mallë

street, road

mallë pl. maller noun"street, road" (MBAL, LR:47, 56, LT1:263, SD:310)

londa

path

[londa noun "path"], changed by Tolkien to londë noun "road (in sea)" (VT45:28)

ratta

noun. track

Cognates

• T. ratta “a track” ✧ NM/363

Derivations

• ✶ratta “a track” ✧ NM/363
  • √RAT “to find a way” ✧ NM/363

Element in

• ᴺQ. rattaraxa “tram, (lit.) track-wagon”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶ratta > ratta	[ratta]	✧ NM/363

vand-

way, path

vand- noun "way, path" (LT1:264; a final vowel would seem to be required, but in Tolkien's later Quenya, the words tië or mallë are to be preferred)

tëa

straight line, road

tëa (1) noun "straight line, road" (TEÑ)

tië

noun. path, road, way, line, path, road, way, line, [ᴹQ.] course, direction, [ᴱQ.] route

Derivations

• ✶tegē “line, road” ✧ PE19/071
  • √TEG “line”

Element in

• Q. Anar caluva tielyanna “The sun shall shine upon your path” ✧ UT/022
• ᴺQ. angatië “railway line, railroad track, (lit.) iron-road”
• Q. ar ilyë tier undulávë lumbulë “and all paths are drowned deep in shadow” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
• Q. ar lumbulë undulávë ilyë tier “and (heavy) shadow swallowed (lit. down-licked) all roads” ✧ RGEO/59
• Q. imbi Menel Cemenyë menë Ráno tië “between Heaven and Earth goes the path of the Moon” ✧ VT47/11
• Q. mentië “passage, journey, direction of travel” ✧ PE17/013

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶tegē > tie	[tegē] > [teɣē] > [tejē] > [tie]	✧ PE19/071

Variations

• tie ✧ PE17/013; PE17/072; PE19/071; VT47/11

lé

way

lé (1) noun "way" = "method, manner" ("as in that is not As way"). Not to be confused with lé as a stressed form of le = plural "you"; Tolkien was himself dissatisfied with this clash (PE17:74).

men

way

men (2) noun "way" (SA) or "place, spot" (MEN)

men

noun. way, way; [ᴹQ.] place, spot

Cognates

• S. men “road, way, road, way; [N.] *place”

Derivations

• √MEN “go, move, proceed (in any direction); make for, go towards; have as object, (in)tend; direction, object, point moved toward; region”

Element in

• ᴺQ. catamen “background, milieu”
• Q. formen “north, north, [ᴹQ.] right-hand [direction]” ✧ SA/men
• Q. hyarmen “south, (lit.) left-hand direction” ✧ SA/men
• Q. Ilmen “*Place of Starlight”
• ᴺQ. mancamen “market, (lit.) trade-place”
• ᴺQ. menessë “instead, (lit.) in place”
• Q. mentië “passage, journey, direction of travel”
• ᴺQ. mótamen “office”
• ᴺQ. natsemen “website, (lit.) web-spot”
• Q. númen “west, direction or region of the sunset, occident, (lit.) going down” ✧ SA/men
• ᴺQ. parmen “school, place of study”
• ᴺQ. quermen “a turning, turn, corner (of a street)”
• Q. rómen “east, uprising, sunrise” ✧ SA/men
• ᴺQ. tirmen “theater”
• ᴺQ. tungwemen “tax-office”

tier

path

tier is, besides the pl. form of tië "path" above, an ephemeral word for "so", abandoned by Tolkien in favour of tambë (VT43:17)

lango

passage

lango (2) noun "passage", especially across or over an obstacle, also "neck" (PE17:92)

tië

path, course, line, direction, way

tië noun "path, course, line, direction, way" (TE3, VT47:11); pl. tier in Namárië(Nam, RGEO:67); tielyanna "upon your path" (UT:22 cf. 51; tie-lya-nna "path-your-upon")

mentië

passage, journey, direction of travel

mentië noun "passage, journey, direction of travel" (PE17:13); the elements are men- "go, proceed" + tië "path, road". Not to be confused with the gerund of menta- #1.

men

noun. way, road

men

noun. road, way, road, way; [N.] *place

Cognates

• Q. men “way, way; [ᴹQ.] place, spot”

Derivations

• √MEN “go, move, proceed (in any direction); make for, go towards; have as object, (in)tend; direction, object, point moved toward; region”

Element in

• S. Mengas Dûr “?Dark Gap in the Way”
• S. Men-i-Naugrim “Dwarf Road, (lit.) Way of the Dwarves” ✧ NM/372; UT/280
• ᴺS. uthwen “escape, way out, exit”

Variations

• Menn ✧ NM/372
• Men ✧ UT/280; UTI/Men-i-Naugrim

othrad

noun. street

pad

track

_ n. _track, road (only of 'roads' or tracks unpaved in open country).

tharbad

noun. cross-way

lond

noun. narrow path or strait

lond

noun. entrance to harbour, land-locked haven

rath

noun. street

n. street.

rath

noun. street, street; [N.] course, river-bed

Cognates

• ᴺQ. ratta “street, course, river-bed”

Derivations

• ✶ratta “a track” ✧ NM/363
  • √RAT “to find a way” ✧ NM/363
• √RATH “climb (with hands and feet, as in a tree or up a rocky slope)” ✧ UT/255

Element in

• S. Andrath “Long Climb”
• S. Raith ’Ngorthrim “Paths of the Dead” ✧ RC/526 (Raith ’Ngorthrim)
• S. imrath “long narrow valley with road or watercourse running through it lengthwise, *(lit.) valley course”
• S. Rath Celerdain “Lampwrights’ Street” ✧ PE17/096; RC/523
• S. Rath Dínen “Silent Street” ✧ NM/364; RC/551; UT/255
• S. Rathlóriel “Golden-bed”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶ratta > rath	[rattā] > [ratta] > [rattʰa] > [raθθa] > [raθθ] > [raθ]	✧ NM/363
√rath- > rath	[ratʰē] > [ratʰē] > [raθe] > [raθ]	✧ UT/255

Variations

• Rath ✧ RC/523; RC/551

pâd

noun. way

pâd

noun. a step (action); track, road; ford, a step (action); track, road; ford; [N.] way

Derivations

• ✶pat(a) “track, road, way; ford” ✧ PE17/034; PE17/034
  • √PAT “*step, walk”

Element in

• S. Tharbad “Crossway, Crossing” ✧ PE17/034

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶pat- > pad	[pata] > [pat] > [pad] > [pād]	✧ PE17/034
✶pata- > pâd	[pata] > [pat] > [pad] > [pād]	✧ PE17/034

Variations

• pad ✧ PE17/034

othlonn

noun. paved way

lîr

noun. line, line, [N.] row

Derivations

• ᴹ√LIR “*row”

Element in

• S. aeglir “line of peaks, line of peaks, [N.] range of mountain peaks; [ᴱN.] peak, mountain top” ✧ RC/011

Variations

• lir ✧ RC/011 (lir)

lonn

noun. narrow path or strait

lonn

noun. entrance to harbour, land-locked haven

tê

line

(i dê, o thê) (way), pl. tî (i thî), coll. pl. ?teath

tî

line

(i** dî, o thî) (row), no distinct pl. form except with article (i** thî), coll. pl. tíath.

mên

road

mên (i vên, construct men, in compounds -ven) (way), pl. mîn (i mîn). Cf. also:

mên

road

(i vên, construct men, in compounds -ven) (way), pl. mîn (i mîn). Cf. also:

imrad

path

(between mountains, hills or through trackless forest) imrad (pass), pl. imraid.

imrad

path

(pass), pl. imraid.

râd

path

râd (track), construct rad, pl. raid (idh raidh).

râd

path

(track), construct rad, pl. raid (idh raidh).

râd

track

1) (path) râd, construct rad, pl. raid (idh raidh), 2) *ruin (slot, spoor, footprint), pl. rŷn (idh rŷn). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ”rhoein” = rhöin, LR:364 s.v. __. Note: a homophone means ”blazing fire, red flame” and also ”fiery red, burning” as an adj.

râd

track

construct rad, pl. raid (idh raidh)

othrad

street

1) *othrad (pl. ethraid for archaic öthraid). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ostrad. 2) rath (climb, climbing path, course, riverbed), pl. raist (idh raist) (UT:255). 3)

othrad

noun. street

othrad

street

(pl. ethraid for archaic öthraid). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ostrad.

pada

walk

(i bada, i phadar)

rath

street

(climb, climbing path, course, riverbed), pl. raist (idh raist) (UT:255).

bâd

pathway

(i vâd, construct bad) (beaten track), pl. baid (i maid).

pâd

way

(construct pad), i bâd, pl. paid (i phaid). Isolated from Tharbad ”Crossroad”.

ruin

track

(slot, spoor, footprint), pl. r**ŷn (idh r**ŷn). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ”rhoein” = rhöin, LR:364 s.v. RUN. Note: a homophone means ”blazing fire, red flame” and also ”fiery red, burning” as an adj.

imrath

valley

(pl. imraith)

othlonn

paved way

othlonn (pl. ethlynn)

othlonn

paved way

othlonn (pl. ethlynn for archaic öthlynn). Verb

othlonn

noun. paved way

othlonn

paved way

(pl. ethlynn)

lend

way

(journey), pl. lind, coll. pl. lennath. Note: a homophone means ”tuneful, sweet”

mên

way

1) mên (i vên, construct men, in compounds -ven) (road), pl. mîn (i mîn), 2) lend (journey), pl. lind, coll. pl. lennath. Note: a homophone means ”tuneful, sweet”, 3) #pâd (construct pad), i bâd, pl. paid (i phaid). Isolated from Tharbad ”Crossroad”. 4) tê (i dê, o thê) (line), pl. tî (i thî), coll. pl. ?teath.

mên

way

(i vên, construct men, in compounds -ven) (road), pl. mîn (i mîn)

tê

way

(i dê, o thê) (line), pl. tî (i thî), coll. pl. ?teath.

fû Speculative

noun. path

Element in

• S. Fui ’Ngorthrim “Paths of the Dead” ✧ RC/526

taeg

boundary line

(i daeg, o thaeg) (limit, boundary), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thaeg).

tilias

line of peaks

(i** dilias, o thilias), pl. tiliais (i** thiliais), coll. pl. tiliassath.

falas

line of surf

(pl. felais) (beach, shore, coast, strand, foaming shore; the word was especially used of the western seaboard of Beleriand). *(VT42:15)*****

lîr

line

1) lîr (row), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. líriath. 2) tê (i dê, o thê) (way), pl. tî (i thî), coll. pl. ?teath, 3) tî (i dî, o thî) (row), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thî), coll. pl. tíath.

lîr

line

(row), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. líriath.

nothlir

family line

(family tree); no distinct pl. form; coll. pl. nothliriath.

batân

noun. road, path, way

A noun variously translated as “road”, “path” or “way” (SD/247, 431; VT24/12) and fully declined on SD/431. This noun also appears in the variant strong-plural form batîn that was sometimes used with Weak I nouns in older and poetic writing (SD/247, 435). Its ordinary weak plural form batânî appears in the declension chart on SD/431. Several authors have suggested (AAD/13, EotAL/BAT) that this noun may be a derivative of the Elvish root ᴹ√BAT “tread” (Ety/BAT). If so, its final element may be the agental suffix -ân, and its initial element may be a verb ✱bat- “walk”, so that the literal sense of the word might be “✱walkway”.

Element in

• Ad. adûn izindi batân tâidô ayadda “[the] road west once went straight, (lit.) west straight road once went” ✧ SD/247
• Ad. adūn batān akhaini ezendi “West road lay straight” ✧ SD/312
• Ad. îdô katha batîna lôkhî “now all ways (are) bent” ✧ SD/247
• Ad. īdō kathī batānī rōkhī-nam “lo! now all ways bent-are” ✧ SD/312

Elements

Word	Gloss
bat-	“to walk”
-ân	“agental suffix”

Variations

• batān ✧ SD/247; SD/312; SD/431

tegē

noun. line, road

Derivations

• √TEG “line”

Derivatives

• Q. tië “path, road, way, line, path, road, way, line, [ᴹQ.] course, direction, [ᴱQ.] route” ✧ PE19/071

pat(a)

noun. track, road, way; ford

Derivations

• √PAT “*step, walk”

Derivatives

• S. pâd “a step (action); track, road; ford, a step (action); track, road; ford; [N.] way” ✧ PE17/034; PE17/034

Element in

• ✶thara-pata “crossway” ✧ SA/thar

Variations

• pat- ✧ PE17/034
• pata- ✧ PE17/034
• pata ✧ SA/thar

teg

root. line

Tolkien used a number of similar roots as the basis for “line” words throughout his life. The earliest of these appeared in the Qenya Lexicon as ᴱ√TEHE [teχe] “pull” (gloss marked with a “?” by Tolkien) with derivatives like ᴱQ. tea “straight”, ᴱQ. telya “attractive; importunate”, and ᴱQ. tie “line, direction, route, road” (QL/90), the last of these surviving more or less unchanged all the way into the published version of The Lord of the Rings (LotR/377). The early root ᴱ√TEHE also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. tê “mark, line; track; path”, G. tî or tion “straight”, and G. tîr “honest; esteem, regard, honour”, originally “straight, upright” (GL/69, 71). Primitive ᴱ✶tegna > ᴱQ. tína/ᴱN. tain “straight” from Early Noldorin Word-lists from the 1920s may represent a shift in the form of the root to ✱ᴱ√TEGE (PE13/153, 165).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root appeared as {ᴹ√TEƷ >>} ᴹ√TEÑ “line, direction” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tie/N. tê “line, way” and ᴹQ. téra/N. tîr “straight, right” (Ety/TEƷ, TEÑ). In the Outline of Phonology Tolkien gave √TEG “line”, whereas √TEÑ was given as the basis for Q. tenna “a thought, notion, idea” and thus clearly with a different meaning; see the entry √TEÑ for further discussion. In any case it is clear that Tolkien considered various ancient velar consonants for the second consonant of this root, all ultimately vanishing in the child languages with similar vocalic effects: 1910s teχ-, 1920s teg-, 1930s {teʒ- >>} teñ- and 1950s teg-.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume this root was √TEƷ in order to preserve the validity of the word téma “series”. This is because Tolkien kept vacillating on the development of gm, but usually had gm > ngw, so that teg-mā > tengwa, not téma.

Derivatives

• ✶tegē “line, road”
  • Q. tië “path, road, way, line, path, road, way, line, [ᴹQ.] course, direction, [ᴱQ.] route” ✧ PE19/071
• ✶tegmā “direct[ion], process” ✧ PE19/097
  • Q. téma “series, series, [ᴹQ.] row, line” ✧ PE18/104; PE19/082; PE19/097

rada-

verb. to make a way, find a way

râd

noun. path, track

ostrad

noun. street

ostrad

noun. street

pendrad

noun. passage up or down slope, stairway

lond

noun. narrow path or strait

lond

noun. entrance to harbour, land-locked haven

bâd

noun. beaten track, pathway

othlond

noun. paved way

othlon

noun. paved way

othlon

noun. paved way

Derivations

• ᴹ√LOD “*pass, path” ✧ Ety/LOD

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√LOD > othlond > othlon	[ostlond] > [oslond] > [oθlond] > [oθlonn] > [oθlon]	✧ Ety/LOD

tî

noun. line, row

lonn

noun. narrow path or strait

lonn

noun. entrance to harbour, land-locked haven

lonn

noun. path

lhonn

noun. narrow path or strait

lhonn

noun. entrance to harbour, land-locked haven

pendrath

noun. passage up or down slope, stairway

tê

noun. line, way