narwë

sign, token

[narwë (and short nar, unless this is an incomplete form) noun "sign, token"] (VT45:37)

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.

taina

sign

#taina (2) noun "sign", isolated from Tainacolli *"Sign-bearer" MR:385

tana-

to show, indicate

tana- (2) vb. "to show, indicate" (MR:350, 385, 471) (cf. the demonstrative tana "that")

tanna

sign, token

tanna (1) noun "sign, token" (MR:385, PE17:186), also tanwa (PE17:186)

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)

tengwa

noun. sign

sign, indicator, letter

tengwa

letter

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).

tew

letter

(dew), pl1. tiw _ n. _letter. tew << têw; tiw << tîw. >> téw

têw

noun. letter

Changes

• têw → tew ✧ PE17/044
• tîw → tiw ✧ PE17/044
• tēw → tew ✧ PE17/044

Cognates

• Q. tengwa “(written) letter; sign, token, indicator, (written) letter; sign, token, indicator; [ᴹQ.] writing, grammar” ✧ LotR/1117; PE17/043; PE17/044; PE17/044; PE17/044; PE17/122; PE17/122; WJ/396

Derivations

• ✶tekmā “letter” ✧ PE17/043; PE17/043; PE17/044; PE17/044; PE17/044
  • √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; 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

• S. Celebrimbor o Eregion teithant i thiw hin “Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs” ✧ LotR/0305; PE17/044

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶tekmā > tegmā > teŋw > tēw	[tekmā] > [tegmā] > [tegma] > [teŋma] > [teŋwa] > [tēwa] > [tēw]	✧ PE17/043
✶tekmāi > tekmī > tiŋw > tīw	[tekmāi] > [tekmī] > [tegmī] > [tegmi] > [teŋmi] > [tiŋmi] > [tiŋwi] > [tīwi] > [tīw]	✧ PE17/043
✶tek-mā > tew	[tekmā] > [tegmā] > [tegma] > [teŋma] > [teŋwa] > [tēwa] > [tēw]	✧ PE17/044
✶teñwa > teiw > tew	[teŋwa] > [tēwa] > [tēw]	✧ PE17/044
✶tekma > teŋ̃ma > tēw	[tekmā] > [tegmā] > [tegma] > [teŋma] > [teŋwa] > [tēwa] > [tēw]	✧ PE17/044
✶teñmi > tiñm(i) > tîw	[tekmī] > [tegmī] > [tegmi] > [teŋmi] > [tiŋmi] > [tiŋwi] > [tīwi] > [tīw]	✧ PE17/044
✶teñwa > tēwa > tēw	[teŋwa] > [tēwa] > [tēw]	✧ PE17/044
✶teŋmā > teŋwā > tēwa > tîw	[teŋmā] > [teŋma] > [teŋwa] > [tēwa] > [tīwa] > [tīw]	✧ PE22/149

Variations

• tēw ✧ PE17/043; PE17/044; PE17/044 (tēw); PE17/044; PE17/044; PE17/122
• tew ✧ PE17/044; PE17/044
• tîw ✧ PE17/044 (tîw); PE22/149

têw

noun. letter, written sign

têw

tengwa

(Fëanorian letter) têw (i dêw, o thêw, construct tew) (sign, letter), pl. tîw (i thîw), coll. pl. téwath

têw

tengwa

(i dêw, o thêw, construct tew) (sign, letter), pl. tîw (i thîw), coll. pl. téwath

têw

sign

(i dêw, o thêw, construct tew) (letter, tengwa), pl. tîw (i thîw), coll. pl. téwath

têw

letter

têw (i dêw, o thêw, construct tew) (sign, tengwa), pl. tîw (i **thîw), coll. pl. téwath**

têw

letter

(i dêw, o thêw, construct tew) (sign, tengwa), pl. tîw (i thîw), coll. pl. téwath

tann

sign

1) (etymologically ”something shown/indicated”) tann (i dann), construct tan, pl. tain (i thain) (MR:185); 2) têw (i dêw, o thêw, construct tew) (letter, tengwa), pl. tîw (i **thîw), coll. pl. téwath**;

taen

noun. sign

tann

sign

(i dann), construct tan, pl. tain (i thain)** **(MR:185)

tew

root. show, sign, indicate

tekmā

noun. letter

Changes

• tek-mā → teñwa ✧ PE17/044

Derivations

• √TEK “make a written mark, sign, write, make a written mark, sign, write, [ᴹ√] write or draw (signs or letters)” ✧ PE17/043; PE17/044

Derivatives

• Q. tengwa “(written) letter; sign, token, indicator, (written) letter; sign, token, indicator; [ᴹQ.] writing, grammar” ✧ PE17/043; PE17/044; PE18/104
• S. têw “letter” ✧ PE17/043; PE17/043; PE17/044; PE17/044; PE17/044

Variations

• tek-mā ✧ PE17/044 (tek-mā)
• tekma ✧ PE17/044; PE18/104

tew

noun. letter

@@@ tîw (Ety/TEK) appears to be plural, but is clearly glossed as singular “letter” with primitive form tekmē

Cognates

• ᴹQ. tengwa “letter; writing, grammar” ✧ Ety/TEK; PE22/031
• On. tegma “letter” ✧ PE22/031

Derivations

• ᴹ✶tekmē “letter, symbol, writing” ✧ Ety/TEK
  • ᴹ√TEK “write or draw (signs or letters), make a mark” ✧ Ety/TEK
• On. tegma “letter” ✧ PE22/031
  • ᴹ✶tekmā “writing, grammar”
  • ᴹ√TEK “write or draw (signs or letters), make a mark” ✧ Ety/TEK; PE19/043

Element in

• N. Celebrimbor o Eregion teithant i thíw thin “Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs” ✧ TI/182
• N. tiwdi “alphabet”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶tekmē > tîw	[tekmē] > [tegmē] > [tegme] > [teŋme] > [teime] > [tīme] > [tīm] > [tīv] > [tīw]	✧ Ety/TEK
On. tegma > teiw > tew	[tegma] > [teŋma] > [teima] > [teim] > [teiv] > [teiw] > [tew]	✧ PE22/031

Variations

• tîw ✧ Ety/TEK

gammas

noun. s-sign (special sign used to mark a final -s in Tengwar)

tîw

noun. letter