Friss
Sindarin
criss
noun. cleft, cleft, [N.] cut, slash, [G.] gash; [N.] pass, [G.] gully, ravine
Derivations
Element in
- S. Crissaegrim “*Cleft Mountain Peaks”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶kirissi > criss [kiríssi] > [kirísse] > [krisse] > [kriss] ✧ PE21/80
criss
Friss
riss
adjective. cleft
_ adj. _cleft, cloven, separate. Q. rista, risse, rinse. >> Imladris
cirith
noun. cleft, high climbing pass, narrow passage cut through earth or rock, ravine, defile
rista-
verb. to cut
rista-
verb. to rend, rip
Rest
noun. cut
falch
noun. deep cleft, ravine
thanc
adjective. cleft, split, forked
criss
cleft
(i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss), 4) iaw (gulf, ravine), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”
criss
slash
criss (i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, cleft), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss)
criss
slash
(i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, cleft), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss)
criss
cut
(i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cleft, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss)
rist
cleft
(noun) 1) rist (-ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh rist). Note: a homophone means ”cleaver, cutter”, 2) cirith (i girith, o chirith) (cutting, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith), 3) cîl (i gîl, o chîl) (pass between hills, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. A homophone means ”renewal”. 4) criss (i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss), 4) iaw (gulf, ravine), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”, 5) rest (ravine, cut), pl. rist (idh rist), 6) (deep cleft) falch (ravine[?]), pl. felch
rist
cleft
(-ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh rist). Note: a homophone means ”cleaver, cutter”
cirith
cleft
(i girith, o chirith) (cutting, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith)
Rest
cut
(noun) 1) rest (ravine, cleft), pl. rist (idh rist), 2) criss (i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cleft, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss)
rest
cleft
(ravine, cut), pl. rist (idh rist)
rest
cut
(ravine, cleft), pl. rist (idh rist)
ristannen
adjective. cut
Elements
Word Gloss rista- “to cut; to rend, rip”
cîl
cleft
(i gîl, o chîl) (pass between hills, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. A homophone means ”renewal”.
falch
cleft
(ravine[?]), pl. felch
thanc
cleft
(adj.) thanc (forked, split), pl. thainc
thanc
cleft
(forked, split), pl. thainc
A word for a “cleft, cut, slash” (PE21/81; Ety/KIRIS) derived from √KIRIS, a blend of the roots √KIR and √RIS (PE17/87).
Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to G. criss “cleft, gash, gully” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s where it was probably already a derivative of the early root ᴱ√KIRISI as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (GL/27; LT2A/Cris Ilbranteloth). In the Name-list to The Fall of Gondolin Tolkien gave cris with the definition “a cleft, ravine, or narrow way of waters with high walls” (PE15/21), and in this period it typically appeared in this shorter form within names like G. Cris Ilbranteloth or G. Cris Thorn.
N. criss appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “cleft, cut, slash” under the root ᴹ√KIRIS “cut” (Ety/KIRIS). It also appeared under the root ᴹ√KIR with the gloss “cleft, pass”, but this instance was deleted (EtyAC/KIR). S. criss “cleft” was mentioned in passing in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure (EVS2) from the early 1950s as derived from primitive ✶kirissi (PE21/80-81), and it was mentioned as a blending of roots in notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s as described above (PE17/87). Its use in names diminished over time, however, the only remnant in the final version of The Silmarillion being S. Crissaegrim (S/121).
Neo-Sindarin: In The Etymologies of the 1930s it seems this word was principally used as for a “cleft, cut, slash” independent of geography. I would assume the same is true for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, since criss is used only in a single geographic name in Tolkien’s later writings; S. cirith was use more broadly in geographic features. I would also assume it was a larger and more violent cut (a “gash” or “slash”) compared to S. rest for simple cuts.