Eldamo : Quenya : tinwë

Q. tinwë n. “spark, [apparent] star” (Category: Star)

Q. tinwë, n. “spark, [apparent] star” (Category: Star): ᴱQ. sint “a gleam, spark, glister, drop of dew, etc.”; ᴱQ. tilwë “glimmer”; ᴱQ. †tilwin “shining light, bright light”; ᴱQ. tint “(silver) spark”

A word that technically means “spark”, but was often applied to stars as well (PE17/66, RGEO/61), derived from the root √TIN “spark(le)” (MR/388; PE17/22).

Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. tinwe was used for “star” all the way back in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where it was also derived from the root ᴱ√TINI “twinkle” (QL/92). In The Etymologies of the 1930s it appeared as ᴹQ. tinwe “spark (star)” with the primitive form ᴹ✶tinmē under the root ᴹ√TIN “sparkle, emit slender (silver pale) beams” (Ety/TIN); the gloss was corrected from “sparkle (star)” to “spark (star)” by Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne in their Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies (EtyAC/TIN). The word and its derivation appeared numerous times in Tolkien’s later writings, making it exceptionally stable in his mind.

References ✧ MR/388, 471; PE17/22, 66; RGEO/61; SA/tin; VT42/11

Glosses

“spark” ✧ MR/471; PE17/66; RGEO/61; SA/tin; VT42/11
“Valinorian imagines [images of real stars]” ✧ PE17/22

Variations

tinwë ✧ MR/388; MR/471; PE17/22; PE17/66; RGEO/61; SA/tin; VT42/11

tinwë “spark” is used in the same way as S. gil “spark, twinkle of light, star” ✧ VT42/11

Inflections

tinwi	plural	“sparks”	✧ MR/388
tinwi	plural		✧ MR/471
tinwi	plural	“apparent stars, sparks”	✧ PE17/22

Element In

ᴺQ. letinwessë “constellation”
ᴺQ. !tinwerúmë “starling, (lit.) abundance of stars”
ᴺQ. titinwë “small star, sparkle of dew, *small sparkling thing”
Q. tindómë “(starry) twilight, (usually) time near dawn”

Cognates

North S. tim “spark, sparkle (of stars)” ✧ MR/388; PE17/22
S. tîn¹ “spark, sparkle, twinkle of stars” ✧ PE17/66

Derivations

< √TIN “sparkle, spark” ✧ MR/388; PE17/22; PE17/66; RGEO/61; SA/tin

Phonetic Developments

√tin > tinwë	[tinwe]	✧ MR/388
√TIN > tinwe	[tinwe]	✧ PE17/22
√TIN > tinwe	[tinwe]	✧ PE17/66
√tin- > tinwë	[tinwe]	✧ RGEO/61
√tin- > tinwë	[tinwe]	✧ SA/tin

ᴹQ. tinwe n. “spark (star)” (Category: Star)

References ✧ Ety/TĀ, TIN; EtyAC/TIN; LR/200

Glosses

“spark” ✧ LR/200
“spark (star)” ✧ Ety/TIN

Variations

tinwe ✧ Ety/TIN; LR/200

Changes

tinwe “sparkle (star)” »» tinwe “spark (star)” ✧ EtyAC/TIN

Inflections

*Tinweron

genitive plural

“of Stars”

✧ Ety/TĀ

Element In

ᴹQ. Tinwe-malle “Star-street”
ᴹQ. Tinwenairin “Crowned with Stars”
ᴹQ. Tinwerína “Crowned with Stars” ✧ LR/200
ᴹQ. Tinwerontar “Queen of Stars” ✧ Ety/TĀ; Ety/TIN (Tinwerontar); LR/200
ᴹQ. Tinwetári “Queen of Stars” ✧ Ety/TIN (Tinwetar)

Cognates

Ilk. tim “spark, star” ✧ Ety/TIN
N. tinw “spark, small star” ✧ Ety/TIN

Derivations

< ᴹ✶tinmē “spark, glint” ✧ Ety/TIN
- < ᴹ√TIN “sparkle, emit slender (silver pale) beams” ✧ Ety/TIN

Phonetic Developments

ᴹ✶tinmē > tinwe

[tinmē] > [tinwē] > [tinwe]

✧ Ety/TIN

ᴱQ. tinwe n. “star” (Category: Star)

References ✧ LT1A/Tinwë Linto; MC/213-214, 220; PE16/56-57, 60, 62, 72, 74, 77, 142; PME/92; QL/52, 92

Glosses

“star” ✧ LT1A/Tinwë Linto; PE16/142; PME/92; QL/92

Variations

tinwë ✧ LT1A/Tinwë Linto; PE16/56; PE16/57; PE16/60; PE16/142; PME/92; QL/92; QL/52 (#tinwe)

Inflections

tinwelinte	allative plural		✧ PE16/60
tinwi	plural	“stars”	✧ MC/214
tinvelindon	similative plural		✧ PE16/72
tinwelindon	similative plural	“like stars”	✧ MC/213; MC/220; PE16/62
tinwelindon	similative plural		✧ PE16/74; PE16/77
tinwe-	stem		✧ QL/92

Element In

ᴱQ. talainen tinwelindon “with wings like stars” ✧ MC/220; PE16/62; PE16/72; PE16/74
ᴱQ. Tinwesan “Monday”
ᴱQ. Tinwevarni
ᴱQ. aire móre ala tinwi “the old darkness beyond the stars” ✧ MC/214
ᴱQ. kirilde tinwelinqe ✧ PE16/56; PE16/57; PE16/60
ᴱQ. laivarisse lúnelinqe talalínen tinwelindon? “*in the blue-flowing sea with sails like stars?” ✧ PE16/77
ᴱQ. letinwesse “constellation” ✧ QL/52
ᴱQ. lintitinwe “having many stars, many-starred” ✧ LT1A/Tinwë Linto; QL/92
ᴱQ. talalínen tinwelindon? “*upon wings like stars?” ✧ PE16/77
ᴱQ. tinwelindon talalínen “on wings like stars” ✧ MC/213
ᴱQ. Tinwetári “Queen of Stars” ✧ LT1A/Tinwetári
ᴱQ. titinwe “small star, a sparkle of dew” ✧ QL/92

Cognates

G. tim “spark, gleam, (star)”

Derivations

< ᴱ√TINI “twinkle” ✧ LT1A/Tinwë Linto; QL/92

Phonetic Developments

ᴱ√TINI > tinwe

[tinwē] > [tinwe]

✧ QL/92