14.74 Winter
- S. rhîw n. “winter”
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The Sindarin word for “winter”, equivalent to Q. hrívë, as well as the Sindarin name of the corresponding 72 day period in the calendar of Imladris (LotR/1107; PM/135).
Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had various other “winter” words: G. folornin based on G. fôl “leafless” (GL/35), G. Gilim based on the early root ᴱ√ı̯el [DYELE] having to do with the cold (GL/38; QL/106), and G. Hess based on the early root ᴱ√heth² [HESE²] “wither” (GL/49; QL/40). Of these, Gilim reappeared in the Lays of Beleriand of the 1920s as the name of a giant (LB/205), but there are no signs of these words thereafter.
14.75 Spring
- S. echuir n. “early spring, (lit.) stirring”
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The Sindarin word for early spring, the equivalent of Q. coirë, name of a 54 day period in the calendar of Imladris with the meaning “stirring” (LotR/1107; SD/129). It is likely derived from or influenced by echui “awakening”.
- S. ethuil n. “spring [the season]”
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The usual Sindarin word for “spring” as a season, equivalent to Q. tuilë, as well as the Sindarin name of the corresponding 54 day period in the calendar of Imladris (LotR/1107; SD/129; PM/135). In compounds it is generally reduced to tuil (-duil), as in Thranduil “Vigorous Spring” (PE17/27) and [N.] tuilinn “swallow = spring-singer” (Ety/TUY). These words are clearly based on √TUY “sprout, bud”.
Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, G. {duil >>} tuil was the normal word for “spring” based on the early root ᴱ√TUẎU as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (GL/31, 71; LT1A/Tuilérë). It had a longer variant {duilir >>} tuilir “spring-time”, also used as a name of Vâna (GL/31, 71). There was another Gnomish name for Vâna, G. Hairen, that was sometimes used as a word for Spring (GL/47).
14.76 Summer
- S. laer n. “summer”
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The Sindarin word for “summer”, equivalent to Q. lairë, as well as the Sindarin name of the corresponding 72 day period in the calendar of Imladris (LotR/1107; PM/136).
Conceptual Development: In drafts of the Lord of the Rings appendices, this word was first given as [N.] loer (PM/135), since in the 1930s and 40s usually primitive [ai] became [oe].
The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had a several other “summer” words: G. aust with variant G. ost likely based on the early root ᴱ√AWA “burn; be parched” (GL/20, 63; QL/33) and G. saiwen “summer, midsummer” [with variants sachwen and †safwen] based on G. sair “hot” (GL/66). Early Noldorin word-lists of the 1920s had ᴱN. awest “summer” as a variant of aust, derived from primitive ᴱ✶awestá (PE13/137, 160).
14.77 Autumn
- N. dannas n. “autumn, (lit.) *the fall”
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A word for “autumn” in drafts of the Lord of the Rings appendices, clearly an abstract noun based on dant “fall” (PM/135). It replaced Dant and Dantilais, the latter clearly “*leaves-fall” where the second element is the plural of las(s) “leaf”.
Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. dodri·lassion as a combination of G. dodri “falling” and the genitive plural of G. lass “leaf” (GL/30).
- S. firith n. “fading; [late] autumn”
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A Sindarin word for late autumn, the equivalent of Q. quellë, name of a 54 day period in the calendar of Imladris with the meaning “fading” (LotR/1107; PM/135). It is a noun form of fir- “fade”.
- S. iavas n. “autumn, *harvest [time]”
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The usual Sindarin word for “autumn”, equivalent to Q. yávië, as well as the Sindarin name of the corresponding 54 day period in the calendar of Imladris (LotR/1107; SD/129; PM/135). It may also mean “*harvest [time]” like its Quenya equivalent, and is clearly based on the same root ᴹ√YAB “fruit”.
- S. lasbelin n. “autumn, *leaf-fading”
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A word appearing as N. lhasbelin “leaf-fall, autumn” in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a combination of N. lhass “leaf” and N. pelin “fading”, based on primitive ᴹ✶lassekwelēne (Ety/KWEL, LAS¹; EtyAC/KWEL). In drafts of the Lord of the Rings appendices, it appeared as lasbelin, since the unvoicing of initial l to lh was no longer a feature of the language as Tolkien conceived of it in the 1940s and 1950s.
Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. lasgweloth “leaf-fading, autumn” as a combination of G. lass “leaf” and G. cweloth “fading” (GL/28, GL/52). It also had G. narcolas “the fall of the leaf, Autumn” as a combination of G. narcos “rot, decay” and G. lass “leaf” (GL/59).