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”.
Early Primitive Elvish
mara
root. ripe, yellow
Derivatives
Variations
- MARA ✧ QL/063
mara
root. *sand, soil
Changes
MAŘA²→ MARA ✧ QL/059Derivatives
Variations
- mar ✧ GL/56
- mar- ✧ GL/58
- MARA ✧ QL/059 (MARA)
- MAŘA² ✧ QL/059 (
MAŘA²)
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.
Derivatives
Element in
- G. brithla “pearl”
Variations
- MṚŘṚ ✧ QL/059; QL/063
mṛřṛ
root. grind
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).