Eldamo : Quenya : lanta-

Q. lanta- v. (weak-verb) “to fall” (Category: to Fall)

Q. lanta-, v. (weak-verb) “to fall; [ᴱQ.] to drop” (Category: to Fall): ᴱQ. suqu- “to fall, fail, go down, die down”

The Quenya verb for “to fall”, dating all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, though in that document it had the form ᴱQ. lant- and the additional gloss “drop” (QL/51). In the Qenya Lexicon it was derived from the early root ᴱ√LANTAN [LṆTṆ], but in The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien changed the root {ᴹ√LANTA >>} ᴹ√DA(N)T “fall down” as the basis for ᴹQ. lanta- “to fall” (Ety/DAT; EtyAC/LANTA). Q. lanta- “fall” appeared regularly in Tolkien’s later writings as well (MC/222; PE17/62; VT49/47), most notably in the Namárië poem in its first phrase: ai! laurië lantar lassi súrinen “ah! like gold fall the leaves in the wind” (LotR/377).

The word lanta was occasionally used as a noun for “a fall”; see that entry for discussion.

Neo-Quenya: In Tolkien’s later writings, lanta- was used only for intransitive “fall”. However, we have no Quenya verbs for transitive “drop” other than 1910s ᴱQ. lant-, so I would assume that lanta- can be used this way as well for purposes of Neo-Quenya (QL/51). For example, lantan “I fall” vs. lantan i macil “I drop [make fall] the sword”.

References ✧ LotR/377; MC/222; PE17/62; RGEO/58; VT49/47

Glosses

“fall” ✧ PE17/62; PE17/62

Variations

lanta- ✧ PE17/62; PE17/62

Inflections

lantalasse	active-participle locative	“in ... falling”	✧ MC/222
lantar	aorist plural	“fall”	✧ LotR/377
lantar	aorist plural	“fall (pl.)”	✧ RGEO/58
lántar	aorist plural	“fall”	✧ RGEO/58
lantuva	future	“[will] fall”	✧ VT49/47
lantar	plural		✧ PE17/62

Element In

ᴺQ. lantanwa “*fallen”
ᴺQ. !nalanta- “to attack, (lit.) fall upon”
Q. ai! lassi lantar laurië súrinen “ah! leaves fall golden in [by means of] the wind” ✧ RGEO/58
Q. isilmë lantalassë “in the moon falling” ✧ MC/222
Q. ai! laurië lantar lassi súrinen “ah! like gold fall the leaves in the wind” ✧ LotR/377; RGEO/58
Q. nai laurë lantuva parmastanna lúmissen tengwiesto “may (a) golden light fall on your book at the times of your reading” ✧ VT49/47

Cognates

S. danna- “to fall” ✧ PE17/62

Derivations

< √DAT “fall down, fall to ground” ✧ PE17/62 (DAN-TA)

Phonetic Developments

√DAN-TA > lanta-

[danta-] > [lanta-]

✧ PE17/62

ᴹQ. lanta- v. (weak-verb) “to fall” (Category: to Fall)

See Q. lanta- for discussion.

References ✧ Ety/DAT, TALÁT; EtyAC/LANTA; LR/47, 56; PE21/58, 63; SD/246, 310; VT24/7

Glosses

“to fall” ✧ Ety/DAT; Ety/TALÁT
“to fall down” ✧ EtyAC/LANTA (lanta-)

Variations

lanta- ✧ Ety/DAT; Ety/TALÁT; EtyAC/LANTA (lanta-)

Changes

lantier >> lantaner ✧ SD/310

Inflections

lantaner	past plural	“fell”	✧ SD/246
lantaner	past plural	“they-fell”	✧ SD/310
lantaner	past plural	“they fell”	✧ VT24/7
lantie	perfect; augmentless	“fell”	✧ LR/56
lantier	perfect; augmentless	“they-fell”	✧ LR/47
lantier	perfect; augmentless	“fell”	✧ LR/56
lantier	perfect plural; augmentless	“they-fell”	✧ SD/310
lantar	plural		✧ PE21/58
lantar	plural	“fall”	✧ PE21/63

Element In

ᴹQ. lantaner Turkildi nuhuinenna “the Lordly Men [Númenóreans] fell under shadow” ✧ LR/47; LR/56; SD/246; SD/310
ᴹQ. Atalante “Downfall(en)” ✧ Ety/DAT; Ety/TALÁT
ᴹQ. eari ullier i kilyanna “the seas poured into the chasm” ✧ LR/56
ᴹQ. lasselanta “leaf-fall, autumn; October” ✧ EtyAC/LANTA (Lasselanta)
ᴹQ. ondor lantar “rocks fall” ✧ PE21/58; PE21/63

Cognates

N. dant- “to fall” ✧ Ety/DAT

Derivations

< ᴹ✶danta- ✧ PE21/58 (dantā́r); PE21/63 (dantar)
- < dantār < dantā́r ✧ PE21/58
- < đantā̆r < dantar ✧ PE21/63
- < ᴹ√DAT “fall down”
< ᴹ√DAT “fall down” ✧ Ety/DAT (DANT); Ety/TALÁT; EtyAC/LANTA (LANTA)

Phonetic Developments

ᴹ√DANT > lanta-	[danta-] > [lanta-]	✧ Ety/DAT
ᴹ√DAT > lanta-	[danta-] > [lanta-]	✧ Ety/TALÁT
ᴹ√LANTA > lanta-	[lanta-]	✧ EtyAC/LANTA
ᴹ✶dantā́r > dantār > lantar	[dantar] > [lantar]	✧ PE21/58
ᴹ✶dantar > đantā̆r > lantar	[dantar] > [lantar]	✧ PE21/63

ᴱQ. lant- v. “to fall, drop” (Category: to Fall)

See Q. lanta- for discussion.

References ✧ MC/214; PE14/28; PE16/57, 59, 132, 134; QL/51; VT40/8

Glosses

“drop, fall” ✧ QL/51
“fall” ✧ PE16/132 (lanta-); PE16/134

Variations

lant- ✧ PE14/28; PE16/134; QL/51; PE16/132 (lant)
lanta- ✧ PE16/132; VT40/8

Changes

lantuváre >> lantumáre ✧ PE16/59
lant >> lanta- “fall” ✧ PE16/132

Inflections

lante	aorist	“fall”	✧ MC/214
lalantila	frequentative active-participle		✧ VT40/8
lantuváre	future 3rd-sg-fem		✧ PE16/59
lantumáre	future passive 3rd-sg-fem		✧ PE16/57
lante	past		✧ QL/51

Element In

ᴱQ. kiryan kantalár ✧ PE16/57
ᴱQ. lante no lanta-mindon “falling upon fallen towers” ✧ MC/214
ᴱQ. n·alalmino hyá lanta lasse “*from the elm-tree here a leaf falls” ✧ VT40/8
ᴱQ. n·alalmino lalantila “*from the elm-tree falling one by one ” ✧ VT40/8

Cognates

G. lantha- “to fall onto, settle on, alight”
G. dod- “to fall down, drop”

Derivations

< *ᴱ√LṆTṆ “*fall” ✧ QL/51 (LANTAN); QL/51 (LANTAN)

Phonetic Developments

ᴱ√LANTAN > lant-	[lṇt-] > [lant-]	✧ QL/51
ᴱ√LANTAN > lante	[lṇ̄te-] > [lante-]	✧ QL/51