nahta-

verb. to slay; to hurt, injure, wound, to slay; [Q.] to hurt, injure, wound; [ᴱQ.] slay cruelly

A verb for “slay” based on the root √NDAK (PE22/156). Conjugations from 1964 (PE17/77) and 1969 (PE22/156-157, 159, 164) indicate it was a half-strong verb with past tense nacante, though it also had an (archaic) strong past †nance (PE22/159).

Conceptual Development: This verb dates back to the Early Qenya Phonology of the 1920s where Tolkien had ᴱQ. nahta- “slay cruelly” based on primitive ᴱ✶ndagta- from the early root ᴱ√DAGA (PE14/66). In The Etymologies of the 1930s this root became ᴹ√NDAK “slay”, but this verb was not mentioned (Ety/NDAK). The verb ᴹQ. nahta- “slay” was mentioned again in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948, but there its root shifted back to √NDAG “slay” (PE22/102, 114-115).

In 1959 revisions to the Outline of Phonology (OP2), the root again became √NDAK “hew, slay”, but Q. nahta- was derived from an unrelated root √SNAG “wound” and was itself glossed “hurt, injure, wound” (PE19/91). A conjugation for nahta- appeared in notes from 1964, but without glosses (PE17/77). The verb nahta- appeared in quite a few examples in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969, and in those notes the gloss was again “slay” and its root was again √NDAK “hew” (PE22/156).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d stick to the meaning “to slay” for nahta-, and for “wound” I’d use [ᴹQ.] harna-.

nahta-

slay

nahta- (1) verb "slay" (nahtan "I slay"). Possible variant #nehta- see #nehtar. Passive participle nahtana in the phrase nahtana ló Túrin *"slain by Turin". (VT49:24)

nahta-

verb. slay

nahta-

verb. hurt

hurt, injure, wound

nahta-

verb. to confine, oppress

nahta

bite

nahta (2) noun "a bite" (NAK)

nahta

cardinal. eighteen

nahta (3) cardinal "eighteen" (PE14:17)

nehta-

verb. to slay

#nehta- (2) vb. "to slay" if such a stem can be isolated from #nehtar (see below). The (variant?) form nahta- is given in VT49:24.

nahte

noun. wounding, wound

A noun for “a wounding, a wound” appearing in revisions to the Outline of Phonology (OP2) made around 1959, derived from primitive ✶snagdē based on the root √SNAG “wound, gash” (PE19/91). Drafts of these revision instead had (rejected) nahta (PE19/92 note #110).

nehtar

noun. slayer

An element in Morinehtar “Darkness-slayer”, a name of one of the Blue Wizards (PM/384). It seems to be an agental form of nahta- “to slay”, but the reason why the vowel is e is unclear.

#nac-

verb. hew, cut

#nac- ("k") vb. "hew, cut" (nacin "I hew, cut", VT49:24) or "bite" (NAK); compare nahta #2.

mala-

verb. hurt, pain

mala- vb. "hurt, pain" (QL:63)

nehtar

slayer

#nehtar noun "slayer", isolated from Morinehtar "Darkness-slayer" (PM:384, 385). It may be that a verbal stem #nehta- "to slay, kill" can also be isolated from this noun, though the attested form is actually nahta- (a possible example of A/E variation).

pelecta-

verb. hew

pelecta- ("k")vb. "hew" (this "Qenya" word may be adapted to LotR-style Quenya as *pelehta-)(LT2:346)

toloquë

cardinal. eighteen

toloquë ("kw") cardinal "eighteen" (VT48:21). If "tolokwe" is seen as a Common Eldarin form, it is possible that the Quenya word should be *tolquë instead, but the editor assumes that "tolokwe" is merely an unusual spelling of Quenya toloquë (since "tolokwe" is listed together with forms that are definitely Quenya).

tolquë Reconstructed

cardinal. eighteen