Q. Vingilótë pn. “Foam-flower”
Name of the ship of Eärendil, translated “Foam-flower” (S/246). It is a compound of vingë (vingi-) “foam” and lótë “flower”, and often appeared in the shorter form Vingilot.
Conceptual Development: This name dates back to the earliest Lost Tales, always with essentially the same etymology and meaning. In the earliest stories it appeared as ᴱQ. Wingilot (LT1/21), and was ᴹQ. Wingelóte in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/LOT(H), WIG).
Although Tolkien was consistent on the meaning of this name and its elements, he could never quite make up his mind on its exact form. The name appeared in a wide variety of forms, from his earliest to his latest writings. The variations were:
The first of these variation probably reflects Tolkien’s uncertainty on the development of the phoneme [w] in Quenya; in one place Tolkien said it “is in intention formed to resemble and ‘explain’ the name of Wade’s ship Guingelot” (PM/371). The second variation indicates different possible primitive forms of vingë “foam”. The third variation is simply the ordinary variation in the short and long forms of the name, also seen in names like Valinor/Valinórë and Silmaril/Silmarillë.
Vingilot/Vingilótë was the form adopted by Christopher Tolkien for the published Silmarillion, since it replaced earlier forms (sometimes but not always) in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (WJ/246).
References ✧ PM/163, 365, 370-371, 392; PMI/Rothinzil, Vingilot; S/246, 259; SA/loth, wing; SI/Rothinzil, Vingilot; WJI/Vingelot
Glosses
Variations
Elements
| vingë | “foam, spindrift, spray” | ✧ PM/370 (Vinga-); SA/wing (wing) | |
| lótë | “flower, single blossom” | ✧ SA/loth | |
| Nan. **wing | “foam, spindrift, spume” | ✧ PM/365 | |
Cognates
ᴹQ. Wingelóte pn. “Foam-flower”
References ✧ Ety/LOT(H), WIG; EtyAC/LOT(H); LR/143; LRI/Vingelot; SD/342, 360; SDI2/Rôthinzil, Vingalótë; SM/149, 155; SMI/Wingelot
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Inflections
| Vingelot | shortened | ✧ SDI2/Vingalótë; SMI/Wingelot | |
| Vingelot | shortened | ✧ SM/155 | |
| Wingelot | shortened | ✧ Ety/LOT(H); Ety/WIG; SDI2/Vingalótë | |
| Wingelot | shortened | “Flower of the Foam” | ✧ LR/143 |
| Wingelot | shortened | “Foam-flower” | ✧ SM/149; SMI/Wingelot |
| Wingelot | shortened | ✧ SM/155 | |
| Wingilot | shortened | ✧ EtyAC/LOT(H) | |
| Wingilot | shortened | ✧ SM/155; SMI/Wingelot |
Elements
| winge | “foam, crest of wave, crest” | ✧ Ety/WIG | |
| lóte | “(large single) flower” | ✧ Ety/LOT(H) | |
| ᴹ√WIG | “*foam” | ✧ Ety/LOT(H) | |
| ᴹ√LOT(H) | “flower” | ✧ Ety/WIG | |
Cognates
ᴱQ. Wingilot pn. “Foam-flower”
References ✧ LBI/Wingelot; LT1/21; LT1A/Lindelos, Wingilot; LT1I; LT2I/Vingelot, Wingilot; PE15/7, 29; PME/104; QL/104
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Elements
| winge | “(blowing) foam, spindrift, froth, scud, spray; wave” | ✧ LT1A/Wingilot; QL/104 (’winge); QL/104 (Wingi-) |
| lóte | “flower, bloom, blossom” | ✧ LT1A/Lindelos (-lot); LT1A/Wingilot (-lot) |
Cognates