sign, indicator, letter
Quenya
tengwa
letter
tengwa
noun. (written) letter; sign, token, indicator, (written) letter; sign, token, indicator; [ᴹQ.] writing, grammar
Cognates
- S. têw “letter” ✧ LotR/1117; PE17/043; PE17/044; PE17/044; PE17/044; PE17/122; PE17/122; WJ/396
Derivations
- ✶tekmā “letter” ✧ PE17/043; PE17/044; PE18/104
- √TEK “make a written mark, sign, write, make a written mark, sign, write, [ᴹ√] write or draw (signs or letters)” ✧ PE17/043; PE17/044
- ✶teñwā “letter, sign, token” ✧ PE17/044; PE17/044; PE17/044; PE19/097; PE22/149
- √TEÑ “indicate, signify, show, represent, betoken, mark, to point at, indicate, signify, show, represent, betoken, mark, to point at; [ᴱ√] know, understand” ✧ PE17/044; PE17/044; PE17/044; PE19/097; PE22/149
Element in
- Q. óma-tengwë “vowel-sign”
- Q. tengwa- “to read written matter” ✧ VT49/48
- Q. tengwacilmë “spelling” ✧ PE22/149
- ᴺQ. tengwalóra “unlettered”
- Q. tengwassë “alphabet”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶tekmā > tegmā > teñma > tengwa [tekmā] > [tegmā] > [teŋmā] > [teŋgwā] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE17/043 ✶tek-mā > tengwa [tekmā] > [tegmā] > [teŋmā] > [teŋgwā] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE17/044 ✶teñwa > tengwa [teŋwa] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE17/044 ✶teñma > tengwa [teŋwa] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE17/044 ✶teñwa > tengwa [teŋwa] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE17/044 ✶tekma > tengwa [tekma] > [tegma] > [teŋma] > [teŋgwa] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE18/104 ✶teñ-wā > teñgwa [teŋwā] > [teŋgwā] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE19/097 ✶teŋmā > tengwa [teŋmā] > [teŋgwā] > [teŋgwa] ✧ PE22/149 Variations
- teñgwa ✧ PE19/097; VT39/17
tengwa
noun. sign
tengwa-
verb. to read written matter
Element in
- Q. tengwië “reading; language (*signing)” ✧ VT49/48
tanwa
sign, token
tanwa noun "sign, token" (Tolkien marked this word with a query, but it is not clearly rejected). Also tanna (#1). (PE17:186)
sarat
letter
sarat (pl. sarati given) noun "letter", any individual significant mark, used of the letters of Rúmil after the invention of Fëanor's tengwar (WJ:396). Cf. sarmë.
narwë
sign, token
[narwë (and short nar, unless this is an incomplete form) noun "sign, token"] (VT45:37)
taina
sign
#taina (2) noun "sign", isolated from Tainacolli *"Sign-bearer" MR:385
tanna
sign, token
tanna (1) noun "sign, token" (MR:385, PE17:186), also tanwa (PE17:186)
tengwa (pl. tengwar is attested) (1) noun "letter" Tengwa (ñ) is defined as "any one visible sign representing (theoretically) any one audible teñgwe" (phoneme) (VT39:17). In non-technical usage tengwa was equivalent to "consonant", since only the consonants were full signs (WJ:396, TEK). In the Etymologies, tengwa was apparently emended from tengwë (VT46:17).