silme

noun. moonlight, light of Silpion, †silver

Cognates

• N. silif “light of Silpion, †silver, light of Silpion, †silver, *moonlight” ✧ Ety/SIL
• Ilk. istil “silver light, starlight” ✧ Ety/SIL
• N. silith “light of Silpion, †silver, light of Silpion, *moonlight” ✧ Ety/SIL

Derivations

• ᴹ✶silimē “light of Silpion, †silver” ✧ Ety/SIL
  • ᴹ√SIL “shine silver” ✧ Ety/SIL

Element in

• ᴹQ. Silmerosse “Glimmering Rain” ✧ Ety/SIL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶silimē > silme	[silimē] > [silmē] > [silme]	✧ Ety/SIL

ilma

proper name. Starlight

This name first appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the early 1930s as ᴹQ. Silma >> Ilma >> Ilmen as a name for the “Place of Light”, home of the stars (SM/240-1). It reappeared in the mid-30s as a word for “Starlight” (LR/205), and also appeared in The Etymologies as a derivative of ᴹ√GIL, alongside (and perhaps an element of) Ilmen “region above air where stars are” (Ety/GIL).

Changes

• Silma → Ilma ✧ LRI/Silma
• Silma → Ilma ✧ SM/240
• Ilma → Ilmen ✧ SM/240
• Ilma → Ilmen ✧ SMI/Ilma
• Silma → Ilma ✧ SMI/Ilma
• Ilma → Ilmen ✧ SMI/Ilmen
• Silma → Ilma ✧ SMI/Silma

Cognates

• N. gilith “starlight, *region of the stars” ✧ Ety/GIL; Ety/GIL

Derivations

• ᴹ√GIL “shine (white or pale)” ✧ Ety/GIL

Element in

• ᴹQ. Ilmandur
• ᴹQ. Ilmare ✧ Ety/GIL; LR/205
• ᴹQ. Ilmen “Place of Light” ✧ Ety/GIL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√GIL > Ilma	[gilma] > [ɣilma] > [ilma]	✧ Ety/GIL

Variations

• Silma ✧ LRI/Silma; SM/240; SMI/Ilma; SMI/Silma

nú

proper name. Moon

A name for the moon in linguistic notes from 1930s (PE21/38, 41), perhaps a derivative of the root ᴹ√NDŪ “go down”, though this root usually applied to the Sun. Its dual form Nunt referred to both the sun and moon (PE21/38).

Derivations

• ᴹ√NDŪ “go down, sink, set (of Sun)”