teler

proper name. Teleri

The Sindarin equivalent of Q. Teler, used only by the people of Círdan and attested only in the plural forms Telir and Telerrim (PM/385). It may be that its singular form was not used.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s, the earliest form of this name was G. Tilith (GL/70), though at this stage the name referred to the first tribe instead of the third. In Early Noldorin notes from the 1920s, it became ᴱN. Tiledh, a reference to the sea-elves (PE13/154).

A similar term teleir appears in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957, where Tolkien indicated that it was used “as a general term distinguishing Sindar (and usually also Nandor) from either the Noldor and the Dark-elves” (PE17/139). The term teleir developed from the primitive adjective ✶teleryā, and appeared beside variants telerion and telerieth, probably male and female forms. These notes also included several plural forms: telir, teleriath and telerwaith.

Teler

noun. an Elf, one of the Teleri

telerrim

noun. the Teleri, a tribe of Elves

glinnel

noun. Elf, one of the Teleri

Teleri

noun. Last-comers

Last-comers, Enders

teler

proper name. Last-comer, Hindmost

Quenya name for the third tribe of Elves (PM/318), usually appearing in the plural form Teleri (S/40; WJ/382). It was derived from the root √TELES “come at rear” (PE18/84; Ety/TELES), because “they tarried on the road and were not wholly of a mind to pass from the dusk to the light of Valinor” (S/53).

Conceptual Development: A similar name ᴱQ. Telelli appeared in the earliest Lost Tales, and its singular form ᴱQ. Telelle was glossed “little elf” in the Qenya Lexicon (QL/91). This early term applied to young Elves of all tribes, especially those talented in song (PE13/99; PE14/9). The related term ᴱQ. Teleri, however, referred specifically to the first tribe of Elves (LT1/50; PE14/9).

By the earliest drafts of the Silmarillion, however, Tolkien began to use ᴹQ. Teler as the term for the “Sea-elves”, the third tribe (SM/13). In The Etymologies from the 1930s, the name was given the derivation above (Ety/TELES), though initially it was because the third tribe “were the latest to awaken” (LR/168), not because they tarried on the march.

telerin

proper name. of the Teleri

Adjectival form of Teler, the third tribe of Elves, also used as a name for their language (UT/229; WJ/21), a combination of their tribal name with the language/adjective suffix -rin.

Conceptual Development: The similar adjectival forms ᴱQ. Telellin and ᴱQ. Telerin appeared in Tolkien’s earliest writings (LT1A/Telelli), though at this stage they referred to other groups of Elves (see the entry on Teler). By the 1930s, however, ᴹQ. Telerin referred to the third tribe and its language (Ety/TELES; LR/171; PE18/26).

Teleri

Teleri

Teleri is the plural of Teler which means "last", root TEL. In The Silmarillion the word Teleri refers both to the Third Clan in general, and that branch that made it to Aman, taken from the Vanyar and Noldor point of view; particularly the Teleri of Aman were called Falmari.

Alcorin

noun. tongue of Beleriandic Teleri

tongue of Beleriandic Teleri

nelyar

proper name. Thirds (original clan name of the Teleri)

An ancient name for the Teleri as the third tribe of Elves (WJ/380). It is simply the archaic adjective †nelya “third” used as a plural noun.

teleryā

noun. of the Teleri