Sindarin dictionary help
Main entries
Each word is given with its attested variants between
parenthesis, its inflected forms (plural for a noun, past tense for a verb,
etc.), its grammatical role and its definition. The following diamond symbol
(◇) introduces the textual references (books and pages where the word
occurs -- in the case of deduced entries, references are introduced by an arrow
(←), see below.
cair* [kˈɑjr] (ceir) n. ship
◇ Ety/365, LotR/A(iv), X/EI ◇ MS *keir, OS *kiria
(KIR)
Words immediately followed by a star (*) are attested in
Sindarin (in that case, see Cair Andros in the Lord of the Rings,
appendix A). A word without this sign is attested in "Noldorin" dialect only
(most probably in The Etymologies). When both forms are known, searching for
the "Noldorin" word is always possible, and returns a link to the main
entry.
ceir → cair
Likewise, inflected forms are linked to the actual word:
edain* pl. of adan
Etymologies
David Salo's etymological reconstructions are introduced
by another diamond (◇) diamond. David has spent much of his time understanding
how Sindarin words are derived from Common Elvish. These notes try to extend Tolkien's
ever changing rules, providing consistent and understandable etymologies.
Related entries
The full diamond (◈) introduces a list of related words, for instance inflected
forms of the headword. Each related entry is given with its grammatical role
(part of speech). Assuming that you search for ava-, you will get the
following result:
ava-* [ˈɑvɑ] aux. will not ◇ OS *aba
(ABA) ◈ avad* ger. ◈ avo*
v. imp. ◈ avon*
v. 1st ◈ avam* v.
1st
Homonyms
When several words with the same orthography exist
in the dictionary, they are numbered:
caun* I
[kˈɑun] n. outcry,
clamor ◇ PM/361-362
◇ OS *kåna (KAN1) ◈ conath* n.
coll
caun II [kˈɑun]
n. valour ◇ Ety/362 ◇
OS *kåne (KAN2)
Deduced entries
A few words in the dictionary are actually not attested
in full form in Tolkien's writings, but may be deduced from place names
or inflected forms occurring in a Sindarin text. In that case, they are printed
in italic:
cast* [kˈɑst] n. cape,
headland ← Angast VT/42:28
Probable misreadings
Tolkien's handwriting is sometimes difficult to decipher.
Several probable errors have been corrected in the dictionary (such as hamma for
hamnia), according to our understanding of the Sindarin phonology. However,
Christopher Tolkien's original reading is always mentioned after the corrected word:
hamma- (misread. hamnia)
[hˈɑmmɑ] v. to clothe ◇ Ety/363
◇ OS *kʰampʰa- (KHAP) ◈ hammad ger.
Coined words
A few words not invented by Tolkien himself, but occur in Peter Jackson's
movie adaptation or later texts by Tolkien's fans. They are included for discussion and reference.
They are marked as deduced (italic) and are followed by a dagger sign (†).
gūd † n. foe
◇ [PJ-Movie] ◈ Inscription on Aragorn's Hunting Knife
and Glamdring, Official Movie Magazine #2 (source: Gwaith i Phethdain)
Indexed words
In the Sindarin dictionary, as shown in all the previous
examples, indexed English words are preceeded by a small sign, which
acts as an active link to the English reversed dictionary. The Sindarin words
associated with an English concept are all returned, and you may click on a word to
get its detailed definition.
friend elvellon* n., meldir
n. m., meldis n. f.,
mellon* n.
Copyright (c) 1999-2002 by Didier Willis
and The Sindarin Dictionary Project. This material may be
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