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S. annon n. “(great) gate, door” (Category: Door, Gate)

S. annon, n. “(great) gate, door” (Category: Door, Gate)
ᴺS. !and “gate, door”
ᴱN. tarn “gate”

A word for a great and strong entrance, typically translated “gate” but also usable in reference to a “great door”, notably in Ennyn Durin “Doors of Durin”, the great doors at the entrance to Moria.

Conceptual Development: The earliest iteration of this word was G. {anda >>} anna “door, opening” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, appearing near adhwen “approach, avenue”, and so likely derived from *√AD (GL/17). In the Gnomish Lexicon Slips this become [a]nn “door” derived from ᴱ✶anda (PE13/110). ᴱN. ann “door” reappeared in Early Noldorin word-lists of the 1920s from primitive ᴱ✶andond- and with a new plural form ennyn (PE13/137, 160).

This 1920s plural may have inspired a more elaborate form N. annon “great gate” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, which had the same plural ennyn and appeared under the root ᴹ√AD “entrance, gate” (Ety/AD). On drafts of Thror’s map from 1936, annon was used for “door” in the phrase lheben teil brann i annon ar neledh neledhi gar godrebh “five foot high the door and three may walk abreast” (TAI/150). The longer form annon appeared in various names in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, include the first version of the Moria Gate Spell: N. annon porennin diragas·venwed (RS/451). From there it appeared in several names in the published version of The Lord of the Rings, as well as in the final version of the Moria Gate Spell: annon edhellen, edro hi ammen “Elvish gate open now for us” (LotR/307).

Notes on The Lord of the Rings provide further insights into Tolkien’s vision of this word’s later etymology, the clearest being notes from December 1959 (D59) where Tolkien said:

The words for “door, gate”, [ancient Sindarin] annō, annon(d)- are derivatives of √ANA “to” and mean originally “entrances, approaches”. Cf. Q ando. Quite distinct is ANAD- “long”, Q andā, S ann/and rare except in old words or names as anduin, Q anduine (PE17/40).

In notes from around 1967 Tolkien gave S. ann(on) “gate” (PE17/90), perhaps indicating he considered restoring the shorter form ann from the 1910s and 20s.

References ✧ LotR/305, 307; PE17/40, 45, 87, 90; S/238; SA/annon

Glosses

Variations

Inflections

Ennyn plural “Doors” ✧ LotR/305
Ennyn plural   ✧ PE17/40
Ennyn plural “Gates” ✧ PE17/40
ennyn plural   ✧ SA/annon

Element In

Cognates

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

ANA > Ennyn [andondi] > [andundi] > [endyndi] > [endynd] > [endynn] > [ennynn] > [ennyn] ✧ PE17/40
ANA > †annō/annon(d) [andondo] > [andond] > [andonn] > [annonn] > [annon] ✧ PE17/40

N. annon n. “great gate, door” (Category: Door, Gate)

See S. annon for discussion.

References ✧ Ety/AD; RS/451; TAI/150; TI/182; WR/113

Glosses

Variations

Inflections

Ennyn plural “doors” ✧ TI/182
Ennyn plural “gates” ✧ WR/113
ennyn plural   ✧ Ety/AD

Element In

Cognates

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

ᴹ√AD > annon [andondo] > [andond] > [andonn] > [annonn] > [annon] ✧ Ety/AD
ᴹ√AD > ennyn [andondi] > [andundi] > [endyndi] > [endynd] > [endynn] > [ennynn] > [ennyn] ✧ Ety/AD

ᴱN. ann n. “door” (Category: Door, Gate)

See S. annon for discussion.

References ✧ PE13/137, 143, 156, 160

Glosses

Variations

Inflections

#enn i-mutation ✧ PE13/143
ennyn plural ✧ PE13/137; PE13/160

Element In

Cognates

Derivations


G. anna n. “door, opening” (Category: Door, Gate)

See S. annon for discussion.

References ✧ GL/19; PE13/110

Glosses

Variations

Related

Changes

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

ᴱ✶anda > [a]nn [anda] > [and] > [ann] ✧ PE13/110