A Taste of the Elven Language
Tolkien once stated that he had "tasted" a number
of languages rather than studied them (MC:192). To provide a "taste"
of Elvish collected here are a number of vocabulary items from both Quenya and Sindarin,
grouping them under various headings. This should enable potential students to
assess the style of these languages and perhaps even sense the fusion of sound
and meaning that so delighted Tolkien. Of course, this list may also be of help
in acquiring some basic vocabulary. But I'm afraid it will still be a long time
before we see a complete Elvish thesaurus!
I: SELECTED QUENYA VOCABULARY
Jump down to Sindarin
PEOPLE: Quendë
"Elf" (but this is a technical word usually replaced by Elda,
which strictly refers to the non-Avari Elves only), Atan "(Mortal)
Man" (but this term came to be primarily associated with the Three Houses
of the Edain), Firya and Fírima "Mortal", Nauco
"Dwarf" (also Casar, from Dwarvish Khazâd), Picinauco
or Pityanauco "Petty-dwarf", Orco or Urco
"Orc". General terms (presumably) applicable to all races: quén
"person" (pl. queni), nér "man" (pl. neri;
cf. also vëo or vëaner = "adult man"), nís or nissë
"woman" (pl. nissi), hína "child", lapsë
"babe", seldo *"boy" (?), wendë later vendë
"maiden, girl". A "people" as a whole is called a lië
(hence Eldalië = the people of the Elves).
THE FAMILY: verno
"husband", vessë "wife", indis
"bride" (sometimes used for "wife"), atar
"father" (atto = *"dad"), amil or ammë
"mother" (mamil = *"mom"), yondo
"son", yeldë "daughter" (changed to yendë in
the Etymologies, but later material may suggest that Tolkien restored yeldë),
toron "brother" (pl. torni), onónë or seler
"sister" (pl. selli), indyo "grandchild,
descendant", onóna "twin" (pl. ónoni). Besides the
word for "brother" listed above, there is also otorno
"sworn brother, associate" (the fem. form would seem to be osellë,
glossed "sister, associate").
ANIMALS: General word celva
"moving animal", cf. also laman (used of four-footed animals,
not of insects or reptiles), andamunda "elephant", huo "dog"
(ronyo "hound of chase"), hyalma "shell,
conch" (at least technically an animal and not a plant!), leuca
"snake" (also ango pl. angwi), lingwë "fish"
(hala "small fish"), lókë "worm, dragon"
(also longer angulókë; cf. also rámalókë "winged
dragon", urulókë "fire-dragon", lingwilókë
"sea-serpent"), máma "sheep", morco
"bear", mundo "ox" (this word may also mean
"snout"), *nyaro "rat" (misreading "nyano"
in LR:379), rá "lion" (pl. rávi), ráca and narmo
"wolf" (nauro "werewolf"), rocco
"horse", rusco "fox", wilwarin
"butterfly". Early material has mëoi "cat", but this
word looks weird in mature Quenya (no other singulars in -oi). An early
source also has nion or nier for "bee", noldarë
or nolpa for "mole" and yaxë (or yaxi) for
"cow". Birds: aiwë or filit "(small) bird"
(pl. filici), alqua "swan", ammalë a yellow bird
or "yellow hammer", cu or cua "dove", halatir
or halatirno "kingfisher", lindo "singer"
(singing bird), lómelindë "nightingale" (kenning tindómerel
= Sindarin tinúviel), maiwë "gull", soron or sornë
"eagle", tambaro "woodpecker", tuilindo
"swallow", quáco "crow" (also corco).
PLANTS: olva
"plant", uilë "long trailing plant, especially sea-weed"
(which is explicitly ëaruilë), salquë "grass", sara
"stiff dry grass", lassë "leaf", olwa
"branch", tussa "bush", hwan "sponge,
fungus", lótë "flower", lossë "blossom"
(usually white), nieninquë "snowdrop", asëa aranion
"athelas, kingsfoil". Trees: alda "tree", ornë "tree"
(smaller and more slender like a birch or rowan), alalmë
"elm-tree", feren "beech-tree", ercassë
"holly", malinornë "mallorn", norno "oak",
tasar or tasarë "willow", norno "oak",
tyulussë "poplar-tree".
METALS, SUBSTANCES, ELEMENTS: erma,
orma and hroa "(physical) matter", tinco or rauta
"metal", malta "gold" (also poetic cullo
"red gold"), telpë or tyelpë "silver", anga
"iron", cemen "earth, soil", nén
"water", nárë "flame, fire", vilya, wilma
or wista "air", lossë "snow", helcë
"ice", litsë "sand", asto "dust", ondo
"stone" (as material, but also used = rock), rossë
"dew", hrávë "flesh", sercë "blood"
(also yár), hyellë "glass", tó "wool",
fallë "foam".
BODY-PARTS: cár "head",
loxë or findë "hair" (the term for a head of hair is findessë),
anta "face", hén "eye" (pl. hendi, or
dual hendu), lár "pair of ears", nengwë
"nose", anto "mouth", pé "lip" (so
according to a late source; in the Etymologies, the gloss was
"mouth"), nelet "tooth" (pl. nelci), lamba
"tongue" (but "tongue" = language is lambë),
fanga "beard", lanco "throat", yat (yaht-)
"neck", hón "(physical) heart" (indo =
symbolic heart), ranco "arm" (pl. ranqui), má "hand",
cambë "hollow of hand", quárë "fist", lepsë
"finger", tiuco "thigh", telco "leg"
(pl. telqui), tál "foot", tallunë "sole of
foot", axo "bone". Early material also has ólemë
"elbow" and aldamo "back". The word for the entire
body is hroa (also used = "physical matter"). Somewhere there
may be a sealed envelope containing a piece of paper with the Elvish designations
of the genitals, furtively set down by Tolkien behind locked doors.
SOME TITLES AND PROFESSIONS: aran
"king", tári "queen", cundu
"prince", aranel "princess", heru
"lord", heri "lady", arquen "a
noble", aryon or haryon "heir", roquen
"knight", cáno "commander", tercáno
"herald", istyar "scholar", sairon
"wizard" (but Gandalf was an istar), ingólemo
"sage", lambengolmo "loremaster of tongues"
(linguist), tano "craftsman, smith", quentaro
"narrator", samno "carpenter, wright, builder", tyaro
"doer, actor, agent", cemnaro or centano
"potter". (See the heading War and Weaponry for
"warrior" and "spearman".)
FOOD: apsa "cooked
food, meat", masta "bread", sáva
"juice", pirya "juice, syrup", lís
"honey" (liss-), yávë "fruit", porë
"flour, meal", culuma "orange", sulca
"edible root", coimas "lembas", miruvórë a
drink poured out at festivals in Valinor (translated "mead" in Namárië),
limpë "wine, drink of the Valar". Early material also gives sulpa
"soup", pio "plum, cherry", piucca
"berry" (or specifically "blackberry") and tyuru
"cheese".
GEOGRAPHIC TERMS: nórë
"land", nórië "country", arda "realm, a
particular land or region", ména "region", men
"place, spot", réna "border", peler
"fenced field", panda "enclosure", oron
"mountain" (pl. oronti), rassë and tildë "peak,
horn", ambo "hill", cilya "cleft", nandë
"valley", tumbo "deep valley, under or among hills",
yáwë "ravine, cleft, gulf", pendë "slope,
declivity", mallë "way, street" (pl. maller), tië
"path", taurë "great wood, forest", ehtelë
"spring, issue of water", ailin "pool, lake" (also linya),
ringë "cold pool or lake (in mountains)", sírë "river",
nellë "brook", hópa "haven", hresta or
hyapat "shore", falassë "beach", ëar
"sea", celma "channel", tol
"island" (pl. tolli; "tolle" in LR:394 is evidently
a misreading), lóna "island, remote land". Directions: Formen
"North", Hyarmen "South", Númen
"West", Rómen "East".
WEATHER: mistë "fine
rain", fanya "cloud", lumbo "(dark, lowering)
cloud", súrë and vaiwa "wind", árë
"sunlight", hísë and hísië "mist", raumo
"(noise of a) storm", nixë "frost". Early material
has lúrë "dark weather" and the corresponding adjective lúrëa
"dark, overcast".
CELESTIAL OBJECTS: Anar
"Sun" (also called Naira and Vása), Isil
"Moon" (also called Rána), elen (poetic él)
"star" (also tinwë and nillë, sometimes with certain
specialized meanings), tingilyë or tingilindë "twinkling
star". Planets: Eärendil "Venus", Carnil
"Mars", Alcarinquë "Jupiter" (and more tentatively Nénar
"Neptune", Luinil "Uranus" and Lumbar
"Saturn"). Constellations: Telumehtar or Menelmacar
"Swordsman of the Sky" = Orion, Valacirca "Sickle of the
Valar" = Big Dipper (Great Bear), Wilwarin "Butterfly" =
Cassiopeia (?). A few other constellations are named but are difficult to
identify. General word for "sky, the heavens": menel (also hellë).
Cf. also fanyarë "upper airs and skies".
MUSIC, POETRY, INSTRUMENTS,
MUSICIANS: lindalë or lindelë "music", lírë
"song", lairë "poem" (not to be confused with a
homophone meaning "summer"), nainië "a lament", verb
lir- "sing, chant", verb nanda- "to harp",
noun nandë "harp" (nandellë "little harp"), nandaro
"harper", nyello "singer" (also lindo, but
this is also used of birds), nyellë "bell". Early material
also has salma "lyre".
WAR AND WEAPONRY: ohta
"war", verb ohtacar- "make war", verb mahta-
"wield a weapon, fight", ohtar, ohtatyaro and mahtar
"warrior", ehtyar "spearman", cotumo
"enemy", macil "sword", lango "broad
sword", ecet "small broad-bladed sword", sicil
"dagger, knife", quinga "bow" (also cú), pilin
"arrow" (pl. pilindi), nehtë "spear-head", ehtë
or ecco "spear", turma "shield", cassa
or carma "helmet". Early material has hossë
"army".
ARCHITECTURE: ataquë
"construction, building", coa "house" (also car,
card-), ampano "building, wooden hall", ando
"gate" (andon "great gate"), fenda
"threshold", sambë "room, chamber", caimasan
"bed-chamber" (pl. caimasambi), tópa "roof", talan
"floor" (pl. talami), ramba "wall", mindo
"(isolated) tower" (mindon "great tower"), osto
"city, town with wall round", opelë "walled house or
village, town", hróta "dwelling underground, artifical cave or
rockhewn hall", telma "the last item in a structure"
(such as a coping-stone, or a topmost pinnacle).
TIME: lú "a time,
occasion", lúmë "time, hour", vanwië "the
past", yárë "former days", yalúmë "former
times", aurë "day" (also arë), lómë
"night" (but sometimes used = "twilight"; other terms for
"night" include ló, mórë and Hui/Fui), ára
"dawn", arin "morning", arië
"daytime", sinyë "evening", tindómë and undómë
"twilight" (near dawn and near evening, respectively), anarórë
"sunrise", núro or andúnë "sunset", asta "month",
loa "year" (astronomically speaking called coranar
"sun-round"), yén "long year" (Elvish
"century" of 144 solar years), randa "cycle, age".
Seasons: coirë "stirring" (early spring), tuilë *"budding"
(late spring), lairë "summer" (not to be confused with a word
meaning "poem", see above), yávië "harvest" (early
autumn), quellë "fading" (late autumn), hrívë
"winter". For "autumn", the words lasselanta
"leaf-fall" and lassewinta *"leaf-scattering" were
also used. Months: Narvinyë "January", Nénimë
"February", Súlimë "March", Víressë
"April", Lótessë "May", Nárië
"June", Cermië "July", Úrimë
"August", Yavannië "September", Nénimë "October",
Hísimë "November", Ringarë "December".
NUMBERS: minë 1, atta
2, neldë 3, canta 4, lempë 5, enquë 6, otso
7, tolto 8, nertë 9, cainen 10, minquë 11. For 12
only the stem RÁSAT is given, but it is generally agreed that the Quenya
word must be *rasta. Higher numbers are uncertain. The word haranyë,
the last year in a century, may literally mean "hundredth
one", pointing to *haranya as the word for "hundredth"
and perhaps *haran (*harna?) as the word for "hundred".
Sindarin host means "gross", 144, the first three-digit number
in Elvish duodecimal counting, but the Quenya cognate hosta is simply
defined as "large number".
COLOURS: carnë
"red", culuina "orange" (adj. only - the fruit is
called culuma!), fána or fánë "white" (as
clouds), helwa "pale blue", laiqua "green", laurëa
"golden", lossë "snow-white" (also noun
"snow"), luin "blue", malina "yellow",
morë or morna "black", ninquë "white",
silma "silver, shining white", sindë (or sinda)
"grey", varnë "swart, (dark) brown". The Vanyar also
used some colour-words adopted from Valarin: ezel or ezella
"green", nasar "red", ulban "blue",
tulca "yellow". These were apparently not in use among the
Noldor.
SOME COMMON ADJECTIVES: vanya
or vanima "beautiful, fair" (also linda), mára "useful,
good" (of things), raica "wrong, crooked", ulca or
úmëa "evil", halla "tall", anda "long",
sinta "short", alta "great" (in size), úra
"large", úvëa "very large, abundant", titta
"tiny", pitya *"small", parca
"dry", mixa "wet", arca "narrow", nindë
"slender" (also teren), tiuca "thick,
fat", lunga "heavy", lissë "sweet", sára
"bitter", quanta "full", lusta
"empty", lauca "warm", ringa (or ringë)
"cold", forya "right", hyarya
"left", vinya "new" (also sinya), yerna "old,
worn" (of things), nessa "young", linyenwa "old"
(lit. "having many years"; this word did not connote weakness, since
the Elves were immortal), cuina "alive", coirëa
"living", qualin "dead" (but firin with
reference to the natural death of mortals).
SOME COMMON VERBS: car-
"make, do", harya- "possess, *have", cen-
"see", hlar- "hear", ista- "know"
(pa.t. sintë), lelya- "go" (past tense lendë), mat-
"eat", mer- "wish, desire, want", móta-
"labour, toil", tul- "come", quet-
"speak", hir- "find", anta- "give",
mel- "love" (as friend), sil- "shine".
PREPOSITIONS: amba, ama "up,
upwards", an "for, to", ana "to, towards"
(also na), apa "after", ara "outside,
beside", arta "across" (only attested in early
material), arwa "having, *with" (followed by genitive),
enga "save [= *except]", et "out of" (followed
by ablative), hequa "except", ho "from" (the
speaker's point of view being outside the thing left), imbë "between",
mi "in" (mí "in the"), mir or minna "into",
na "to, towards" (also ana), nu "under"
(also no), undu "down, under, beneath", or "over",
ter, terë "through", ve "as, like", yo
*"with" (?). We especially miss a word for "before".
II: SELECTED
SINDARIN VOCABULARY
Note: In
"Noldorin", the language Tolkien revised to produce Sindarin, many
words showed initial lh- and rh-, sc. unvoiced L and R.
Eventually, Tolkien revised the historical phonology, and in Sindarin as we
know it from LotR and later sources, most "Noldorin" words in lh-,
rh- should have normal l-, r- instead. Compare for
instance "Noldorin" lham "tongue" (LR:367 s.v. LAM)
with mature Sindarin lam (WJ:394). "Noldorin" words listed
below have been altered to conform with Tolkien's later vision of Sindarin
phonology, and lh-, rh- are retained only where these sounds have
a rightful place in mature Sindarin (e.g. in rhaw "flesh").
PEOPLE: Edhel
"Elf" (older Eledh), Adan "(Mortal) Man" (pl.
Edain - but this term came to be primarily associated with Men of the
Three Houses), Fíreb "Mortal", Nogoth "Dwarf"
(also Norn, but the people as a whole was usually called Naugrim),
Nibin-naug "Petty-dwarf", Orch "Orc". General
terms (presumably) applicable to all races: benn "man"
(properly "husband", but the word acquired a general sense and
replaced earlier dîr), bess "woman" (properly
"wife", similarly replacing earlier dî), dess
"young woman", hên "child", laes
"babe", gwenn "maiden, girl". The term for a
"people" (an ethnic group) is gwaith, but with reference to
less civilized groups (such as Orcs and most non-Edain Men), the Sindar rather
used the word hoth "horde".
THE FAMILY: herven "husband",
herves "wife" (also bess, but this also acquired the
general sense "woman"), dîs "bride", adar
"father" (ada = *"dad"?), naneth
"mother" (nana = *"mom"), iôn or ionn
"son", sell (and iell) "daughter", muindor
"brother" (also poetical tôr), muinthel
"sister" (also thêl), gwanunig "twin" (gwanûn
"pair of twins"; PM:365 also gives a pl. gwenyn
"twins"). Besides the words for "brother" listed above,
there is also gwador "sworn brother, associate" (the fem. form
would seem to be gwathel, glossed "sister, associate").
General term gwanur "kins(wo)man, *relative". Cf. also herth
"household" (also meaning "troop").
ANIMALS: General word lavan
(not used of insects or reptiles), annabon "elephant", aras
"deer", brôg "bear" (also called megli =
"honey-eater"), cabor "frog", draug or garaf
"wolf" (gaur "werewolf"), gwilwileth
"butterfly", half "seashell" (not a plant!), hû "dog",
lyg "snake", lim "fish", lhûg
"worm, dragon" (also longer amlug; cf. also limlug
"sea-serpent"), maew "gull" (also pl. my^l
"gulls", sg. not attested), nâr "rat", raw
"lion", ry^n "hound of chase", roch
"horse". Birds: aew or fileg "(small) bird", alph
"swan" (pl. eilph), corch "crow" (also *craban,
pl. crebain in LotR1/II ch. 3), cugu "dove", emlin
a yellow bird or "yellow hammer", heledir "kingfisher",
dúlin "nightingale" (archaic kenning tinúviel), tavor
"woodpecker", thoron "eagle", tuilinn
"swallow".
PLANTS: salch "grass"
(thâr "stiff grass"), salab "herb", uil "sea-weed",
lass "leaf", golf "branch", loth
"flower", gwaloth "blossom, collection of flowers", ereg
or êg "thorn", aeglos 'snowthorn', a plant like furze
(gorse), but larger and with white flowers, alfirin some (white?) flower
also known as uilos (called simbelmynë or "Evermind" in
Old English representing Rohirric; alfirin and uilos mean
"immortal" and "everwhite"), athelas
"kingsfoil", elanor 'sun-star' (a flower), niphredil
"snowdrop", seregon "stonecrop", hwand
"sponge, fungus". Trees: galadh "tree" (another
word, orn, had fallen out of common use but survived in poetry and as
part of many names), toss "low-growing tree" (such as maple,
hawthorn, blackthorn, holly etc.), brethil "beech-tree", doron
"oak", ereg or eregdos "holly-tree", lalwen
or lalorn "elm-tree", mallorn 'yellow-tree', mallorn, tathar
"willow", thaun (thôn) "pine", tulus
"poplar-tree".
METALS, SUBSTANCES, ELEMENTS: tinc
or raud "metal", malt (and glaur)
"gold", celeb "silver", ang "iron",
cef "earth, soil", nen "water", naur
"flame, fire", gwelw "air", sarn
"stone" (as material), gloss "snow", heleg
"ice", lith "sand", ast "dust", rhaw
"flesh", sereg or iâr "blood", hele
"glass", taw "wool", falf "foam".
BODY-PARTS: dôl or dol
"head", hen "eye" (cf. Amon Hen "Hill of
the Eye" in LotR - the Etymologies gives hên with a long
vowel, but elsewhere, hên is glossed "child"), nîf "face"
(also thîr), laws "hair", fîn "a single
hair", finn "a tress", lhewig "ear" (lhaw
"pair of ears"), nem "nose", nêl or neleg
"tooth", lam or lam "tongue", fang
"beard", iaeth "neck", lanc
"throat", hûn "heart", ranc "arm", cam
"hand" (camland "palm of hand"), paur "fist",
lebed "finger", tâl "foot" (but an animal
foot is called pôd), tellen "sole of foot".
SOME TITLES AND PROFESSIONS: aran
"king", rîs "queen" (cf. also rien, rîn
"crowned lady"), cunn "prince", hîr "lord,
master" (another word for "lord" is brannon), hiril
"lady" (also brennil, the fem. counterpart of masc. brannon
just like hiril corresponds to masc. hîr), arphen "a
noble", ithron (or curunir) "wizard", condir
"mayor", rochben "knight", ceredir "doer,
maker", thavron "carpenter, wright, builder", orodben
"mountaineer", pethron "narrator", cennan
"potter".
FOOD: aes "cooked foot,
meat", bast "bread", saw "juice", peich
"juice, syrup", glî "honey", iau
"corn", solch "edible root", miruvor the
cordial of Imladris (evidently named after - but hardly the same as - Quenya miruvórë),
cram cake of compressed flour or meal (often containing honey or milk)
used on a long journey, lembas the way-bread of the Elves.
GEOGRAPHIC TERMS: dôr (dor)
"land", gardh "realm, a more or less bounded or defined
place, a region" (so in WJ:402; the Etymologies has ardh), sad
"place, spot", rain "border", parth
"field", pel "fenced field" (pl. peli), orod
"mountain" (pl. ered or eryd), till and rass "horn",
amon "hill" (pl. emyn), tunn "hill,
mound", dol or dôl "hill, head", penn
"declivity", ambenn "uphill", dadbenn
"downhill", talad "an incline, slope", cîl
"cleft", ris or ress "ravine", iau
"ravine, cleft, gulf" (this word also means "corn", see
above), talf "flat field", nan "valley" (but nann
"wide grassland"), tum "deep valley, under or among
hills", athrad "ford, crossing", eryn
"wood", taur "huge forest", men
"road", ael "pool, lake" (pl. aelin), lîn
"pool", eithel "spring, issue of water", habad
"shore", sîr "river" (in some names also duin:
Anduin, Baranduin, Esgalduin), hûb or hobas
"haven" (also cirban), gaear (or gaer)
"sea", toll "island". Directions: Forod
"North", Harad "South", Annûn
"West", Amrûn "East". For "East" and
"West", the words rhûn and dûn are also used (cf. Dúnedain
"Westmen").
WEATHER: gwaew
"wind", alagos "storm of wind", hîth
"grey mist", mith "white fog, wet mist", faun
"cloud", glawar "sunlight", ross
"rain", verb eil "it is raining" (read probably ail
in LotR-style Sindarin).
CELESTIAL OBJECTS: Anor
"Sun", Ithil "Moon" (also called Rân), cúran
"crescent moon", gil "star" (also tim, tinw
"spark, small star"), poetic êl "star" (pl. elin),
elenath "starry host, all the stars of heaven". Borgil
name of a red star, perhaps Betelgeuse or Algol. Constellations: Menelvagor
= Orion, Cerch iMbelain (Quenya Valacirca) "Sickle of the
Valar" = Big Dipper, Remmirath = Pleiades (???). General word for
"sky, the heavens": menel (taken from Quenya).
MUSIC, POETRY, INSTRUMENTS,
MUSICIANS: glinn "song, tune", glîr "song, poem,
lay", glaer "lay, narrative poem", narn
"tale" (in verse, but to be spoken rather than sung), verb *gliri-
"to sing" (misreading "glin" in LR:359), verb gannado
or ganno "to play a harp", noun gannel
"harp", talagand "harper", verb nella-
"sound bells", nell "bell". A few modes of verse are
named in the corpus, ann-thennath and minlamad thent/estent, but
we don't know precisely what is meant.
WAR AND WEAPONRY: auth
"war", verb dagro- "to battle, make war", verb maetha-
"to fight", verb degi- "to slay" (past tense perhaps
*danc), dangen "slain" (as noun), maethor
"warrior", herth "troop" (also used for
"household"), gweth "troop of ablebodied men, host,
regiment", coth "enemy, enmity", dagor
"battle" (but a fight between two or a few is called a maeth),
hûl "cry of encouragement in battle", megil or magol
"sword", lang "cutlass, sword", crist
"cleaver, sword", hathel "broadsword-blade", sigil
"dagger, knife", grond "club", cú and peng
"bow", ech "spear", naith or aith
"spearpoint", thôl "helmet".
ARCHITECTURE: adab
"building, house" (pl. edeb), car or cardh
"house", henneth "window", annon "great
gate", fenn "threshold", thâm "hall", thamas
"great hall", panas or talaf "floor", ram
"wall", tobas "roofing", telu "dome,
high roof", rond "vaulted or arched roof, or a large hall or
chamber so roofed", barad, minas and mindon
"tower", ost "city, town with wall round, fortress",
gobel "walled house or village, town", caras "city
built above ground", othlon "paved way", ostrad
"street" (in Minas Tirith also rath, see UT:255).
TIME: lû "a time,
occasion", erin "day", arad "daytime, a
day", daw "nighttime, gloom" (fuin "dead of
night"), amrûn "sunrise" (also used = "Orient,
East"), aur "day, morning", thin (poetic word)
"evening", dû "nightfall, late evening", tinnu
"starry twilight, early night", idhrin "year", anrand
"cycle, age". Seasons: echuir "stirring" (early
spring), ethuil *"budding" (late spring), laer "summer",
iavas "harvest" (early autumn), firith
"fading" (late autumn), rhîw "winter". For "autumn",
the word narbeleth "sun-waning" is also used; this word is
also used with reference to the month of October. Full list of months: Narwain
"January", Nínui "February", Gwaeron
"March", Gwirith "April", Lothron
"May", Nórui "June", Cerveth
"July", Urui "August", Ivanneth
"September", Narbeleth "October", Hithui
"November", Girithron "December".
NUMBERS: min 1, tad
or tâd 2, neled 3 (originally neledh), canad 4, leben
5, eneg 6, odo or odog 7, toloth 8, neder 9,
caer 10. For 11 and 12 we have the primitive stems MINIK-W- and RÁSAT
, but the Sindarin words are not given; "eleven" may be *minib
or possibly *minig (Quenya minquë, cf. eneg = enquë).
A "gross", 144, the first three-digit number in Elvish duodecimal
counting, is in Sindarin called a host.
COLOURS: baran "swart,
(dark) brown" (cf. the river Baranduin), calen
"green" (also laeg), caran "red" (also coll
and narw/naru), crann "ruddy", donn
"swart, swarty", fein "white" (as clouds; read
perhaps fain in LotR-style Sindarin), gaer "copper-coloured",
elw "pale blue", *glân "white" (only lenited 'lân
is attested), gloss "snow-white" (also noun "snow"),
luin"blue", malen "yellow", mithren
"grey", morn "dark, black" (misreading
"moru" in LR:374), nim "white, pale", rhosc
"brown", thinn "grey".
SOME COMMON ADJECTIVES: bein
"beautiful, fair", mell "dear", maer "useful,
good" (of things), um "evil", *faeg "mean,
bad", *raeg "wrong" (updated from "Noldorin" foeg,
rhoeg in LR:387, 383), orchal "tall, superior", ann "long",
thent "short", beleg "great", ûr
"wide", daer "big, great", tithen and pigen
"tiny", parch "dry", mesc "wet", ninn
"slender", tûg "thick, fat", long "heavy",
pant "full", lost "empty" (also caun),
laug "warm", ring "cold", feir
"right", heir "left", taer
"straight", raen "crooked", sein "new",
brûn "old" (but not changed or worn out), gern "old,
worn" (of things), neth "young", iaur "old,
ancient" (of things or persons), ingem "old" (lit.
"year-sick", suffering from old age; this word was coined after the
Elves met Mortal Men), cuin "alive", gwann
"departed, dead". (Note: In LotR-style Sindarin we should perhaps
read ai for ei in the adjectives bein, feir, heir,
sein.)
SOME COMMON VERBS: car-
"make, do" (pa.t. agor), gar- "hold, have",
tiri- "watch", ?glenna- "go" (anglenna-
"approach"), medi "to eat", mudo-
"labour, toil", teli- "come" (present tense tûl,
tôl), ped- "speak", anno- "give".
PREPOSITIONS: adel
"behind, in rear of", am "up", an "for,
to", ab "after" (only attested as prefix), ath-
prefix "across, on both sides", athan
"beyond", dad "down", dan
*"against", o "from, of" (uin "from
the"), im "between", na "to, with, by", nef
"on this side of", no "under" (nui
"under the"), or "above", tri "through".
We miss words for "in" and "before". A word ned
occurring in Sauron Defeated (p. 131, in Tengwar writing) has been used
by some for "in".
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