In the _War of the Ring_ on page 50 we find various forms for the
treeish beings later known as _Huorns_ (s. a. RC:425). The first form
reads _Galbedirs_, which was changed at the time of writing to
_Lamorni_ and finally to _Ornómar_. In the same line in which these
appear it is said that _Ornómar_ (here said to be "an oldfashioned
elvish", i.e. Quenya) means "Talking Trees, that is, that they have trained
and made half-entish".

Two pages later Merry informs us that Treebard "...sent off a whole
wood of the _Ornómi_ down the valley..." and on page 54 Aragorn
talks about "the _Ornómi_ , the moving woods..." supporting us with
just another and most likely final form of the half-tree entities in
Quenya.

_Galbedir_: consists of two elements: *_gal_ 'tree' + *_pedir_
'speaker'. *_gal_ is derieved from stem GÁLAD- (V:357); yet no
Noldorin example is listed that would support a reconstruction like
*_gal_ + noun, instead we see a Doriathrin form _galbreth_ 'beech'
showing the only similiar construction to _galbedir_ available.
_*pedir_ (which undergoes lenition when combined with a noun; cp.
_cirban_ 'haven', V:380) originates from KWET- (and PET-) 'say'
(V:366) and a substantive suffix *_-dir_ seen also in N. _rhandir_
'wanderer' (RAN-, V:383) or _Thorondir_ (XII:206). We might assume a
Primitive elvish form like *_pet-dir_ > N. *_pedir_ 'speaker', but
that's very speculative.

_Lamorni_: consists of the elements *_lam_ 'sound, speak' (LAM-,
V:367) and *_orni_ plural of _orne_ 'tree' (ÔR-NI, V:379). The
literal translation might be *'Sound-trees'.

_Ornómar_: consists of above mentioned _orne_ and plural *_ómar_
'voices' (OM-, V:379). Note that this compound is formed by
assimilating the last vowel of _orne_(exhibited also in _Minnónar_
'Firstborn', XI:403). The literal translation of _Ornómar_ might
be *'Tree-voices' (though translated in the text as "Talking trees").

_Ornómi_*: consists of _orne_ 'tree' (see above) and *_ómi_
'?speaking'. The second element seems not to be connected with *_ómar_
'voices' and is not an adjectival element, but a derivation from stem
OM-. I suggest that Tolkien constructed _Ornómi_ in a very different
fashion from that seen in the above given examples. Sometimes the
plural for a Q(u)enya noun is based upon the stem, just like in
_talami_ pl. of _talan_ 'floor, ground' (TALAM-, V:390). In the
particular case of _Ornómi_ we may fathom here the same: Lengthened
*_óm_ combined with _orne_, while *_óm_ showing nasalisation of *_-m_
to *_-n_ and _orne_ assimilation of _-e_, producing singular *_Ornón_
*'talking, speaking tree' (though the text translates _Ornómi_ as
"trees with voices", VIII:55). Yet, this is very discussable, moreover
when we consider that plural derivation for a noun might hardly be
applicable to that of a compound.

*on page 54 Tolkien also translated it as "moving trees", but there is
no trace anywhere that _ómi_ could also mean "moving", so I shall
"ignore" this translation here.

Philipp Marquart

P. S.: Edouard Kloczko states in his book "Le dictionnaire des langues
des Hobbits, des Nains, des Orques" (see Lambengolmor Message 471)
that : "Lamorni and Ornómar, with a variant plural form Ornómi (see
WR, p. 50), but all were rejected". Actually only the preceeding forms
_Galbedir_ and _Lamorni_ were rejected, while the form _Ornómar_ is
allowed to stand, yet being replaced later by _Ornómi_ which appears
unaltered also on page 52 and 54.

[Philipp's interpretation of _Ornómi_ strikes me as needlessly complicated
and speculative. It is far more probable that _Ornómi_ is simply
the same sort of compound as _Ornómar_, save that the final element
has an alternative pl. *_ómi_ 'voices' formed directly from the stem OM-
(hence the translation of this name in the text itself as 'trees with voices').
For the variation of pl. _ómar, ómi_, cp. the statement in the _Etym._:
"Q _Vala_ Power, God (pl. _Valar_ or _Vali_ = PQ *_bal-î_ formed direct
from stem, cf. _Valinor_)", V:350 s.v. BAL-. -- PHW]