The Etymologies XI

TA - demonstrative stem 'that'. Q ta that, it; tana that (anaphoric); tar thither (*tad), ON to.

TA-, TAʒ- high, lofty; noble. *tara lofty: Q tara, ON tara absorbed in N by taur from PQ *taura (see TAWAR, TUR). N poetic only or in ancient titles taur; often found in names, as Tor-, -dor, The latter was blended with taro king and turo master: cf. Fannor [SPAN]. *taro king: only used of the legitimate kings of the whole tribes, as Ingwe of the Lindar, Finwe of the Noldor (and later Fingolfin and Fingon of all the exiled Gnomes). The word used of a lord or king of a specified region was aran (ar), Q haran [see ʒAR]. Thus Fingolfin taur egledhriur 'King of the Exiles' [see LED], but Fingolfin aran Chithlum 'King of Hithlum'. Q tar (pl. tari). N + taur, Ilk. tor, only used of Thingol: Tor Thingol = King Thingol. -tan queen, wife of a *taro: Q tari, but especially used in Q of Varda (Tinwetari Queen of Stars) - but in cpds. and titles the sexless cpd. form -tar was used: Tinwetar, Tinwerontar Queen of Stars = Varda; Sorontar King of Eagles (name of a great eagle). The word survived in Ilk. only in form toril = Melian. In N rhien, rhin was used - 'crowned lady'. see RIG.

Base stem TA appears in Q Taniqetil (see NIK-W, TIL), where N substitutes following adj.: Nimdil-dor. But the Q form is possibly reduction of tan-nig with adjectival tana < *taʒna. The latter is suggested by N taen height, summit of high mountain, especially in Taen-Nimdil, Manwe's hall. Cf. also tarqendi = Lindar, 'High-elves', tarqesta = Lindarin, or Qenya 'high-speech'. [On Tinwetar, Tinwerontar see TIN.]

TAK- fix, make fast. Q take he fastens, pa.t. tanke; tanka firm, fixed, sure. N taetho fasten, tie; tanc firm; tangado to make firm, confirm, establish. Ilk. taga he fixes, constructs, makes; tach firm, stiff, solid, *tankla pin, brooch: Q tankil; Ilk. tangol; N tachl, tachol. *takse nail: Q takse; N taes; Ilk. tass pin. Cf. Q peltas (peltaksi) pivot, N pelthaes [PEL]. *takma 'thing for fixing': Q tangwa hasp, clasp; N taew holder, socket, hasp, clasp, staple; Ilk. taum. *atakwe construction, building: Q ataqe; N adab building, house (pl. edeb).

TAL- foot. Q tal (g.sg. talen); N tal, pl. teil; Ilk. tal, pl. tel. Related is TALAM floor, base, ground: Q talan (talami) floor, ground; talma base, foundation, root (cf. Martalmar). N talaf ground, floor, pl. teleif; Ilk. talum, pl. telmin. tal- is often used for 'end, lower end': so Rhamdal 'Wall's-end', name of a place in East Beleriand [RAMBA]. Q tallune (*talrunya) sole of foot; N tellein, tellen (see RUN). [For Martalmar (also Talmar Ambaren) see the Ambarkanta.]

TALAT- to slope, lean, tip. Q talta- to slope; talta adj. sloping, tilted, leaning; talta an incline. N talad an incline, slope. atland sloping, tilted; atlant oblique, slanting; atlanno to slope, slant. [The entry was first written thus. A first addition to it was 'Cf. Atalante (see LANT).' Subsequently the reference to LANT was changed to DAT (under which stem (DAT, DANT) are given Q lanta a fall, lantato fall, and Atalante the Fallen); but either at the same time or later this addition was made: 'Atalante (a-prefix = complete) downfall, overthrow, especially as name of the land of Numenor.' Other additions to this entry extended the meaning of Q talta- ('slope, slip, slide down') and added Q atalta 'collapse, fall in' and N talt 'slipping, falling, insecure.']

TAM- (cf. NDAM) knock. *tamro 'woodpecker' (= knocker): Q tambaro; N tafr (= tavr), tavor, cf. Tavr-obel [PEL(ES)]. N tamno to knock (*tamba); Q tamin I tap, pa.t. tamne; tamba- to knock, keep on knocking.

TAN- make, fashion. *tano: Q tano craftsman, smith; Martano or Martan, surname of Aule (Earth-smith), N Barthan [MBAR]. Q tanwe craft, thing made, device, construction. Q kentano potter; N cennan. [Certhan >] C(e)irdan shipbuilder. Tintanie star-maker = Varda (Elbereth); N Gilthonieth or Gilthoniel. [The latter part of this entry, from Q kentano, was an addition. Under KEM a Q word kemnaro 'potter' is given. The form Gilthonieth appears in the first draft of the hymn to Elbereth in the original second chapter (Three is Company) of The Lord of the Rings.]

TAP- stop. Q tape he stops, blocks (pa.t. tampe); tampa stopper.

TARAG- *targa tough, stiff; Q tarya; ON targa, N tara, tar-; Ilk. targ. N tarlanc stiff-necked, obstinate; tarias [s uncertain] stiffness, toughness, difficulty. [There must be a connection between tarlanc 'stiff-necked' (LANK) and Tarlang's Neck (The Return of the King), concerning which my father noted (Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings, published in Lobdell, A Tolkien Compass) that it was originally the name of a long ridge of rock but was later taken as a personal name.]

TARAK- horn (of animals). Q tarka horn; N tarag horn, also used of steep mountain path, cf. Tarag(g)aer = Ruddihorn [GAY]. [This entry was additional to the main list.]

TARAS- ON tarsa trouble, N tars, tass labour, task. trasta- to harass, trouble.

TATA- (cf. ATA, ATTA). N tad two, tadol double. Q tatya- to double, repeat; tanta double. [An earlier entry, struck out, was as follows: 'TAT- oldest form AT(AT)? two. Q atta again, atta- back again, re-'. See AT(AT).)

TATHAR- *tathar, *tathare, *tathre willow-tree: Q tasar, tasare; N tathor (= *tathre), adj. tathren of willow; cf. Nan-tathren.

TAWAR- wood, forest. *taure great wood, forest: Q taure; N taur; Ilk. taur. N Tauros 'Forest-Dread' [GOS], usual N by-name of Orome (N Araw). *tawar wood (material): Q tavar wood, taurina of wood; N tawar often used = taur; tawaren wooden (pl. tewerin). Ilk. taur wood (place and material). *tawaro/e dryad, spirit of woods: Q tavaro or tavaron, f. tavaril [cf. the old name Tavari.] Note: N adj. taur mighty, vast, overwhelming, huge, awful, is blend of *tara (= Q tara lofty), *taura masterful, mighty (TUR). It affected the sense of taur forest (only used of huge forests).

TAY- extend, make long(er). Q taina lengthened, extended; taita to prolong; taile lengthening, extension. N taen long (and thin).

TEʒ- line, direction. Q tie path, course, line, direction, way (*teʒe), N te line, way. Q tera, N tir straight, right. [This stem was changed to TEN, and the ulterior form of Q tera, N tir given as *tenra. There is also a very rough additional entry TEN (see below).]

TEK- make a mark, write or draw (signs or letters). Q teke writes; tehta a mark (in writing), sign, diacritic - as andatehta 'long-mark'. *tekla: Q tekil pen. *tekme letter, symbol: Q tengwa letter, tengwanda alphabet; tengwe writing, tengwesta grammar. N teitho write; teith mark (as andeith, ON andatektha); tiw letter (*tekme); tegl, tegol pen. Q tenkele writing system, spelling; tekko stroke of pen or brush when not used as long mark.

TEL-, TELU- *telma, -e hood, covering. Q telme (cf. telmello telmanna from hood to base [sic], from crown to foot, top to bottom); telta- to canopy, overshadow, screen; telume dome, (especially) dome of heaven. Cf. Telumehtar 'warrior of the sky', name of Orion. N telu dome, high roof; daedelu canopy (see DAY); ortheli roof, screen above, orthelian canopy. [Telumehtar reappears from the Lost Tales (Telimektar, Telumektar).]

TELEK- stalk, stem, leg. Q telko leg, analogical pl. telqi; N telch (pl. tilch) stem.

TELEP- silver; see KYELEP.

TELES- elf, sea-elf, third tribe of the Eldar. Q Teler, pl. Teleri; Telerin Telerian; general pl. Telelli, Telellie 'Teler-folk'. Originally the sense was 'hindmost, tarrier'; cf. Q tella hindmost, last, telle rear (*telesa); N tele end, rear, hindmost part (pl. telei); adel behind, in rear (of). Some forms show blending with KYEL, q.v.

TEN- N ti line, row (< *tene); tar (*tenra) straight. Q terna row, series, line; tea straight line, road. [See stem TEʒ (changed to TEN), where the derivative words are different formations.]

TER-, TERES- pierce. *terewa piercing, keen: Q tereva fine, acute; N trim fine, slender; Ilk. trew. Cf. Q tere, ter through; N tri through, and as prefix tre-, tri; ON tre unstressed prefix, see BAT, NAR; prep. tri. *teren(e): Q teren (terene) slender; Terendul, name ('slenderdark') [DUL, NDUL]. [The name Terendul occurs in The Lost Road (p. 59).]

THAR- across, beyond. Thar-gelion; Thar-bad [?Crossway]. [Scribbled additional entry.]

THE- look (see or seem). N thir (*there) look, face, expression, countenance; cf, Cranthir Ruddy-face [KARAN], Gostir older Gorsthir 'dread-glance', dragon-name [GOS]. N thio to seem, thia it appears.

THEL-, THELES- sister (cf. tor, toron- brother [TOR]). ON wathel sister, associate, N gwathel, pl. gwethil. N thel, thelei sister, also muinthel, pl. muinthil [see MOY]. Q seler, pl. selli sister; ON thele, thelehi (thelesi); Q oselle [see wo] sister, associate. Usually used of blood-kin in Q was onone, see NO, ONO; cf. ON wanure kinswoman, N gwanur kinsman or kinswoman [wo].

THIL- (variant of SIL, q.v.) N Ithil poetic name of the Moon (Rhan) = Q Isil 'the Sheen'; thilio to glister. Cf. Belthil, Galathilion, names of the Elder of the Two Trees - but these may contain the variant SIL.