S. gil [ng-] n. “star; (bright) spark, silver glint, twinkle of light” (Category: Star)
The usual word for “star” in Sindarin which replaced archaic/poetic êl; it originally meant “(bright) spark” (RGEO/65; VT42/11). It was derived from the root √(Ñ)GIL meaning “shine (white)” (PE17/152) or “silver glint” (MR/388; PE17/22).
Conceptual Development: This word first appeared as G. gail “a star” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/42), derived from the early root ᴱ√Gil- (GL/38). In the Early Noldorin Grammar Tolkien said ᴱN. gail meant “sign, token, heavenly body” (PE13/123); earlier in this document he gave it the gloss {“life” >>} “sign” (PE13/120 and note #6). In Early Noldorin Word-lists written somewhat later, gail again simply meant “star” (PE13/143), and it was used this way in the Nebrachar poem from around 1930 (MC/217).
In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave it as N. geil “star” from primitive ᴹ✶gilya under the root ᴹ√GIL “shine (white or pale)” (Ety/GIL; EtyAC/GIL). Christopher Tolkien incorrectly marked geil as a plural form in The Etymologies as published in The Lost Road (LR/358), but Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne corrected this in their Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies (VT45/15). Remnants of this 1930s derivation can be seen in the forms geil/gail in notes from the 1950s, derived from ancient ✶gilyā “silver spark” (PE17/30, 152). Mostly, however, Tolkien represented this word as gil in later writings, including in The Lord of the Rings Appendix E (LotR/1113).
Possible Etymology: The etymology of gil is complicated by Tolkien’s vacillation with the singular form gail (†geil) < ✶gilyā, where the diphthong ai is the result of a-affection of the base vowel from i to e, which after i-intrusion produced ei and this diphthong became ai as usual in final syllables and monosyllables: gilyā [ >*geli(a)] > geil > gail. Signs of this etymology can be seen in the class plural giliath as in S. Dagor-nuin-Giliath “Battle-under-Stars” (S/106).
With this alternate derivation, the plural form would still be gîl, since the ancient plural -ī prevented a-affection, and the prefixal form likewise would have been gil- (PE17/152). However, this derivation conflicts with Tolkien’s usual presentation of the singular form as gil. In some places Tolkien gave a primitive form like ✶(ñ)gillē (PE17/23) or a Sindarin form gill (PE17/50), but I think it is best to assume primitive *gili- to explain singular gil and class-plural giliath. This is further supported by the Telerin name Gilitíro “Starwatcher”; hat-tip to Vyacheslav Stepanov for suggesting this (PE23/143).
References ✧ Let/427; LotR/1113; MR/388, 470-471; PE17/22-23, 30, 50, 152; PE22/159; RC/232; RGEO/61, 65; S/106; SA/gil; VT42/11
Glosses
Variations
Related
Inflections
| giliath | class-plural | ✧ PE17/30 | |
| giliath | class-plural | “silver spark” | ✧ PE17/152: pl. 2 |
| giliath | class-plural | “hosts of stars” | ✧ RC/232 |
| giliath | class-plural | “host of stars” | ✧ SA/gil |
| Giliath | nasal-mutation class-plural; ng-mutation | “stars” | ✧ S/106 |
| gîl | plural | “silver spark” | ✧ PE17/152 |
| gil- | prefix | ✧ PE17/152: in compounds |
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ✶gilyā > geil > gail | [giljā] > [gilja] > [gelja] > [gelia] > [geli] > [geil] > [gail] | ✧ PE17/152 |
| √GIL > gîl | [gilji] > [gilī] > [gil] > [gīl] | ✧ PE17/152 |
N. geil n. “star” (Category: Star)
References ✧ Ety/GIL, OT; EtyAC/GIL
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Inflections
| giliath | class-plural | ✧ Ety/GIL | |
| gil | plural | “stars” | ✧ Ety/OT |
| gíl | plural | ✧ Ety/GIL |
Element In
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ✶gilya > gíl | [gilji] > [gilī] > [gil] > [gīl] | ✧ Ety/GIL |
| ᴹ✶gilya > geil | [gilja] > [gelja] > [gelia] > [geli] > [geil] | ✧ Ety/GIL |
ᴱN. gail n. “star; sign, token, heavenly body” (Category: Star)
References ✧ MC/217; PE13/120, 123, 143
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Inflections
| i·ngailiath | nasal-mutation plural; g-mutation | ✧ PE13/120 |
| i·ngailith | nasal-mutation plural; g-mutation | ✧ PE13/120 |
| gailiath | plural | ✧ PE13/123 |
| gailir | plural | ✧ PE13/123; PE13/143 |
| i·ail | soft-mutation; g-mutation | ✧ PE13/120 |
| o·gail | stop-mutation; g-mutation | ✧ PE13/120 |
Element In
G. gail n. “star” (Category: Star)
References ✧ GL/37; LT1A/Tinwetári
Glosses
Element In
Cognates
Derivations