sîr (“river”) + on (augmentative suffix) #Another possible interpretation: “the land of the waters” where ion is archaic pl. genitive suffix.
Sindarin
sirion
place name. Great River
Derivations
- ✶siriānā “Sirion” ✧ PE17/042
Element in
- Q. Siriondil “*Sirion-lover”
- S. Eithel Sirion “Well of Sirion”
- S. Tol Sirion “*Island of Sirion”
Elements
Word Gloss sîr “river, stream” iaun “wide, extensive, large, roomy, vast, huge” Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶siriānā > Sirion [siriānā] > [siriāna] > [siriǭna] > [siriauna] > [siriaun] > [sirion] ✧ PE17/042
sirion
noun. the great river
sirion
place name. properly 'the Vale or lands about the River Síre' or 'the Great Stream'
_ topon. _properly 'the Vale or lands about the River Síre' or 'the Great Stream'. >> -ion
sirion
Sirion
Sirion is a Sindarin/Noldorin name which contains the element sîr. Depending on the meaning of the second element, the name could either mean "great river" or "land of waters" (-ion as augmentative suffix or archaic plural genitive suffix). Its name in Khuzdul was Gabilān, with the element Gabil - "Great".
sirion
great river
(i** hirion, o sirion), pl. siryn (i** siryn).
sirion
great river
sirion (i hirion, o sirion), pl. siryn (i siryn).
tirion
great watchtower
(i** dirion, o thirion), pl. tiryn (i** thiryn).
duin
noun. (long and large) river (having strong current)
sîr
noun. river
aearon
great ocean
also Gaearon (i** ’Aearon), pl. Gaearyn (i** Ngaearyn = *i Ñaearyn). Also short form Gaeron (i** ‘Aeron), pl. Gaeryn (i** Ngaeryn = i Ñaeryn*). Coll. pl. Gaearonnath, Gaeronnath.
ardhon
great province
(great region, world), pl. erdhyn, coll. pl. ardhonnath.
celon
river
(i gelon, o chelon), pl. celyn (pl. i chelyn)
daedhelos
great fear
daedhelos (i naedhelos, o ndaedhelos), pl. daedhelys (i ndaedhelys). Coll. pl. daedhelossath. A side-form ends in -oth instead of -os. The word appears in the mutated form "ndae<u>d</u>elos" in LotR Appendix F, but since the second element must be delos "abhorrence" and it would surely be lenited following a vowel, this would seem to be one of the cases where Tolkien wrote d even though dh would be technically correct. Another term for GREAT FEAR is goe (i **oe) (terror), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ngoe** = i ñoe).
daedhelos
great fear/dread
(i** naedhelos, o ndaedhelos), pl. daedhelys (i** ndaedhelys). Coll. pl. daedhelossath. A side-form ends in -oth instead of -os. The word appears in the mutated form "ndaedelos" in LotR Appendix F, but since the second element must be delos "abhorrence" and it would surely be lenited following a vowel, this would seem to be one of the cases where Tolkien wrote d even though dh would be technically correct.
duin
river
(long, large river with strong current) duin (i dhuin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nuin) (VT48:24)
duin
large river
(i dhuin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nuin), coll. pl. duinath (Names:179, PM:54); compare the river-name Anduin, ”long river”.
ethir
of a river
(estuary), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. ethiriath. Note: a homophone means "spy".
goe
great fear
goe (i **oe) (terror), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ngoe** = i ñoe);
gond
great stone
(i ’ond, construct gon) (rock), pl. gynd (i ngynd = i ñynd), coll. pl. gonnath (Letters:410).
lae
great number
(no distinct pl. form) (VT45:27), also rim (crowd, host), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh** rim), coll. pl. rimmath**. Note: a homophone means ”cold pool or lake”.
lind
river
”singer” may also be used of rivers (see
roval
great wing
(pinion, wing), pl. rovail (idh rovail); this is a suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” *rhoval* pl. *rhovel*.
sîr
river
1) (also = rill) sîr (i hîr, o sîr), in compounds sir- or -hir or -hír; no distinct pl. form except with article (i sîr), coll. pl. siriath. Note: sîr is also the adverb ”today”. 2) celon (i gelon, o chelon), pl. celyn (pl. i chelyn), 3) The word lind ”singer” may also be used of rivers (see . (WJ.309).
sîr
river
(i hîr, o sîr), in compounds sir- or -hir or -hír; no distinct pl. form except with article (i sîr), coll. pl. siriath. Note: sîr is also the adverb ”today”.
taur
great wood
(i daur, o thaur) (forest), pl. toer (i thoer), coll. pl. torath. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”lofty, high, sublime, noble” etc.
thamas
great hall
pl. themais, coll. pl. thamassath.
The Great River of Beleriand (S/120), a combination of sîr “river” and the adjective iaun “wide”, reduced to its suffixal form -ion also seen in the names of lands (PE17/42).
Conceptual Development: This river was named G. Sirion in the earliest Lost Tales (LT1/238) and was explained as an archaic word for “river” in the Gnomish Lexicon (GL/67). The name N. Sirion appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s as an elaboration of N. sîr (Ety/SIR). The derivation given above appeared in Tolkien’s Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/42). In an early name list its Qenya equivalent was given as ᴱQ. Sirion as well (PE13/102).