The noun N. rant first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “lode, vein” under the root ᴹ√RAT “walk” (Ety/RAT). Most notably it was an element in the name Celebrant “Silver Lode” flowing through Dimrill Dale, appearing in the form Kelebrant in Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s (TI/235) and as Celebrant “Silverlode” in the finished version of The Lord of the Rings (LotR/341). In the “Unfinished Index” of The Lord of the Rings the name Celebrant was translated “silver-course” (RC/262).

The translation “course” seems to be consistent with the river name Adurant “Double Stream” that was among the seven rivers of Ossiriand as mentioned in The Silmarillion (SI/Adurant). In the 1930s this river name was Ilkorin (Ety/AT(AT)), but by the 1950s or 60s the river name was probably Sindarin or Nandorin.

In Nomenclature of the Lord of the Rings Tolkien indicated that the second element of Celeb-rant meant “lode” in the older English sense “course, water-channel” (RC/775). In notes from the late 1960s he said rant was derived from primitive ✶rantā meaning “tracks and trails of travellers or explorers that had become habitual and could be followed by others ... also, especially in Sindarin, applied to streams and rivers in their courses” (NM/363). As an example of its use for a “trail” Tolkien gave the name Gondrant “stone-trail” (NM/363).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume that rant is used of any course or flow of materials, such as water or ores, within a larger environment. Thus it could mean “water-course” when applied to rivers, or “lode, vein” when applied to trails of ore. In names like Gondrant “stone-trail”, I would assume that it referred mainly to the course of stone rather the trail being followed. For a “trail” created by the passing of men or animals I would use other words like [N.] bâd or râd.

Conceptual Development: Possible precursors include ᴱN. lhant “path” and G. lant “road”; see those entries for discussion.

G. lant “a level way, high road, street” appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/52), probably based on the early root ᴱ√LATA having to do with level and smooth things (QL/51). G. lant “a road” appeared on a slip illustrating vowel mutations, along with a plural form {laint >>} leint “roads” and its primitive form ᴱ✶lanta (PE13/116). ᴱN. lhant “path” appeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s with plural lhaint (PE13/148). Possibly later variants include S. rant “course”; see that entry for details.