Q. laurë n. “gold (light or colour)” (Category: Gold)
A very well-attested noun for “gold (light or colour)”, an element in many names, derived from √(G)LAWAR of the same meaning. This word only refers to “those things which we often call ‘golden’ though they do not much resemble metallic gold: golden light, especially sunlight” (RGEO/62), as opposed to gold as a metal which is malta (PE17/51, 159).
Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where ᴱQ. laure was the “(magic name of) gold”, derived from the early root ᴱ√LOURI (LT1/100; QL/42, 51), as opposed to ᴱQ. kulu which was ordinary gold (QL/49). The shift towards laure being only light or color seems to have begun in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where ᴹQ. malda was “gold (as metal)” (Ety/SMAL), later Q. malta (as noted above). This use of laurë only for color and light was reaffirmed frequently in Tolkien’s later writings (RGEO/62; Let/308; PE17/159).
References ✧ Let/308; NM/347, 351; PE17/48, 58, 61, 76, 80, 159; PE19/79; PE21/81; PM/353; RGEO/62; SA/laurë; UT/253; VT41/10; VT49/47
Glosses
Variations
Related
Inflections
| laurendon | similative | “in a gold fashion” | ✧ PE17/58 |
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| √(g)lawar- > laure | [glawarē] > [glawrē] > [glaurē] > [ɣlaurē] > [laurē] > [laure] | ✧ NM/351 |
| √LAWAR > laurē > laure | [laurē] > [laure] | ✧ PE17/159 |
| ✶glawarē > glaurē > ʒlaurē > laurē | [glawarē] > [glawrē] > [glaurē] > [ɣlaurē] > [laurē] > [laure] | ✧ PE19/79 |
| ✶glawarĭ > laure | [glawari] > [glaware] > [glawre] > [glaure] > [ɣlaure] > [laure] | ✧ PE21/81 |
| ✶glaware > laure | [glaware] > [glawre] > [glaure] > [ɣlaure] > [laure] | ✧ VT41/10 |
ᴹQ. laure n. “gold” (Category: Gold)
References ✧ Ety/GLAW(-R), LÁWAR; PE19/37; PE22/19, 46
Glosses
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ√GLAW(-R) > laure | [glaurē] > [ɣlaurē] > [laurē] > [laure] | ✧ Ety/GLAW(-R) |
| ᴹ✶laurē > laure | [laurē] > [laure] | ✧ Ety/LÁWAR |
ᴱQ. laure (lauri-) n. “(mystic name of) gold” (Category: Gold)
References ✧ GL/40; LT1/100; LT1A/Ilsaluntë, Laurelin, Tilkal; LT2A/Glorfalc; PE15/25, 72-73; QL/42, 51
Glosses
Variations
Related
Inflections
| †laurīnen | partitive | “like gold” | ✧ PE15/73 |
| [laur]ĭ | stem | ✧ QL/51 |
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴱ√LOU̯RI > laure | [louri] > [loure] > [laure] | ✧ QL/51 |