S. orn n. “(tall straight) tree” (Category: Tree (generic))
A “tree” word in Sindarin, derived from primitive ✶ornē (Let/426; NM/349; UT/266). This word can be compared to the more general galadh “tree”. Of these Tolkien said:
There was not in Sindarin much distinction in size between galað and orn. But oak (norð, Q nordo) and beech were galað for instance and birch and ash orn. A galað was more thick, dense & branching (PE17/25).
And:
... *ornē “tree” originally and usually applied to the taller, straighter, and more slender trees, such as birches [as opposed to] ... stouter and more spreading trees, such as oaks and beeches, were called in C.E. galadā “great growth” (NM/349 and note #1).
In this second set of notes Tolkien also said “In S. orn < *ornē fell out of common use and was used only in verse and songs, though it survived in many names, of trees and persons. All trees were called galað < *galadā” (NM/349 note #1). I can find no evidence that S. orn was archaic this outside of this note. As such, I would use orn in Sindarin for tall straight trees, and galadh either for trees in generally, or where applicable for broad and spreading trees.
Conceptual Development: This word was very well established in Tolkien’s mind. In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, G. orn was the ordinary word for “tree”, as opposed to archaic/poetic G. †alwen (GL/19, 62). ᴱN. orn “tree” appeared in Early Noldorin word-lists of the 1920s where it was derived from ᴱ✶orne- (PE13/151, 164), and N. orn “tree” reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from ᴹ✶ÓR-NI “high tree”, though in this document Tolkien said this Noldorin word was “used of any large tree” (Ety/ÓR-NI).
References ✧ Let/426; NM/349; PE17/25, 50, 84, 112, 153; RC/425; SA/neldor, orn; UT/267; UTI/Huorns; VT42/27; WJI/Taur-i-Melegyrn
Glosses
Variations
Related
Inflections
| yrn | plural | “trees” | ✧ WJI/Taur-i-Melegyrn |
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ✶ornē > orn | [ornē] > [orne] > [orn] | ✧ Let/426 |
| ✶ornē > orn | [ornē] > [orne] > [orn] | ✧ NM/349 |
| ✶ornē > †orn | [ornē] > [orne] > [orn] | ✧ UT/267 |
N. orn n. “tree” (Category: Tree (generic))
References ✧ Ety/ÓR-NI, SMAL; EtyAC/NEL, ORO; LR/41; SD/302
Glosses
Variations
Related
Inflections
| ern | plural | ✧ EtyAC/ORO |
| yrn | plural | ✧ Ety/ÓR-NI; SD/302 |
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ✶ÓR-NI > orn | [orni] > [orne] > [orn] | ✧ Ety/ÓR-NI |
| ᴹ✶ÓR-NI > yrn | [ornī] > [orni] > [urni] > [yrni] > [yrn] | ✧ Ety/ÓR-NI |
| ᴹ✶ornē > orn | [ornē] > [orne] > [orn] | ✧ SD/302 |
ᴱN. orn n. “tree” (Category: Tree (generic))
References ✧ PE13/151, 164
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| yrn | plural | ✧ PE13/151; PE13/164 |
Cognates
Derivations
G. orn n. “tree” (Category: Tree (generic))
References ✧ GL/19, 42, 62; LT2A/Galdor, Hirilorn; PE13/109, 115-116
Glosses
Variations
Related
Inflections
| yrn | plural | ✧ PE13/115 | |
| yrn | plural | “trees” | ✧ PE13/116 |
Element In
Cognates
Derivations