gais

noun. steel

A word appearing as G. gais “steel” in the Gnomish Lexicon where it was cognate to {yakse >>} ᴱQ. yaisa “steel” (GL/37).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Quenya I use ᴺQ. axë (axi-) “steel” based on words from the 1920s and derived from ✱gaksē via the Neo-Root ᴺ√GAK. In the phonology of the 1930s, this would produce ᴺS. gaes “steel”; compare to N. taes “nail” < ᴹ✶taksē. Based on this, I use gaes for “steel” in my version of Neo-Sindarin.

There is evidence that the phonological developments in Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s were different, however, given S. ach “neck” < ✶aks (PE17/92). In this later phonology, the result would be ✱gach. Since I retain words like N. taes, I’m comfortable with words like gaes “steel” as dialectical variants. If you dislike this, you might instead use ᴺS. thornang “steel, (lit.) hard-iron” as a cognate to Q. tornanga “hard-iron”.

akse

noun. steel

A word appearing as ᴱQ. akse “steel” in the English-Qenya Dictionary of the 1920s (PE15/77), also appearing in its partitive form aksínen “of steel” in the Early Qenya Grammar of this same period (PE14/48, 81). Based on its partitive form as well as its adjective form ᴱQ. aksína, I believe its stem form would be aksi-.

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s it was ᴱQ. Y̯akse “steel” (QL/105), while in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon it was {yakse >>} yaisa “steel” (GL/37).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya I would stick with ᴺQ. axë (axi-) “steel” based on the Neo-Root ᴺ√GAK. This “steel” word does conflict with the later word Q. axë “neck” (PE17/92), but I think a stem form of axi- makes it sufficiently distinct. However, if you are uncomfortable with this, the later word tornanga “hard-iron” might also be used for “steel” (PE17/56).

yaisa

noun. steel

yakse

noun. steel