massë noun "bread" (as a material), variant of massa, q.v. (PE17:52). Notice that *massë has also been extrapolated as a question-word "where?"
Quenya
masse
noun. handful
masse
interrogative. where
massë
bread
massë
noun. bread
massë
noun. handful, portion, share, capacity; the personal measure or capacity of a man, a talent, portion, share; capacity, [ᴹQ.] measure; the personal measure or capacity of a man, a talent; [Q.] †handful
A word for “portion, share, capacity” and “measure” (PE19/74 and note #74), originally with the sense “handful” (PE19/100-101 note #154). It might also be used for “the personal measure or capacity of a man, a talent” (PE19/101 note #154). It was derived from primitive ✶mahsē.
Conceptual Development: This word has a complex history, due to shifting ideas of its phonological development. ᴹQ. masse first appeared in the Outline of Phonetic Development (OP1) from the 1930s where it was glossed “handful, share, just portion (in distribution), measure or capacity (of a person)”, derived from ᴹ√MAƷ “hand” and illustrating the sound change whereby “ʒs gave hs which however became ss (not ks)” (PE19/48). In the first layer of Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the early 1950s, Tolkien gave it the same derivation and said that it originally meant “handful” but that its PQ meaning was “share; a just portion (in distribution); the personal measure or capacity of a man; a talent” (PE19/100-101 note #154).
In Common Eldarin: Noun Structure, also from the early 1950s, Tolkien first gave masse “originally handful” (PE21/70-71 note #7), but in that document changed its primitive form to ✶mahsi with a modern form of Q. makse and a new meaning: “handiness” (PE21/70). This reflects a new conception of primitive Elvish where the ancient velar spirant was voiceless h rather than voiced ʒ, and a new phonetic development hs > ks. Tolkien made the same alterations in OP2, changing ʒ to h with a new word mare “skill of hand, handiness, dexterity” reflecting a loss of weak h (PE19/74 note #35), but he then restored the sound change of hs to ss (PE19/74 note #34), reintroducing masse “handful, measure, etc.”. In green-ink notes from around 1970 he revised the gloss to “handful, portion, share, capacity” (PE19/74 note #35).
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use masse with a blending of its meanings in the 1930s, 50s and 70s, originally with the sense “handful”, but extended to primarily mean “measure, capacity” as well as “portion, share”. It can also be applied metaphorically to a person to mean “the personal measure or capacity of a man”, hence = “a talent, ability”, as in ma masserya (ná) “what is his/her measure [talent]”.
Changes
masse→ masse “handful, measure” ✧ PE19/074Derivations
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶mā̆ha > masse [mahse] > [masse] ✧ PE19/074 ✶maʒ-sē > mahsē > massē > masse [maɣsē] > [mahsē] > [massē] > [masse] ✧ PE19/101 Variations
- masse ✧ PE19/074; PE19/074 (
masse); PE19/101 (masse)
massa
bread
#massa noun "bread" (massamma "our bread", VT43:18); massánië "breadgiver", used as a title of the highest woman among any Elvish people, since she had the keeping and gift of the coimas (lembas). Also simply translated "Lady" (PM:404)
massa
noun. bread
A word for “bread” appearing as massa (VT43/12) or massë (PE17/52) in Tolkien’s later writings, most notably as an element in Q. massánië “breadgiver” (PM/404). It was in competition with, and possibly replaced, the word masta “bread”. The distinction between the two was discussed in notes from 1960s (PE17/52):
> Assume a Primitive Eldarin derivation ✱mbassē “(baked) bread”. The other derivatives were ✱mbasta with short final, an infinitive or verbal noun formation denoting a single action of the stem .. and ✱mbazdā denoting the passive result of the action, and when used substantivally a single product of this: mbazda would thus mean baked or a baked thing ... In Quenya we have masse “bread” as a material, and masta “a cake or loaf” (zd > st).
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya I prefer to use massa as the typical word for “bread” rather than massë, to avoid conflict with other words like [ᴹQ.] masse “where”. I would also use masta as a more general word for baked goods, including bread but also other baked things like cakes and loafs.
Cognates
- S. bas(t) “bread”
Derivations
Element in
- Q. ámen anta síra ilaurëa massamma “give us this day our daily bread” ✧ VT43/18
- Q. coimas “life-bread, lembas”
- Q. massánië “Lady, breadgiver”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶mbassē > masse [mbassē] > [massē] > [masse] ✧ PE17/052 Variations
- masse ✧ PE17/052
isse
where
maxë
noun. handiness
Changes
mare→ masse “skill of hand, handiness, dexterity” ✧ PE19/074masse→ makse ✧ PE21/70Derivations
- ✶mahsi “handiness” ✧ PE21/70
- √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use, handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use; [ᴹ√] hand; [ᴱ√] grasp” ✧ PE21/70
- ✶maʒsē “handful” ✧ PE21/71
- √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use, handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use; [ᴹ√] hand; [ᴱ√] grasp” ✧ PE19/100; PE21/70
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶mahsi > makse [mahsi] > [maksi] > [makse] ✧ PE21/70 ✶maʒsē > masse [maɣsē] > [mahsē] > [massē] > [masse] ✧ PE21/71 Variations
- mare ✧ PE19/074 (
mare)- makse ✧ PE21/70
- masse ✧ PE21/70 (
masse)
masta
noun. bread
masta
cake or loaf
masta noun "cake or loaf" (PE17:52), in an earlier source defined as "bread" (MBAS, PM:404; later sources have massa or massë for this meaning). Mastamma "our bread" in Tolkiens translatation of the Lords Prayer (VT43:18). In the Etymologies, Tolkien emended the gloss of masta from "dough" to "bread" (VT45:33).
-ndor
land
-ndor, final element in compounds: "land" (Letters:308, UT:253)
nór
land
nór noun "land" (stem nor-, PE17:106) this is land as opposed to water and sea (nor in Letters:308). Cf. nórë.
nór
noun. land
A term for “land” as in “(dry) land as opposed to the sea”, mentioned in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (WJ/413) and again in notes from around 1968 (PE17/106-107).
Possible Etymology: In the Quendi and Eldar essay this term was derived from primitive ✶ndōro, but in the aforementioned 1968 notes Tolkien clarified that its stem form was nŏr-. This means it was probably derived from ancient ✱ndŏr-, where the long vowel in the uninflected form was inherited from the Common Eldarin subjective form ✱ndōr, a phenomenon also seen in words like nér (ner-) “man”. I prefer this second derivation, as it makes the independent word more distinct from the suffixal form -ndor or -nóre used in the names of countries.
Derivations
Element in
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶ndōr > nōr [ndōr] > [nōr] ✧ PE17/106 ✶NDŌR/NDŎR- > nôr [ndōr] > [nōr] ✧ PE17/107 ✶ndōro > nór [ndōro] > [ndōr] > [nōr] ✧ WJ/413 Variations
- nōr ✧ PE17/106
- nôr ✧ PE17/107
nóre
noun. land
nórë
land
nórë noun "land" (associated with a particular people) (WJ:413), "country, land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live, race, clan" (NŌ, NDOR, BAL), also used = "race, tribe, people" (SA:dôr, PE17:169; however, the normal word for "people" is lië). Early "Qenya" hasnórë "native land, nation, family, country" (in compounds -nor) (LT1:272)
handful, share, (just) portion, capacity