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

• S. celeb “silver” ✧ PE17/036; SA/celeb; UT/266
• T. telpe “silver” ✧ UT/266

Derivations

• T. telpe “silver” ✧ NM/349
  • ✶kyelepē “silver” ✧ Let/426; NM/349
  • √KYELEP “silver”
  • √KYELEP “silver” ✧ UT/266
• ✶kyelepē “silver” ✧ PE17/036; PE21/80
  • √KYELEP “silver”
• Q. tyelpë “silver” ✧ UT/266
  • ✶kyelepē “silver” ✧ Let/426; NM/349
  • √KYELEP “silver”
  • √KYELEP “silver” ✧ UT/266

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

• S. celeb “silver” ✧ Let/426
• T. telpe “silver” ✧ Let/426; NM/349

Derivations

• ✶kyelepē “silver” ✧ Let/426; NM/349
  • √KYELEP “silver”
• √KYELEP “silver” ✧ UT/266

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

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

isilmë

moonlight

isilmë (þ) noun "moonlight", occurring in Markirya; free translation "the moon" in MC:215 (isilmë ilcalassë, literally "moonlight gleaming-in" = "in the moon gleaming"). Isilmë also appears as the name of a Númenorean woman (UT:210).

isilmë

noun. moonlight

A word loosely translated as “moon” in the Markirya poem of the 1960s (MC/222), but more accurately “moonlight” according to the glossary following the poem (MC/223), perhaps an elaboration of Q. silmë “starlight” under the influence of Q. Isil “moon”.

Conceptual Development: A similar word ᴱQ. silma “a ray of moonlight” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, derived from the early root ᴱ√SILI which was also the basis for ᴱQ. Sil “moon” (QL/83).

Element in

• Q. Isilmë “*Moonlight”
• Q. isilmë ilcalassë “in the moon gleaming” ✧ MC/222
• Q. isilmë lantalassë “in the moon falling” ✧ MC/222
• Q. isilmë pícalassë “in the moon waning” ✧ MC/222

Elements

Word	Gloss
Isil	“Moon, (lit.) Sheen”
silmë	“starlight, starlight; [ᴹQ.] silver [light], moonlight, light of Silpion”

Variations

• isilme ✧ MC/222; MC/222; MC/222; MC/223

silma

silver, shining white

silma adj. "silver, shining white" (SIL), "crystal (white)" (PE17:23)

tildë

spike, horn

tildë noun "spike, horn" _(TIL; in the Etymologies as printed in LR, the first gloss is quoted as "point", but according to VT46:19, the proper reading is "spike")_

tinda

glinting, silver

tinda (1) adj. "glinting, silver" (TIN)

tinda

spike

tinda (2) noun "spike" (LT1:258; probably obsoleted by # 1 above)

Ilmarë

starlight

Ilmarë noun "starlight", also fem. name, referring to a Maia (GIL, SA:ilm-)

telperin

adjective. like silver (in hue or worth)

Cognates

• S. celebrin “like silver (in hue or worth), like silver (in hue or worth), [G.] of silver” ✧ PE17/042; SA/celeb

Element in

• Q. Telperinquar “Silver-fist” ✧ PE17/042; SA/celeb

Elements

Word	Gloss
telpë	“silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money”
-rin	“-ian, racial-adjective, language”

Ilma

starlight

Ilma noun "starlight" (GIL)

ilsa

(the mystic name of) silver

ilsa noun "(the mystic name of) silver" (LT1:255,LT1:268)

rauta

metal

rauta noun "metal" [meaning changed by Tolkien from "copper"]. Notice that in the LotR, the word for metal is given as tinco. (RAUTĀ)

tinco

metal

tinco noun "metal" (TINKŌ), also name of tengwa #1 (Appendix E, there spelt "tinco", but "tinko" in Etym); tincotéma noun "t-series", dental series, first column of the Tengwar system (Appendix E)

tinco

noun. metal

Derivations

• ᴹ√TINKŌ “metal”

Element in

• ᴺQ. tincina “metallic”
• Q. tincotéma “t-series”

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

• Q. Ilmarë ✧ SA/ilm
• Q. Ilmarin “Mansion of the High Airs” ✧ SA/ilm
• Q. Ilmen “*Place of Starlight” ✧ SA/ilm

Variations

• ilm- ✧ SA/ilm

celeb

noun. silver

celeb

silver

_n. _silver. >> Celebdil, Celebrant, celebrin

celeb

noun. silver

Cognates

• Kh. kibil “silver” ✧ PE17/036
• Q. telpë “silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money” ✧ PE17/036; SA/celeb; UT/266
• Q. tyelpë “silver” ✧ Let/426
• T. telpe “silver” ✧ NM/349

Derivations

• ✶kyelepē “silver” ✧ Let/426; NM/349; PE17/036
  • √KYELEP “silver”
• √KYELEP “silver” ✧ UT/266

Element in

• S. Argeleb
• S. Celebdil “Silvertine” ✧ PE17/036; RC/775; TI/174
• S. Celeborn “Silver-tree; Silver Tall” ✧ UT/266
• S. Celeborn “Tree of Silver” ✧ SA/celeb; UT/266
• S. Celebrant “Silverlode, Silver-course” ✧ PE17/049; RC/775; SA/celeb; TI/174
• S. Celebrían “Silver-queen” ✧ Let/423
• S. celebrin “like silver (in hue or worth), like silver (in hue or worth), [G.] of silver” ✧ PE17/042; SA/celeb
• S. Celebros “Silver Foam, Silver Rain” ✧ SA/celeb

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶kyelepē > celeb	[kjelepē] > [kelepē] > [kelepe] > [kelep] > [keleb]	✧ Let/426
✶kyelep- > celeb	[kjelepē] > [kelepē] > [kelepe] > [kelep] > [keleb]	✧ NM/349
✶kelep/kyelep > celeb	[kjelepē] > [kelepē] > [kelepe] > [kelep] > [keleb]	✧ PE17/036
√kyelep- > celeb	[kjelepē] > [kelepē] > [kelepe] > [kelep] > [keleb]	✧ UT/266

Variations

• Celeb ✧ Let/423 (Celeb); RC/775; RC/775

celebrin

adjective. like silver (in hue or worth), like silver (in hue or worth), [G.] of silver

Cognates

• Q. telperin “like silver (in hue or worth)” ✧ PE17/042; SA/celeb
• T. telperin “like silver (in hue or worth)”

Element in

• S. Celebrimbor “Silver-fist” ✧ PE17/042; PM/179; PM/318; SA/celeb; VT47/08
• S. Celebrindal “Silverfoot” ✧ SA/celeb
• S. Celebrindor “*Silver-lord”

Elements

Word	Gloss
celeb	“silver”
-ren	“adjective suffix”

Variations

• Celebrin ✧ PM/318; VT47/08

mithril

noun. true-silver, a silver-like metal

ithildin

noun. a silver-colored substance, which mirrors only starlight and moonlight

raud

noun. metal

raud

noun. metal

Element in

• S. Rodëol “metal of Eöl” ✧ WJ/322

celeb

silver

1) (noun) celeb (i geleb, o cheleb), pl. celib (i chelib) if there is a pl. form. 2) (adj., "of/like silver") celebren (lenited gelebren, pl. celebrin; also celebrin- as first element of compounds, as in Celebrindal). Also celefn (lenited gelefn, pl. celifn). As for ”silver” as adjective, see also SHINING WHITE. Adj.

galvorn

copper, gold,  iron, silver

(i** ’alvorn, pl. gelvyrn [in ngelvyrn*] if there is a pl.), a black metal made by the Dark Elf Eöl. (WJ:322)*

mithril

copper, gold,  iron, silver

(i** vithril, no distinct pl. form except with article [i** mithril], coll. pl. ?mithrillath). The description of mithril may seem to fit titanium.

carag

spike

1) carag (i garag, o charag) (tooth of rock), pl. ceraig (i cheraig). 2) ceber (i geber, o cheber) (stake, stone ridge), pl. cebir (i chebir). A lenited pl. form occurs in the name Sarn Gebir. 3) till (i dill, o thill, construct til; also -dil, -thil at the end of compounds) (spike, tine, point, sharp horn, sharp-pointed peak), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thill). Archaic †tild.

carag

spike

(i** garag, o charag) (tooth of rock), pl. ceraig (i** cheraig).

ceber

spike

(i** geber, o cheber) (stake, stone ridge), pl. **cebir (i** chebir). A lenited pl. form occurs in the name Sarn** Gebir.

till

spike

(i** dill, o thill, construct til; also -dil, -thil at the end of compounds) (spike, tine, point, sharp horn, sharp-pointed peak), no distinct pl. form except with article (i** thill). Archaic †tild.

gilith

starlight

(also used = Quenya Ilmen, the region of stars) (i ngilith = i ñilith, o n’gilith) These mutations presupposed that the root is

gilgalad

starlight

1) gilgalad (i ngilgalad = i ñilgalad, o n**gilgalad, pl. gilgelaid (in gilgelaid = i ñgilgelaid) if there is a plural form. 2) gilith (also used = Quenya Ilmen, the region of stars) (i ngilith = i ñilith, o n**gilith) _These mutations presupposed that the root is Ñ, as in MR:388, rather than _ as in the Etymologies (LR:358).

gilgalad

starlight

(i ngilgalad = i ñilgalad, o n’gilgalad, pl. gilgelaid (in gilgelaid = i ñgilgelaid) if there is a plural form.

ithilgalad

3Gな%xな#2# noun. light of the moon, moonlight

ithilgalad

3Gな%xな#2# noun. light of the moon, moonlight

ross

polished metal

(glitter), pl. ryss (idh** ryss**). Note: homophones mean ”reddish, russet, copper-coloured, red-haired” and also ”spray, foam, rain, dew”. For concrete metals, see

tinc

metal

tinc (i dinc, o thinc), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thinc), coll. pl. tingath. The word rhaud “metal” occurring in the Etymologies would normally be ”updated” to Sindarin in the form raud, but since raud appears with different meanings in later sources (see

tinc

metal

(i** dinc, o thinc), no distinct pl. form except with article (i** thinc), coll. pl. tingath. The word rhaud** “metal” occurring in the Etymologies would normally be ”updated” to Sindarin in the form raud, but since raud** appears with different meanings in later sources (see

tinc

eminent

should at least be preferred for clarity).

telpe

noun. silver

Cognates

• Q. telpë “silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money” ✧ UT/266
• Q. tyelpë “silver” ✧ Let/426; NM/349
• S. celeb “silver” ✧ NM/349

Derivations

• ✶kyelepē “silver” ✧ Let/426; NM/349
  • √KYELEP “silver”
• √KYELEP “silver” ✧ UT/266

Derivatives

• Q. telpë “silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money” ✧ NM/349

Element in

• T. Teleporno “Silver-tall; Silver-tree” ✧ NM/349; UT/266
• T. telperin “like silver (in hue or worth)”
• T. Telperion ✧ Let/426

Variations

• telepi ✧ Let/426
• telep- ✧ NM/349
• telep-/telpe ✧ UT/266

telperin

adjective. like silver (in hue or worth)

Cognates

• S. celebrin “like silver (in hue or worth), like silver (in hue or worth), [G.] of silver”

Element in

• T. Telperimpar “Silver-fist”

Elements

Word	Gloss
telpe	“silver”
?

gimil

collective noun. (all) stars; ?silver

A collective-noun meaning “all the stars of the heavens”, as opposed to gimli which was used for an individual star (SD/427). The element gimil appears in many names, including several later names in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne suggested (AAD/15) that it may be related to the Elvish root √(Ñ)GIL “shine (white)”.

Andreas Moehn suggested (EotAL/KH-B-L) that if the later name Gimilzôr means “Silver-fire”, its initial element gimil could instead mean “silver”, perhaps as a cognate of Dwarvish kibil. If so, this alternate meaning could either be a homonym of gimil “stars”, or a new meaning for gimil in Tolkien’s later works.

Derivations

• √Ad. GIMIL “*star”

Element in

• Ad. Gimilkhâd
• Ad. Gimilnitîr “Star-kindler” ✧ SD/427
• Ad. Gimilzagar “?Sword of Stars”
• Ad. Gimilzôr “Star-?foam”
• Ad. Gimlad “Starwards”

kibil

noun. silver

Cognates

• S. celeb “silver” ✧ PE17/036

Element in

• Kh. Kibil-nâla “Silverlode, Silver-course” ✧ PE17/036; PE17/037; TI/174

Variations

• Kibil ✧ PE17/036; TI/174

zirak

noun. spike

Changes

• zirak → Zirak “silver colour” ✧ PE17/036
• Zirik → Zirak ✧ TI/174

Element in

• Kh. Gamil Zirak
• Kh. Zirakzigil “Silvertine, Silver-spike” ✧ LotRI/Zirakzigil; PE17/035; PE17/036; TI/174
• Kh. Zirakinbar “Silverhorn”

Variations

• Zirak ✧ LotRI/Zirakzigil; PE17/035; PE17/036; PE17/036; TI/174
• Zirik ✧ TI/174

kyelep

root. silver

This root and ones like it were used for Elvish words for “silver” throughout Tolkien’s life. The earliest iteration of the root began with T-, however, appearing as unglossed ᴱ√TELEPE in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. telpe “silver” (QL/91). Even at this early stage, however, the Gnomish equivalent was G. celeb (GL/25), but the reason for the t/c variation isn’t clear. The closest explanation is that palatal consonants like [c] became [tʲ] in Qenya vs. [k] in Gnomish (compare ᴱQ. tyava- vs. caf- “taste” from ᴱ√TYAVA) but this doesn’t explain why the Qenya form has initial t- rather than ty-.

Elsewhere in the Elvish languages of the 1910s there seem to be etymological variations of [k] vs. [t], such as ᴱQ. kitya- vs. G. tisca- “tickle” (QL/47; GL/70) and ᴱQ. talqe vs. G. celc “glass” (QL/88; GL/25), so perhaps ᴱQ. telpe vs. G. celeb “silver” is another example of this. Another explanation appeared in Early Noldorin word lists from the 1920s, where the primitive form was ᴱ✶kelekwé which produced ᴱN. celeb as usual but the Qenya form was ᴱQ. telqe with “k = t by dissimilation” (PE13/140), presumably away from q.

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had the root ᴹ√KYELEP with variant ᴹ√TELEP, producing N. celeb but ᴹQ. tyelpe or ᴹQ. telpe (Ety/KYELEP). But Tolkien revised this entry, marking ᴹ√TELEP as questionable and introducing the Telerin form ᴹT. telpe < ᴹ√KYELEP, concluding that ᴹQ. telpe must be a loan from Telerin. This finally put N. celeb vs. ᴹQ. telpe (borrowed from Telerin) on a solid phonological foundation. Tolkien seems to have stuck with this explanation, mentioning this borrowing from Telerin to Quenya several times in his later writings, with the proper but now archaic Quenya form being Q. †tyelpë (Let/426; PM/356; UT/266).

Derivatives

• ✶kyelepē “silver”
  • Q. telpë “silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money” ✧ PE17/036; PE21/80
  • Q. tyelpë “silver” ✧ Let/426; NM/349
  • Q. telpë “silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money” ✧ UT/266
  • S. celeb “silver” ✧ Let/426; NM/349; PE17/036
  • At. tele(pe) “silver” ✧ PE21/71
  • Os. kele(pe) “silver” ✧ PE21/71
  • T. telpe “silver” ✧ Let/426; NM/349
  • Q. telpë “silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money” ✧ NM/349
• Q. tyelpë “silver” ✧ UT/266
  • Q. telpë “silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money” ✧ UT/266
• S. celeb “silver” ✧ UT/266
• T. telpe “silver” ✧ UT/266
  • Q. telpë “silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money” ✧ NM/349

Variations

• kyelep- ✧ UT/266

kyelepē

noun. silver

Derivations

• √KYELEP “silver”

Derivatives

• Q. telpë “silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money” ✧ PE17/036; PE21/80
• Q. tyelpë “silver” ✧ Let/426; NM/349
  • Q. telpë “silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money” ✧ UT/266
• S. celeb “silver” ✧ Let/426; NM/349; PE17/036
• At. tele(pe) “silver” ✧ PE21/71
• Os. kele(pe) “silver” ✧ PE21/71
• T. telpe “silver” ✧ Let/426; NM/349
  • Q. telpë “silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money” ✧ NM/349

Variations

• kyelep- ✧ NM/349
• kelep/kyelep ✧ PE17/036
• kjelep ✧ PE21/71
• t/kjelepi ✧ PE21/80

celeb

noun. silver

celeb

noun. silver

Cognates

• ᴹQ. telpe “silver” ✧ Ety/KYELEP; Ety/KYELEP

Derivations

• ᴹ√KYELEP “silver” ✧ Ety/KYELEP
• On. kelepe “silver” ✧ Ety/KYELEP
  • ᴹ√KYELEP “silver” ✧ Ety/KYELEP

Element in

• N. Celeb(?)rhein “?Silver-footprint”
• N. Celebdil “Silvertine”
• N. Celebras “Silverhorn”
• N. Keleborn
• N. Celeborn “Tree of Silver”
• N. Celebrant “Silverlode”
• N. Celeb(rind)rath “Silverlode”
• N. celebren “of silver, like silver” ✧ Ety/KYELEP; Ety/KYELEP
• N. Celebrond “Silver-mace”
• N. Celebros “Silver Foam, Silver Rain”
• N. erceleb “*true-silver”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. kelepe > celeb	[kelepe] > [kelep] > [keleb]	✧ Ety/KYELEP

celefn

adjective. of silver

celevon

adjective. of silver

silef

adjective. silver, shining white

Cognates

• ᴹQ. silma “silver, shining white” ✧ Ety/SIL

Derivations

• ᴹ✶silimā “silver, shining white” ✧ Ety/SIL
  • ᴹ√SIL “shine silver” ✧ Ety/SIL

Element in

• N. Silevril “Silmaril” ✧ Ety/SIL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶silimā > silef	[silimā] > [silima] > [silema] > [silem] > [silev]	✧ Ety/SIL

silif

noun. light of Silpion, †silver, light of Silpion, †silver, *moonlight

A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶silimē glossed “light of Silpion, †silver” (Ety/SIL). Since Silpion was the silver tree of Valinor whose flower was used to create the moon, perhaps this can also mean “✱moonlight”; its Quenya cognate ᴹQ. silme was glossed “moonlight” in the 1930s and 40s as a tengwar name (PE22/22, 51), though in The Lord of the Rings Appendix E, Q. silmë was “starlight” (LotR/1123). The Noldorin form silif was marked with a “✱” and so perhaps may be archaic; Tolkien said “For ✱silif N has silith, by assimilation to or from influence of †Ithil” (Ety/SIL).

Cognates

• ᴹQ. silme “moonlight, light of Silpion, †silver” ✧ Ety/SIL

Derivations

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

Derivatives

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

Element in

• S. Silivros “Sparkling Rain”
• N. Silivros “Glimmering Rain” ✧ Ety/SIL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶silimē > silif	[silimē] > [silime] > [silim] > [siliv]	✧ Ety/SIL

silith

noun. light of Silpion, †silver, light of Silpion, *moonlight

A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s, for which Tolkien said “For ✱silif N has silith, by assimilation to or from influence of †Ithil” (Ety/SIL). Since N. silif was derived from primitive ᴹ✶silimē for the “light of Silpion” (Ety/SIL), it seems silith was a more modern replacement of it, probably with the same meaning. As it was influenced by Ithil “Moon”, it probably had the sense “✱moonlight” after Silpion was lost.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. silme “moonlight, light of Silpion, †silver” ✧ Ety/SIL

Derivations

• N. silif “light of Silpion, †silver, light of Silpion, †silver, *moonlight” ✧ Ety/SIL
  • ᴹ✶silimē “light of Silpion, †silver” ✧ Ety/SIL
  • ᴹ√SIL “shine silver” ✧ Ety/SIL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
N. silif > silith	[siliv] > [siliθ]	✧ Ety/SIL

celebren

adjective. like silver (in hue or worth)

carag

noun. spike, tooth of rock

gilgalad

noun. starlight

gil-galad

masculine name. Starlight

Elements

Word	Gloss
geil	“star”
calad	“light”

Variations

• gilgalad ✧ Ety/GIL
• Gilgalad ✧ SDI2/Gilgalad

tinc

noun. metal

tinc

noun. metal

Cognates

• ᴹQ. tinko “metal” ✧ Ety/TINKŌ

Derivations

• ᴹ√TINKŌ “metal” ✧ Ety/TINKŌ

Element in

• ᴺS. tingen “metallic”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√TINKŌ > tinc	[tiŋko] > [tiŋko] > [tiŋkʰo] > [tiŋxo] > [tiŋx] > [tiŋk]	✧ Ety/TINKŌ

rhaud

noun. metal

rhaud

noun. metal

Cognates

• ᴹQ. rauta “metal” ✧ Ety/RAUTĀ

Derivations

• On. rauta “metal” ✧ Ety/RAUTĀ
  • ᴹ√RAUTA “metal” ✧ Ety/RAUTĀ

Element in

• N. Damrod “hammerer of copper” ✧ Ety/RAUTĀ
• N. Angrod ✧ Ety/RAUTĀ
• N. Finrod ✧ Ety/RAUTĀ

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. rauta > rhaud	[rauta] > [rǭta] > [routa] > [rauta] > [raut] > [r̥aut] > [r̥aud]	✧ Ety/RAUTĀ

caraes

noun. jagged hedge of spikes