Wet, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya words for wet are linquë and mixa.

The Sindarin words for wet are mesg (or mesc) (wet)
and nîn (wet, watery).

Wet, in my words

umet : wet

The Illunse word for wet is umet. In Czech umět means can, be able, know how to. Umet is the name of a handful of towns in Russia.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for wet which is umidus (humidus) (wet, moist, damp, dry, humid), and the Old English word for wet which is wǽt (wet, moist, rainy).

I decided not to start this word with W. I've made a number of adjectives starting with the letter W lately.

A proverb, words in Latin

Latin proverb : Lupus pilum mutat, non mentem

English translation : "A wolf can change his coat but not his character"

Dry, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya word for dry is parca.

The Sindarin word for dry is parch.

I think the Sindarin word for dry is almost guessable. Parch is similar to parched, which means dry.

Saturday is supposed to be my day when I take a break from created words, but I had available Tolkien's words for dry. So I'll post something different tomorow. Maybe a Latin proverb.

Dry, in my words

dricc : dry

The Illunse word for dry is dricc. Dricc is an unusual last name.

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for dry which is drige (or drýge) (dry; parched), and the Latin word for dry which is siccus (dry).

There are words in Old English that end in CC, so this word is not unrealistic.

Rich, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya words for rich are alya (rich, prosperous, abundant, blessed), autë (rich), and herenya (fortunate, wealthy, blessed, rich).

I couldn't find a Sindarin word for rich or wealthy.

Rich, in my words

weldis : rich

The Illunse word for rich is weldis. Weldis is an unusual last name. Weldis is an unusual first name.

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for rich which is welig (well-to-do, rich, prosperous), and the Latin word for rich which is dives (rich, wealthy, opulent).

Making this word I had an aha! moment. In the Colorado mountains, near Silverton, there was a mine called the Shenandoah-Dives. I previously thought Dives was an odd name, but now knowing that dives means rich in Latin, it makes sense.

Poor, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

I couldn't find a Quenya word for poor.

The Sindarin word for poor is faeg (mean, poor, bad). This may be an archaic word.

I don't think this Sindarin word for poor means unwealthy. It's more like poor when it means miserable or wretched. But I'll include it here anyway.

Poor, in my words

paufrec : poor

The Illunse word for poor (not wealthy or scanty) is paufrec.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for poor which is pauper (poor; scanty, meager; unproductive; cheap), and the Old English word for poor which is þearfendlic (or þearfa), which I transliterate to thearfendlic, (needy, poor; of persons, indigent, destitute; of things, scanty, insufficient).

There will be another word for poor when it means miserable or wretched.

Another Bible trace

Saturdays I'm trying to take a break from constructing Illunse words, and do different stuff. Today I have another Bible Trace. A verse from different Bibles through the ages.

Today's Bible Trace is Mark Chapter 12, Verse 38. This is something I found online, so don't look for anything profound in my choice of this verse. It's another example of the unreadablity of Old English.

Latin 405 Vulgate
Et dicebat eis in doctrina sua cavete a scribis qui volunt in stolis ambulare et salutari in foro

Old English 990 West Saxon
Ða sæde he heom on his lare. Warnieð fram boceren. þa willeð on ge-gyrtlengan & beon on stræte ge-grette.

Middle English 1395 Wyclif
And he seide to hem in his techyng, Be ye war of scribis, that wolen wandre in stolis,

Jacobean English 1611 King James
And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,

Basic English 1964 Ogden
And in his teaching he said, Be on your watch against the scribes, whose pleasure it is to go about in long robes and be respected in the market-places,

Narrow, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya word for narrow is lenwa (long and thin, narrow, straight).

The Sindarin word for narrow is agor.

Narrow, in my words

neagu : narrow

The Illunse word for narrow is neagu. Neagu is a last name that can be Romanian.

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for narrow which is nearu (narrow, strait, confined, constricted, not spacious, limited, petty), and the Latin word for narrow which is angustus (narrow, steep, close, confined; scanty, poor; low, mean).

Wide, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya words for wide are landa (wide, open and empty) and palla (wide, expansive).

The Sindarin words for wide are land (wide, broad), pann (wide), and ûr (wide).

Wide, in my words

waud : wide

The Illunse word for wide is waud. Waud is a last name.

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for wide which is wíd (wide, vast, broad, long), and the Latin word for wide which is latus (wide, broad; spacious, extensive).

Weak, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya words for weak (or frail) are milya (soft, gentle, weak), nimpë (small; small & frail), and nípa (small; small & frail).

The Sindarin words for weak (or frail) are mîw (small, tiny, frail) and nimp (small and frail).

Today is the Ides of March. Ides is a day in the Roman calendar that marked the approximate middle of the month. Ides is the 15th day of the months of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th day of the other months. Julius Caesar was warned to "beware the Ides of March".

If I make an Illunse calendar, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. In a Roman month there is Kalends, Nones, and Ides plus an eight-day market week. Oh my.

Weak, in my words

wimec : weak

The Illunse word for weak is wimec.

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for weak which is wác (weak, soft, feeble, effeminate, cowardly, timid, pliant; slender, frail), and the Latin word for weak which is imbecillus (weak / feeble; delicate (plant); fragile; ineffective; lacking in power/resources).

The Latin word imbecillis doesn't mean imbecile, as in a stupid, idiotic, or mentally retarded person. Although it can mean weak-minded.

A proverb, words in Latin

Latin proverb : Verba volant scripta manent

English translation : "Spoken words fly, the written ones remain"

Strong, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya word for strong is polda (strong, burly).

The Sindarin word for strong is bell (or belt) (strong in body).

Strong, in my words

forant : strong

The Illunse word for strong is forant. Forant is a last name. Lac Forant is a lake in Quebec, Canada. In French forant is the present participle of the verb to drill.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for strong which is fortis (strong, powerful, mighty, vigorous, firm, steadfast, courageous, brave, bold), and the Old English word for strong which is strang (strong; powerful, mighty; firm, resolute; hard, severe, fierce).

Low, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya word for low is tumna (low lying, deep, low).

The Sindarin word for low is tofn (low lying, deep, low).

Low, in my words

nedris : low

The Illunse word for low is nedris. Nedris is an rare last name.

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for low which is niðerlic, which I transliterate to nitherlic, (low (of position), low-lying, inferior, lowly; low, humble), and the Latin word for low which is demissus (low / low-lying; of low altitude; keeping low (people); slanting/hanging/let down).

There's another Latin word for low, humilis (low, lowly, small, slight, base, mean, humble, obscure, poor, insignificant). I decided not to use this word because it seems to me to apply more to people than to things, such as the Modern English word humble.

High, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya word for high is tára (lofty; tall, high).

The Sindarin words for high are brand (lofty, noble, fine; high) and taur (mighty, vast, overwhelming, huge, awful, high, sublime).

It's interesting to note that the Sindarin word taur has multiple meanings. It can also mean king or great wood, forest.

High, in my words

hath : high

The Illunse word for high is hath. Hath is a last name. A hat'h ("hand" or "cubit") is an obsolete unit of length in India approximately equal to 18 in. Hath is an archaic English (but not Old English) third-person singular present form of the verb to have. Quote : Every why hath a wherefore - William Shakespeare

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for high which is héah (high, tall, lofty; high-class, exalted, sublime, illustrious, important; proud, haughty; deep), and the Latin word for high which is altus (high; deep / profound; shrill; lofty / noble; grown great).

How readable is Old English?

Given that you and I read English, modern English, how readable is Old English (also known as Anglo-Saxon) to us? In my opinion, it's not readable at all. That's why if we read Beowulf, it better be a translated version.

Allow me to show you how cryptic Old English is. I encountered something called a Bible Trace, which had the same verse from Bibles throughout the ages. My example is Mark Chapter 4, Verse 38. Don't look for anything profound in my choice of this verse, I merely found this example when working on my Illunse word for pillow.

Here's Mark Chapter 4, Verse 38 in Old English from 990 AD and the West Saxon Gospels:
& he wæs on scype ofer bolster slæpende.& hyo awehten hine & cwæðen. nebe-lympð to þe þt we for-wurdðeð.

Does that bible verse make much sense tou you? I doubt that it does. Old English is way different than Modern English.

Here's the same bible verse in Latin from the Vulgate:
Et erat ipse in puppi supra cervical dormiens et excitant eum et dicunt ei magister non ad te pertinet quia perimus.

Honestly, I do just about as well with Latin as Old English. It helps that I know some Spanish. I can't read either language, but I can make good guesses on some words.

Here's the same verse in Middle English from Wyclif Bible in 1395:
And he was in the hyndir part of the boot, and slepte on a pilewe. And thei reisen hym, and seien to hym, Maistir, perteyneth it not to thee, that we perischen?

Middle English is somewhat readable, even with the spelling, but it's painfully archaic.

So what does Mark Chapter 4, Verse 38 say?

Here's the verse in Jacobean English from King James Bible in 1611:
And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

And here's the verse in Basic English from Odgen Bible in 1964:
And he himself was in the back of the boat, sleeping on the cushion: and they, awaking him, said, Master, is it nothing to you that we are in danger of destruction?

It's interesting to see how English has changed.

Big, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya word for big is alta (big, large, great size, huge).

A Sindarin word for big is daer (great, large).

Big, in my words

magel : big

The Illunse word for big is magel. Magel is a last name. Magel is a city in Cameroon. Magel Bel Abbès is a town in Tunisia. In Konkani, which is the official language of the Indian state of Goa, Tu magel moga cho means I love you.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for big which is magnus (large / great / big / vast / huge; much; powerful; tall / long / broad; extensive / spacious)and the Old English word for big which is micel (great of size; much, many; great, powerful).

Little, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya words for little (small) are is mintë (small), mitsa (small), and pitya (small, little, petty).

The Sindarin words for little (small) are tithen (little, tiny), pîn (little), and niben (small, petty).

Little, in my words

partel : little

The Illunse word for little is partel. Partel is a last name. Pärtel (a with umlaut) is a last name that can be Estonian.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for little which is parvus (little, small; slight, weak; short time; young; poor, insignificant), and the Old English word for little which is lytel (little, not large; unimportant; short distance or time; not much).

In Latin, nouns can have variations to mean they are little. This is like the English words book and booklet. A booklet is a little book.