kwes

root. *feather

An unglossed root in The Etymologies of the 1930s whose derivatives had mainly to do with feathers, such as ᴹQ. qesse “feather” and N. pesseg “pillow” (Ety/KWES). Tolkien’s continued use of Q. quessë “feather” in his later writings indicates its ongoing validity (LotR/1122). A possible precursor to this root was unglossed ᴱ√PEKE from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s whose derivatives had to do with plumes (QL/73). There is also ᴱ√PILI whose derivatives had to do with arrows and feathers (QL/74), but in later writings ᴹ√PILIN seems to have narrowed in sense specifically to “arrow” (Ety/PÍLIM; EtyAC/PÍLIM).

Derivatives

• ᴹ✶kwessē “feather” ✧ Ety/KWES
  • Ilk. cwess “down (feathers)” ✧ Ety/KWES
  • ᴹQ. qesse “feather” ✧ Ety/KWES
• ᴹQ. qesset “pillow” ✧ Ety/KWES
• Q. quessë “feather”
• ᴺS. pess “feather”
• N. pesseg “pillow” ✧ Ety/KWES