Qenya
atsa
noun. claw, catch, hook
atsa
noun. tassel, fryse, fringe
Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!
atsa
noun. claw, catch, hook
atsa
noun. tassel, fryse, fringe
A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “catch, hook, claw” derived from the root ᴹ√GAT (Ety/GAT). This root had one other derivative, the verb N. gad- “catch”, so it seems likely that ᴹQ. atsa can refer to any curved, pointy thing for catching or holding, so that “catch” (as a noun) is probably its original sense. In notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1930s and 40s, however, it was glossed only “claw” (PE22/22, 50), and in the 1940s document its gloss was revised to ᴹQ. atsa “tassel, fryse, fringe” from a distinct root ᴹ√TAS (PE22/50 note #187).
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I prefer to use atsa as “claw, catch” and would use ᴹQ. fas for “fringe, tassel”; see that entry for discussion.