§ Mellyn, Meldir >> Melin ’friends’ (RS:452,463)
In this early draft the Moria Gate opened to the plural of the word ’friend’. The first form is transparently the plural of N. mellon ’friend’ (MEL-) by i-affection. The form meldir, also occurring as ’friend’ in The Etymologies seems to be identical to its plural.
The last form Melin could be the plural of melen *’beloved, dear’ < *melinā or *melēnā, compare the formation of N. thoren (< tháurēnā) ’pp. of thoro- ’fence” (THUR-). The form melen was written untranslated under MEL- and struck through when the first letter of its plural form was reached (VT45:34), Perhaps it was replaced by melui ’friendly, lvoing, kind’. On the other hand there is already the Quenya adjective melin ’dear’, which may occur unchanged in Noldorin as well, being unchanged in the plural. A third possibility may be that melin is derived from the same primitive form as Q. melindo ’lover’ (m.), thus *mel-indō > N. *melin(n). A similar formation #rewin *’hunter’ may occur in Duil Rewinion (see 2.43).