40).

The unglossed root ᴹ√NAD appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. nanda “water-mead, watered plain”, N. nadhor “pasture”, and N. nann “wide grassland” and so probably meaning something like “✱plain” (Ety/NAD); it had a rejected variant ᴹ√NÁNAD as well (EtyAC/NAD). √NAD appeared in notes from 1968 with the gloss “hollow (of structures or natural features more or less concave with rising sides)” and derivatives like Q. nanwa “a (large) bowl” and S. nand “valley” (NM/351). In these notes, primitive ✶nandē was described as meaning:

> ✱nandē “a valley, bottom”, originally used only of not very large areas the sides of which were part of their own configuration. Vales or valleys of great extent, plains at the feet of mountains, etc. had other names.

The most notable names in the early legendarium using this root are ᴱQ. Tasarinan and G. Nan Tathrin “Land of Willows”, names that retained the same basic form and meaning in Tolkien’s later writings, except that the Sindarin form became S. Nan-tathren, and that Tolkien sometimes translated the name as “Valley of Willows” instead of “Land”. Indeed, the elements S. nan(d) and Q. nan(do) or nandë appeared regularly in names in Tolkien’s later writings, but almost always translated as “valley” or “vale”.

Neo-Eldarin: Since primitive ✶nandē referred as much to the plain at the bottom of the valley than the valley itself, I would assume Noldorin (and Neo-Sindarin) words having to doing with pastures could be extrapolate from that sense. For Neo-Quenya pasture words, however, I would use derivatives of ᴺ√NES; see that entry for discussion.

enet

root. *one more

A root with the sense “one more” that is an extension of √EN “again”, introduced by Tolkien in his discussion of Elvish numerals from documents written in 1968 (VT47/15-16; VT48/25). One interesting use of this root is in the derivation of the word yunquenta, an alternate word for “thirteen” literally meaning “twelve and one more” = yunque + enta (VT47/15).

and(ă)

adverb/conjunction. moreover, to go on further, to say more

han

root. add to, increase, enhance, enrich, honour (especially by gift); give

This root did not explicitly appear until very late in Tolkien writing, in 1969-1970, but there were a few earlier precursors. Wynne, Smith, and Hostetter suggested the preposition Q. han “beyond” from Quenya prayers of the 1950s might be connected to this root. I think another precursor might be √ƷAN “long” or “extend” given as a variant of √YAN around 1959; Tolkien was considering √ƷAN as the basis for a new etymology of Q. anda/S. and “long” (PE17/40, 155), though there are no clear indications he carried through with this idea.

The root √ƷAN reappeared in 1968 notes with the gloss “adorn” serving as the basis for Q. antil, a word for the middle finger, perhaps being the place where rings were usually worn (VT47/26). As pointed out by Patrick Wynne this use of √ƷAN indicates it was from the period in the late 1960s where Tolkien was playing around with the form and phonetic developments of the ancient velar spirant [h] or [ɣ] (ʒ); see the discussion in the entry on how [[aq|initial [ɣ] became [h]]] in Ancient Quenya; this was one of the more common phonetic developments Tolkien used, but he vacillated a great deal on the subject.

√ƷAN reappeared again in 1969 notes on Quenya verbs with the gloss “give”, but here it was revised to √HAN (PE22/163). Tolkien then elaborated on the meaning of √HAN, saying that its actual sense was “enhance, enrich, add to”. In this note h- was preserved in Quenya and Telerin but lost in Sindarin, and the Quenya verb anta- “give” was influenced by but not directly derived from √HAN; in Sindarin the influence was more direct. We know that √HAN reappeared at least one more time in some notes from 1970 with the gloss “add to, increase, enhance, honour (espec. by gift)” (VT43/14) but this note remains unpublished so we don’t have the full context.

Sorting through all these variations is quite difficult, especially since they are intertwined with Tolkien’s shifting notions of the initial developments of ancient ʒ- and h-, but I think the basic conceptual development is (1959) √ƷAN “extend” >> (1968) √ƷAN “adorn” >> (1969) √ƷAN “give” >> (1969-70) √HAN “add to, increase, enhance, enrich, honour”.

Outside of its influence on “give” and “gift”, √HAN has no real attested derivatives, but it has long been theorized that it is basis for the Q. hantalë “thanksgiving” in Q. Eruhantalë (UT/214). This in turn serves as the basis for the most common Neo-Eldarin words for “thanks” and “to thank”, a pretty important word for polite conversation. These words, and their role in Neo-Eldarin, have been exceptionally contentious, giving this otherwise obscure root an outsized role in debates about Tolkien’s languages.

ol

root. *grow, [ᴹ√] grow [into]; *become

This root seems to have served various purposes throughout Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√OLO “tip”, unglossed ᴱ√OLO with derivatives like ᴱQ. olde “very, much” and ᴱQ. olto- “increase, multiply”, as well as ᴱ√OLO whose derivatives had to do with dreams (QL/69). The second root ᴱ√OLO² may have had the sense “✱increase, more”, which may have reemerged in the verb or primitive form ol- “grow” in a deleted entry from The Etymologies of the 1930s (EtyAC/GAL(AS)). The root ᴹ√OL “grow” was mentioned again in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948 (PE22/103). In this document the Quenya verb Q. ol- generally had the gloss “become” (PE22/99-100, 113), even as a derivative of ᴹ√OL “grow” (PE22/103).

The sense “become” for the verb form was mentioned again in Common Eldarin: Verb Structure from the early 1950s (PE22/133-134). There are several more documents from around 1959 that have derivatives connected to the sense “growth”, such as Q. olmen “growth-year”, Q. olmië “growth” and Q. quantolië “maturity” (NM/84, 119-120). However, in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from the late 1960s Tolkien said: “OL as a simple stem seems not to have occurred in Eldarin, though it appears in certain ‘extended’ stems, such as olos/r ‘dream’, olob ‘branch’ (PM/341)”. This lack of ancient meaning was despite the fact that OL was an element in the ancient name Q. Olwë.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is best to assume √OL meant “grow, ✱become”, which could easily contribute to the extended forms √OLOS “dream” and √OLOB “branch”. As a root, I think it primarily refers to the growth of people or animals, as opposed to √GAL used for the growth of plants. I think √OL can also be used for more abstract senses of “growth”, include “grow into” and hence “become”.

gal

root. grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive

A root meaning “grow, flourish” used in both Quenya and Sindarin, though in Quenya it was influenced by other roots such as √AL(A) “good, blessed”. Its precursors in the earliest versions of Tolkien’s languages seem to be ᴱ√ALA “spread” (QL/29) and a Gnomish-only root ᴱ√cala [kala], unglossed but with derivatives like G. calw “green shoot, sapling, sprout” and G. caltha- “wax, grow, flourish” (GL/25).

The root ᴹ√GALA first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with various glosses, the last being “thrive” (Ety/GALA). The relevant entries went through considerable revision. For example, the meaning of this root was first given as “grow”, but this meaning was rejected and Tolkien said the verb for “grow” was ol- (EtyAC/GAL(AS)). This new verb seems to be based on a variant root ✱ᴹ√GOL, as indicated by ᴹQ. ola- “grow” < ᴹ✶golā- “grow” appearing in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948 as a replacement for ᴹQ. ala- < ᴹ✶galā- (PE22/113, note #80), though the new root might also have been ᴹ√OL “grow” as indicated earlier in the same document (PE22/103). Since ᴹ√GALA was retained in The Etymologies, most likely the meaning of this root was changed from “grow” to “thrive” in the 1930s and 40s.

It seems ᴹ√OL “grow” survived into the 1950s (NM/84, 119-120), often with the sense “become” as well (PE22/134); see the entry on √OL for discussion. However, the sense “grow” as also restored to √GAL, but limited mainly to plants. For example, Common Eldarin: Verb Structure from the early 1950s had the primitive verbs ✶galā- “grow (of plants)” vs. ✶olā- “become, come into being, turn into (another state)” (PE22/134). This definition of √GAL as “growth” (along with “flourish” and “be healthy”) appeared regularly in Tolkien’s later writings, though it was often limited primarily to plants, especially in its connection to ✶galadā, the basis for tree words (PE17/25, 135, 153).

law

root. flourish (green), grow, flourish (green), grow, [ᴹ√] abound; warm

This root was variously connected to life and warmth throughout Tolkien’s life. The earliest iteration of the root was ᴱ√LAWA from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s whose meaning was described as “much same as KOẎO [have life], but used of a vegetable”; it had derivatives like ᴱQ. laule “life, mode of life”, ᴱQ. laute “living thing, (esp.) vegetable”, and ᴱQ. lauke “vegetable, plant (species)” (QL/52). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon it had derivatives like G. lauth “a plant, herb” and G. laug “(of plants) alive, having sap, green, vigorous” (GL/53).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was glossed “warm” with derivatives ᴹQ. lauka and N. lhaug of the same meaning (Ety/LAW). In the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948 it was glossed “abound” with a Quenya verb ᴹQ. lauta- of the same meaning (PE22/103).

The root √LAW appeared in notes from the late 1950s serving as the basis for Q. loa “sun-year”, originally with the sense ✶lawā “growing, blooming”; it was also explicitly connected to its extended form √LAWAR with the sense “golden colour” (PE17/159). Its final appearance in currently published materials was in some Late Notes on Verbs from 1969, where it was given as √LAW “flourish (green), grow” with derivative Q. lauya- of the same meaning (PE22/156).

Despite all these minor variations, the general meaning of the root was fairly stable, having mainly to do with life and flourishing (especially of plants), and also connected to warmth and sunlight, probably by association with its extended form √(G)LAWAR “golden colour or light”, which applied to sunshine among other things.

lotta-

verb. bloom

galā- Reconstructed

verb. to grow (of plants)

@@@ also agor variant past of S. car-

giw

root. *germinate, impregnate

pul

root. swell

dulgu

adjective. black, dark

An adjective translated “black” (SD/247). It appears in its plural form dulgî “black” in the final version of the Lament of Akallabêth (SD/247) and in its singular form dulgu in the second draft of this text (SD/312). It may be related to S. dûr “dark” and N. doll “obscure, hidden, dusky”, as suggested by Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynn (AAD/14). It is likely related to or a variant of dolgu “black, dark”.

narâg

adjective. black

dunna

adjective. black

This might seem to be derived from dunnâ, sc. the stem DUN "dark (of colour)" (LR:355) either with the adjectival ending -nâ or with medial fortification n > nn and the simpler adjectival ending -â. However, other Nandorin words seem to have lost their final -â's, e.g. ealc "swan" from alk-wâ, and (to quote a wholly parallel example) cogn "bow" from ku3nâ. The descendant form is not cogna with the final vowel intact as the case would seem to be in dunna. However, primitive -ô does come out as -a in Nandorin, cf. golda "Noldo" from ñgolodô, so a form dunnô might be capable of yielding dunna, but this primitive form would rather be a noun "dark person/thing", since primitive -ô, -nô are nominal rather than adjectival endings. Of course, Nandorin may have turned an original noun into an adjective, or developed an adjectival ending -a afresh. But all things considered *dunnâ still appears to be the best reconstruction of the primitive form.

The words dunna and scella raise the question of whether original final -â is actually preserved as -a following double consonants (as opposed to clusters of different consonants) in Nandorin.