milik

root. *greed, lust

The unglossed root ᴹ√MIL-IK appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where its shorter form served as the basis for words like ᴹQ. maile/N. moel “lust” and its longer form for ᴹQ. milka/N. melch “greedy” as well as the name ᴹQ. Melko (Ety/MIL-IK), though in later writings Q. Melkor was derived from √MBELEK (PE17/115). As for √MILIK, it reappeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure of the early 1950s serving as the basis for S. maelig “wealth, abundance” (PE21/80), apparently in the same general semantic space as 1930s N. melch “greedy” but with a less negative connotation.

Conceptual Development: The root ᴱ√MḶKḶ “possess” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/62) as part of a list of roots at the end of the M-section (QL/63). It had derivatives like ᴱQ. malke “rich”, ᴱQ. malko “lord”, and ᴱQ. milk- “have, keep, possess” (QL/62). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon is also had derivatives like G. malc “rich, powerful” and G. malcos “lordship” (GL/56).

Derivatives

• ✶mailiki “wealth, abundance” ✧ PE21/80
  • S. maelig “wealth, abundance” ✧ PE21/80
• ᴺS. milf “greed”