S. #-or suf. “agental suffix” (Category: Doer, Agent)
A general agental suffix that developed from the ancient suffix ✶-ro, mainly when final r became syllabic -or after other consonants. This can be seen most clearly in [N.] tavor “woodpecker, [lit.] knocker” derived from older tafr [tavr] < ᴹ✶tamrō (Ety/TAM).
Conceptual Development: This agental suffix also appeared as G. -or in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s in words such as G. nandor “farmer” and G. ecthor “swordsman”. It appeared in a quite a few words in The Etymologies of the 1930s. There is some evidence of it in Tolkien’s later writings, such as S. magor “swordsman” attested in S. Menelvagor “Swordsman of the Sky” (LotR/81), and in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 Tolkien said -or was a variant of the masculine agental suffix -on used after n (PE17/141). This variant had a plural form -yr.
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, most people assume -or is a gender-neutral agental suffix.
References ✧ LotR/81; PE17/141
Glosses
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Element In
N. #-or suf. “agental suffix” (Category: Doer, Agent)
References ✧ Ety/MAK, ÑGOL
Element In
G. #-or suf. “agental suffix” (Category: Doer, Agent)
References ✧ GL/18, 31
Related
Element In