S. ithildin n. “magical alloy that glows in moonlight, (lit.) moon-star” (Category: Moon)
The magic alloy from which the Moria-gate runes were made, a combination of S. Ithil “moon” and S. tîn “star” and hence “moon-star” (LotR/317; PE17/39, 66). In one place Tolkien considered the form ithildim (PE17/39). The term first appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s (TI/180).
References ✧ LotR/317; LotRI/Ithildin; PE17/39, 66; RSI/Ithildin; SA/tin
Glosses
Variations
Elements
| Ithil | “Moon” | ✧ PE17/39; PE17/39 | |
| tîn¹ | “spark, sparkle, twinkle of stars” | soft-mutation | ✧ PE17/39 (tin); PE17/39 (tĭn); PE17/66 |
| √TIN | “sparkle, spark” | ✧ SA/tin | |