12.47 North
- Q. formen n. “north, [ᴹQ.] right-hand [direction]”
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The Quenya word for “north” and the name of tengwa #10 (LotR/1123). It is a combination of ᴹ√PHOR “right-hand” and √MEN “way”, so named because it is the direction to the right when facing west (PE17/18; PE22/23; Ety/PHOR, MEN). It is also the name of the region of the north which in English would be “the North” but Quenya just has Formen without the definite article (PE23/133).
Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. póme “north” under the early root ᴱ√PO (QL/74) along with a variant poar (QL/75), both of which were also mentioned in the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/75). The Ambarkanta of the early 1930s at first had Tormen for “north”, but this was revised for Formen both there and in The Etymologies from 1937 (SM/244; Ety/MEN) and Tolkien used formen thereafter.
- Q. forna adj. “northern”
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An adjective for “northern” based on the prefix for- (PE17/18).
Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. pōmea “northern” based on ᴱQ. pōme “north” (QL/74). The Etymologies of the 1930s had ᴹQ. formenya “northern” as an adjectival form of ᴹQ. formen “north” (Ety/PHOR), but this might coexist with forna.
- ⚠️N. fervein adj. “northern”
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A Noldorin word for “northern” in The Etymologies of the 1930s that is either forvein or fervein, an adjectival form of N. forven “north” and the cognate of ᴹQ. formenya (Ety/PHOR; EtyAC/PHOR).
Neo-Sindarin: This word might be adapted into Neo-Sindarin as forvain or fervain, but I would just use N. forodren for “northern” instead.
- S. for- pref. “north”
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A prefix for “north” (PE17/18) clearly based on the root ᴹ√PHOR “right-hand” (Ety/PHOR).
- S. forn adj. “north, ⚠️[N.] right”
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An adjective for “north” based on the prefix for- (SA/formen; PE17/18). In The Etymologies of the 1930s it had the gloss “right or north” under the root ᴹ√PHOR “right-hand” (Ety/PHOR).
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of North-Sindarin I would use this adjective only for “north”, and for “right (hand)” I would use S. fuir; see that entry for discussion.
- S. forod n. “north”
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The Sindarin word for “north” derived from primitive ᴹ✶phoroti based on the root ᴹ√PHOR “right-hand” (LotR/1123; PE17/18; Ety/PHOR). It was the “right-hand direction” since the Elves reckoned their directions while facing west (LotR/1123). It can also be used for “the North” as a region, but Sindarin would do so without a definite article: mi Forod “in [the] North” (PE23/133).
- N. forodren adj. “northern”
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An adjectival form of forod “north” in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/PHOR).
- ⚠️N. forven n. “north”
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A word for “north” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, the direct equivalent of ᴹQ. formen (Ety/PHOR).
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would just use S. forod “north”.