A series of six characters that composed part of the Fëanorian writing system. The series took its name from the first of its signs, tinco (literally meaning 'metal', but here simply representing the Elvish character for 't'). Each of the symbols in the series was characterised by variations on an unclosed bow, or lúva, curving downwards and to the right from a stem, or telco.
tinco
ando
thúle
anto
númen
óre
In principle, the characters in the series could represent a variety of different sounds, though in practice their use became essentially standardised by the Third Age. The first four signs in the series, tinco, ando, thúle and anto, each represented a variant of the basic 't' sound: 't', 'd', 'th' and 'dh', respectively. The fifth sign, númen, represented 'n', and finally óre indicated a weak 'r' sound.