maeg
(
Sindarin) 'sharp', seen in the name of
Maeglin (from
maeg glîn, 'Sharp Glance').
mag
(
Sindarin) 'cleaver', a translation of the
Quenya element
maka in the name
Makalaurë. In full, that name means 'Gold-cleaver', and was the original name of
Fëanor's second son before he acquired a '
Sindarised' version in
Beleriand, which was the more familiar
Maglor. The
mag- in the name
Magor is etymologically related: that name means 'the sword'.
mal(l)
(
Elvish root) 'gold', 'golden', as for example in
Mallorn ('golden tree', and also
Malinalda with the same meaning). Also seen in
Malbeth ('golden words'),
Mallos ('golden flower'),
Malduin ('golden river') and many other instances. This element is also seen in
Ormal (probably 'high-golden'), the name of one of the great
Lamps of the Valar that gave light to the World before the
Two Trees. The plural form of this element is
mel, see in
Mellyrn, the proper
Elvish plural of
Mallorn.
mar
(Celtic) 'disciple', 'follower', 'servant'; an element found uniquely in the archaic names used by the
Brandybuck clan. The primary examples are
Marmadoc (the son of
Madoc Brandybuck, whose name means 'follower of
Madoc', and is equivalent to modern
Marmaduke), and
Marmadas, 'servant (or follower) of the good one'). It possibly also appears in
Marroc, though the interpretation of that name is uncertain. Not to be confused with the
-mar element in
Wilimar Bolger's name (which probably means 'strong'), or the
mar that appears often in
Elvish names, and means 'home, dwelling-place'.
mark
(Old English) 'borderland', a modernisation of Old English
mearc, referring especially to an outlying land that stood in defence of another. As
The Mark used by the
Rohirrim as the name of their own land (also seen as
Riddermark, '
Mark of the
Riders'). A variant is
march, used for example in
Fenmarch, the 'borderland of the fens' on
Rohan's eastern border (Tolkien later stated that he would have preferred to have used the form
Fenmark for this region).
menel
(
Elvish root) literally 'star-region', describing the highest and most sublime region of the sky, and usually translated 'heaven'; its further reaches were known as
Tarmenel ('high heaven' or '
Over-heaven'). Seen in names such as
Armenelos ('royal fortress of the heavens'),
Meneldil ('devoted to heaven'),
Menelmacar ('swordsman of heaven',
i.e., the constellation Orion) or
Meneltarma ('
Pillar of Heaven', the central peak of
Númenor).
mentha
(Latin) 'mint', the name of a fragrant flowering herb used as a personal name by the
Hobbits (or, strictly, used by Tolkien to translate an unrecorded personal name of equivalent origins). Its only appearance in the histories of the
Shire is in the name of
Mentha Brandybuck.
mere
(archaic English) 'lake' or 'pool', from an Old English word for any body of water, ultimately derived from a root meaning 'sea' (and so 'mere' is cognate with Latin
mare, 'sea'). Still seen in real lake names (as for example Windermere, the largest lake in England) and used by Tolkien to represent old lake names in the
Common Tongue. Examples include the
Mirrormere beneath
Moria, the
Shadowmere in
Aman, the Beautiful Mere at
Eithel Ivrin, the
Twilight Meres (and their many variant names) at
Aelin-uial, and the Mere of Dead Faces on the borders of
Mordor. All of these examples refer to lakes or pools, but the ancient connection with the sea is evident in
Meresdei (later '
Mersday'), the old name among the
Hobbits for
Eärenya, the day of the
Sea.
merry
(Old Welsh) a contraction of the name
Meriadoc, chosen by Tolkien from Old Welsh as a translation of the
Hobbit name
Kalimac. The meaning is obscure: some sources suggest 'great one', while others connect the name to the
Sea. (This obscurity is appropriate and possibly intentional, since the original
Kalimac was also said to have lost its meaning.)
mith
(
Elvish root) originally 'fog, mist' but by extension 'grey', especially pale grey. Identifying the intended meaning is not alway straightforward, for example the name of the metal
mithril might be 'mist-glitter' or 'grey-glitter'. Its original meaning of 'mist' is rare in names and sometimes uncertain, but is probably seen in
Mithrim ('mist-cool-lake') and perhaps also in
Gilmith (probably 'star-mist'). The more usual meaning is 'grey', as in
Mithrandir ('
Grey Wanderer'),
Mithlond ('
Grey Havens'), or
Ered Mithrin ('
Grey Mountains'). The river name
Mitheithel is translated '
Hoarwell' using the old English word 'hoar' meaning 'pale grey'.
muster
(archaic English) a gathering of military force, historically used to count or assess soldiers. In Tolkien's work it is most closely associated with the
Rohirrim, who ordered their military by geographic musters (such as the
Muster of Edoras or the
Muster of Westfold), with a
Full Muster being traditionally counted as 12,000
Riders. In fact the word
muster did not occur in Old English, and must therefore be intended as a translation of an equivalent term used by the
Rohirrim, probably
weapontake.
Muster also occurs in two situations unrelated to
Rohan: the
Mustering of the Dwarves before the
War of the Dwarves and Orcs, and the
Shire-muster, a barely remembered military tradition amongst the
Hobbits.
SHARE
