1.54 Star Q. †él n. “star” An archaic or poetic word for star (WJ/362), somewhat common in compounds but in ordinary speech typically appearing as elen. It was derived directly from the primitive root √EL “behold”, the basis for other star words (PM/340; WJ/360). Conceptual Development: This word first appeared
Select Elvish Words 1.52-1.53: Sun, Moon
1.52 Sun Q. Anar n. “Sun” The most common Quenya name for the Sun derived from primitive ✶Anār, an augmented form of the root √NAR “fire” (Let/425; PE17/38; Ety/ANÁR; SD/302, 306). Conceptual Development: This term appeared in Silmarillion drafts of the 1930s with the gloss “Heart of Flame” (LR/240) and
Select Elvish Words 1.51: Sky, Heavens
1.51 Sky, Heavens Q. fanyarë n. “the skies (not heaven or firmament), the upper airs and clouds” A noun used in the 1960s version of the Markirya poem described as “the skies — not heaven or firmament — the upper airs and clouds” (MC/222-223). It is a (singular) abstract noun
Select Elvish Words 1.46: Cave
1.46 Cave Q. felco n. “cave, mine, underground dwelling” A word for “cave, mine, underground dwelling” Tolkien considered in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957, derived from the root √PHELEK as a possible replacement of felya “mine, boring, tunnel, underground dwel[ling]” < ✶phelgā (PE17/118). Neo-Quenya: I prefer the root form
Select Elvish Words 1.44: Rock, Stone
1.44 Rock, Stone ᴱQ. alas n. “marble” A noun appearing as ᴱQ. alas (alast-) “marble” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s derived from primitive ᴱ✶ʒalast- (QL/30). Neo-Quenya: I think this word may be salvageable in Neo-Quenya as ᴺQ. alas, reconceived as a derivative of ᴹ√GALAS “joy, be glad”, perhaps
Select Elvish Words 1.43: Wood, Timber
1.43 Wood, Timber ᴱQ. kinda n. “splinter” A noun appearing as ᴱQ. kinda “splinter” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, derived from the early root ᴱ√KIŘI [KIÐI] (QL/047). Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I think this word can be salvaged as ᴺQ. cirda “splinter, wood shaving” from the later
Select Elvish Words 1.41: Woods, Forest
1.41 Woods, Forest Q. ornendur n. “tree-keep, forester, woodsman” A word in 1959 notes Tolkien described as “a tree-keep, a forester, a ‘woodsman’, a man concerned with trees as we might say ‘professionally’ (NM/20)”. It was given as an example of the use of the suffix -(n)dur, and its initial
Select Elvish Words 1.37-1.38: Spring, Well, Whirlpool
1.37 Spring, Well Q. celussë n. “freshnet, water falling out swiftly from a rocky spring” Quenya equivalent of the river name S. Celos, glossed “freshnet, water falling out swiftly from a rocky spring” and derived from a combination of ✶kelu- “flow (swiftly)” and the abstract noun suffix -ssë (UTI/Celos). Q.
Select Elvish Words 1.36: Brook, Stream, River
1.36 Brook, Stream, River Q. celumë n. “flow(ing), stream, flood (tide); ⚠️[ᴱQ.] fountain, spring” A word for a stream or flow of water or other liquid, also for a flood tide, derived from the root ᴹ√KEL(U) (MC/223; Ety/KEL). Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, the words ᴱQ.
Select Elvish Words 1.351-1.352: Foam, Froth, Splash, Spray
ᴹQ. falle n. “foam” A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “foam” derived from the root ᴹ√PHAL of the same meaning (Ety/PHAL). Q. wingë n. “foam, spindrift, spray, [ᴹQ.] wave crest, [ᴱQ.] froth, scud; ⚠️wave” A noun for “foam” or “spray”, described at one point as “properly a