ro-

prefix. ro-

pref.

ro-

prefix. *superlative

-(r)on

suffix. agental suffix

A (masculine) agental suffix appearing as either -on or -ron. The -on variant is derived from ancient ✶-on(do), as seen in [N.] callon “hero” < ᴹ✶kalrondō (Ety/KAL). The -ron variant arose from the addition of ✶-on(do) to the ancient agental suffix ✶-ro after vowel losses made that suffix indistinct. This can be seen most clearly in [N.] thavron “carpenter” < [ON.] sthabro(ndo) < ᴹ✶stabrō (Ety/STAB). Other times the reduced -r became syllabic -or, as in [N.] tavor “woodpecker, [lit.] knocker” < tafr [tavr] < ᴹ✶tamrō (Ety/TAM).

Sometimes the suffix -(r)on was specifically masculine, as in Ellon vs. Elleth “Elf (m./f.)” and [N.] odhron vs. odhril “parent (m./f.)” (WJ/363; Ety/ONO). Other times it seems to be more neutral in meaning, as in pethron “speaker” or mellon “friend” (PE18/100). As a suffix in names, -on is only masculine.

Conceptual Development: The suffix G. -(r)on dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, but in Early Noldorin Word lists of the 1920s, it usually appeared as ᴱN. -ion.

rhûn

noun. east, east, [N.] †rising; eastern

The Sindarin word for “east”, cognate of Q. rómen (LotR/1116, 1123). It was ultimately derived from the root √RŌ/ORO “rise” (Ety/RŌ), and so likely originally meant “rising” as in “rising sun” (PE22/35).

Conceptual Development: The word N. rhûn “east” appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s along with ᴹQ. rómen, both derived from ᴹ√RŌ (Ety/RŌ). At the time, there were no problems with this equivalence, since [[n|initial [r] was unvoiced]] in Noldorin. Tolkien went on to use both these forms in The Lord of the Rings.

Unfortunately, Tolkien later abandoned the unvoicing of initial r in Sindarin, making these two forms problematic. Tolkien considered modifying the Sindarin form to rûn (PE17/88) or the Quenya form to hrómen (PE17/18). The latter was probably derived from an s-strengthened form of the root ᴹ√SRŌ (PE22/127), where the initial sr- would become voiceless [r] in both Quenya and Sindarin. Ultimately, though, he left both forms alone. Perhaps he decided the s-strengthening of the root was a Sindarin-only variant.

am

up, up, [G.] upwards, towards head of, above

The basic Sindarin adverb and prefix for “up”, very well attested and derived from the root √AM of the same meaning. Since the m survives in this adverb, it must have been derived from amb- (PE22/35); compare its Quenya equivalent Q. amba.

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, where G. am appeared as an adverb with the glosses “up, upwards, towards head of” (GL/19). In Gnomish Lexicon Slips modifying that document, G. am was first glossed “above”, but was quickly revised to “above, up” (PE13/109). Starting with Early Noldorin word-lists of the 1920s and into The Etymologies of the 1930s, the gloss was only “up” (PE13/137, 159; Ety/AM²).

-or

suffix. agental suffix

A general agental suffix that developed from the ancient suffix ✶-ro, mainly when final r became syllabic -or after other consonants. This can be seen most clearly in [N.] tavor “woodpecker, [lit.] knocker” derived from older tafr [tavr] < ᴹ✶tamrō (Ety/TAM).

Conceptual Development: This agental suffix also appeared as G. -or in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s in words such as G. nandor “farmer” and G. ecthor “swordsman”. It appeared in a quite a few words in The Etymologies of the 1930s. There is some evidence of it in Tolkien’s later writings, such as S. magor “swordsman” attested in S. Menelvagor “Swordsman of the Sky” (LotR/81), and in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 Tolkien said -or was a variant of the masculine agental suffix -on used after n (PE17/141). This variant had a plural form -yr.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, most people assume -or is a gender-neutral agental suffix.

Ara-

prefix. king

pref. king. >> ar-, Arathorn

aned

give

anno

verb. give!

ar-

prefix. king

pref. king. >> ara-, Arathorn

ara

noun. king

_ n. _king. 

aran

noun. king (used of a lord or king of a specified region)

bo

preposition. on

bo

preposition. *on

e

pronoun. he

The meaning "he" is deduced from the apparent function of this word in the so-called "King's Letter", but it also seems possible to interpret it as "indeed" (as in Q. e, LR/63, VT/45:11), used here in a way of formal address expressing the wishes or the will of the King

e

pronoun. he

erin

preposition. on the

po

preposition. *on

A word for “on” in the Ae Adar Nín prayer of the 1950s, appearing only in its lenited form bo (VT44/21). Bill Welden suggested it might be related to primitive √apa “touch” (VT44/26), perhaps from primitive ✱pā.

Conceptual Development: Early Noldorin word lists of the 1920s had ᴱN. ó “to, on” derived from primitive ᴱ✶apa, with apa > aa > á > au > o when unstressed (PE13/151), though why the intervocalic p vanished isn’t clear.

raw

noun. lion

rhûn

place name. East

Name of the region in the east and also part of the title of the Sea of Rhûn (LotR/1045), it is simply rhûn “east” used as a name.

Conceptual Development: On draft maps for the Lord of the Rings from the 1940s, the name of the sea was N. Rhûnaer “Eastern Sea” (TI/307), also appearing as Rúnaer >> Rhúnaer in drafts of the Lord of the Rings appendices (PM/198). A similar form N. Rúnaeluin appears in the drafts of the final chapters of the Lord of the Rings, and might be a variation of this name (SD/65, 71 note #9).

rûn

noun. east

amrûn

uprising

(noun) amrûn (sunrise, orient, east), pl. emrŷn

amrûn

uprising

(sunrise, orient, east), pl. emrŷn

anna

give

anna- (i anna, in annar), pa.t. ?aun (with endings one-)

anna

give

(i anna, in annar), pa.t. ?aun (with endings one-)

aran

king

1. (king of a region) aran (pl. erain). Coll. pl. aranath. Also †âr with stem-form aran- (also with pl. erain; the longer form aran may be a back-formation from this plural). 2) (king of a people) †taur (i daur, o thaur) (said in LR:389 s.v. _T_Ā to refer to ”legitimate kings of the whole tribes”), pl. toer (i thoer), coll. pl. torath.

aran

king

(pl. erain). Coll. pl. aranath. Also †âr with stem-form aran- (also with pl. erain; the longer form aran may be a back-formation from this plural).

e

he

1. e (SD:128-31), 2) ho, hon, hono. (The distinctions between these forms are unclear. Possibly ho is the nominative ”he”, whereas hon is the accusative ”him”. Hono could be an emphatic form. It may be that all of these pronouns, except e, are ”Noldorin” and were not maintained in Sindarin proper.)

e

he

(SD:128-31)

eria

rise

eria- (arise) (i eria, in eriar), pa.t. erias (VT46:7)

eria

rise

(arise) (i eria, in eriar), pa.t. **erias **(VT46:7)

ho

he

hon, hono. *(The distinctions between these forms are unclear. Possibly ho is the nominative ”he”, whereas hon is the accusative ”him”. Hono could be an emphatic form. It may be that all of these pronouns, except e, are ”Noldorin” and were not maintained in Sindarin proper.)*

or

on

(prep.) 1) or (above), with article erin ”on the” (followed by ”mixed mutation” according to David Salos reconstructions). Erin represents archaic örin. 2)

or

on

(above), with article erin ”on the” (followed by ”mixed mutation” according to David Salo’s reconstructions). Erin represents archaic örin.

or

above

(adj. pref.) or- (over, high)

or

above

(prep.) or (om), with article erin ”above the” (followed by ”mixed mutation” according to David Salos reconstructions). Erin represents archaic örin.

or

above

(over, high)

po

on

po (lenited bo) (VT44:23)

po

on

(lenited bo) (VT44:23)

raw

lion

*raw (pl. roe, idh roe). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” rhaw, pl rhui. Homophones mean ”bank” (of river) and also ”rush, roaring noise”.

raw

noun. lion

raw

lion

(pl. roe, idh roe). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” rhaw, pl rhui. Homophones mean ”bank” (of river) and also ”rush, roaring noise”.

rhu

east

*(as in Rhudaur ”Eastwood”, name of a realm: rhu- + taur ”wood”)*.

rhûn

east

(?na Thrûn) (maybe primarily ”the East” as a region), also amrûn (sunrise, orient, uprising). The term ✱Rhúven (?na Thrúven) is maybe primarily ”east” as a direction; the final element means ”way”. This word is spelt ”rhufen” in the source (LR:384 s.v. RŌ), but it would seem that f here represents v. –

taur

king

(i daur, o thaur) (said in LR:389 s.v. TĀ to refer to ”legitimate kings of the whole tribes”), pl. toer (i thoer), coll. pl. torath.