feke Reconstructed

root. FEKE

A (hypothetical) early root ✱ᴱ√FEKE would explain words in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s such as G. fêg “bad, poor, wretched” and G. fectha- “destroy, ruin, spoil” (GL/34). This early root has some Qenya derivatives such as ᴱQ. faika “bad” (GL/34), a word that also appeared in the Early Quenya Grammar of the 1920s (PE14/48, 81) just as ᴱN. feg “bad” appeared in Early Noldorin word lists of the 1920s (PE13/125, 143).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin I would posit a Neo-Root ᴺ√PHEK “✱destroy, ruin” to salvage early words having to do with destruction. The “bad” words may have shifted to the later root ᴹ√SPAY, with derivatives N. foeg “mean, poor, bad” and ᴹQ. faika “contemptible, mean” (Ety/SPAY).