8.60 Tree (generic)
- Q. alda n. “tree, ⚠️[ᴱQ.] branch”
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The basic Quenya word for “tree” (LotR/1113), derived from primitive ✶galadā and very well attested. This word dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s where ᴱQ. alda “tree” appeared under the early root ᴱ√ALA² “spread” (QL/29). Tolkien seems to have switched its derivation to *galadā in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where ᴹQ. alda “tree” appeared under the root ᴹ√GALAD of the same meaning (Ety/GALAD). See also ornë “(tall) tree” for a discussion of another similar word.
Conceptual Development: There were a few instances where the word alda had a different meaning. In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s, alda was glossed “branch” (PE16/139). In notes from 1959 Tolkien said “*galadā, originally only large flourishing plant, as tree, and especially one that flowered, Q alda, S galað; the general word for ‘tree’ was Q orne ‘upstanding plant’ (PE17/153)”. But in its numerous appearance elsewhere, alda was simply a general word for “tree”.
- Q. aldarembina adj. “tree-meshed”
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Quenya cognate to S. galadhremmen “tree-meshed” (PE17/136) from the Sindarin poem A Elbereth Gilthoniel (LotR/238). It is a combination of Q. alda “tree” and Q. rembina “meshed” (PE17/25-26).
- ᴹQ. aldarwa adj. “having trees, tree-grown”
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A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “having trees, tree-grown”, a combination of ᴹQ. alda “tree” and the semi-suffix ᴹQ. -arwa “possessing, having”, serving as an example of that suffix’s use (Ety/ƷAR|GAR).
- Q. aldinga n. “tree-top”
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A word for “tree-top” in notes from the late 1960s, a combination of alda “tree” and inga “top” (VT47/28).
- Q. ornë n. “(tall) tree, [ᴹQ.] high isolated tree”
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A word for a “(tall) tree” word in Quenya, derived from primitive ✶ornē (Let/426; PE17/25, 50). This word can be compared to the more common alda “tree”. Talking about the primitive forms Tolkien said:
… *ornē “tree” originally and usually applied to the taller, straighter, and more slender trees, such as birches [as opposed to] … stouter and more spreading trees, such as oaks and beeches, were called in C.E. galadā “great growth” (NM/349 and note #1).
I would use ornë in Quenya only for tall straight trees, and alda as either the general word for “tree”, or where applicable for broad and spreading trees.
Conceptual Development: The earliest precursor to this word seems to be ᴱQ. orond- “bush”, cognate to G. orn “tree” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/62). It became {orne >>} ᴱQ. orme “tree” in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/139) and then ᴹQ. orne “high isolated tree” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from ᴹ✶ÓR-NI “high tree” (Ety/ÓR-NI). It retained the form orne thereafter.
- Q. táva n. “great tree”
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A noun appearing as tāva “great tree” in a list of “large & small” roots from around 1968 derived from the root √TAW “wood”.
Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. taule “great tree” under the early root ᴱ√TAVA “beam”, a homonym of ᴱQ. taule “pillar” under the early root ᴱ√TAW̯A (QL/90).
- S. galadh n. “tree”
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The basic Sindarin word for “tree” (LotR/1113), derived from primitive ✶galadā and very well attested. This word dates back at least to The Etymologies of the 1930s, where N. galadh “tree” appeared under the root ᴹ√GALAD (Ety/GALAD). See also orn “(tall) tree” of similar meaning.
Conceptual Development: Gnomish of the 1910s had some earlier version of this “tree” word: G. galdon >> alwen “tree” in the Name-list to the Fall of Gondolin (PE15/24) and archaic/poetic G. †alwen “tree” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/19), the latter probably from the early root ᴱ√ALA² “spread” that was the basis for ᴱQ. alda “tree” (QL/29).
- S. galadhremmen adj. “tree-meshed”
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An adjective meaning “tree-meshed” appearing in the A Elbereth Gilthoniel poem in its plural form galadhremmin (LotR/238). It was a combination of galadh “tree” and remmen “meshed” (PE17/25-26). This word is probably poetic, not in common use.
- S. orn n. “(tall straight) tree”
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A “tree” word in Sindarin, derived from primitive ✶ornē (Let/426; NM/349; UT/266). This word can be compared to the more general galadh “tree”. Of these Tolkien said:
There was not in Sindarin much distinction in size between galað and orn. But oak (norð, Q nordo) and beech were galað for instance and birch and ash orn. A galað was more thick, dense & branching (PE17/25).
And:
… *ornē “tree” originally and usually applied to the taller, straighter, and more slender trees, such as birches [as opposed to] … stouter and more spreading trees, such as oaks and beeches, were called in C.E. galadā “great growth” (NM/349 and note #1).
In this second set of notes Tolkien also said “In S. orn < *ornē fell out of common use and was used only in verse and songs, though it survived in many names, of trees and persons. All trees were called galað < *galadā” (NM/349 note #1). I can find no evidence of that S. orn was archaic this outside of this note. As such, I would use orn in Sindarin for tall straight trees, and galadh either for trees in generally, or where applicable for broad and spreading trees.
Conceptual Development: This word was very well established in Tolkien’s mind. In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, G. orn was the ordinary word for “tree”, as opposed to archaic/poetic G. †alwen (GL/19, 62). ᴱN. orn “tree” appeared in Early Noldorin word-lists of the 1920s where it was derived from ᴱ✶orne- (PE13/151, 164), and N. orn “tree” reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from ᴹ✶ÓR-NI “high tree”, though in this document Tolkien said this Noldorin word was “used of any large tree” (Ety/ÓR-NI).