Select Elvish Words 8.655: Tree (other) – Quenya

8.655 Tree (other)

Q. culumalda n. “laburnum, *(lit.) orange-tree”

Quenya name for a “laburnum” described as “a tree with hanging yellow blossoms (prob[ably] a laburnum) growing in Ithilien espec[ially] at Cormallen” (RC/626). Helge Fauskanger suggested it is probably [ᴹQ.] culuma “orange” + alda “tree” (QQ/culumalda).

Q. farnë (farni-) n. “ash, rowan; ⚠️[ᴹQ.] foliage”

A Quenya noun for the rowan-tree, appearing in an explanation of the name Orofarnë “Mountain Ash” in notes from the 1950s, though Tolkien marked it with a “?” as uncertain (PE17/83). Its older form was either fărnĭ or primitive ✶pharne; if the former, its stem form would be farni-.

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies from the 1930s, a similar word ᴹQ. feren/ferne appears as the Quenya word for “beech-tree” (Ety/PHER). Conversely, ᴹQ. farne appeared with the gloss “foliage” as a derivative of ᴹ√PHAS (EtyAC/PHARAN, PHAS). It is possible that Tolkien intended to replace ferne < ᴹ√PHER(EN) with farnë < √PHAR(AN).

Neo-Quenya: For the purpose of Neo-Quenya writing, I think it is worth retaining both ᴹQ. feren “beech” and Q. farnë “ash, rowan” (along with its Sindarin cognate S. faran) as etymological variants referring to two distinct species of trees. For the sense “foliage”, it is probably better to use the later word olass(i)ë.

Q. lairelossë n. “summer-snow-white”

Name of a species of tree in Númenor (UT/167), a combination of lairë “summer” and lossë “snow-white”.

Q. laurinquë n. “yellow-flowered tree”

A species of tree in Númenor with low hanging clusters of yellow flowers translated “golden rain” (UT/167; NM/333). Its initial element seems to be laurë “gold (colour)”.

ᴹQ. lavaralda n. “tree with long green leaves with golden undersides and pale flowers with a yellow flush”

A species of tree in Númenor “with long green leaves with golden undersides and pale flowers with a yellow flush” (LR/57), a combination of lávar “golden flower” and alda “tree”.

Q. lepetta n. “Gondorian hardwood”

Quenya name for the S. lebethron tree appearing in an undated note likely from the late 1960s, so called “probably because its leaves (like chestnut) [were] shaped like a fingered hand” (PE17/89). As such it was likely derived from √LEP, the basis for finger-words.

ᴱQ. lindelokte n. “laburnum, (lit.) singing cluster”

A word in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s appearing as ᴱQ. lindelokte “singing-cluster, laburnum”, a combination of ᴱQ. lin¹ (lind-) “musical voice” and ᴱQ. lokte “flower cluster” (QL/55). ᴱQ. Lindelokte was also an earlier name for Q. Laurelin, one of the two trees (LT1/22).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya I would update this word to ᴺQ. lindelos (lindelós-) “laburnum, (lit.) singing cluster”, using the later elements lindë “singing” and lós [þ] “mass of flowers”. I think this word can coexist with culumalda which Tolkien said also might refer to a laburnum (RC/626).

ᴹQ. lintyulussea adj. “having many poplars”

A word for “having many poplars” from The Etymologies of the 1930s, a combination of ᴹQ. lin- “many” and an adjectival form of ᴹQ. tyulusse “poplar-tree” (Ety/LI).

Conceptual Development: This word also appeared with the same meaning from the 1910s and 20s as ᴱQ. lintyulussea, lintutyulussea “having many poplars” (QL/53), lintu(tu)lussea (PME/53) and [nominative] lintyulussean (PE16/80). The possibly duplicated tu(tu) in the early form of this word seems to be an artifact of the prefix ᴱQ. li(n)-; compare to limpa(pa)lasse(a) “much roaring” based on ᴱQ. palasse “splashing” (QL/53).

ᴱQ. maite n. “maple”

A word appearing as {mavain >>} ᴱQ. maite “maple” in Early Qenya Word-lists (PE16/140), likely based on ᴱQ. má “hand” and perhaps simply ᴱQ. maite “handed” as suggested by Wynne and Gilson.

Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. mavoisi “chestnut” from the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s also seems to be based on an adjectival form of ᴱQ. má “hand”, seen more clearly in its fuller name ᴱQ. alda mavoite “chestnut” where the second element is ᴱQ. mavoite “having hands” (QL/57; PME/57).

Neo-Quenya: Given the ambiguity of the form maite, for purposes of Neo-Quenya I would restore the deleted form as ᴺQ. mavaina “maple” as a combination of má “hand” and [ᴺQ.] vaina “clad”. For “chestnut” I would use ᴺQ. olmos (olmoss-) inspired by G. omlos (GL/62).

Q. malinornë n. “mallorn, (lit.) golden/yellow tree”

The usual Quenya name for the mallorn tree, most notably appearing in the Entish phrase Laurelindórenan lindelorendor malinornélion ornemalin (LotR/467; Let/448). It is a combination of malina “yellow, golden colour” and ornë “tree”. In one place Tolkien considered an alternate form maldorne where the initial element was instead derived from primitive ✶malnā with ancient ln becoming ld (PE17/51).

ᴱQ. mapalin n. “plane tree [Platinus], sycamore, (lit.) hand-flat”

A word appearing as ᴱQ. mapalin “plane or sycamore” in Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s, apparently a combination of ᴱQ. má “hand” with some form of the early root ᴱ√PALA “flatness” (QL/57, 71; PME/57). Here “plane” probably refers to the plane tree (genus Platinus), and the word mapalin probably refers to the hand-like five-lobed leaves of the European variants of these trees, as suggested by the editors. Various adjectives can be applied to this tree-name for different subspecies: ᴱQ. varivoite “foreign”, ᴱQ. fatsevoite “tasseled”, ᴱQ. rámavoite “winged”, ᴱQ. tarukka “horned”, and ᴱQ. wilwarinda “butterflylike”, the last three for varieties of sycamores.

The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had an alternate word ᴱQ. palapapte for “sycamore”, a combination of ᴱ√PALA “flatness” and ᴱQ. pat (papt-) “small leaf” (QL/71). Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s had ᴱQ. maisilanda “sycamore” (PE16/140), possibly a combination of an early iteration of ᴹQ. maite (maisi-) “handy” and ᴱQ. landa “wide”. ᴱQ. mapalin “plane [tree]” also reappeared in this 1920s list (PE16/140).

Neo-Quenya: I’d retain ᴺQ. mapalin “plane tree [Platinus], sycamore, (lit.) hand-flat” for purposes of Neo-Quenya, since the relevant roots survived in Tolkien’s later writings. I would update the adjectives for the various subspecies to ᴹQ. ettelëa “foreign”, ᴺQ. fassitë “tasseled”, ᴺQ. rámaitë “winged”, ᴺQ. rassëa “horned”, and Q. vilvarindëa “like a butterfly”.

Q. nessamelda n. “species of tree in Númenor, (lit.) beloved of Nessa”

Name of a species of tree in Númenor (UT/167), a combination of Nessa and melda “beloved”.

Q. oiolairë n. “ever-summer (a species of tree)”

A species of tree in Númenor translated “ever-summer” (UT/179), a combination of oi(o) “ever” and lairë “summer”.

Q. ornemalin n. “[tree] bearing yellow flowers”

A name for a tree “bearing yellow flowers” (PE17/80), appearing in the Entish description Lórien: Laurelindórenan lindelorendor malinornélion ornemalin (LotR/467). It is a compound of ornë “tree”, malin(a) “yellow” (Let/448, PE17/80), and may be another name for the malinornë (S. mallorn).

ᴱQ. paltyalda n. “palm tree”

A word appearing as ᴱQ. paltyalda “palm tree” in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s, a combination of ᴱQ. paltya “flat of hand, palm of hand” and ᴱQ. alda “tree” (PME/74).

Neo-Quenya: Since palta is “flat of the hand, *palm” in Tolkien’s later writings, I would update this word to ᴺQ. paltalda “palm tree”.

ᴱQ. siqilisse n. “weeping willow; ⚠️lamentation”

A word appearing as ᴱQ. siqilisse “weeping willow” in the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s, an elaboration of ᴱQ. siqile “sighing, lament” based on the early root ᴱ√SIQI “sigh, say alas” (QL/84; PME/84). In the Qenya Lexicon the word siqilisse also had the sense “lamentation” (QL/84).

Neo-Quenya: I would retain ᴺQ. siquilissë for “weeping willow” for purposes of Neo-Quenya, but for “lament(ation)” I would use nainië (RGEO/58).

ᴱQ. tamuril n. “yew”

A word appearing as ᴱQ. tamuril “yew” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, but in the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa it was tamarin “yew” (QL/84; PME/84). The etymological basis for either word is unclear.

Neo-Quenya: I would retain ᴺQ. tamuril “yew” for purposes of Neo-Quenya, since there are no later alteratives.

Q. taniquelassë n. “*high-white-leaf”

Name of a species of tree in Númenor (UT/167), apparently a combination of the initial part of Taniquetil with lassë “leaf”.

Q. tasar(ë) [þ] (tasari-) n. “willow”

The Quenya word for “willow” appearing as both tasar (PE17/81) and tasare (SA/tathar), derived from the root √TATHAR. This form of the word dates back to The Etymologies of the 1930s where ᴹQ. tasar, tasare “willow” appeared under the root ᴹ√TATHAR (Ety/TATHAR).

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had a slightly different word ᴱQ. tasarin (tasarind-) “willow” under the early root ᴱ√TASA, though Tolkien marked it with a “?” (QL/89). This became tassarin “willow” with a double-s in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/139) before Tolkien adopted the form tasar(e) [þ] in the 1930s, as noted above.

Q. tyulusse n. “poplar-tree”

A word for a “popular-tree” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶tyulussē under the root ᴹ√TYUL “stand up (straight)” (Ety/TYUL). ᴱQ. tyulusse “poplar” also appeared several times in Tolkien’s writings in the 1910s and 20s, already derived from the early root ᴱ√TYULU (QL/50; PME/50; PE16/139).

Conceptual Development: See the root ᴹ√TYUL for a discussion of later evolutions of its primitive forms.

Q. vardarianna n. “fragrant evergreen tree”

Name of a species of tree in Númenor (UT/167), a combination of Varda as well as (perhaps) ría “garland” plus anna “gift”.

Q. yavannamírë n. “Jewel of Yavanna”

A species of tree in Númenor with globed and scarlet fruits (UT/167; NM/333), translated by Christopher Tolkien as “Jewel of Yavanna” (UTI/Yavannamírë). This name is a compound of Yavanna and the noun mírë “jewel”.