N. talaf n. “ground, floor” (Category: Ground, Soil)
A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “ground, floor” derived from the root ᴹ√TALAM “floor, base, ground” (Ety/TAL). It has a plural form teleif in keeping with Noldorin plural patterns; in Sindarin its plural would be ^telaif. Its Quenya cognate was ᴹQ. talan, and in later writings this pair became Q. talan/S. talan “flat space, platform” < √TALAM (PE17/52), both demonstrating the ancient sound change whereby final [m] became [n] (VT47/24).
Neo-Eldarin: In later writings, S. talan was used mainly to refer to an elevated platform or floor, such as the flets of Lothlórien. As such, I think it is worth retaining talaf to refer both to the ground floor as well as the ground itself, perhaps from a variant ancient form *talamē.
References ✧ Ety/TAL
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| teleif | plural | ✧ Ety/TAL |
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ√TALAM > talaf | [talama] > [talam] > [talav] | ✧ Ety/TAL |
| ᴹ√TALAM > teleif | [talami] > [telemi] > [teleim] > [teleiv] | ✧ Ety/TAL |