nindë adj. "slender" (NIN-DI, pointing to a stem-form nindi-). Not to be confused with *nindë as the likely pa.t. of the verb nir-, q.v.
Quenya
Uinen
water
nindë
slender
ninwa
blue
ninwa adj. "blue" (LT1:262)
nén
water
nén (nen-) noun "water" (NEN).
nén
noun. water, water, [ᴱQ.] river
The word for “water”, a derivative of the root √NEN of the same meaning (PE17/52; Ety/NEN). Its stem form was nen- (Ety/NEN) and its primitive form was given as ✶nē̆n, the vowel length variation due to distinct subjective nēn versus objective/inflected nĕn- in ancient monosyllables (PE21/64).
Conceptual Development: This word first appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with two senses: “river” and (archaic) “†water”. Tolkien indicated the two senses were based on distinct roots: ᴱ√NEŘE [NEÐE] and ᴱ√NENE respectively, with two distinct stem forms nend- and nēn (QL/64-65). The Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa also mentions the forms nen (nēn-) “water” versus nen(d-) “river” (PME/64-65). In the English-Qenya Dictionary of the mid-1920s Tolkien had both nēn “river” (PE15/76) and nēn “water” (PE15/78), but in the Early Qenya Grammar he had only nēn “water” (PE14/43, 72), also appearing as nen “water” in documents on The Valmaric Script from this period (PE14/110).
In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, Tolkien had ᴹQ. nēn “water”, but in this document it had nēn- with long ē in its inflected forms as well (PE21/23). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, however, uninflected nén “water” had a stem form of nen- with short e (Ety/NEN), and the reasons for this variation was discussed in Primitive Quendian Structure: Final Consonants from 1936, the nominative/objective distinction noted above (PE21/64). This seems to be the paradigm Tolkien stuck with thereafter, as evidenced by S. nen “water” rather than ✱✱nîn.
Cognates
- S. nen “water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, water; lake, pool; (lesser) river, [ᴱN.] stream” ✧ PE17/052; SA/nen
Derivations
Element in
- Q. Cuiviénen “Water of Awakening” ✧ SA/nen
- Q. Nénar
- Q. nenda “wet”
- Q. nendil “beast that lives in the water”
- Q. Nendili “Water-lovers”
- ᴺQ. nengarmo “otter, (lit.) water-wolf”
- Q. Nénimë “February, *Wet-ness”
- ᴺQ. nenungol “octopus, (lit.) water-spider”
- Q. Nenya “(Ring) of Water” ✧ SA/nen
- Q. Nísinen “*Fragrant Water”
- Q. Uinen ✧ SA/nen
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √NEN > nēn [nēn] ✧ PE17/052 √nen > nen [nen] ✧ SA/nen Variations
- nēn ✧ PE17/052
- nen ✧ SA/nen
luinë
blue
luinë adj. "blue", pl. luini (PE17:66, VT48:23, 24, 28, Nam, RGEO:66). Common Eldarin luini- would also be the stem-form in Quenya (VT48:24). Compare luinincë. Apparently -luin in Illuin, the name of one of the Lamps of the Valar (q.v.), Helluin, name of the star Sirius, and Luinil, name of another blue-shining star (or planet). (SA; Luinil is tentatively identified with Neptune, MR:435). Cf. also menelluin "sky-blue", used as noun = "cornflower" (J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator p. 193).
luinë
adjective. blue
Cognates
Derivations
Element in
- Q. Andúnë pella Vardo tellumar nu luini “beyond the West, beneath the blue vaults of Varda” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
- Q. Andúnë pella Vardo nu luini tellumar “West beyond [the borders of] Varda’s under blue domes” ✧ RGEO/58
- Q. Helluin “?Ice or Sky Blue” ✧ SA/luin
- ᴺQ. luicarnë “purple”
- Q. Luinil “*Blue Star” ✧ SA/luin
- Q. luinincë “bluish”
- ᴺQ. luinion “lapis lazuli, (lit.) blue-rock”
- ᴺQ. luinyellë “bluebell”
- Q. menelluin “cornflower (colour), *(lit.) sky-blue”
- Q. sanomë tarnë Olórin, Aracorno, Eomer, Imrahil, mi mísë, mi telepta yo morna, mi laiqua yo ninquë, mi luinë, ta Gimli mi lossëa “There stood Gandalf, Aragorn, Eomer and Imrahil in grey, in silver and black, in green and white, and in blue, and also Gimli in white” ✧ PE17/071
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √LUY > luine [luini] > [luine] ✧ VT48/23 ✶luini > luine [luini] > [luine] ✧ VT48/24 Variations
- luine ✧ PE17/066; VT48/23; VT48/24; VT48/28
- luini ✧ PE17/071
- luin ✧ SA/luin
Illuin
blue
Illuin place-name, name of one of the Lamps of the Valar; apparently incorporating the element luin "blue" (Silm): hence *"all-blue"?
Nénar
water
Nénar noun name of a star (or planet), evidently derived from nén "water" (Silm), tentatively identified with Uranus (MR:435)
fimbë
adjective. slender, slender, *thin
Cognates
- S. fim “slender, slim” ✧ PE17/023
Derivations
- √PHIM “*slender, slim” ✧ PE17/023
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √PHIM > fimbi- [pʰimbi] > [pʰimbe] > [ɸimbe] > [fimbe] ✧ PE17/023
fimbë
slender
*fimbë (stem fimbi-) adj. "slender" (PE17:23)
lúnë
blue
lúnë (stem *lúni-, given the primitive form ¤lugni) adj. "blue" (LUG2, LT1:262; later sources rather give luinë, with pl. form luini_ in Namárië)_. According to VT45:29, lúnë in the Etymologies was changed by Tolkien from lúna.
teren
slender
teren, terenë adj. "slender" (TER/TERES)
Uinen (Uinend-, as in dative Uinenden) fem. name, used of a Maia, spouse of Ossë (UY, NEN). Adopted and adapted from Valarin (WJ:404), though it is also said that it contains -nen "water" (SA:nen); the latter explanation may be folk etymology. In the Etymologies, the name is derived from the same stem (UY) as uilë "long trailing plant, especially seaweed".