sam

noun. chamber, chamber, [G.] room

The word sammath “chambers” appeared in the name Sammath Naur “Chambers of Fire” for the cavernous chambers in the interior of Mount Doom (LotR/942). It appears to be the class-plural of an otherwise unattested noun ✱sam “chamber”.

Conceptual Development: Earlier forms of this word were G. tham “chamber, room” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/72) and N. tham “hall” from The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√STAB (Ety/STAB). The Gnomish word was cognate to ᴱQ. sambe “room, chamber” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√SAMA (QL/81), though the Gnomish form tham indicates the actual form of the root was (or became) ✱ᴱ√ÞAMA. Likewise the Noldorin word in the 1930s was cognate to ᴹQ. sambe “room, chamber” but with a distinct gloss = “hall” (Ety/STAB). The form sammath from the 1950s may indicate another revision of the root to √SAB or √SAM, though both of these conflict with other roots from the 1950s and 60s: √SAB “believe” (PE22/158) and √SAM “to have” (PE17/183).

Alternately, sammath could in fact be based on [N.] tham, with the initial consonant dissimilating away from the final -th, a phenomenon also seen in úthaes “temptation”. Hat-tip to Elaran for pointing this out to me.

Neo-Sindarin: I now prefer this final explanation of sammath as an abnormal class-plural of tham, and so would use tham for both “hall” and “chamber” in the singular, but would make sammath its class plural.

sam

noun. chamber

Sammath Naur

place name. Sammath Naur

topon. >> naur

sammath naur

place name. Chambers of Fire

The heart of Mount Doom, translated “Chambers of Fire” (LotR/942), a combination of the class-plural of sam “chamber” and the noun naur “fire”.

Sammath Naur

noun. chambers of fire

sam(b) (“chamber, room”) + ath (collective plural suffix), naur (“fire”)

sammar

noun. *neighbor

samarad

noun. two neighbours

sammar

noun. neighbour

sammath

noun. chambers

sam

chamber

sam (i ham, o sam), pl. saim, coll. pl. sammath

sam

chamber

(i ham, o sam), pl. saim, coll. pl. sammath

sammar

neighbour

sammar (i hammar, o sammar), pl. semmair (i semmair). Also ahamar (pl. ehemair). Dual samarad, 2 neighbours (VT48:20)

samp

noun. spade, shovel

perhael

masculine name. Samwise, (lit.) Half-wise

Sindarin name of Samwise (SD/126), literally “Half-wise” (PE17/102), appearing in its lenited form Berhael in the Praises of Cormallen (LotR/953). His name appears to be a combination of per- “half” and the lenited form of sael “wise”.

Conceptual Development: In unpublished epilogue to The Lord of the Rings, this name first appeared as N. Perhail “Halfwise” (SD/118), using an earlier word N. sail “wise” based on Noldorin phonology: see N. [[n|[ai] revised to [ae]]].

a pherhael ar am meril suilad uin aran o minas tirith nelchaenen ned echuir

to Samwise and Rose the King’s greeting from Minas Tirith, the thirty-first day of Stirring

sav-

verb. to have

A verb for “to have” in Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959, derived from the root √SAM of the same meaning (PE17/173). It was the opposite of pen- “to lack, have not”. As such, it seems the verb sav- was not usually negated, but pen- was used instead as in penim vast “we have no bread” [= (lit.) ✱“we lack bread”] (PE17/144).

ain

adjective. same, identical

A Neo-Sindarin analog of Q. imya. As originally coined by Fiona Jallings this word was aif, but Elaran pointed out that likely it would become ain because [[os|[mj] became [nj]]] in Old Sindarin: [imjā] > [inja] > [enja] > [ein] > [ain].

aif

adjective. same

sevin

8r$5% verb. I have

v. aor. & pron. suff. I have. Q. samin. >> -n

ahamar

noun. neighbour

ahamar

noun. *neighbor

cathr

noun. carpenter

ertha-

verb. to unite

feleg

noun. cave

n. cave, mine, underground dwelling. Q. felco. Q.

groth

noun. cave, tunnel, large excavation

groth

noun. delving, underground dwelling

rond

noun. cave roof

rond

noun. vaulted or arched roof, as seen from below (and usually not visible from outside), or a (large) hall of chamber so roofed

roth

noun. cave

n. cave. Q. rondo.

an-

very

(as adverbial prefix) an-, as in:

an-

very

as in:

dae

very

dae (exceedingly). Lenited dhae.

dae

adverb. very

dae

very

(exceedingly). Lenited dhae.

ertha

unite

#ertha- (i ertha, in erthar). Isolated from the gerund #erthad (itself isolated from aderthad "reunion").

ertha

unite

(i ertha, in erthar). Isolated from the gerund #erthad (itself isolated from aderthad "reunion").

fela

cave

(pl. fili). In the Etymologies (LR:381 s.v. PHÉLEG) the name Felagund is said to include this word, but since Tolkien later re-explained this name as a borrowing from Dwarvish, some would consider fela as a word for ”cave” conceptually obsolete.

gar

have

(i ’âr, i ngerir = i ñerir) (hold, possess; be able, can); pa.t. garant. (AI:92, VT45:14)

gar

have

gar- (i **âr, i ngerir = i ñerir) (hold, possess; be able, can); pa.t. garant**. (AI:92, VT45:14)

golu

wisdom

*golu (i ngolu = i ñolu, o n**golu = o ñgolu) (secret lore), analogical pl. gely (in gely = i ñgely) if there is a pl. Archaic golw, hence golwath** as the likely coll. pl.

golu

wisdom

(i ngolu = i ñolu, o n’golu = o ñgolu) (secret lore), analogical pl. gely (in gely = i ñgely) if there is a pl. Archaic golw, hence golwath as the likely coll. pl.

groth

cave

(i ’roth) (delving, large excavation), pl. gryth (in gryth) (VT46:12)

grôd

cave

1) grôd (i **rôd, construct grod) (delving, excavation, underground dwelling), pl. grŷd (in grŷd) (WJ:414), 2) groth (i **roth) (delving, large excavation), pl. gryth (in gryth) (VT46:12), 3) rond (construct ron) (cavern, vault, vaulted ceiling, hall with vaulted roof), pl. rynd (idh rynd), coll. pl. ronnath, 4) roth (delving, large excavation), pl. ryth, 4) gathrod (i **athrod), pl. gethryd (i ngethryd = i ñethryd), 5) fela (pl. fili). In the Etymologies (LR:381 s.v. PHÉLEG) the name Felagund is said to include this word, but since Tolkien later re-explained this name as a borrowing from Dwarvish, some would consider fela** as a word for ”cave” conceptually obsolete.

grôd

cave

(i ’rôd, construct grod) (delving, excavation, underground dwelling), pl. grŷd (in grŷd) (WJ:414)

gûr

inner mind

(i ’ûr, construct gur) (heart), pl. guir (i nguir = i ñuir). Note: A homophone means ”death”, but has different mutations. (VT41:11)

ind

mind

ind (inner thought, meaning, heart), no distinct pl. form;, coll. pl. innath.

ind

mind

(inner thought, meaning, heart), no distinct pl. form;, coll. pl. innath.

othronn

fortress in a cave/caves

(pl. ethrynn for archaic öthrynn) (underground stronghold). Cited in archaic form othrond in the source (WJ:414).

pannen

adjective. arranged, settled, done

rhûd

artificial cave

(construct rhud, with article ?i thrûd or ?i rûd – *the lenition product of rh- is uncertain) (dwelling underground, rockhewn hall, mine), pl. rhuid (?idh ruid). (PM:365)*

rhûd

rockhewn hall

(construct rhud, with article ?i thrûd or ?i rûd – the lenition product of rh- is uncertain) (dwelling underground, artificial cave, mine), pl. rhuid (?idh ruid). (PM:365);

rond

cave

(construct ron) (cavern, vault, vaulted ceiling, hall with vaulted roof), pl. rynd (idh rynd), coll. pl. ronnath

rond

hall with vaulted roof

(construct ron) (cave, cavern, vault, vaulted ceiling), pl. rynd (idh rynd), coll. pl. ronnath

roth

cave

(delving, large excavation), pl. ryth, 4) gathrod (i ’athrod), pl. gethryd (i ngethryd = i ñethryd)

sab-

verb. to dig

saelas

noun. wisdom

@@@ Discord 2023-03-06

tham

hall

tham, pl. thaim, coll. pl. thammath;

tham

hall

pl. thaim, coll. pl. thammath;

thamas

great hall

pl. themais, coll. pl. thamassath;

thavron

carpenter

thavron (wright, builder), pl. thevryn, coll. pl. thavronnath

thavron

carpenter

(wright, builder), pl. thevryn, coll. pl. thavronnath****