Eldamo : Sindarin : iaur

S. iaur adj. “old” (Category: Old)

S. iaur, adj. “old; [N.] ancient, olden” (Category: Old): G. gîrin “bygone, old, belonging to former days, olden, former, ancient”

The usual Sindarin word for “old” appearing in many places (RC/523, 579; SA/iaur; UT/384; WJ/192; Ety/GENG-WĀ, YA). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. iaur was glossed “ancient, old(en)” and derived from the root ᴹ√YA “there, over there; of time, ago” (Ety/YA). In the entry for ᴹ√GENG-WĀ Tolkien specified that iaur “did not connote weakness” (Ety/GENG-WĀ), likely because the Elves did not significantly weaken as they grew older.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. hôr “old, aged, ancient” derived from primitive ᴱ✶χou̯-ră (GL/49). The Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s had ᴱN. sair “aged, ancient” (PE13/165).

References ✧ RC/523, 579; SA/iaur; UT/384; WJ/192

Glosses

“old” ✧ RC/523; RC/579; SA/iaur; UT/384; WJ/192

Variations

Iaur ✧ RC/523; RC/579; SA/iaur; UT/384; WJ/192

Inflections

ior-

prefix

✧ RC/579

Element In

ᴺS. !iorbeth “archaism, archaic word”
S. Drúwaith Iaur “Old Púkel-land” ✧ UT/384
S. einior “elder”
S. Iant Iaur “Old Bridge” ✧ SA/iaur
S. #Ioreglon
S. Ioreth “Old Woman” ✧ RC/579
S. Iorhael “Frodo”
S. Iorlas
S. ioron “old man”
S. Dorgannas Iaur “[Account of the] Shapes of the Lands of Old” ✧ WJ/192
S. Iarwain “Old-young” ✧ SA/iaur
S. Sennas Iaur “Old Guesthouse” ✧ RC/523

Cognates

Q. yára “old, ancient” ✧ RC/579 (yāra)

Derivations

< √YA “*there, over there; (of time) back, ago”

N. iaur adj. “ancient, old(en)” (Category: Old)

See S. iaur for discussion.

References ✧ Ety/GENG-WĀ, YA; EtyAC/YA

Glosses

“ancient” ✧ Ety/GENG-WĀ
“ancient, old(en)” ✧ Ety/YA

Changes

iaur “ancient, old(er)” »» iaur “ancient, old(en)” ✧ EtyAC/YA

Element In

N. Erion “Eldest”
N. Iaur “Eldest”
N. Iorhail “Frodo”

Cognates

ᴹQ. yára “old, ancient, belonging to or descending from former times” ✧ Ety/YA

Derivations

< ᴹ√YA “there, over there; (of time) back, ago” ✧ Ety/GENG-WĀ; Ety/YA

Phonetic Developments

ᴹ√YA > iaur

[jāra] > [jǭra] > [joura] > [jaura] > [jaur]

✧ Ety/YA

G. hôr adj. “old, aged, ancient” (Category: Old)

See S. iaur for discussion.

References ✧ GL/49; LT1/248; LT1A/Vailimo

Glosses

“old” ✧ LT1/248
“old, aged, ancient” ✧ GL/49
“old, ancient” ✧ LT1A/Vailimo

Element In

G. horoth “age, eld, oldness” ✧ GL/49
G. hortha- “to grow old” ✧ GL/49
G. horweg “an ancient, old man” ✧ GL/49; LT1A/Vailimo (Chorweg)

Cognates

ᴱQ. haura “old, aged, ancient” ✧ GL/49

Derivations

< ᴱ✶χou̯-ră ✧ GL/49

Phonetic Developments

ᴱ✶χou̯-ră > hôr

[xoura] > [xōra] > [xōr] > [hōr]

✧ GL/49