maı̯n

adjective. maı̯n

mabhuin

feminine name. Mabhuin

mailiko

masculine name. Mailiko

malkĭ-

noun. malkĭ-

malkŭ-

noun. malkŭ-

mapta-

verb. mapta-

mau̯

adverb. mau̯

mau̯ard-

noun. mau̯ard-

mara

root. *sand, soil

A root appearing in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as root {ᴱ√MAŘA² >>} ᴱ√MARA that Tolkien indicated was a dialectical variation or byform of ᴱ√MṚŘṚ [MṚÐṚ] “grind”, with a single derivative: ᴱQ. marilla “pearl” (QL/59). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, G. brithla “pearl” was most likely a derivative of ᴱ√MṚÐṚ (GL/24). However, in the m-section of GL Tolkien said “mar and môr probably conceal two roots and a confusion [with] mbara”, with various apparent derivatives of mar- such as G. mar “Earth, ground, soil”, G. marol “sand” and G. Môr “the Earth” (GL/56). Tolkien also had G. mara- “dwell”, but it appeared before a variant (m)bara and so likely was derived from ᴱ√MBARA “dwell, live” as mentioned in the Qenya Lexicon (QL/60). As for ᴱ√MARA² itself, it may have meant “✱sand, soil”.

maþa

root. dusk

This root was given as ᴱ√MASA¹ “dusk” in its main entry in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, but its Gnomish form math- indicates the true root was ᴱ√MAÞA (QL/59). This was clarified in a list of roots at the end of the M-section in the Qenya Lexicon (QL/63) and its representation as maþ- in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/59). Its most notable use in the Legendarium was in the name G. Umboth-muilin “Pools (muil-plural) of Twilight (umboth)”, where G. umboth or umbath “nightfall” was derived from a strengthened form of the root, ᴱ√mbaþ- (GL/75). However, in later writings this name was reconceived as Ilk. Umboth Muilin “Veiled (muilin) Pool (umboth)”, with the first element umboth meaning “large pool” (Ety/MBOTH, MUY). The name was ultimately replaced with S. Aelin-uial (S/114), by which point the early root ᴱ√MAÞA was long abandoned.

maƀa

root. something nice

A root given as maƀ or mam in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “something nice”, with derivatives like G. mab(a) “mother”, G. mam “grandmother”, G. mav- “like”, and G. mavri “appetite” (GL/57). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing, but I think it is worth positing a Neo-Sindarin root ᴺ√MAB to salvage some of these early words.

maka

root. *net, mesh

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s serving as the basis for words like ᴱQ. makse “net” and ᴱQ. makseta- “enmesh”; a parenthetical comment indicates the true form of the root was ŊʷAKA (QL/58). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing.

manga

root. lacking

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “lacking”, with derivatives ᴱQ. mange “lack, want, shortage” and ᴱQ. manka “few” (QL/59). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing, and it may have been replaced by √PEN “lack” in the 1950s and 60s.

mara

root. ripe, yellow

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “ripe, yellow”, a variant of ᴱ√MALA “yellow” (QL/59). It had derivatives like ᴱQ. marin(a)/G. mar(o)n “ripe” and ᴱQ. marin/G. maros “ripe fruit” (QL/59; GL/56). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing; one sign of its abandonment is the change of “orange” from ᴱQ. kulmarin (kul- + marin) to ᴹQ. kuluma (QL/49; Ety/KUL).

maha

root. grasp

maka

root. slay

mala

root. crush, squeeze, pulp

mapa

root. seize

mala

root. yellow

mana

root. *good (moral)

mapa-

verb. to seize

mat-

verb. to eat

mata

root. eat

mawa

root. ‽cry, bleat

maẏa

root. *excessive

mama

root. something nice

masa

root. cook, bake

ḷma

noun. ḷma

ma

root. root of indef[inite]

gu̯eđeþlī

noun. maiden, little girl

ili

root. many

teke

root. make marks

kṇtṇ

root. make twang; play harp

pusu

root. puff, blow, puff out, make swell

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “puff, blow, puff out, make swell”, with derivatives like ᴱQ. puse “puff” and ᴱQ. pusulta- “puff out with one’s breath” (QL/76). Another possibly-related form ᴱQ. pustane “blowing” appeared in the ᴱQ. Oilima Markirya poem from around 1930 (MC/213). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s writing after this point.

mānī

noun. mānī

gwene

root. *maiden; woman

kar-

verb. to make

kara

root. do, make

kuru

root. *magic

lī

root. *many

mbala

root. crush, hurt, pain, damage, give maim to

nere

root. *man

waik

root. *man, male

mṛðṛ

root. grind

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s given as ᴱ√MṚŘṚ with derivatives like ᴱQ. mar (mard-) “grit, course grain or powder”, ᴱQ. mard- “grind, pulverize” and ᴱQ. marma “sand” (QL/63). In a list of roots at the end of the M-section, ᴱ√MṚÐṚ was gloss “grind” (QL/63). Early in the M-section Tolkien had the root {ᴱ√MAŘA² >>} ᴱ√MARA as a dialectical variation or byform of ᴱ√MṚŘṚ, with the derivative ᴱQ. marilla “pearl” (QL/59); see that entry for details. The Gnomish cognate of ᴱQ. marilla was given as G. brithla “pearl” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/24), and this Gnomish word probably a derivative of ᴱ√MṚÐṚ. In that document these words served as the base for ᴱQ. Silmaril and its Gnomish equivalent G. Silubrilt (GL/67). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing, and Q. Silmaril was given different etymologies later on.

ʒalast-

noun. *marble

mṇgṇ

root. *butter

An unglossed root ᴱ√MṆGṆ appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives ᴱQ. mange “grease” and ᴱQ. manya “butter” (QL/62). G. mang “butter” from the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon is also almost certainly related (GL/56). In Qenya Word-lists from the 1920s Tolkien gave ᴱQ. mingwe “butter” which may be related (PE16/141).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is worth positing a root ᴺ√MANGYA to salvage early “butter” words.

tołᵂo

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in The Qenya Phonology of the 1910s illustrating a hypothetical series of ancient lateral approximants, with derived roots like ᴱ√TOLO and ᴱ√TOẆO [with ẇ = ɣʷ] (PE12/16). The former appeared in the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon as the basis for island words (QL/94), but the latter appeared nowhere else in Early Qenya writings.

saw̯a

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/82), which may have reemerged as √SAWA “disgusting, foul, vile” in notes from the 1950s (PE17/172, 183).

ðoro

root. sit

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “sit” with derivatives mean “sit” or “seat” (QL/85-86). In the Qenya Lexicon Tolkien gave the root as SORO with ÐORO in parenthesis, but Gnomish cognates like G. dorn “seat” and dortha- “to settle” (GL/30) make it clear ÐORO was the true form of the root. There were a variety of different roots for “sit” in later writings such ᴹ√KHAM or √KHAD.

ŋu̯a

prefix. together, in one

mbara

root. dwell, live

-yǝ

suffix. [unglossed]

liði

root. sing

m(b)asa

root. cook, bake

m(b)ṇðṇ

root. bind

m(b)ṛtṛ

root. chance

meχse

noun. gore

taqa

root. fashion

ŋolo

root. to know

dak-

verb. to slay

fulu

root. strip

gu̯ara-

verb. to dwell

hotho

root. bind

hulu

root. strip

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “strip”, with derivatives in both Qenya and Gnomish such as ᴱQ. hulqa/G. hulc “naked” (QL/41; GL/49). It had a variant ᴱ√FULU which seems to have no derivatives (QL/38). There are quite a few later roots of similar meaning, so likely the root was abandoned.

kantya

noun. edge

keme

root. soil

kili

root. edge

kulu

root. gold

kulū

noun. gold

lepse

?. [unglossed]

lese

root. collect

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “collect” with derivatives like ᴱQ. lese- “come together, gather” and ᴱQ. lesta “gathering, assembly” (QL/53). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. lest “gathering, assembly, concourse, moot” and G. lesta- “gather, assemble, meet” (GL/53). There are no clear indications of this root in Tolkien’s later writings, where Tolkien seems to have shifted to ᴹ√KHOTH “gather”, but it is possible that ᴹQ. lesta “measure” from Fíriel’s Song of the 1930s is connected to this early root.

liři

root. sing

lopse

?. [unglossed]

mᵇāsḷ

noun. mᵇāsḷ

mṛřṛ

root. grind

nap-

verb. seize

ornĕ

noun. tree

saẏa

root. hunger

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s appearing as ᴱ√SAẎA “hunger” mostly used in combination with suffixal -kǝ, having derivatives like ᴱQ. saike “hunger” and ᴱQ. saiqa “hungry” (QL/82). The root also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon like G. saig “hungry” and G. saith “hunger” (GL/66). Some last indications of this root appears in Early Noldorin Word-lists from the 1920s in the words {saig >>} ᴱN. haib “hungry” and {sais >>} ᴱN. hais “hunger”, with Qenya cognates ᴱQ. saisa and ᴱQ. saiste respectively (PE13/146-7).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is worth positing an Neo-Root ᴺ√SAYAK “hunger” to salvage these early words.

sek’·ðana

noun. midday

sivi

root. [unglossed]

Unglossed roots in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with variants ᴱ√SIVI and ᴱ√SIWI and a single unglossed derivative ᴱQ. sivilda (QL/84). It is difficult to guess what Tolkien intended for these forms to mean, though they conceivably reemerged as the later roots ᴹ√SIW “excite, egg on, urge” (Ety/SIW) or √SIB “rest, quiet” (VT44/35).

ske-ndá

noun. eye

sleiwa

adjective. pale

swandǝ

noun. dog

sōđā

noun. house

teled-

noun. [unglossed]

toẇo

root. [unglossed]

tyuku

root. chew

The root ᴱ√TYUKU appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with the gloss “chew” and derivatives like ᴱQ. tyuku- “to chew” and ᴱQ. tyus (tyuks-) “cud” (QL/50). I think it is worth positing a Neo-Root ᴺ√TYUK to salvage these early words.

tḷkḷ

root. [unglossed]

t’lḗpe

noun. butter

viki

root. *sticky

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with variants ᴱ√VIKI and ᴱ√VIT͡YI and derivatives like ᴱQ. viksa “sticky”, ᴱQ. vikte “gum”, and ᴱQ. vísi “blood” (QL/101). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing.

vityi

root. *sticky

þχe-ndǝ

noun. eye

ŋwaka

root. *net, mesh

ū

root. under

The root ᴱ√Ū⁽¹⁾ “under” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as a reduced form of {ᴱ√UGU >>} ᴱ√UƷU, with derivatives like ᴱQ. ū “beneath” and ᴱQ. umbe “dale, dell” (QL/96-97). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. um⁽⁾ “lowlying” and G. umbel “a dell” (GL/74). Tolkien noted that ᴱ√Ū also meant “not”, and contrasted ᴱ√Ū¹ “under” with ᴱ√NŪ (ᴱ√NUHU) of similar meaning (QL/68, 96). Indeed, in Tolkien’s later writings, √NŪ/UNU was the usual basis for “under” words, and ᴱ√Ū¹ “under” seems to have been abandoned.

ẇaða

root. dwell

faka Speculative

root. cut

A hypothetical early root to explain words in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s such as G. fag- “cut” and G. fanc “cut” (GL/33). It might be related to ᴱ√FḶKḶ “cleave, hew”. There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing.

fuvu Speculative

root. moth

✱ᴱ√FUVU is a hypothetical root serving as the basis for the word G. fufril “moth” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/36). I think it is worth retaining as a Neo-Eldarin root ᴺ√PHUM “moth”, with M instead of V/B to preserve the vowel u in the Neo-Sindarin form.

iti Speculative

root. precious

A hypothetical root to explain words in the Gnomish Lexicon such as G. idra “dear, valued, precious” and G. idril “sweetheart”, the latter being the earliest etymology of the name G. Idril (GL/50). For the later etymologies of this name and the possible conceptual evolution of the root, see the entries for √IR “desire” and √IT “glitter, shine, shimmer, twinkle”.

pṛtṛ Reconstructed

root. judge

A hypothetical root explaining words in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s such G. pridu- “decide” and G. pridwir “judge” (GL/64). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing.

vo(no) Reconstructed

root. son