A word for “shape” appearing in its plural mutated form chaint in morchaint “dark-shapes” (VT42/9). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. cant had the gloss “outline” under the root ᴹ√KAT “shape” (Ety/KAT).
Primitive elvish
kat
root. shape, shape, [ᴹ√] make
kat-
verb. to shape
The root ᴹ√KAT “shape” first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives ᴹQ. kanta- “to shape”, ᴹQ. kanta “shaped”, and N. echad- “fashion, shape” (Ety/KAT). All these derivatives reappeared in Tolkien’s later writings, though Q. canta was more typically used as the noun “shape” (PE17/175; PE18/84, 90). The root appeared frequently in both the first and second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa as an example of a biconsonantal root (TQ1: PE18/34, 46, 62; TQ2: PE18/84-85, 87, 89-90, 95).