13.33 Alone, Only
- Q. er adj. and adv. “one, alone; ⚠️[ᴱQ.] only, a single”
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The Quenya word for “one, alone” used for isolated or unique things and derived from the root √ER (PE23/142; Ety/ERE). This is contrasted min “one” used when counting: min, atta, neldë, etc. (VT48/6).
Conceptual Development: The word ᴱQ. er “one” dates all the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s where it appeared under the early root ᴱ√ERE, but in that document it was revised to ᴱQ. er “only, but, still” (QL/36). The use of er for “one” was restored in Early Qenya Grammar (EQG) of the 1920s, where it was already used for isolated things in contrast with ᴱQ. min “one” used for counting (PE14/49; PE14/82). Tolkien retained this usage throughout his later writings.
- ᴱQ. erda adj. “solitary, deserted”
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An adjective appearing as ᴱQ. erda “solitary, deserted” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√ERE “remain alone” (QL/36).
Neo-Quenya: Since √ER remains tied to aloneness in Tolkien’s later writings, I’d retain ᴺQ. erda “solitary, deserted” for purposes of Neo-Quenya.
- Q. erdë n. “singularity”
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A noun translated “singularity” in Laws and Customs of the Eldar from 1958 (MR/216), obviously based on the root √ER “one, alone”. This term is also used to describe the totality of an individual, including body, mind, and soul.
- Q. eressë n. “[ᴹQ.] (in) solitude, separation, isolation; ⚠️[ᴱQ.] alone, by oneself, singly, only; once”
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A word for “solitude” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√ERE “be alone, deprived” (Ety/ERE). In Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from 1948, Tolkien said its literal meaning was “in one (and the same) place” and hence meaning “in isolation, solitude, separation” (PE23/100). On the basis of these glosses, I would assume eressë could be used as either a noun for “solitude, isolation, separation”, or an adverb meaning “in solitude, isolation, separation”. Its continued existence is implied by the ongoing use of its adjectival form eressëa “lonely” (LotR/1116).
Conceptual Development: In the 1910s-20s, ᴱQ. eresse was an adverb meaning “singly, only, alone, by oneself” (PE14/47, 79; QL/36). In one place it was given as a variant of ᴱQ. eru “once” (PE14/51).
- Q. eressëa adj. “lonely”
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A word for “lonely”, most notably as an element in the name Tol Eressëa “Lonely Isle” (LotR/1116; S/59). This word and name had a long history in Tolkien’s writings, dating back to Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/36, 94) and appearing in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√ERE (Ety/ERE).
- Q. erinqua adj. “single, alone”
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A word in notes from the late 1960s given as the equivalent of S. ereb “single, alone”, derived from ✶erikwa based on √er “one, single, alone” (VT42/10).
- ᴹQ. erya adj. “single, sole, [ᴱQ.] only”
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An adjective in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “single, sole” under the root ᴹ√ERE “be alone, deprived” (Ety/ERE). In the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s, ᴱQ. erya was glossed “only, single” as an adjectival form of ᴱQ. er “one (only, alone)” (PE14/82).
- Q. rëa adj. “single”
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An adjective appearing in a marginal note to Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 glossed “single” with an adverbial variant rië “only”, both derived from ✶rē “single item taken out of a (long) series” and hence related to ré “day” (PE22/158).
- S. air adj. “lonely”
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A word for “lonely” in notes probably from the early 1960s related to the initial element of Eriador “Lonely Land”, which in this document was called a “Silvan” name (PE17/28). It was derived from ✶eryā, with *eri(a) > eir via i-intrusion and then ei > ai in the final syllable as was usual for Sindarin. See S. îr for an alternate phonetic development from the 1950s.
- S. ereb adj. “single, alone, lonely, [N.] isolated”
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A word for “single, alone, [N.] isolated” derived from primitive ✶erikwa base on √ER “one” (VT42/10; Ety/ERE). It is an element in names like Erebor “Lonely Mountain” and Amon Ereb “Lonely Hill”.
Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s its primitive form was ᴹ✶ereqa (Ety/ERE). The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s instead had G. ereg “alone, only” along with G. erethrin “isolated, solitary, lonely” (GL/33). The latter was a noun form of ereth “solitude, oneness, loneliness” and it had a variant erethog originally glossed “united, one” before being assigned the same meaning as erethrin.
- G. ereth adj. “solitude, oneness, loneliness”
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An abstract noun based on G. er “one” appearing in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s with the glosses {“oneness, unity; solitude” >>} “solitude, oneness, loneliness” (GL/32).
Neo-Sindarin: Since S. er “one” survives in Tolkien’s later writings and -th remains a common noun suffix, I would retain ᴺS. ereth “solitude, oneness, loneliness” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin.
- N. eriol adj. “single, alone”
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A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “alone, single” under the root ᴹ√ERE “be alone, deprived” (Ety/ERE). This word also appeared in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1930s and 40s in the diacritic name peg eriol “single dot” (PE22/31; PE23/22).
- S. ero adj. “*only, alone”
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The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. erw “only” as an adverbial form of G. er “one” (GL/33). A similar adverb ero appeared in the Túrin Wrapper from the late 1950s or early 1950s in the phrase ach in ellath hí ero ed epholar (VT50/5), untranslated but probably meaning something like “but now the Elves alone (?remember) it” as suggested by Carl Hostetter (VT50/15). The first version of this phrase had eno instead [perhaps meaning “*still”], and the third version had îr.
There was another note probably from the late 1950s that derived îr from adjectival ✶eryā, but this phonetic development is abnormal since it seems to assume i-affection occurred after the loss of final vowels rather than before: eryā > erı̯a > erı̯ > irı̯ > îr (VT50/18). See also S. air “lonely” from the early 1960s which has the expected phonetic development from primitive ✶eryā.
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would use ero “only, alone” as the best of the available options for the adverbial forms. For the adjective I would use S. air “lonely”.