Ilma noun "starlight" (GIL)
Quenya
silma
silver, shining white
silma
noun/adjective. crystal (white), crystal (white); [ᴹQ.] silver, shining white
Cognates
- S. silef “crystal (white), (white) crystal; [N.] silver, shining white” ✧ PE17/023
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶silimā > silma [silimā] > [silmā] > [silma] ✧ PE17/023
Ilma
starlight
silmë
starlight
silmë noun "starlight", also name of tengwa #29 (Appendix E), though in the pre-classical Tengwar system presupposed in the Etymologies, the name silmë instead applied to tengwa #3 (VT46:13). Silmë nuquerna "_s reversed", name of tengwa #30, similar to normal silmë but turned upside down (Appendix E)_. In the Etymologies, stem SIL, silmë is defined as the "light of Silpion" (Telperion), and also a poetic word for "silver".
silmë
noun. starlight, starlight; [ᴹQ.] silver [light], moonlight, light of Silpion
A word for “starlight” and also the name of tengwa #29 [i] (LotR/1123), clearly derived from the root √SIL.
Conceptual Development: The earliest hint of this word was in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s where ᴱQ. silmea seems to be an adjective meaning “✱lunar” (QL/56). ᴱQ. silme also seems to be an adjectival element “gleaming, silver” in ᴱQ. silmerána “gleaming moon, silver moon” from the Oilima Markirya poem and its drafts from around 1930 (MC/220; PE16/75). In The Etymologies of the 1930s ᴹQ. silme was derived from primitive ᴹ✶silimē “light of Silpion, †silver” under the root ᴹ√SIL “shine silver” (Ety/SIL) and thus seems to mean “moonlight”. Indeed, silme had the gloss “moonlight” in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1930s and 40s (PE22/22, 51), where it was already the name of tengwa #29. It became “starlight” in Appendix E of The Lord of the Rings, however (LotR/1123), and elsewhere “moonlight” was isilmë (MC/223).
Derivations
- √SIL “shine (white or silver)”
Element in
- Q. isilmë “moonlight”
- Q. silmë nuquerna “s-reversed” ✧ LotR/1123
Variations
- silme ✧ LotR/1123
Ilmarë
starlight
Ilmarë noun "starlight", also fem. name, referring to a Maia (GIL, SA:ilm-)
telempë
silver
telempë noun "silver" (LT1:268; in Tolkien's later Quenya telpë, which is actually also found in early "Qenya")
telepta
silver
telepta adj. "silver" (as adj.: silvery) (LT2:347), used as noun in the phrase mi telepta of someone clad "in silver", where the context (involving other colour-words) shows that this adj. describes something of silver colour(PE17:71). Compare telemna, telepsa, telpina.
telepta
adjective. silver, silver, [ᴱQ.] of silver
Element in
- 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
Elements
Word Gloss telpë “silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money”
telpë
silver
telpë noun "silver" (in one example with generalized meaning "money", PE14:54), telep- in some compounds like Teleporno; assimilated telem- in Telemnar and the adj. telemna (KYELEP/TELEP, SA:celeb, LT1:255, 268; also tyelpë, telep-, UT:266). The true Quenya descendant of primitive ¤kyelepē is tyelpë, but the Telerin form telpë was more common, "for the Teleri prized silver above gold, and their skill as silversmiths was esteemed even by the Noldor" (UT:266). In various names: Telperion the White Tree of Valinor; Telperien ("Telperiën"), fem. name including telp- "silver" (Appendix A); Telperinquar "Silver-fist, Celebrimbor" (SA:celeb - also Tyelperinquar); Telporno, Teleporno "Silver-high" = Sindarin _Celeborn(Letters:347, UT:266). _It seems that Teleporno is properly Telerin, Quenyarized as Telporno. Compare adjectives telemna, telpina, telepsa, telepta (q.v.)
telpë
noun. silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money
Cognates
Derivations
Element in
- Q. Telemmaitë “Silver-handed”
- Q. Telemnar “*Silver Fire”
- Q. telepta “silver, silver, [ᴱQ.] of silver”
- Q. Telperien
- Q. telperin “like silver (in hue or worth)” ✧ SA/celeb
- Q. Telperion “?Silver Tree” ✧ NM/349; SA/celeb; UT/266
- ᴺQ. telpetan “silversmith”
- ᴺQ. telpevistando “money-changer”
- ᴺQ. telpilin “silver piece, *silver coin”
- ᴺQ. telpingwë “silverfish”
- Q. Telporno “*Silver Tall”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶kelep/kyelep > telep- [kjelepe] > [kjelpe] > [tjelpe] ✧ PE17/036 ✶t/kjelepi > telpe [kjelepe] > [kjelpe] > [tjelpe] ✧ PE21/80 Q. tyelpe > telpe [tjelpe] > [telpe] ✧ UT/266 Variations
- telpe ✧ Let/426; PE21/81; UT/266
- telpe- ✧ PE18/093
tyelpë
silver
tyelpë noun "silver" (KYELEP/TELEP), etymology also in Letters:426 and UT:266. Tyelpë is the true Quenya descendant of primitive ¤kyelepē, but the Telerin form telpë was more common, "for the Teleri prized silver above gold, and their skill as silversmiths was esteemed even by the Noldor" (UT:266). In the Etymologies, tyelpë is also the name of Tengwa #1 with overposed dots, this symbol having the value ty (VT45:25). Cf. tyelpetéma as the name of the entire palatal series of the Tengwar system.
tyelpë
noun. silver
Cognates
Derivations
Derivatives
- Q. telpë “silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money” ✧ UT/266
Element in
- Q. Tyelpelepta
- Q. Tyeleptalëa “Silver-footed” ✧ NM/349
- Q. Tyelperion “?Silver Tree” ✧ NM/349; UT/266
- Q. tyelpetéma “palatal series”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶kyelepē > tyelpe [kjelepē] > [kjelpē] > [tjelpē] > [tjelpe] ✧ Let/426 ✶kyelep- > tyelpë [kjelepē] > [kjelpē] > [tjelpē] > [tjelpe] ✧ NM/349 √kyelep- > tyelpe [kjelepē] > [kjelpē] > [tjelpē] > [tjelpe] ✧ UT/266 Variations
- tyelpe ✧ Let/426; UT/266 (tyelpe)
- tyelep- ✧ NM/349
ilma Reconstructed
proper name. Starlight
An (archaic?) name for “Starlight”, it is not directly attested in Tolkien’s later writing, but appears as an element in several names (SA/ilm). It is a derivative of the root √(Ñ)GIL “shine (white)”. Elsewhere, the usual Quenya word for “starlight” is given as silmë (LotR/1123).
Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. ilma “air” appeared in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/142). The name ᴹQ. Ilma “Starlight” is directly attested in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/205), where it first appeared as Silma (SM/240). Ilma also appeared in The Etymologies as a derivative of ᴹ√GIL (Ety/GIL), which is the source of the etymology noted above.
Derivations
- √(Ñ)GIL “shine (white); silver glint; white or silver light”
Element in
Variations
- ilm- ✧ SA/ilm
silma adj. "silver, shining white" (SIL), "crystal (white)" (PE17:23)