limig

noun. drop of water

A noun appearing as ᴱN. limig “drop of water” in the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s, given as a singular form of the collective word ᴱN. lim “water” (PE13/123-124).

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s Tolkien gave the noun G. glib “drop of water” as a variation of G. lib “a drop, gout” (GL/39, 54), the gloss “gout” probably used in its more archaic sense “drop (of something, such as blood)” rather than referring to the disease. Both these Gnomish words were probably derivatives of the early root ᴱ√LIPI which had derivatives like ᴱQ. lipte “a tiny drop” (QL/54).

Neo-Sindarin: I think the word ᴺS. limig can be salvaged as a neologism for “drop”, based on the 1930s root ᴹ√LIB “drip” and its Quenya derivative ᴹQ. limba “drop” (Ety/LIB¹). In this new formulation, I would assume primitive ✱limbiki was originally a diminutive form, that eventually shifted to become the normal form of the word. I think this is preferable over a neologism ᴺS. ✱lem that is a direct cognate of ᴹQ. limba, as this form resembles too many other words.