A word for “bodily strength” in The Etymologies of the 1930s based on Old Noldorin belle “strength” under the root ᴹ√BEL “strong” (Ety/BEL). Ordinarily this Old Noldorin word would have become ✱bell (e.g. N. hell “naked” from ON. skhella), but it seems this word was not sufficiently distinct, so at some point the abstract noun suffix N. -as was added.
Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. polm or polwin “strength (physical)”, clearly based on the early root ᴱ√POLO “have strength” (GL/64).
A word for “bodily strength” in The Etymologies of the 1930s based on Old Noldorin belle “strength” under the root ᴹ√BEL “strong” (Ety/BEL). Ordinarily this Old Noldorin word would have become ✱bell (e.g. N. hell “naked” from ON. skhella), but it seems this word was not sufficiently distinct, so at some point the abstract noun suffix N. -as was added.
Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. polm or polwin “strength (physical)”, clearly based on the early root ᴱ√POLO “have strength” (GL/64).