Q. Teler pn. “Last-comer, Hindmost”
Quenya name for the third tribe of Elves (PM/318), usually appearing in the plural form Teleri (S/40; WJ/382). It was derived from the root √TELES “come at rear” (PE18/84; Ety/TELES), because “they tarried on the road and were not wholly of a mind to pass from the dusk to the light of Valinor” (S/53).
Conceptual Development: A similar name ᴱQ. Telelli appeared in the earliest Lost Tales, and its singular form ᴱQ. Telelle was glossed “little elf” in the Qenya Lexicon (QL/91). This early term applied to young Elves of all tribes, especially those talented in song (PE13/99; PE14/9). The related term ᴱQ. Teleri, however, referred specifically to the first tribe of Elves (LT1/50; PE14/9).
By the earliest drafts of the Silmarillion, however, Tolkien began to use ᴹQ. Teler as the term for the “Sea-elves”, the third tribe (SM/13). In The Etymologies from the 1930s, the name was given the derivation above (Ety/TELES), though initially it was because the third tribe “were the latest to awaken” (LR/168), not because they tarried on the march.
References ✧ LT1I/Solosimpi; MR/349; MRI/Teleri; PE18/73, 84; PM/318, 385; PMI/Teleri; S/53; SA/tel; SI/Teleri; UTI/Teleri; WJ/371, 382; WJI/Teleri
Variations
Related
Changes
Inflections
| Teleri | plural | ✧ LT1I/Solosimpi; MRI/Teleri; PM/385; PMI/Teleri; S/53; SA/tel; UTI/Teleri; WJ/371; WJI/Teleri | |
| Teleri | plural | “Those Behind” | ✧ MR/349 |
| Teleri | plural | “Last-comers, Enders” | ✧ PE18/73 |
| Teleri | plural | “Last-comers, the Hindmost” | ✧ SI/Teleri |
| Teleri | plural | “those at the end of the line, hindmost” | ✧ WJ/382 |
| Teler- | stem | ✧ PE18/84 |
Elements
| ✶-ro | “an old agental formation” | ✧ WJ/371 (-rŏ) |
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| √KYELES > Teler- | [kjelesi] > [tjelesi] > [tjelezi] > [tjeleri] ? [teleri] | ✧ PE18/84 |
| √tel- > Teleri | [telesi] > [telezi] > [teleri] | ✧ SA/tel |
ᴹQ. Teler pn. “a Teler”
References ✧ Ety/TELES; LBI/Solosimpi; LR/168; LRI/Teleri; PE21/33; SM/85; SMI/Teleri
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| Telellin | nominative plural | ✧ PE21/33 | |
| †Telerin | nominative plural | ✧ PE21/33 | |
| Telelli | partitive-plural | ✧ Ety/TELES: general plural | |
| Teleri | plural | ✧ Ety/TELES; LBI/Solosimpi; LRI/Teleri; SMI/Teleri | |
| Teleri | plural | “The Last” | ✧ LR/168 |
| Teleri | plural | “Sea-elves” | ✧ SM/85 |
Element In
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ√TELES > Teler | [telesi] > [telezi] > [teleri] | ✧ Ety/TELES |
ᴱQ. Teler pn. “little elf”
References ✧ LBI/Teleri; LR/165; LT1/50; LT1A/Telelli, Teleri; LT1I/Teleri; LT2I/Teleri; PE13/99, 154; PE14/9, 109; PE15/8; PME/91; QL/90; SM/13
Glosses
Variations
Related
Changes
Inflections
| TELERI | plural | “fairies” | ✧ PE13/99 |
| Teleri | plural | ✧ LBI/Teleri; LR/165; LT1/50; LT1A/Teleri; LT1I/Teleri; LT2I/Teleri; PE13/154; PE15/8 | |
| Teleri | plural | “Fairies” | ✧ PE14/9 |
| Teleri | plural | “fairies” | ✧ PME/91 |
| Teleri | plural | “Sea-elves” | ✧ SM/13 |
| Teleř | plural | “one of the Elf-kindreds” | ✧ PME/91 |
| teleř- | stem | ✧ QL/90 |
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
ᴱQ. Telelle pn. “little elf”
References ✧ LT1/22; LT1A/Telelli; LT1I/Telelli; PE13/99; PE14/9; PME/91; QL/91
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Inflections
| TELELLER | plural | ✧ PE13/99 | |
| Teleller | plural | “young or baby ‘Elves’ or fairies” | ✧ PME/91 |
| Telelli | plural | ✧ LT1/22; LT1A/Telelli; LT1I/Telelli; PE14/9 | |
| Telellë | plural | ✧ LT1I/Telelli | |
| telelli | plural | ✧ QL/91: irr. of above | |
| telleli | plural | ✧ QL/91 | |
| telellĭ- | stem | ✧ QL/91 |
Elements
| Teler | “little elf” | ✧ QL/90 |
Element In
Cognates