Hasn't it ever happened to you, that when you come upon certain Quenya words, you realize the same word exists in your language, or in a language you are familiar with? It has happened several times to me, so I decided to take Helge Fauskanger's Quenya-English Wordlist and go
word by word to find out which words have a meaning (not necessarily the same one, mostly not) in languages I am familiar with.
I found many words existing mostly in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan and Latin, languages I have some knowledge of. Thanks to Milla Leskinen, who helped me by identifying words in Quenya that exist in Finnish, to Celebrinthal for identifying words in Polish, Japanese and German, among others, to Metaflora for Hungarian words, to Emma Flacking, for Swedish and Norwegian, to John Karpo for Greek and to Kastytis Zubovas for Lithuanian. J. R. R. Tolkien knew Finnish and Latin, so Quenya words existing in these languages probably are not coincidences, whether they have the same meaning or not, but most likely, Professor Tolkien wasn't aware of all the word coincidences we have found. I have not included the matches with the English language, since no doubt Tolkien knew if this Quenya word existed in English. Occasionally I used a dictionary to double-check the word's definitions.
I first list the words in Quenya, followed by language and the meaning it has in it. I hope you enjoy it, and of course, if you read Helge's wordlist and find words in languages not listed here, or words missing, or any corrections you would like to make, please contact me!
Finally, towards the end of the writing of this entry, I found an essay called "Similarities between natural languages and Tolkien's Eldarin", by Roman Rausch, in which you can find, among many other interesting things, a list of matches between Noldorin/Sindarin and Welsh and Irish, and a list of matches in other languages, but in which the meanings are very similar or at least related.
aina-
(1) vb.
“to hallow, bless, treat as holy”. (2) adj
"holy". Finnish: "always".
Aino
noun
"god". Finnish: character in The Kalevala.
airë:
(1) adj.
"holy". (2) noun
"sea". Spanish:
“air”.
airon noun “ocean”. Finnish: genitive sing. form of "oar".
airon noun “ocean”. Finnish: genitive sing. form of "oar".
ala:
(1) imperative particle á,
a
combined with the negation lá,
-la
"not" to express a prohibition . 2) prep
“after, beyond”. ala-
(3) negative prefix "not", "un-", reduced to al-
before a vowel. (4), also al-,
a prefix expressing “good” or “well”. Spanish:
“wing". Finnish: "under".
alas
(alast-)
noun
"marble". Spanish: “wings". Finnish: "down". Greek: "salt".
Aldëa
noun,
what
the Númenóreans called the fourth day of the Eldarin six-day week,
dedicated to Telperion, the White Tree.
Early "Qenya" also has an adjective aldëa
"tree-shadowed". Spanish: “village”.
alma
(1) noun
"good fortune, weal, wealth".
(2) “flower”. Spanish, Italian and Portuguese: “soul.” Greek: "jump". Hungarian: "apple".
alta
(1) adj. "large, great in size". (2) noun
"radiance. Spanish and Portuguese: “tall”. Finnish: "from under".
ama
adv.?
element not glossed, evidently meaning "up" like the prefix
am-.
Spanish:
“he/she loves”. Greek: "when".
aman
adj.
"blessed, free from evil". Spanish: “they love”.
ambar
(1) ("a-mbar")
noun
"oikumenē
[Greek: the earth as the human habitation], Earth, world". (2)
noun
"fate, doom" (3) noun
"”breast” (chest). Spanish: “amber”, a yellow-orange
fossil resin.
ambos
(ambost-)
noun
“breast” (chest). Spanish: both
Anar
noun
"Sun". Catalan: “to go”.
anat
conj.
"but". Catalan: past-participle of “anar”.
anda adj. "long", “far”. Spanish: “he/she is/goes”.
anda adj. "long", “far”. Spanish: “he/she is/goes”.
ando
(1) noun
"gate", also name of tengwa #5. (2) adv.
"long". Spanish: “I go/am”.
anel
noun
“daughter”. Portuguese: “ring”.
anna
noun
"gift", “a thing handed, brought or sent to a person”, also name of tengwa #23. Feminine name in several languages. Finnish: 2nd person imperative form of "to give".
anta- (1) vb. "give". (2) noun "face". Finnish: "to give" (antaa).
apa prep. (1) "after"; (2) "on", as in contact with physical surface. (3) conj. "but". Hungarian: "father".
anta- (1) vb. "give". (2) noun "face". Finnish: "to give" (antaa).
apa prep. (1) "after"; (2) "on", as in contact with physical surface. (3) conj. "but". Hungarian: "father".
aqua
adv.
"fully, completely, altogether, wholly".
Latin:
“water”.
Ára
(1) noun
"dawn" ara:
(2) prep.(and
adv.?) "outside, beside, besides".
(3) "noble". Catalan:
“now.” Greek: "therefore".
aran
noun
"king". Spanish: “they till”.
arca
(1) adj.
“narrow” (2)
vb.
"pray". Spanish: “ark”. Finnish: "timid".
arma noun
“a ray of sunlight”.
Spanish: "weapon". Greek: "chariot, tank, weapon":
armar
noun
"goods" (pl.) Spanish: “to build, to arm”. Swedish: "arms".
artë
prep.
with pron. suffix "beside
them”.
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian:
“art.”
asa prefix denoting easiness in doing. Portuguese: "wing".
asa prefix denoting easiness in doing. Portuguese: "wing".
asta
(1) noun
"month", a division of the year. (2) vb.
“to heat, bake (by exposure to sun)”.
Spanish: "pole".
atar
noun
"father".
Spanish: “to tie".
atya (1) adj. "second". (2) noun "daddy", supposedly a word in "actual family use"; also used in children's play for "thumb" and "big toe". Hungarian: "father".
auta- (1) vb. "go away, leave" (leave the point of the speaker's thought). (2) vb. "invent, originate, devise". Finnish: 2nd person imperative form of "to help". Polish: common for "cars".
avar noun "recusant, one who refuses to act as advised or commanded". Hungarian: "dead fallen leaves".
C
caivo noun "corpse". Finnish: "well" (kaivo).
atya (1) adj. "second". (2) noun "daddy", supposedly a word in "actual family use"; also used in children's play for "thumb" and "big toe". Hungarian: "father".
auta- (1) vb. "go away, leave" (leave the point of the speaker's thought). (2) vb. "invent, originate, devise". Finnish: 2nd person imperative form of "to help". Polish: common for "cars".
avar noun "recusant, one who refuses to act as advised or commanded". Hungarian: "dead fallen leaves".
C
caivo noun "corpse". Finnish: "well" (kaivo).
cal-
vb.
"shine. Spanish: “lime”; Catalan: "one needs to". Thanks to Ann for this one.
cala noun
"light". Spanish: a type of flower. Finnish: "fish" (kala). Polish: "whole" (cała, "ł" sounds like English "w".
callo noun "noble man, hero". Spanish: "callus, also 1st person present form of "to shut up". Finnish: "skull" (kallo).
callo noun "noble man, hero". Spanish: "callus, also 1st person present form of "to shut up". Finnish: "skull" (kallo).
calma
noun
"lamp, a light, device for shining light”.
Spanish: “calm”. Finnish: "death" (kalma, archaic form).
calpa (1) noun "water-vessel", "bucket, vessel". (2) vb. "draw water, scoop out, bale out". Finnish: "sword" (kalpa, archaic form).
calpa (1) noun "water-vessel", "bucket, vessel". (2) vb. "draw water, scoop out, bale out". Finnish: "sword" (kalpa, archaic form).
cáma
noun
“guilt, responsibility”. Spanish: “bed”.
cana prep? "behind, at back of place". Spanish: “gray hair”. Finnish: "chicken" (kana).
cana prep? "behind, at back of place". Spanish: “gray hair”. Finnish: "chicken" (kana).
canasta fraction
"one
fourth" (1/4). Spanish:
“basket”.
cáno noun
"commander", usually as the title of a lesser chief,
especially one acting as the deputy of one higher in rank. Portuguese: pipe.
cansat
fraction
"one
fourth" (1/4). Catalan: “tired”.
canta
(1) cardinal "four". (2) noun
“shape”.
Spanish: 3rd person sing. present tense "to sing ". Finnish: "to carry" (kantaa).
canya adj.
"bold". Catalan: a small beer.
carda
noun
“deed”. Portuguese: “teasel”, a type of flower.
carnë
adj.
"red", “scarlet, red”. Spanish: “meat”.
carpa
(1) noun
“mouth”, including lips, teeth, tongue etc., also used for “language”, in particular the phonetic system.
(2)
intransitive
vb.
“talk,
speak, use tongue”. Spanish: “tent”.
Casar noun
"Dwarf". Spanish: “to marry”.
cassa noun
"helmet". Italian: “box”.
casta
(1) fraction
"one
fourth" (1/4). (2) noun
"cause" (reason).
Spanish: "breed, caste".
certa
noun
"rune". Portuguese: indefinite pronoun "some”.
cesta- vb.
“to seek, search for”. Spanish: “basket”.
circa noun
"sickle".
Italian and Latin: "around,close to, near".
cíta-
vb.
“suppose”.
Spanish: “a quote”, “a date”. Finnish: "mouth, esp. of an animal" (kita).
cólo noun "burden". Portuguese: “lap”, also 1st person sing. present tense of “to glue”. Spanish: 1st person sing. present tense of “to strain”.
cólo noun "burden". Portuguese: “lap”, also 1st person sing. present tense of “to glue”. Spanish: 1st person sing. present tense of “to strain”.
costa-
vb.
"quarrel".
Spanish and Portuguese: "coast"; Latin: "rib; side".
cotto noun
“enemy”. Italian: “baked”.
cú noun
"arch, crescent";
"crescent Moon". Portuguese: “ass”; Spanish: name of the letter "q".
cúna (1) adj.
"bent, curved". (2) cúna-
vb.
"bend". Spanish: “a cradle”. Polish: "marten" (kuna).
E
ilma noun "starlight". Finnish: "air".
Q
qual- vb. “to die”. Catalan: “which”.
E
en
(1) interjection
"there, look! yon (yonder)" . (2),
also ena,
adv.
“still”.
(3)
particle that may be inserted before a past tense form to indicate
that it refers to a remote past. (4) prefix "again-",
“re-“. Spanish: “in”.
es
unidentified word in the phrase es
sorni heruion an!
"the Eagles of the Lords are at hand" possibly an
assimilated form of en,
that may function as a kind of deitic particle here: *"Behold
the Eagles...". Spanish: 3rd person present of verb “to be”.
esta-
(1) vb.
"to name" .(2)
adj.
"first".
Spanish: “this”, feminine form.
Estë fem name "Repose, Rest". Hungarian: "evening". Spanish: "this", masculine form.
Estë fem name "Repose, Rest". Hungarian: "evening". Spanish: "this", masculine form.
esto
emphatic
pronoun
(?), apparently 3rd person dual, “even the two of them”.
Spanish: “this”, neutral form. Finnish: "inhibition".
et
prep.
(and adv.?)
"out", when followed by ablative "out of". French
and Latin: “and”.
F
falas
(falass-),
falassë
noun
"shore, beach". Portuguese: 2nd person sing. present tense of “to
speak”.
fallë
noun
"foam”. Spanish: sing. present subjunctive of “miss”.
fanya noun "(white) cloud, sky" (plural fanyar). Hungarian: "wry" (fanyar).
fanya noun "(white) cloud, sky" (plural fanyar). Hungarian: "wry" (fanyar).
fára
noun
"beach, shore". Catalan and Portuguese: 3rd person sing. perfect future tense of “to make”.
fëa
noun
"spirit".
Spanish: “ugly”.
finca
adj.
“clever” (in petty ways): Spanish: “big area of land, estate”.
finë
(1) noun
"a hair"
or
"larch".
(2) noun
“dexterity”. Italian: “end”.
finta-
(1) vb.
“to
make, finish off, or decorate a thing with delicate work”.
(2) vb.
“show skill”.
Spanish and Portuguese: “feint”.
forma
noun
"right hand". Spanish, Polish, Portuguese and probably more languages: “shape, form”.
fortë
adj.
"northern". Italian and Latin: “strong” (fors).
Fui
noun
"Night".
Spanish: 1st person past tense of “to go”.
fúmë
noun
"sleep". Spanish: subjunctive present of “to smoke”.
H
hala
(1) noun
"(small) fish".
(2) noun
”a cast shadow”. Spanish: 3rd person sing. present tense of “ to
pull”. Hungarian: "fish" (hal) (thanks to Milla for this one). Polish: "hall".
halla adj. "tall. Finnish: "frost". Spanish: 1st person sing. present tense of "to find".
halla adj. "tall. Finnish: "frost". Spanish: 1st person sing. present tense of "to find".
hampa
adj.
“restrained, delayed, kept”. Spanish: “underworld, in a
criminal sense”
hanno
noun
"brother", also used in children's play for "middle
finger". Italian: 3rd person sing. present tense of “to have”.
hellë noun "sky". Finnish: "very hot weather."
hellë noun "sky". Finnish: "very hot weather."
héra: adj. "chief, principal". Finnish: "whey".
hó noun "spirit, shadow". Hungarian: "snow".
hó noun "spirit, shadow". Hungarian: "snow".
horta-
vb.
"send flying, speed, urge".
Catalan and Portuguese: “garden”.
I
ilma noun "starlight". Finnish: "air".
indo
(1) noun
“heart, mood”
(2)
noun
“house”. Portuguese: gerund of “to go”.
inga (1) noun "top, highest point". (2) adj. "first". Hungarian: "pendulum".
inga (1) noun "top, highest point". (2) adj. "first". Hungarian: "pendulum".
írë
(1) noun
"desire". Spanish: 1st person sing. future tense of “to go”.
ista
(1) noun
"knowledge". (2) vb.
"know".
Latin: "that".
ita- (1) vb.
"sparkle".
(2)
adv. “very, extremely”. (3)
pron
“that which”. Latin: “this way, thus”.
L
la
negation "no, not".
Spanish: "the" (feminine form).
laica (1)
adj.
"green". (2) adj.
"keen, sharp, acute, piercing". Spanish: “not religious”.
laita- vb. "bless, praise". Finnish: "side".
láma noun "ringing side, echo". Finnish: "economic depression". Polish: "llama".
lanca noun "sharp edge (not of tools); sudden end". Finnish: "string".
lanco noun "throat, swallow". Finnish "brother-in-law".
lanta noun " a fall". lanta- vb. "to fall". Finnish "manure".
laita- vb. "bless, praise". Finnish: "side".
láma noun "ringing side, echo". Finnish: "economic depression". Polish: "llama".
lanca noun "sharp edge (not of tools); sudden end". Finnish: "string".
lanco noun "throat, swallow". Finnish "brother-in-law".
lanta noun " a fall". lanta- vb. "to fall". Finnish "manure".
lappa
noun
"hem of robe". Swedish: "to patch" (somewhat related, maybe?)
lapsë noun "babe". Finnish "child"( lapsi).
lapsë noun "babe". Finnish "child"( lapsi).
lar
(1) noun
"fat, riches". Spanish, Portuguese and Latin: “hearth,
home”. Also the Roman gods associated with these.
láta
adj.
"open". Spanish: “can”. Polish: "years".
lávar
noun
“(golden) blossom”. Spanish:
“to wash” (lavar).
le,
pronominal element "you", (originally) the "reverential
2nd person sing". Spanish: dative personal pronoun “to
him/her”.
lëo
noun
"shade, shadow cast by any object". Latin: “lion”.
lin- prefix "many". Polish: "tench"; also pl. genitive form of lina, "line".
lin- prefix "many". Polish: "tench"; also pl. genitive form of lina, "line".
linda
adj.
"fair, beautiful" (of sound),
“soft,
gentle, light”. Spanish: “pretty, beautiful” (feminine form).
lindo
noun
"singer, singing bird". Spanish: pretty (masculine form).
lis noun "honey". Polish: "fox".
ló (1) noun "night". (2) prep. "from", also used as "by", introducing the agent after a passive construction: nahtana ló Túrin (slain by Túrin). Hungarian: "horse".
lis noun "honey". Polish: "fox".
ló (1) noun "night". (2) prep. "from", also used as "by", introducing the agent after a passive construction: nahtana ló Túrin (slain by Túrin). Hungarian: "horse".
loa,
noun
literally "growth". Spanish: a Spanish theatrical play.
loar
noun
“(golden) blossom”. Spanish: “to praise”.
lúcë
("k")
noun
"enchantment". Italian and Latin (ablative sing.): “light”.
luhta- (1) vb. "to enchant". (2) vb. "to bow". Finnish: "flood meadow".
luhta- (1) vb. "to enchant". (2) vb. "to bow". Finnish: "flood meadow".
luita-
vb.
"to flood". Finnish: "some bones".
lúmë
(1) noun
"time". (2) noun
"darkness". Portuguese: “fire, light” (it has the opposite meaning
in Quenya!) In Romanian apparently it means “World”. Italian: "light".
lúna
(1) adj.
“dark”. Spanish and Italian: “Moon”.
lúto
noun
"flood".
Spanish: “mourning”.
M
ma,
(1) neuter personal pronoun "something, a thing". Italian:
“but”. Polish: he/she/it "has". Hungarian: "today".
má noun "hand. Catalan: "hand" (mà) - same meaning!
má noun "hand. Catalan: "hand" (mà) - same meaning!
maca-
vb.
"to forge metal". Catalan: “pretty” (feminine form). Polish: "matza"; 3rd person of "palpate".
mai
(1) adv.
"well"
(2) conj.
"if".
Italian: “never”. German: the month "May".
mahta- vb. "wield a weapon”, “fight", "to handle, wield, manage". Finnish: "to be able" (mahtaa).
mahta- vb. "wield a weapon”, “fight", "to handle, wield, manage". Finnish: "to be able" (mahtaa).
mal
conj.
"but".
Spanish: “evil” (noun). German: "time".
mala-
vb.
"hurt, pain".
Spanish: “evil” (feminine singular adjective). Polish: "small" - feminine singular (mała). Lithuanian: he/she/it "grinds, mills".
malina adj. "yellow, golden". Polish: "raspberry".
malina adj. "yellow, golden". Polish: "raspberry".
malo
(1)
noun
"pollen, yellow powder".
(2) noun
“moth”. Spanish: “evil” (masculine singular adjective). Polish: "little" (mało), adverb.
málos
noun
"forest". Spanish: “evil” (masculine plural adj.)”
malta
noun
"gold", also name of tengwa #18. Spanish: “malt”.
máma
noun
"sheep". Word for "mom" in several languages, such as Spanish and Polish.
manca-
vb.
"trade". Italian: “left hand”; 3rd person present
tense of “to miss”.
mar
(1) noun
"earth" (world), also "home, dwelling, mansion".
(2) noun
"house" in the sense of family.
(3)
vb.
"abide, be settled or fixed". Spanish: “sea”.
me
1st person pl. exclusive pronoun "we, us". Spanish, Latin
and Italian: accusative 1st person sing. Personal pronoun.
mel-
vb.
"love (as friend)". Portuguese and Latin: “honey”.
menta-
(1) vb.
"send, cause to go" (in a desired direction). (2) noun
"sending" or "message". Spanish: “mint”.
mi
prep.
"in, within". Spanish: possessive 1st person sing pronoun "my". Polish: "me", dative form.
mil
"in
you" (sg.), Spanish: “a thousand”. Polish: "miles", genitive form.
millë
"in you" (pl.) Italian: a thousand”.
mína
adj.
"desiring to start, eager to go", also verb mína-
"desire to go in some direction, to wish to go to a place, make
for it, have some end in view". Spanish: "a mine". Swedish: 1st person pl. possesive pronoun "my". Polish: "face (as in making a face); a mine (bomb).
minna prep. "to the inside, into". Japanese: "everyone".
mir (1) prep. "to the inside, into". (2) cardinal "one". Archaic word in old Polish, Russian, Czech and others, meaning "peace" (thanks to Celebrinthal for this one)!
minna prep. "to the inside, into". Japanese: "everyone".
mir (1) prep. "to the inside, into". (2) cardinal "one". Archaic word in old Polish, Russian, Czech and others, meaning "peace" (thanks to Celebrinthal for this one)!
misil
noun
"silver (jewel-like) brilliance". Spanish: "missile".
móla
adj.
“of slave(s), slavish”. Catalan: “cool”. (Thanks to Ann for helping in this one).
móro
noun
“ink” .
Spanish, Catalan: “moor”. Portuguese: 1st person present tense of
“to live”.
móta-
noun
"labour, toil". Spanish: “speck”, or “ marihuana”.
mundo
(1)
noun
"bull". (2) noun
"snout, nose, cape". Spanish: “world”.
muru- vb. "to slumber". Finnish: "crumb". Polish: "brick wall", genitive form of muru.
muru- vb. "to slumber". Finnish: "crumb". Polish: "brick wall", genitive form of muru.
N
nácë
interjection?
“it is may be seeming”. Spanish: “is born”.
nauta adj. "bound, obliged". Latin: "sailor. Finnish: "bovine".
nauta adj. "bound, obliged". Latin: "sailor. Finnish: "bovine".
nec-
prefix
“without, -less”. Latin: "no".
néna
adj.
"wet”.
Spanish: "girl".
né
vb.
in pa.t. “was”.
Latin: "no"; also an interrogative particle.
ni 1st
person sg. pron.
"I". Spanish: “neither”.
nisto
noun
"large woman".
Portuguese: “in this”.
nosta
noun
"birth, birthday" (maybe not a valid word in Tolkien’s later Quenya because the
meaning of the corresponding verb was changed from "give birth"
to "beget"); nosta-
vb.,
variously glossed "beget" or passive “be begotten”;
in earlier "Qenya" the gloss was "give birth". Finnish: 2nd person imperative of "to lift".
nu
prep.
"under". Portuguese: “naked”.
núla
adj.
“dark, occult, mysterious”.
Spanish: “null”.
nulla
adj.
"dark, dusky, obscure,
secret".
Italian: “nothing”.
O
oi
adv.
"ever".
Portuguese: “hello”.
olla
prep
“over”. Spanish: “pot”. Finnish: "to be" (ollaa).
olor
noun
"dream". Spanish: “smell”.
onna noun "creature, child". Japanese: "woman".
órava- vb. "to have mercy". Finnish: "squirrel". Also a region in Poland and Slovakia: Orava .
orë noun "grain". Japanese: "me", used by men.
onna noun "creature, child". Japanese: "woman".
órava- vb. "to have mercy". Finnish: "squirrel". Also a region in Poland and Slovakia: Orava .
orë noun "grain". Japanese: "me", used by men.
oro
(1) noun
“mount, mountain”.
(2) vb.
"rise". Spanish: “gold”. Also 1st person present tense
of “to pray”.
orto
noun
"mountain-top". Spanish and Portuguese: “ortho (straight, right)”, from Greek ὀρθός.
otso cardinal "seven". Finnish: old word for "bear".
otso cardinal "seven". Finnish: old word for "bear".
P
pa
prep.
"on"
with reference to contact of surfaces, especially vertical surface
(in the sense in which a picture hangs on
a wall.
Spanish: diminutive of “father”. Polish: "bye".
paca
noun
"paved
floor, court".
Spanish: “bale”, also how in Costa Rica we call the police.
palpa-
vb.
"to beat, batter". Spanish: “palpate”.
pan
adv.
“since” (in the sense of because).
Spanish: "bread". Polish: "sir".
panda
noun
"enclosure"-
The animal.
par-
vb.
“learn” (acquire information, not by experience or observation,
but by communication, by the instruction, or by written accounts, of
others). Spanish: "pair, even". Polish: "couples", genitive form of para.
pata-
vb.
“walk”.
Spanish: "animal's leg". Finnish: "pot".
páva noun "mouth" (including tongue, lips and teeth). Spanish: "fringe". Hungarian: "peacock".
páva noun "mouth" (including tongue, lips and teeth). Spanish: "fringe". Hungarian: "peacock".
pelo
noun
“a boundary (fence)” .
Spanish: "hair".
pica
(1) noun
"small spot, dot". (2) vb.
"lessen, dwindle, waning". Spanish: "itch".
pontë
(ponti-)
noun
"back, rear".
Portuguese: "bridge".
punta
noun
"stopped
consonant". Spanish: “tip”.
Q
qual- vb. “to die”. Catalan: “which”.
quanta
(1) ("q")
adj.
"full".
(2) vb.
“fill”. Latin: "how many".
qui
conj.
“if” .
Latin: among several definitions: "how, who, which, that".
R
raita- (1) vb.
"make
network or lace". (2) vb.
"catch in a net". (3) vb.
“smile”. Finnish: "stripe".
rama-
vb.
"to shout". Spanish: “branch”. Polish: "frame.
Rána
place-name "the Wayward, the Wanderer", a name of the moon.
The Etymologies
gives Rana
with a short vowel. Spanish: “frog”.
ranta noun "part". Finnish: "beach".
rauta noun "metalt". Finnish: "iron".
ranta noun "part". Finnish: "beach".
rauta noun "metalt". Finnish: "iron".
ráta-
vb.
“excel, surpass”. Spanish: “rat”.
ronda
adj.
“solid, firm”. Spanish:
“round”. Hungarian: "ugly".
rúna-
vb.
"[to] free". Spanish and in several languages: “rune”.
S
saca-
(1) vb.
"pursue, look for, search". (2) vb.
"draw, pull". Spanish: 3rd person sing. present tense of "to pull out".
san
(1) adv.
"then". (2) adv.
ephemeral word for "so". Spanish: “saint...”.
sana
(1) “that very thing (already referred to)”.
(2) noun
"day (24 hours)". Spanish: 3rd person present tense of “to heal”. Finnish: "word".
sanar
noun
"mind". Spanish: “to heal”.
sánë noun
“pine”. Spanish: present subjuntive form of “to heal”.
sára
(1) adj.
"bitter".
(2) adj.
"fiery" (3) noun
"stiff dry grass, bent". Italian: “will be”. Finnish: "sedge".
sarna
adj.
"of
stone". Spanish: “scabies" (a skin disease). Polish: "roe deer".
se
(1) pron.
"he, she, it" also object "him, her, it", 3rd
person sg. (2), preposition "at, in". Spanish: 3rd person
pronoun.
ser-
vb.
"rest". Spanish: “to be”. Polish: "cheese",
si
adv.
“here”. Spanish: “if”.
sí
adv.
"now".
Spanish: “yes”.
síma noun "mind, imagination". Finnish: "mead".
síma noun "mind, imagination". Finnish: "mead".
sól,
noun
”helmet”. Spanish: “sun”. Polish: "salt".
sor,
noun
"eagle". Spanish: “sor (religious)”.
T
T
tál
(tal-,
as in "g.sg. talen";
in LotR-style Quenya this is rather the dative singular) noun
"foot".
Spanish: “such”.
talo adv. "thence". Finnish: "house".
talo adv. "thence". Finnish: "house".
tango
noun
"twang". The dance, of course!
tanya demonstrative "that". Hungarian: "small farm, ranch".
tanya demonstrative "that". Hungarian: "small farm, ranch".
tanta
(1) noun
"harp". (2) (prob.
adj.)
"double". Spanish:
“as much”. Norwegian: "aunt".
táta noun "hat". Spanish: colloquial form of “father". Polish: "dad.
táta noun "hat". Spanish: colloquial form of “father". Polish: "dad.
te
pron.
"they, them". Spanish: 2nd person personal pronoun accusative/dative form. Polish: "these" (feminine/neuter).
telë-
vb.
"finish, end" (intransitive). Greek: prefix “from a
distance”.
ten
(1) pron.
in dative
“to them, for them”.
(2) conj.
"for". (4) vb.
"hear". Spanish: imperative “have”. Polish: this (masculine).
tenta-
vb.
“point to, point out; indicate; direct toward, be directed toward”.
Portuguese: 3rd person present tense of “to try”.
tinta-
vb.
"kindle, cause to sparkle". Spanish:
“ink”.
tombo
noun
"gong, resonant". Spanish (Costa Rican variant): police-man.
torni noun "brothers". Finnish: "tower". Italian: 2nd person sing. present tense of "to return".
torni noun "brothers". Finnish: "tower". Italian: 2nd person sing. present tense of "to return".
tuo
noun
"muscle, sinew, vigour, physical strength" .
Italian: “your”.
turma noun "shield". Portuguese: "group". Finnish: "accident, death, destruction".
U
turma noun "shield". Portuguese: "group". Finnish: "accident, death, destruction".
U
um-
vb.
"not to do, not to be". Portuguese: indefinite article “a".
un-
intensive prefix used before qu. Spanish: indefinite article “a” (masculine form).
úna adj. "deprived of, destitute, forlorn". Spanish: indefinite article “a” (feminine form).
úna adj. "deprived of, destitute, forlorn". Spanish: indefinite article “a” (feminine form).
urdu
noun
"death".
An asian language.
urna
noun
"oven". Latin, Spanish, Polish, Italian, Portuguese and probably more languages: "urn".
ursa noun “rage” (2) vb. “to rage”. Latin: “bear”.
ursa noun “rage” (2) vb. “to rage”. Latin: “bear”.
usquë.
noun
"reek". Latin: "all the time; up to".
úva
(1) vb.
"will not". (2) vb.
“impend, be imminent” – “nearly always in a bad sense:
‘threaten (to come)’ “, as in hrívë
úva véna
“winter is drawing near to us”; -uva
future tense ending. Spanish: “grape”.
V
V
va
prep.
"from". Spanish and Portuguese: 3rd person present tense of "to go".
vaia noun "envelope". English: "a hoot".
vaina (1) adj. "clad". (2) adj., the “late” pronunciation of waina “blonde, fair of hair”. Spanish: "sheath".
-valta suffix "-less". Finnish: "power".
ve (1) prep. "as, like". (2) pron. “we”. (3) apparently an ending used to derive adverbs from adjectives. Spanish: 2nd person imperative form of "to go".
vëa (1) adj. “seeming, apparent”. (2) adj. "adult, manly, vigorous". (3) noun "sea". (4) noun “wind”. Spanish: present subjuntive form of "to see".
véla (1) adv. “alike” (2) vb. "see (meet)". Spanish: "a sail"; "a candle".
vendë noun "maiden". Spanish and Portuguese: 3rd person present tense of "to sell".venta noun "chin". Spanish: "a sale".
verca adj. "wild". Finnish: "fabric", archaic word. veri noun "wife". Finnish: "blood".
vista (1) noun "air as substance". (2) vb. "change" (transitive). Spanish: "a view".
vaia noun "envelope". English: "a hoot".
vaina (1) adj. "clad". (2) adj., the “late” pronunciation of waina “blonde, fair of hair”. Spanish: "sheath".
-valta suffix "-less". Finnish: "power".
ve (1) prep. "as, like". (2) pron. “we”. (3) apparently an ending used to derive adverbs from adjectives. Spanish: 2nd person imperative form of "to go".
vëa (1) adj. “seeming, apparent”. (2) adj. "adult, manly, vigorous". (3) noun "sea". (4) noun “wind”. Spanish: present subjuntive form of "to see".
véla (1) adv. “alike” (2) vb. "see (meet)". Spanish: "a sail"; "a candle".
vendë noun "maiden". Spanish and Portuguese: 3rd person present tense of "to sell".venta noun "chin". Spanish: "a sale".
verca adj. "wild". Finnish: "fabric", archaic word. veri noun "wife". Finnish: "blood".
vista (1) noun "air as substance". (2) vb. "change" (transitive). Spanish: "a view".
Y
ya
(1) relative pronoun "which, what" (2) prep.
"as". (3) suffix of endearment (4) pronominal suffix “his”
(and probably also “her, its”), said to be used in “colloquial
Quenya. (5) adjectival ending, as in the word Quenya
“Elvish” itself. Spanish: "now". Polish: "me" (written "ja", but it sounds the same).
yo
conj.
“and”. Spanish: nominative case of 1st person personal pronoun "I".
Words like "mama" are used everywhere in the world, I think :P oh, and the name Anna exists in almost all languages. I think you should delete the information that it's only Catalonian ;) and I think luce/lume/luna are also in more languages. I know it's hard to tell in which when you don't know them... but it just feel slightly wrong that they are not mentioned there when there must be some ;)
ReplyDeletePolish doesn't have much in common with Quenya, but as it turned out, few words exsist in it as well.
auta - common for cars (really XD)
similiar to cala: cała - (ł is like w in English) whole, in feminine singular form
(I don't know how is "c" read in Quenya, though. I think it's like "k". Polish "c" sounds like "z" in German.)
similiar to cúna: kuna - marten
forma - shape, form (again, I think it works in maaany moooore languages ;))
hala - hall
lama - llama XD
lata - years
ma - he/she/it has
maca - matza/matzah; or a 3rd person of palpate
similiar to mala: mała - small (feminine singular)
analogically mało - little (adverb)
mi - me (dative form)
mil - miles (genitive)
mina - face (like when you grimace, make a face, not a face in anatomical sense), mine (a bomb)
mama - mom of course
muru - brick wall (genitive)
Orava - is a region situated partially in Poland and partially in Slovakia :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orava_(region)
pa - bye
pan - sir
panda - the animal, of course ;)
par - couples (genitive)
rama - frame
runa - rune (in most languages?)
sarna - roe-deer
ser - cheese
sól - well actually in Polish ó is read the same as u (so it's only a matter of ortography), and then it means salt
tata - dad
te - these (feminine/neuter)
ten - this (masculine)
urna - urn
ya - (written ja, but it sounds the same - like ya in English, right?) me
I know some of these words are bizarre, like plurar forms in dative XD I've left out some of them, some stayed. Just nevermind.
Oh, and there's even something in German! mai - Mai, may, the month :)
Wow, Celebrinthal, what a great contribution, for your suggestions and Polish (and German) words!!! I have added those words, and added "in several languages" in some entries, such as "Anna" and "mama". Of course some words have similar forms in many other languages, but I don't know them, so I can't add them xD. I hope people who read this and notice words and languages missing will tell me so that I can correct this word compilation!
Delete"C" in Quenya sounds as English "k", you are correct :D.
Thanks again for your fantastic help, I deeply appreciate it! :)
Ehh. I should have added also nominative singular forms of the words I mentioned... '-'
DeleteSo, to correct myself, here they are in nominative singular/infinitives:
car - auto
year - rok (I know, COMPLETELY irregular)
to have - mieć
to palpate - macać
me - ja was mentioned already with ya ;)
mile - mila
brick wall - mur
couple - para
that would be it ;)
and well... add "mir" :D
and those words I've mentioned in our talk were: minna - in Japanese everyone; onna - in Japanese woman; ore - in Japanese "me" used by men; back to Polish: lis - fox; malina - raspberry, lin - tench (and also a plurar genitive from "lina" which means line)
there were more I've spotted, but I don't remember them ;) some time I'll open the dictionary again and search for them.
it's so funny to search those words. and really pointless, to be honest XD that's why it seems so attractive to do, I think. ;p
Thanks a lot! I have added the new words, and also some nominative forms. And don't worry, there's no hurry, take your time, you have helped a lot already! :D
DeleteAnd well, it may be pointless, but still it is funny and amusing! And it is curious how words repeat themselves, whether Tolkien knew them or not. Furthermore, there are some interesting coincidences, take for example, Spanish "mi", 1st person possessive pronoun, it's also the 1st person personal pronoun dative form in Polish, "me" is a 1st person English pronoun, "mina" is 1st person possessive pronoun in Swedish...maybe it's the Indoeuropean root of all these languages present, that is awesome! :D
It is also interesting that Classical Nahuatl allows so many of the same word endings as Quenya (-ea, -in, -ye, -lli, -llo, -mo, -que, etc.). The 1910's Qenya stage even allowed Nahuatl _-tl_ as a word-final combination (at least on an orthographical level, not necessarily phonetical - although much of the Professor's inspiration was probably based on working with literary sources alone).
ReplyDeleteSami Paldanius
This is very interesting indeed, I had never heard of any similarity whatsoever of Quenya and Nahuatl, and also of Tolkien having contact with any Nahuatl texts! These coincidences are very remarkable indeed!!!! Thanks for pointing that out, Sami.
DeleteYou should take a look at Hooker's "Tolkien and Welsh" for a comparison of Welsh and Sindarin, ranging from the obvious (Gwynfa—the Welsh word for Paradise), to the apparent (Took—a Welsh surname), to the veiled (Gerontius—the Latinizaton of a royal Welsh name), to the hidden (Goldberry—the English calque of a Welsh theonym). http://llyfrawr.com/TolkienAndWelsh/TandW.html
ReplyDeleteThat is definitely a book I am interested in reading! I have placed in my amazon wish list :D, maybe I'll buy at the end of this year! Regarding Tolkien and Welsh, that article I mentioned at the beginning of the post, has some similar Sindarin and Welsh words, http://www.sindanoorie.net/art/Similarities.pdf, and also, regarding the Took surname, I found this article too: https://sites.google.com/site/endorenya/took
DeleteCheers, and thanks for your help and interest! :)
Yes, I have only had a chance to skim through "Similarities", but can see that it will be worth taking the time to study. The math at the beginning is interesting, and explains why there are so many "false friends" to trip up language learners. The article on the surnames "Took" and "Boffin" offer a good start, but Hooker has the finish. I think you'll enjoy "Tolkien and Welsh", if this kind of thing interests you.
DeleteInteresting that the only Hungarian word on your list is "hal", which is one of the most often used examples for the "common words" of Finnish (being known source for Quenya) and Hungarian (which two languages are known as relatives, but similarities are mostly seen only by linguists). (Fish in Finnish is "kala", so the Quenya word seems to be halfway between Hungarian and Finnish.) Where did you find it?
ReplyDeleteOther words on your list which have also a meaning in Hungarian (I won't start to look for new ones now, but perhaps another time):
"alma" = apple
"páva" = peacock
"ronda" = ugly
Köszonöm, Metaflora, for your help and contribution! I have added the Hungarian words you mentioned already in the blog, as well as your nickname "Metaflora" at the beginning of the post (if you want to change that and have your name, for example, in the post, just tell me :) ).
DeleteAhh yes, I forgot to mention it, it was my Finnish friend Milla that told me "hal" was Hungarian! I now know that both tongues belong to the Finno-Ugric language group. And you are totally correct, I did not think of it, Quenya "hala" indeed is like a mixture of both tongues.
Again, thank you very much for your interest and help, I really appreciate it! :D
Nickname is OK, thanks :) I checked the Quenya wordlist and collected some more Hungarian pieces for you:
Delete"apa", "atya" = father
"avar" = dead fallen leaves
"este" = evening
"fanyar" = wry
"hó" = snow
"inga" = pendulum
"ló" = horse
"ma" = today
"tanya" = small farm, ranch
Wonderful, Metaflora, so nice to know you took the time to go over the wordlist :), thank you very much indeed, I am so happy :D. I have added those words now! Funny that "atya" means the same in both languages!!
DeleteYou know, it's about two years I like the Hungarian language, I plan to learn it one day, despite its difficulty. One of my favorite metal bands is Dalriada, maybe you know them.
Cheers (Egészségedre)!!
Oh, I think this listing is a great idea, not because there could be any real connection with these words, just for the fun - to see how Quenyaish our language is (perhaps it would be even more effective to compare the pronounced forms of the words), and you cannot be short on Hungarian words - perhaps there will be more, I really just ran through the list and very likely missed some details :D
ReplyDelete(Perhaps you should post the link to the ITF group also, if you had not do so yet, there could be more international readers, than in the TS.)
I love my language, I'd be happy to give you any help learning it :)
(I heard about Dalriada, don't know their music well though... but do you know their "Arany-album"? those lyrics are the beautiful ballads of one of my favourite poets...)
Some thus far unmentioned similarities:
ReplyDeleteála 'don't...' - Finnish _älä_ 'don't...'
alda 'tree' - Old Icelandic 1. 'of the old' (gen. pl. of _öld_ 'old'); Old Saxon _ald_ 'old' (Npl. masc. -a), _aldar_ old age
kemen 'earth' - Basque for 'force, energy, vigour, strength; valour'
kulda 'golden-red' - Finnish _kulta_ 'gold'
kúma 'a void' - Finnish _kuuma_ 'hot'
men- 'go as far as, arrive', inf. menë - Finnish _mennä_ 'to go', present stem _mene-_
ná 'to be/is' - Icelandic 'reach, attain, get; be able, be allowed'
Noldor - Icelandic _nöldur_ 'act of grumbling, complaining' (I wonder if the local Silm. translation used the wordplay for chapter 7!)
númen 'west' - Latin _nūmen_ 'will of ruling powers; divinity'; Icelandic _numinn_ 'taken, caught, assumed'
olos (olor-) 'a dream' - Sp. _olor_ 'smell, scent'; Finnish _olo_ '(general) feel; state of being, condition'; Lat. _olor_ 'swan'
otso 'seven' - Basque for 'wolf'
saura 'foul, vile; evil-smelling, putrid' - Old Icelandic _saurr_ 'dirt, filth' (stem/cpd. elem. _saur-_ 'foul, filthy; dung-')
sitë 'of this sort' - Finnish _sitä_ partitive object form of _se_ 'it, that (which was mentioned)'
te 'they' - Finnish 'you (pl.)'
tul- 'come', inf. tulë - Finnish _tulla_ 'to come', present stem _tule-_
tuo 'muscle, vigour' - Finnish 1. demonstrative, 'that (one there)', 2. 'bring!' (imperative 2 sg.)
Sami Paldanius
Thre is also Quenya verb pusta- meaning "to stop" it also means empty(feminine) in Polish
ReplyDeleteFor romanian language:
ReplyDelete"apa" - the water
"arma" - the Weapon
"arte" - arts
"așa" - so, such
"asta" - this
"avar" - greedy
"cal" - horse
"cana" - the mug
"(a) canta" - (to) sing
"carne"- meat
"cârpă" - rag
"castă" - pure, virgin
"circa" - approximately
"este" - is
"fără" - without
"ființă" - being
"forma" - the shape
"la" - at
"lama" - the blade
"lin" - quietly
"lume" - world
"luna" - the Moon
"mama" - the mother
"(a) mânca"- (to) eat
"măr"- apple
"menta" - the mint
"mina" - the mine
"nu"- no
"oi" - sheeps
"ore" - hours
"pa"- bye
"pată" - stain
"pica"- fall
"rama" - the frame
"rana" - the wound
"tata"- father
"țintă" - target
"turma"- the herd
"un"- a
"una" - one
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ReplyDelete