12.396 Behind, At the Rear Q. ca(ta) prep. “behind, at back of place; [ᴹQ.] after [of time]” A preposition appearing as ca, cata, cana “behind, at back of place” in notes from the mid-1950s (VT43/30). In notes associated with the Aia María prayer from the 1950s Tolkien wrote the forms
Paul Strack
Select Elvish Words: 12.3955 In Front
12.3955 In Front Q. opo prep. “in front (of place), before; ⚠️after (of time)” A word appearing as opo, pō, pono, poto- “in front, of place” in notes from the mid-1950s (VT49/32) and as opo, pō “before, in front of” in notes from 1969 associated with the Ambidexters Sentence (VT49/32).
Select Elvish Words: 12.395 Down, Below, Beneath
12.395 Down, Below, Beneath Q. nu prep. “under, beneath” The usual Quenya word for “under, beneath”, derived from the root √NŪ (LotR/377; MC/222; PE17/64, 66). Conceptual Development: This word first appeared in drafts of the ᴱQ. Oilima Markirya poem from around 1930. In the initial drafts, it had the form
Select Elvish Words: 12.394 Up, Above, Over
12.394 Up, Above, Over Q. am- pref. “up, [ᴱQ.] upwards” A prefix for “up”, very well attested and derived from √AM of the same meaning (Ety/AM²). Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. am(u)- “up(wards)” reflecting the earliest form of the root ᴱ√AM(U) (QL/30), but by the
Select Elvish Words: 12.393 Across, Athwart
12.393 Across, Athwart Q. lahta- v. “to cross, pass over, go over; to surpass, excel” This verb appeared in notes from 1965 as langa- “to cross, go over, pass over” and lanya- “to cross” derived from √LAŊ (PE17/65). In notes from 1967 it appeared as lahta- “to pass over, cross,
Select Elvish Words: 12.392 Out, Outside
12.392 Out, Outside Q. ava adv. and adj. “[ᴹQ.] outside, beyond; outer, exterior” A word that is an element in Avallónë “Outer Isle” (S/260). ᴹQ. ava was glossed “outside, beyond” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under from the root ᴹ√AWA “away, forth; out” (Ety/AWA), and it was glossed “outer,
Select Elvish Words: 12.391 In, Inside
12.391 In, Inside Q. mi prep. “in, [ᴹQ.] within” The Quenya preposition for “in”, very well attested. It was derived from the root √MI of the same meaning (PE17/92; VT43/30; VT47/30). In The Etymologies of the 1930s ᴹQ. mi was glossed “in, within” under the root ᴹ√MI “inside” (Ety/MI). Conceptual
Select Elvish Words: 12.38 Center
12.38 Center Q. enda n. “heart; centre, *interior” A word clearly derived from the root √ENED “middle”. In the context of Elvish psychology, Tolkien described it as: This we translate “heart”, though it has no physical reference to any organ of the hröa [body]. It means “centre”, and refers (though
Select Elvish Words: 12.371 Between
12.371 Between Q. enel prep. “in the middle, between” A word for “between” in the sense “in the middle” (VT47/11). More precisely it meant “at the central position in a row, list, series, etc. but also applied to the case of three persons” and that it “referred to the position
Select Elvish Words: 12.37 Middle
12.37 Middle Q. endëa adj. “middle, *average” An adjectival form of endë “middle” implied by Q. atendëa “double-middle” from the first edition of The Lord of the Rings (RC/728). Neo-Quenya: In a Discord post from 2025-04-24, Delle suggested this adjective might mean “*average” as well. ⚠️Q. entya adj. “central, middle”