-ya (4) pronominal suffix "his" (and probably also "her, its"), said to be used in "colloquial Quenya" (which had redefined the "correct" ending for this meaning, -rya, to mean "their" because it was associated with the plural ending -r). Hence e.g. cambeya ("k") "his hand", yulmaya "his cup" (VT49:17) instead of formally "correct" forms in -rya. The ending -ya was actually ancient, primitive ¤-jā being used for "all numbers" in the 3rd person, predating elaborated forms like -rya. It is said that -ya "remained in Quenya" in the case of "old nouns with consonantal stems", Tolkien listing tál "foot", cas "head", nér "man", sír "river" and macil "sword" as examples. He refers to "the continued existence of such forms as talya his foot", that could apparently be used even in "correct" Quenya (VT49:17). In PE17:130, the forms talya "his foot" and macilya ("k") "his (or their) sword" are mentioned.
Quenya
-rya
his, her
-rya
suffix. his, her, its
Derivations
- ✶-syā “his, her, its” ✧ PE17/076; PE17/130; PE19/102; VT49/17
Derivatives
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶-syā > -rya [-sjā] > [-zjā] > [-zja] > [-rja] ✧ PE17/076 ✶zya > rya [-sja] > [-zja] > [-rja] ✧ PE17/130 ✶-sya > -rya [-sja] > [-zja] > [-rja] ✧ PE19/102 ✶-sjā > sya > zya > -rya [-sjā] > [-zjā] > [-zja] > [-rja] ✧ VT49/17 Variations
- -rya ✧ PE17/057; PE17/067; PE17/076; PE17/132; PE17/190; PE19/102; VT49/16; VT49/17; VT49/38; VT49/48
- rya ✧ PE17/130
- -ssa ✧ PE17/190
-rya
suffix. their (colloquial)
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources Q. -rya > -rya [-rja] ✧ VT49/17 Variations
- rya ✧ PE17/130
- -rya ✧ VT49/16; VT49/17
-ya
his
-lya
suffix. imperfect participle
Derivations
- ✶-lyā “active participle”
Variations
- -lya ✧ PE22/152
-zya
his, her, its
-zya, archaic form of the pronominal ending -rya "his, her, its", q.v. (VT49:17)
-ntya
their
-ntya, possessive 3rd person pl. pronominal ending: "their" (VT49:17), corresponding to -ntë as the ending for "they". Besides -ntya the form -nta is also attested, but the latter clashes with the ending for dual allative. (Other variants of Quenya uses -lta for "their", corresponding to -ltë as the ending for "they".) According to VT49:17, the ending -ntya appears as -intya following a consonant (other sources point to -e- rather than -i- as the connecting vowel in such cases).
-lta
their
-lta (and -ltya), 3rd person pl. pronominal possessive suffix "their", alternating with -nta/-ntya in Tolkiens writings (VT49:16, 17), just as the ending -ltë "they" also has the variant -ntë. According to VT49:17, the ending -lta or -ltya will appear as -ilta, -iltya following a consonant; other sources rather point to -e- as the connecting vowel in such cases (VT49:17).
-nta
their
-nta (2) possessive 3rd person pl. pronominal ending: "their" (VT49:17). Lintienta "their speed" (PE17:58), nassentar "their true-being[s]" (PE17:175). This ending corresponds to -ntë "they" (other versions of Quenya uses -ltë for "they" and hence -lta for "their"). Also -ntya, q.v. According to VT49:17, the ending -nta appears as -inta following a consonant (other sources point to -e- rather than -i- as the connecting vowel in such cases).
-nta
suffix. their
Variations
- -nta ✧ PE17/057; PE17/132; PE17/190
- -ntya ✧ VT49/17 (-ntya)
- -(i)nta/-(i)ntya ✧ VT49/17
-ssa
suffix. his, her, its
-twa
their
-twa 2) an pronominal possessive ending mentioned in one chart of pronouns, apparently "their" referring to two persons (VT49:16); this may be an ending used in colloquial Quenya rather than formal language (it is listed together with the endings -ya "his, her" and -rya "their", that are explicitly said to belong to colloquial Quenya) (VT49:16-17)
má
noun. hand
hand
má
hand
má noun "hand" (MA3, LT2:339, Narqelion, VT39:10, [VT45:30], VT47:6, 18, 19); the dual "a pair of hands" is attested both by itself as mát (VT47:6) and with a pronominal suffix as máryat "his/her (pair of) hands" (see -rya, -t) (Nam, RGEO:67). The nominative plural form was only máli, not **már (VT47:6), though plurals in -r may occur in some of the cases, as indicated by the pl. allative mannar "into hands" (FS). Mánta "their hand", dual mántat "their hands" (two hands each) (PE17:161). Cf. also the compounds mátengwië "language of the hands" (VT47:9) and Lungumá "Heavyhand" (VT47:19); also compare the adj. -maitë "-handed". See also málimë.
má
noun. hand
má
noun. hand
The most common Quenya word for “hand”, which Tolkien usually derived from a root √MAH or √MAƷ “hand; handle, wield”. The weak consonant h or ʒ in the root was lost very early, so that primitive ✶mā was one of a rare set of ancient monosyllabic nouns ending in a vowel. Tolkien said that of the various hand words, má was “the oldest (probably) and the one that retained a general and unspecialized sense — referring to the entire hand (including wrist) in any attitude or function” (VT47/6).
As a part of the body, má “hand” was usually referred to in the singular (má) or dual (mát). This was true when referring to the hands of groups of people as well. For example, to say that “the Elves raised their hands”, you would say either i Eldar ortaner mánta (singular, one hand each) or i Eldar ortaner mántat (dual, both hands each), with the possessive suffix -nta “their”.
The plural form már “hands” (or archaic †mai) was almost never used, in part because it conflicted with Q. már “dwelling”. The singular form was also used in general statements and proverbs: “hand is cleverer than foot” má anfinya epe tál (ná). A collection of otherwise unrelated hands would likely use the partitive-plural form: máli “some hands”, which in this case could also serve as the general plural (VT47/12 Note 2). See the discussions on PE17/161 and VT47/6 for more information.
This word is also unusual in that it retains its long vowel before consonant clusters in inflected forms such as mánta “their hand” (PE17/161) or márya “his/her hand” (PE17/69). As Tolkien described it:
> Lá is usually shortened to la before 2 consonants, according to the usual Q. procedure, but the long vowel can be retained, especially for additional emphasis, as in other cases where pronominal affixes follow a long vowel, as in márya “his hand” (PE22/160).
Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to ᴱQ. mā “hand” from Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, derived from the early root ᴱ√MAHA “grasp” (QL/57). ᴹQ. má “hand” also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√MAƷ “hand” (Ety/MAƷ). Tolkien mentioned this word with great frequency, usually derived from √MAH or √MAƷ (as noted above) though he sometimes considered deriving it from √MAG instead.
Cognates
Derivations
- √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use, handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use; [ᴹ√] hand; [ᴱ√] grasp” ✧ PE17/069; PE17/162; PE19/100; VT39/11; VT47/19
- √MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state, good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state; [ᴹ√] use, handle” ✧ PE17/161; VT47/18
- ✶mā “hand” ✧ PE19/102; VT47/06
- ✶maha “hand, the manager” ✧ PE19/074; PE19/102; VT47/06; VT47/07; VT47/35
- √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use, handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use; [ᴹ√] hand; [ᴱ√] grasp” ✧ VT47/18; VT47/18
- √MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state, good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state; [ᴹ√] use, handle” ✧ VT47/18
- √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use, handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use; [ᴹ√] hand; [ᴱ√] grasp” ✧ PE21/70
- √MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state, good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state; [ᴹ√] use, handle” ✧ VT47/18
- ✶maha “hand, the manager” ✧ PE19/106; VT47/18
Element in
- Q. an sí Tintallë Varda Oiolossëo ve fanyar máryat Elentári ortanë “for now the Kindler, Varda, the Queen of the Stars from Mount Everwhite has uplifted her hands like clouds” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
- Q. an sí Varda, Tintallë, Elentári ortanë máryat Oiolossëo ve fanyar “for now Varda, Star-kindler, Star-queen [has] lifted up her (two) hands from Mount Everwhite like (white) clouds” ✧ RGEO/59
- Q. forma “right-hand” ✧ VT47/06
- Q. hyarma “left hand” ✧ VT47/06
- Q. Lungumá “Heavyhand” ✧ VT47/19
- ᴺQ. máfastië “hand-pleasure, writing for pleasure of hand and eye”
- Q. mahtanë yúyo má véla “*wield both hands alike” ✧ VT49/10
- Q. maitë “handy, skillful; having a hand, handed; shapely, handy, skillful, [ᴹQ.] skilled; [Q.] shapely, well-shaped; (as suffix) having a hand, handed” ✧ PE17/161; VT47/06
- Q. málimë “wrist, (lit.) hand-link” ✧ VT47/06
- ᴺQ. mapalin “plane tree [Platinus], sycamore, (lit.) hand-flat”
- Q. mátengwië “language of the hands”
- ᴺQ. mavaina “maple, (lit.) hand-clad”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √MAƷ > mā [maɣa] > [mā] ✧ PE17/069 √MAG > mā [maga] > [maɣa] > [mā] ✧ PE17/161 √MAƷ > má [mā] ✧ PE17/162 √MAƷ > má [maɣa] > [mā] ✧ PE19/100 ✶māh > mâ [māh] > [mā] ✧ PE19/102 ✶māʒ > mã [māɣ] > [mā] ✧ PE19/106 √maha > mā [maha] > [mā] ✧ VT39/11 ✶mā > má [mā] ✧ VT47/06 ✶māʒ(ă) > mā [māɣa] > [mā] ✧ VT47/18 √mag > mā [māga] > [māɣa] > [mā] ✧ VT47/18 √MAƷA > má [maɣa] > [mā] ✧ VT47/19 Variations
- mā ✧ PE17/069; PE17/161; VT39/09; VT39/11; VT47/18; VT47/18
- mâ ✧ PE19/102
- mã ✧ PE19/106
cambë
noun. hand, (hollow of) hand
Derivations
- √KAB “hold, contain, retain, possess, have in hand, hold, contain, retain, possess, have in hand; [ᴹ√] hollow”
nonda
hand, especially in [?clutching]
nonda noun "hand, especially in [?clutching]" (VT47:23; Tolkien's gloss was not certainly legible)
sanar
mind
sanar noun "mind" (literally "thinker" or "reflector", suggesting an underlying verb #sana- "to think, to reflect") (VT41:13)
sáma
mind
sáma noun "mind" (pl. sámar and dual samat [sic, read *sámat?] are given) (VT39:23, VT41:5, VT49:33, PE17:183)
sáma
noun. mind
Derivations
- √SAM “mind, think, reflect, be aware” ✧ PE17/183; VT41/05
Element in
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √SAM > sāma [sāma] ✧ PE17/183 √sam > sāma [sāma] ✧ VT41/05 Variations
- sāma ✧ PE17/183; VT41/05
síma
mind, imagination
síma noun "mind, imagination" (VT49:16); variant isima. Also attested with endings: símaryassen "in their imaginations" (with the ending -rya used = "their" rather than "his/her", according to colloquial useage) (VT49:16)
-rya 3rd person sg. pronominal ending "his, her" and probably "its" (VT49:16, 38, 48, Nam, RGEO:67), attested in coivierya *"his/her life", máryat "her hands", ómaryo "of her voice" (genitive of *ómarya "her voice"), súmaryassë "in her bosom" (locative of súmarya "her bosom"); for the meaning "his" cf. coarya "his house" (WJ:369). The ending is descended from primitive ¤-sjā via -zya (VT49:17) and therefore connects with the 3rd person ending -s "he, she, it". In colloquial Quenya the ending -rya could be used for "their" rather than "his/her", because it was felt to be related to the plural ending -r,e.g. símaryassen "in their [not his/her] imaginations" (VT49:16, 17). See -ya #4.