ñgol

root. knowledge, wisdom, lore, knowledge, wisdom, lore; [ᴹ√] wise, be wise

This root was connected to Elvish words for “wisdom” for much of Tolkien’s life, the most notable derivative being Q. Noldo. In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s it was given as ᴱ√ŇOL(O) “know”, where the Ň almost certainly represented velar nasal Ŋ (QL/67). It was originally given simply as ŇOLDO “goblin, gnome” along with a derivative ᴱQ. noldare “mole”, but the “goblin” entries were removed and “mole” was transferred to ᴱ√NDOLO “delve”, so the connection of this root to knowledge was a very early decision. In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon primitives forms were likewise given as ᴱ✶ŋolđō > G. golda “gnome, wise one” (GL/41).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root appeared as ᴹ√ÑGOL “wise, wisdom, be wise” along with an extended form ᴹ√ÑGOLOD serving as the basis for ᴹQ. Noldo/N. Golodh (Ety/ÑGOL; ÑGOLOD). This root and its extended form were mentioned regularly in Tolkien’s later writings, with glosses like “knowledge” (PE17/79) and “knowledge, wisdom, lore” (WJ/383), and in one place Tolkien clarified that it was “deep knowledge not ‘occult’ in modern sense, but applied to the deeper knowledge of the ‘wise’ or skilled persons, not kept secret ... but [also] not attainable by all” (PE17/79).

ñgol

root. dark-hued, dark-brown

In most places, Tolkien assigned the root √ÑGOL the meaning “knowledge, wisdom”, and it was the source of the tribal name of the Noldor. In one set of late notes, however, Tolkien said:

> Delete all references of Noldo to “wisdom, lore”! This characteristic only clearly seen later - the Tribal names must be early formations ... √ÑGOL = dark-hued, dark-brown ... The predominant colour of Ñoldorin hair was very dark brown (PE17/125).

The problem with this scenario is that elsewhere the root √ÑGOL is deeply associated with wisdom. Although Tolkien did not explicitly reject √ÑGOL “dark-hued, dark-brown”, this scenario is mentioned nowhere else. Nevertheless, it is possible that the Primitive Quenderin sense of ÑGOL was originally “dark-hued, dark-brown” and the root later developed the meaning “knowledge, wisdom” by association with the Noldor, replacing the older meaning. If so, perhaps the only survival of the original meaning is the word Q. ñolya “dark-haired”. Alternately, ñolya might mean “hair like the Noldor (dark)”.

ñgōlē

noun. Science/Philosophy as a whole

ñgolod

root. *one of the wise folk, Gnome, [ᴹ√] one of the wise folk, Gnome

ñgolodō

noun. lore-master, sage

ṇ̃golondē

proper name. country of the Noldor

dāra

adjective. wise

noldo

proper name. one of the wise folk, Gnome

An Elf of the second tribe, known as “The Wise” (WJ/383). Their name developed from the primitive root √ÑGOL having to do with wisdom (PM/360, WJ/383).

Conceptual Development: The name ᴱQ. Noldo dates back to the earliest Lost Tales, and in the Qenya Lexicon from the 1910s, where it already had the derivation given above (QL/67). In Tolkien’s earlier writings, he often translated this name as “Gnome”, in the sense of the Greek origin of this word (having to do with thought and wisdom) rather than that of a dwarf-like creature. This translation of ᴹQ. Noldo continued to appear in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/201), but became less common in Tolkien’s later writings, and was not used in the published version of The Silmarillion.

In Tolkien’s earliest writings, the plural form of this word was usually ᴱQ. Noldoli (LT1/21), but by the 1930s this had been replaced by ᴹQ. Noldor (LR/119), the form that was used thereafter.

In notes from the 1950s, Tolkien considered an alternate etymology of this name from the root √ÑGOL “dark-hued, dark-brown” referring to their dark hair (PE17/125), just as the tribal name of the Vanya referred to their fair hair. Presumably he considered this alternate origin because the newly-awakened Noldor would not yet have been known for their wisdom, but there is no evidence that this alternate etymology was anything other than a transient idea.

ingolondë

place name. Country of the Noldor

An ancient name for the kingdom of the Noldor in Beleriand (LR/253), derived from a primitive word Ṇ̃golondē where the initial ñ- became syllabic and was therefore not lost (PE19/77). The meaning of the suffix -ndë is unclear, but a similar formation appears in the name Elendë “Elfland”; some of Tolkien’s notes from the 1930s indicate it may have been the result of ancient nasal-infixion (PE18/40).

Conceptual Development: This name was not used in the published version of The Silmarillion, but ᴹQ. Ingolonde appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (SM/108, LR/253), where it was translated “Kingdom of the Gnomes” (LR/253). The name appeared in The Etymologies as a derivative of the root ᴹ√ÑGOLOD, where it is translated as “Land of the Gnomes” (Ety/ÑGOLOD). Its more detailed derivation (as noted above) appeared in the Tolkien’s writing on Quenya Phonology (PE19), in both the first version from the 1930s (PE19/36) and in the later version from the 1950s (PE19/77).

A possible early precursor to this name, ᴱQ. Noldomar “Gnomeland” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon (QL/67); see that entry for discussion.

nóla

wise, learned

nóla ("ñ") (1) adj. "wise, learned" (ÑGOL) (note that this and the next nóla would be spelt differently in Tengwar writing, and originally they were also pronounced differently, since nóla "wise, learned" was ñóla in First Age Quenya).

Nolmë

knowledge, philosophy (including science)

Nolmë ("ñ")noun "knowledge, Philosophy (including Science)" (PM:360 cf. 344)

canya

adjective. wise

handë

knowledge, understanding, intelligence

handë noun "knowledge, understanding, intelligence" (KHAN). Note: *handë is (probably) also the past tense of the verb har- "sit".

isqua

wise

isqua ("q") adj. "wise" (LT2:339).

issë

knowledge, lore

issë noun "knowledge, lore" (LT2:339; rather ista or istya in Tolkien's later Quenya)

ista

knowledge

ista (1) noun "knowledge" (IS). Also istya.

istare

noun. knowledge

istima

adjective. wise, knowledgeable, v.well informed

istya

knowledge

istya noun "knowledge" (IS). Also ista (#1).

iswa

wise

iswa adj. "wise" (LT2:339); rather saila in Tolkiens later Quenya.

noldo

noun. Noldo

Noldo, Gnome

saila

wise

#saila adj. "wise" (isolated from alasaila [q.v.] "unwise" in a late source)

saila

adjective. wise

saira

wise

saira adj. "wise" (SAY, VT46:12; a later source has the alternative formation #saila as above)

tára

wise

tára (2) ?"wise". (From tentative notes trying to explain Daur [unlenited *Taur] as Sindarin name of Frodo; the more normal word for "wise" seems to be saila/saira.)

tára

adjective. wise

goll

adjective. wise

golodh

noun. one of the wise folk, Gnome

goll

adjective. wise

golwen

adjective. wise, learned in deep arts

ista-

verb. to have knowledge

noen

adjective. wise, sensible

sail

adjective. wise

goldo

noun. Noldo

golodh

noun. lore-master, sage

noll

noun. Noldo

golodh

noldo

(one of the Noldor) Golodh (i **Ngolodh = i Ñolodh, o N**golodh = o Ñgolodh), pl. Gelydh (in Gelydh = i Ñgelydh), coll. pl. Golodhrim. While Golodh is the actual Sindarin cognate of Quenya Noldo, the Noldor themselves apparently found this form unpleasing (WJ:379) and preferred the word Gódhel (i **Ódhel), pl. Gódhil (i Ngódhil = i Ñódhil), coll. pl. Gódhellim. Also Ódhel, pl. Ódhil, coll. pl. Ódhelllim** (WJ:364, 378-9). Adj.

golodh

noldo

(i Ngolodh = i Ñolodh, o N’golodh = o Ñgolodh), pl. *Gelydh* (*in Gelydh* = i Ñgelydh), coll. pl. Golodhrim. While Golodh is the actual Sindarin cognate of Quenya Noldo, the Noldor themselves apparently found this form unpleasing (WJ:379) and preferred the word Gódhel (i ’Ódhel), pl. *Gódhil*** (i Ngódhil = i Ñódhil), coll. pl. **Gódhellim. Also Ódhel, pl. Ódhil, coll. pl. Ódhelllim (WJ:364, 378-9). Adj.

golodh

lore-master

pl1. gœlydh {ð} n. lore-master, sage. Historical form obsolete as specific 'tribal' or general, except as element in certain proper-names. It was used of any sage or lore-master.Q. ñoldo. >> pengolodh

gûl

noun. knowledge

n. knowledge, deep knowledge not 'occult' in modern sense, but applied to the deper knowledge of the 'wise' or skilled persons, not kept secret (as [?among the] Elves) but not attainable by all. Q. ñōle, B.S. gûl phantom, shadow of dark magic, necromancer, slave, servant?. The B.S. word gûl was prob. derived from ngōl-.

sael

adjective. wise

sael

adjective. wise

golodhren

of the noldor, noldorin

*(WJ:318; Christopher Tolkien found the ”last letters illigible”, but the context might suggest Golodhrin as a pl. adj. ”Noldorin (ones)”. Lenited Ngolodhren = Ñolodhren*.

idhren

wise

idhren (pondering, thoughtful), pl. idhrin. 4) goll (lenited ngoll, pl. gyll). 5) golwen (learned in deep arts), lenited ngolwen, pl. gelwin (archaic *gölwin)

idhren

wise

(pondering, thoughtful), pl. idhrin. 4) goll (lenited ngoll, pl. gyll). 5) golwen (learned in deep arts), lenited ngolwen, pl. gelwin (archaic ✱gölwin)

ist

knowledge

ist (lore); no distinct pl. form.

ist

knowledge

(lore); no distinct pl. form.

ista

have knowledge

(i ista, in istar), pa.t. sint or istas (VT45:18).

noen

wise

(sensible). Pl. form (if any) uncertain. The archaic form of the word is given as nohen (VT46:7), which would have the pl. form nöhin. If the regular change of ö to e occured before the loss of h, the pl. form of noen could be nain for older nein.

sael

wise

1) sael (lenited hael; no distinct pl. form), 2) noen (sensible). Pl. form (if any) uncertain. The archaic form of the word is given as nohen (VT46:7), which would have the pl. form nöhin. If the regular change of ö to e occured before the loss of h, the pl. form of noen could be nain for older nein. 3)

sael

wise

(lenited hael; no distinct pl. form)

golda

adjective. noldo

The primitive form of Quenya Noldo (and hence also Nandorin golda) is given in WJ:364, 380 as ñgolodô. This example demonstrates that in Nandorin, like in Quenya, the second of two identical vowels in adjacent syllables is lost in words that had another syllable following the lost vowel. This word alone provides a clear example of the change of primitive final _-ô to -a_. The form golda also suggests that in Nandorin as in Sindarin, the original initial nasalized stops ñg, nd, mb were simplified to g, d, b, though examples for d and b are lacking in our very small corpus. The stems involved are found in LR:377: ÑGOL "wise" and the extended form ÑGOLOD "one of the wise folk". Ñgolodô is thus either formed from ÑGOL by ómataina (suffixed base-vowel), suffixed D and the nominal (often masculine or agental) ending -ô, alternatively simply the longer ending -dô (of similar meaning) suffixed to the ómataina-form of the stem ÑGOL (sc. ñgolo-).

edel

noun. Elda, High-elf

Stated in the Etymologies to be derived from a stem ÉLED (LR:356), defined as "Star-folk"; Tolkien points out that Doriathrin and Danian used a "transposed" form, clearly referring to the sounds L and D changing place. In Etym the development is apparently meant to be eledâ (this primitive form is explicitly given in Letters:281) > edela > edel. Later Tolkien reconstructed the primitive form of Quenya Elda as eldâ (WJ:360); whether this could regularly yield Nandorin edel is doubtful, unless final -ld metathesized to -dl and a vowel developed to break up this final cluster.

In Etym, Tolkien first gave the Nandorin form as elda, then changed it. *Eledâ could not yield elda, since final -â is regularly lost in Nandorin. Since in this word we do not see loss of the second of two identical vowels (compare golda), we must conclude that final -a was lost before this could happen.