ránë

straying, wandering

ránë noun "straying, wandering" (RAN)

ránen

errant

ránen adj. "errant" (RAN; may be a misreading for *ránëa)

mistana

adjective. stray

Elements

Word	Gloss
mista-	“to stray about”

raun

adjective. errant

raun

noun. Moon

A word for “moon”, equivalent of Q. Rána, attested in later writings only as the element -rawn in the archaic form S. †cýrawn “new-moon”, in modern speech cýron (VT48/7). Based on its use in this word, as well as in N. cúran “crescent moon” [ᴺS. cúron], it seems this is the ordinary word for “Moon” (or “moon”) as a celestial body, as opposed to S. Ithil which is the proper name of the moon, equivalent to English “Luna”. Raun is derived from primitive ✶rānā from the root √RAN “wander”, and hence originally meant something like “Wanderer”, though its Quenya equivalent is usually translated “Wayward”.

Conceptual Development: A very similar form G. Rân “the moon” appeared in Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/64), as well as ᴱN. rán “moon” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/152), though in this period its etymology is unclear. It appeared as N. Rhân “Moon” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, derived from the root ᴹ√RAN “wander, stray” (Ety/RAN), but in this period its Quenya equivalent was ᴹQ. Rana with short a. In later writings the Quenya form became Q. Rána, requiring a change to S. Raun since ancient ā became au in Sindarin.

Cognates

• Q. Rána “Moon, (lit.) Wayward”

Derivations

• ✶rānā “moon” ✧ VT48/07
  • √RAN “wander, stray, meander, go on an uncertain course, go aside from a course (commanded or self-chosen); err”

Element in

• ᴺS. cúron “crescent moon”
• S. cýron “new-moon” ✧ VT48/07

Variations

• rawn ✧ VT48/07 (rawn)

renia-

verb. to stray

mistad

noun. straying, error

ithil

noun. Moon

The usual name for the Moon in Sindarin, from an augmented form of the root √THIL (Let/425; Ety/THIL). This word is most likely the proper name of the Moon, analogous to English “Luna”: in The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien indicated Ithil was a “poetic name”. Compare this to S. Raun “Wanderer”, which is more descriptive of the nature of the body and hence closer to “Moon” (and “moon”).

Conceptual Development: The first precursor to this name seems to be G. Thilim “Moon” in an early list of names (PE14/13). This became G. {Thil >>} Sil “Rose of Silpion, Moon” (GL/67, 72) and G. {Thilmos >>} Silma in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/33, 67), both derivatives of the early root ᴱ√SILI as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Sil). The name Ithil first appeared in early versions of the tales of Númenor from the 1930s (LR/41).

Cognates

• Q. Isil “Moon, (lit.) Sheen” ✧ Let/425; LotR/1114; PE17/039; PE17/121; SA/sil

Derivations

• √THIL “shine silver; white light” ✧ Let/425; SA/sil

Element in

• S. ir Ithil ammen Eruchín “*when the Moon, for us, the Children of God” ✧ LB/354
• S. Ithilbor “*Moon-fist”
• S. ithildin “magical alloy that glows in moonlight, (lit.) moon-star” ✧ PE17/039; PE17/039
• S. Ithilien “Land of the Moon” ✧ SA/sil
• S. Minas Ithil “Tower of the (Rising) Moon” ✧ SA/sil
• S. Orithil “*Moon-day, Monday”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√THIL > Ithil	[itʰil] > [iθil]	✧ Let/425
√thil- > Ithil	[itʰil] > [iθil]	✧ SA/sil

raun

straying

(wandering), pl. roen; also used as noun ”moon” (”the wanderer”). Noun

raun

straying

(adj.) raun (wandering), pl. roen; also used as noun ”moon” (”the wanderer”). Noun

raun

adjective. errant

raun

moon

(pl. roen, idh roen), coll. pl. ronath. Cf. the ending -ron at the end of month-names. Raun is basically the adj. ”straying, wandering” used as a noun, hence identifying the Moon as ”the Wanderer”. – The ”Noldorin” form rhân presupposes a different primitive form and may not correspond to S ✱rân as would normally be supposed.

mistad

straying

(i vistad) (error), pl. mistaid (i mistaid). The word appears as ”mistrad” in the source (LR:373 s.v. MIS), but this would seem to be an error.

mistad

straying

*mistad (i vistad) (error), pl. mistaid (i mistaid). The word appears as ”mistrad” in the source (LR:373 s.v. MIS), but this would seem to be an error.

mista

stray

(verb) 1) mista- (i vista, i mistar), 2) renia- (sail, wander, fly) (i renia, idh reniar). Adj.

mista

stray

(i vista, i mistar)

renia

stray

(sail, wander, fly) (i renia, idh reniar). Adj.

ithil

moon

(= ”the sheen”)

nîlu

noun. moon

A noun translated as “moon” and fully declined as an example of a Strong II noun (SD/431). It appears with both a short and long final -u, but Tolkien indicated that the form with long û is actually the personified form Nîlû “Man in the Moon” (SD/426), perhaps the Adûnaic name of Tilion. Tolkien also listed the “later forms Nil, Njūl” (SD/306), one of which may be the Westron word for “moon”, most likely Wes. nil. Andreas Moehn suggested (EotAL/NUL) that this noun may be related to nûlo/nûlu/nâlu, but given the evil connotations of these words (SD/306) and the different stem vowels, this seems unlikely to me.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. Isil “Moon, (lit.) Sheen” ✧ SD/241; SD/306

Derivatives

• Wes. nil “moon” ✧ SD/306

Element in

• Ad. Nîlû “(Man in the) Moon” ✧ SD/426
• Ad. Ûrinîluwat “Sun and Moon” ✧ SD/428
• Ad. ûriyat nîlô “sun and moon” ✧ SD/428

Variations

• Nīlū ✧ SD/241
• Nīlu ✧ SD/306
• nīlu ✧ SD/431
• Nil ✧ SDI2/Nîlû
• Njūl ✧ SDI2/Nîlû

rānā

noun. moon

Derivations

• √RAN “wander, stray, meander, go on an uncertain course, go aside from a course (commanded or self-chosen); err”

Derivatives

• Q. Rána “Moon, (lit.) Wayward”
• S. Raun “Moon” ✧ VT48/07

Element in

• ✶keu̯rānā “new-moon” ✧ VT48/07

rhaun

adjective. errant

rhaun

adjective. errant

Cognates

• ᴹQ. ránen “errant” ✧ Ety/RAN

Derivations

• ᴹ√RAN “wander, stray” ✧ Ety/RAN

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√RAN > rhaun	[rānen] > [rǭnen] > [rǭne] > [roune] > [raune] > [raun] > [r̥aun]	✧ Ety/RAN

rhân

noun. Moon

Cognates

• ᴹQ. Rana “Moon, (lit.) Wayward” ✧ Ety/RAN

Derivations

• ᴹ√RAN “wander, stray” ✧ Ety/KUƷ
• ᴹ✶Ranā “Moon” ✧ Ety/RAN
  • ᴹ√RAN “wander, stray” ✧ Ety/RAN

Element in

• N. cúran “crescent moon” ✧ Ety/KUƷ

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶Ranā > Rhân	[ranā] > [rana] > [ran] > [r̥an] > [r̥ān]	✧ Ety/RAN

mistrad

noun. straying, error

rhenia-

verb. to stray

mista-

verb. to stray

ithil

noun. Moon

Cognates

• ᴹQ. Isil “Moon, (lit.) Sheen” ✧ Ety/I²; Ety/SIL; Ety/THIL; LR/041; SD/302; SD/306

Derivations

• ᴹ✶Ithil “moon” ✧ Ety/I²; SD/306
• ᴹ√THIL ✧ Ety/SIL; Ety/THIL

Element in

• N. ithildin “*moon-star”
• N. Ithilien “*Moon Lands”
• N. Minas Ithil “Tower of the Moon”
• N. Ithilduin
• N. Arithil “*Moon-day”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶ITHIL > Ithil	[itʰil] > [iθil]	✧ Ety/I²
ᴹ√THIL > Ithil	[itʰil] > [iθil]	✧ Ety/SIL
ᴹ√THIL > Ithil	[itʰil] > [iθil]	✧ Ety/THIL
ᴹ✶Ithīl > Ithil	[itʰīl] > [iθīl] > [iθil]	✧ SD/306