hísë

noun. mist, mist, [ᴹQ.] fog, [ᴱQ.] haze; dusk; bleared

A word for “mist” appearing as an element in several names. It is not directly attested in Tolkien’s later writings, but ᴹQ. híse “mist, fog” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶khīthi, indicating a stem form of hísi- [†híþi-] (Ety/KHIS). Its continued appearance in words like Q. Hísilómë “Land of Mist” (S/118) and Q. hísilanya “mist thread” (PE17/60) indicates its ongoing validity.

Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. hīse appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as a derivative of the early root ᴱ√HISI alongside a variant ᴱQ. histe, but there it was glossed “dusk” (QL/40). In drafts of the Oilima Markirya written circa 1930 it was glossed “haze” (PE16/62) or “mist” (PE16/75; MC/221), but in the final 1931 iteration of the poem it appeared only in the very-loosely translated phrase ᴱQ. úri nienaite híse “a bleared sun”, perhaps literally “✱sun [with a] tearful mist” (MC/214). In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s it was “mist” (PE21/32) and in The Etymologies of the late 1930s “mist, fog” as noted above, so Tolkien seems to have stuck with the meaning “mist” thereafter.

Cognates

• S. hîth “mist”

Derivations

• √KHITH “mist, mist, [ᴹ√] fog”

Element in

• ᴺQ. hísëa “misty”
• Q. hísië “mist, mistiness”
• Q. hísilanya “mist thread, grey elvish rope” ✧ PE17/060
• Q. Hísilómë “Land of Mist, (lit.) Mist-and-Dusk”
• Q. Hísimë “November, *Misty-one”

hísë

mist, fog

hísë (þ) (stem #hísi- because of the primitive form ¤khīthi, cf. hísilanya, Hísilómë) (1) noun "mist, fog" (KHIS/KHITH). According to VT45:22, hísë is also the name of Tengwa #11 in the pre-classical Tengwar system presupposed in the Etymologies, but Tolkien would later call #11 harma/aha instead.

rin

dew

rin noun "dew" (LT1:265; rather rossë in LotR-style Quenya)

hísië

mist, mistiness

hísië (þ) noun "mist, mistiness" (Nam, SA:hîth, PE17:73), also hísë.

mîdh

noun. dew

dew

mîdh

noun. dew, dew, *moisture, damp(ness); [ᴱN.] mist, drizzle

A Sindarin word for “dew” given as míð in the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the 1950s as a derivative of ✶mizdē “drizzle” (PE19/101), illustrating how [[os|[z] vanished before [d] lengthening preceding vowel]] in (Old) Sindarin.

Conceptual Development: N. mîdh “dew” also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, already with the same derivation as given above (Ety/MIZD), though Tolkien first wrote its gloss as “fine rain” (EtyAC/MIZD). This deleted gloss seems to be a remnant of ᴱN. midh “mist, drizzle” from Early Noldorin Word-lists, but there its primitive form was ᴱ✶míye (PE13/150).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would extend the meaning of this word to include “✱moisture, damp(ness)” in general, especially as the result of a previous rain.

Derivations

• ✶mizdē “drizzle” ✧ PE19/101
  • √MIZDI “*fine rain, dew”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶mizdē > míð	[mizdē] > [mizde] > [mīde] > [mīðe] > [mīð]	✧ PE19/101

Variations

• míð ✧ PE19/101

hîth

noun. mist

The Sindarin word for “mist”, an element in many names, derived from the root √KHITH of the same meaning (SA/hîth; PE17/73).

Conceptual Development: N. hîth “mist” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, already with the derivation given above (Ety/KHIS), though when Tolkien first defined the word, he first wrote (and then deleted) the gloss “fog” (EtyAC/KHIS). In The Etymologies as published in The Lost Road, Christopher Tolkien wrote hith (LR/364), but Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne confirmed that the actual form was hîth in their Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies (VT45/22).

Cognates

• Q. hísië “mist, mistiness” ✧ SA/hîth
• Q. hísë “mist, mist, [ᴹQ.] fog, [ᴱQ.] haze; dusk; bleared”

Derivations

• √KHITH “mist, mist, [ᴹ√] fog”

Element in

• S. Hithaeglir “Misty Mountains, (lit.) Line of Misty Peaks” ✧ SA/hîth
• S. hithlain “mist thread, grey elvish rope”
• north S. Hithlum “Land of Mist” ✧ SA/hîth
• S. hithren “grey”
• S. hithui “misty”
• S. Nen Hithoel “Mist-cool Water” ✧ RC/328; SA/hîth

Variations

• Hith ✧ RC/328

hîth

noun. mist, fog

hithlain

noun. mist-thread (a substance used by the Elves of Lothlórien to make strong ropes)

mîdh

dew

1) mîdh (i vîdh, construct midh), no distinct form in pl. except with article (i mîdh), 2) ross (construct ros) (foam, rain, spray [of fall or fountain]), pl. ryss (idh ryss). (Letters:282) Note: homophones mean ”reddish, russet, copper-coloured, red-haired” and also ”polished metal, glitter”.

mîdh

dew

(i vîdh, construct midh), no distinct form in pl. except with article (i mîdh)

mith

wet mist

(i vith) (white fog), no distinct pl. form except with article (i mith). David Salo would read mîth with a long vowel. Note: a homophone is the adjective ”pale grey”. ✱

hîth

mist

hîth (i chîth) (fog), no distinct pl. form, not even with article (i chîth).

hîth

mist

(i chîth) (fog), no distinct pl. form, not even with article (i chîth).

hithlain

mist-thread

name of a fiber made in Lórien.

ross

dew

(construct ros) (foam, rain, spray [of fall or fountain]), pl. ryss (idh ryss). (Letters:282) Note: homophones mean ”reddish, russet, copper-coloured, red-haired” and also ”polished metal, glitter”.

khith

root. mist, mist, [ᴹ√] fog

This root and its variants were the basis for “mist” words for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√HISI with derivatives like ᴱQ. híse “dusk” and ᴱQ. hiswa “dim, fading” (QL/40), and as an element in ᴱQ. Hisilóme which was glossed “Shadowy Twilights” in the earliest Lost Tales (LT1/112). Thus the early root might have meant “✱dusk, dimness, shadow”. The root was probably also an element in the Gnomish equivalent Hithlum from this period (GL/20), perhaps the result of the sound change whereby [[g|[s] became [θ] before [l]]] in Gnomish.

The sense “haze” and “mist” for ᴱQ. híse first appeared in drafts of the Oilima Markirya poem (PE16/62, 75). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave this root as ᴹ√KHITH with variant ᴹ√KHIS and the gloss “mist, fog”; ᴹ√KHIS was listed first but all the actual derivatives were from ᴹ√KHITH (Ety/KHIS). The root appeared again in Notes on Galadriel’s Song from the late 1950s or early 1960s as √KHIΘ “mist” (NGS, PE17/73).

Tolkien’s continued use of Q. Hísilómë and (Northern) S. Hithlum throughout his life testifies to the enduring nature of this root, though it seems to have shifted in sense from 1910s “✱shadow” to 1930s “mist”, and from s to th.

Derivatives

• Q. hísë “mist, mist, [ᴹQ.] fog, [ᴱQ.] haze; dusk; bleared”
• Q. hísië “mist, mistiness” ✧ PE17/073
• S. hîth “mist”
• ᴺS. hithu “fog”

Element in

• ᴺQ. hisquë “smog”

Variations

• KHIΘ ✧ PE17/073; PE17/157

mîdh

noun. dew

mîdh

noun. dew

Changes

• mídh → mídh “fine rain” ✧ Ety/MIZD

Cognates

• ᴹQ. miste “fine rain” ✧ Ety/MIZD

Derivations

• ᴹ✶mizdē ✧ Ety/MIZD
  • ᴹ√MIZDI “*fine rain, dew” ✧ Ety/MIZD

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶mizdē > mídh	[mizdē] > [mizde] > [mīde] > [mīðe] > [mīð]	✧ Ety/MIZD

Variations

• mídh ✧ Ety/MIZD; EtyAC/MIZD (mídh)

hîth

noun. mist

Changes

• hîth → hîth “fog” ✧ Ety/KHIS

Cognates

• ᴹQ. híse “mist, fog” ✧ Ety/KHIS

Derivations

• ᴹ✶khīthi “mist, fog” ✧ Ety/KHIS
  • ᴹ√KHITH “mist, fog” ✧ Ety/KHIS

Element in

• N. Hithdilias ✧ TI/124
• N. Hithliniath “Pools of Mist” ✧ Ety/KHIS
• N. Hithlum “Land of Mist, (lit.) Mist-and-Dusk” ✧ Ety/KHIS
• N. hithui “misty”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶khīt(h)i > hîth	[kʰītʰi] > [kʰītʰe] > [xītʰe] > [xīθe] > [xīθ] > [hīθ]	✧ Ety/KHIS

Variations

• hith ✧ EtyAC/KHIS
• Hith ✧ TI/124

hith

noun. mist, fog