Ilk. Egla n. “Star-folk, Elf” (Category: Elf, Fairy)

Ilk. Egla n. “Star-folk, Elf” (Category: Elf, Fairy)

A Doriathrin word for “Elf” (Ety/ELED), also attested in its class plural form Eglath which was marked as both Doriathrin (Ety/ELED) and Ilkorin (Ety/GAT(H), LED). This word developed from the inverted primitive form ᴹ✶edel[a] of the root ᴹ√ELED (Ety/ELED). First the middle [e] was lost because of the Ilkorin syncope, after which the resulting [dl] became [gl].

This word was a frequent element in Ilkorin names. As noted by Helge Fauskanger (AL-Doriathrin/Eglador), ordinarily the primitive final [a] would be lost in Ilkorin. Perhaps it was preserved in Ilk. Egla by analogy with the various names where it appeared, or perhaps Egla was actually the genitival form (of unattested *Egol as Ilk. legol) with the suffix -a(n).

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s, G. Egla was the Gnomish word for “Elf”. In The Etymologies from the 1930s, Tolkien first wrote Ilk. Eld for “Elf”, derived from the uninverted form of the root. This was rejected in favor of Ilk. Egla, perhaps an attempt to preserve the earlier Gnomish form.

See S. †Eglan for further discussion.

References ✧ Ety/ELED, GAT(H), LED

Glosses

Variations

Related

Inflections

Dor. Eglath class-plural   ✧ Ety/ELED
Eglath class-plural “Eldar” ✧ Ety/GAT(H)
Eglath class-plural “Eldar, Ilkorians” ✧ Ety/LED

Elements

ᴹ√ELED “Star-Folk, Elves” ✧ Ety/LED (ÉLED)

Element In

Cognates

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

ᴹ✶edel- > Egla [edela] > [edla] > [egla] ✧ Ety/ELED

G. Egla n. “fairy, (lit.) being from outside” (Category: Elf, Fairy)

See S. †Eglan for discussion.

References ✧ GG/9, 13; GL/32; LT1A/Eldamar, Eldar; LT2A/Eglamar, Idril; PE14/9; PE15/23; WJI

Glosses

Variations

Related

Changes

Inflections

in·egla definite “the fairy” ✧ GG/9
Eglon genitive   ✧ PE15/23
Eglathon genitive plural   ✧ PE15/23
Eglath plural   ✧ LT2A/Idril
Eglath plural “Elves or fairies” ✧ PE14/9

Elements

edh “outside, near borders of, near, hard by, beside” ✧ GL/32 (eg³)
eg² “far away, wide, distant, far off” ✧ LT1A/Eldar

Element In

Cognates