Eldamo : Noldorin : -dis

N. #-dis suf. “feminine agent” (Category: Doer, Agent)

N. #-dis, suf. “feminine agent” (Category: Doer, Agent)

A feminine agental suffix appearing in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a suffix in N. meldis “friend (f.)”, the feminine equivalent of N. meldir which had the masculine agental suffix dîr (Ety/MEL).

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s the suffix G. -(n)ir seems to be a feminine agent, probably based on (archaic) G. †nîr “woman”. For example: G. bridh(n)ir “queen” vs. G. bridhon “king” (GL/24) or G. gwar(e)dhir “f. companion” vs. G. gwar(e)dhon “m. companion” (GL/44). Sometimes -ir seems to be gender-neutral, however, as with G. faithir “savior” (GL/33) and G. hilmir “heir (m. or f.)” (GL/49). There are remnants of this feminine -ir suffix in The Etymologies, where in the first iteration of the entry for the root ᴹ√MEL Tolkien had meldir “friend (f.)” (EtyAC/MEL) before deciding meldir was masculine.

Reference ✧ Ety/MEL

#-dis “feminine agent” feminine equivalent of †dîr “man, adult male; agental suffix”

Elements

dîs

“bride”

Element In

N. meldis “friend (f.)”
ᴺS. !ceredis “crafter (f.)”
ᴺS. ^curunis “witch”
ᴺS. !randis “wanderer (f.)”

G. #-(n)ir suf. “(feminine) agent” (Category: Doer, Agent)

See N. #-dis for discussion.

References ✧ GL/24, 33-34, 36, 38, 43-44, 48-49

Variations

#-(n)ir ✧ GL/24
#-ir ✧ GL/33; GL/34; GL/36; GL/38; GL/43; GL/48; GL/49
#-thir ✧ GL/44

#-(r)on “agental suffix” vs. #-(n)ir “(feminine) agent”

Element In

G. bridh(n)ir “queen, princess” ✧ GL/24
G. gwar(e)dhir “f. companion, comrade”
G. mastir “*shepherdess”
G. pridwir “judge”
G. umir “nobody, no one (fem.)”
G. faithir “liberator, Saviour” ✧ GL/33
G. †fecthir “destroyer, slayer; bane” ✧ GL/34 (†fecthir)
G. fwîr “niece” ✧ GL/36
G. gethlir “friend; †kinswoman” ✧ GL/38
G. guinir “slave” ✧ GL/43
G. Gwalthir “female god” ✧ GL/44
G. hethir “sister” ✧ GL/48
G. hilmir “heir (m. or f.)” ✧ GL/49