maxe

noun. meat

matl

food

matl noun "food"; read *matil in LotR-style Quenya (in which language final syllabic -l becomes -il) (QL:59); however, the word matso from a later source may be preferred.

matso

food

matso noun "food" (PE16:141)

matta

noun. food

matta

noun. food

A noun for “food” from the Common Eldarin: Verb Structure (EVS2) of the early 1950s, derived from primitive ✶matnā, originally an ancient adjective meaning “eaten” (PE22/136).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s the word for “food” was ᴱQ. matl under the early root ᴱ√MATA (QL/59). This became ᴱQ. {masta} >> matso in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/141). In EVS2 the word was originally manna “food”, but this was struck through and replaced by matta (PE22/136 note #36), which likely reflects Tolkien’s shift in the phonetic developments of primitive tn, so that tn became tt rather than nn as it did in Tolkien’s earlier writings (PE19/85 and note #79).

Neo-Quenya: I find the phonetic developments associated with the above sound change to be problematic for various reasons. Therefore, I prefer to assume the primitive form of this word was an ancient noun: ✱mattā.

Changes

• manna → matta ✧ PE22/136

Cognates

• ᴺS. math “food”
• ᴺS. mann “food”

Derivations

• ✶matnā “eaten, eaten, [ᴹ✶] food” ✧ PE22/136

Element in

• ᴺQ. celvamatta “animal food”
• ᴺQ. laimamatta “vegetable food, (lit.) plant food”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶matnā > matta	[matnā] > [mattā] > [matta]	✧ PE22/136

Variations

• manna ✧ PE22/136 (manna)

apsa

cooked food, meat

apsa noun "cooked food, meat" (AP)

aes

meat

aes (cooked food). No distinct pl. form.

aes

meat

(cooked food). No distinct pl. form.

math

noun. food

Cognates

• Q. matta “food”

Derivations

• √MAT “eat”

mann

food

mann (i vann, construct man), pl. main (i main) (VT45:35).

mann

noun. food

Cognates

• Q. matta “food”

Derivations

• ✶matnā “eaten, eaten, [ᴹ✶] food”

mann

food

(i vann, construct man), pl. main (i main) (VT45:35).

aes

cooked food

aes (meat). No distinct pl. form.

aes

cooked food

aes (meat). No distinct pl. form.

aes

cooked food

(meat). No distinct pl. form.

salph

liquid food

(i halph, o salph) (soup, broth), pl. seilph (if the word goes like alph ”swan”), with article i seilph.

mann

noun. food

The earliest word for “food” in precursors to the Sindarin language was G. môs “food (of men)” (GL/56, 58), probably based on the early root ᴱ√M(B)ASA “cook, bake” (QL/59). This became ᴱN. math “food” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s, appearing only in its lenited form vath as an element in ᴱN. orvath “foodless” (PE13/155). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had N. mann “food” as a derivative of primitive ᴹ✶matna under the root ᴹ√MAT “eat”, but the version of the entry where this form appeared was struck out (EtyAC/MAT). The primitive form ✶matnā “food” did reappear in the early 1950s, however (PE22/136).

Neo-Sindarin: Of the above, I prefer ᴺS. math for “food”. I first saw math proposed as the Neo-Sindarin word for “food” in a list of neologisms by Elaran on the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) from 2018. I prefer math because I tend to assume Q. matta is derived from ✱mattā rather than ✶matnā to avoid certain phonological difficulties; see that entry for discussion. If you are not concerned with those difficulties, ᴺS. mann “food” is also viable.

Derivations

• ᴹ✶matna “food” ✧ EtyAC/MAT
  • ᴹ√MAT “eat” ✧ EtyAC/MAT

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶matna > mann	[matna] > [madna] > [manna] > [mann]	✧ EtyAC/MAT

aes

noun. cooked food, meat

aes

noun. cooked food, meat

A noun for “cooked food, meat” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√AP, likely from primitive ✱apsā given its Quenya cognate ᴹQ. apsa (Ety/AP). If so, the ae is the result of the vocalization of the ancient ap to ai, after which the diphthong ai became ae.

Neo-Sindarin: This 1930s Noldorin word presents two problems for its adaptation to Sindarin. First, the Sindarin vocalization of ancient p seems to be u rather than i, as in S. leutha- “pick up” < ✱lepta- (VT47/10). Second, it seems spirants no longer vocalized before s, as in S. ach “neck” < aks (PE17/92). Nevertheless, I would retain this word for purposes of Neo-Sindarin and assume it was the result of dialectical variations in Sindarin of the First Age.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. apsa “meat, cooked food” ✧ Ety/AP

Derivations

• ᴹ√AP “?cook” ✧ Ety/AP

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√AP > aes	[apsa] > [aɸsa] > [aisa] > [ais] > [aes]	✧ Ety/AP