mad-

verb. to eat

The verb for “to eat” derived from the root √MAT of the same meaning (PE17/131; Ety/MAT). In Tolkien’s later writing it appears only in inflected forms, but the verb itself is well established, dating back all the way to G. mad- in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/56). This verb was one Tolkien often used in examples of verb conjugations and as such its inflected forms changed considerably over time, but that is more a topic of the evolution of the Sindarin verb system.

Cognates

• Q. mat- “to eat”
• T. mat- “to eat”

Derivations

• ✶mat- “to eat” ✧ PE17/131; PE17/131
  • √MAT “eat”

Element in

• ᴺS. madui “edible”
• S. madweg “gluttonous”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶mantinā > manthen > mannen	[mantinā] > [mantina] > [mantʰina] > [manθina] > [manθena] > [manθen] > [mannen]	✧ PE17/131
✶matina > maden	[matina] > [matena] > [maten] > [maden]	✧ PE17/131

madui

adjective. edible

Elements

Word	Gloss
mad-	“to eat”
-ui	“-ful, having quality, adjective suffix; possibility, suitability [as verbal suffix], *-able”