naith

Naith

topon.

naith

place name. Gore, Triangle

Wedge of land in Lórien between the rivers Celebrant and Anduin, translated “Gore” (LotR/347) or “Triangle” (RC/307). It is simply naith “angle” used as a name (PE17/55). The part of this region where Elves dwelled was called Egladil of similar meaning (LotR/347).

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name first appeared as N. Narthas “The Gore” (TI/288), a form that also appeared in a deleted entry in The Etymologies (EtyAC/NARTA). It was soon revised to N. Naith (TI/244), though at this stage the name was generally translated as “Angle” (TI/268, 280).

Elements

Word	Gloss
naith	“spearhead, gore, wedge, narrow prominitory; angle”

naith

noun. spearhead, gore, wedge, narrow prominitory; angle

Cognates

• Q. nehtë “spearhead, gore, wedge, narrow prominitory; angle” ✧ PE17/055; PE17/055; UT/282

Derivations

• ✶nektē “angle” ✧ PE17/055; PE17/055
  • √NEK “narrow, narrow; *angular, sharp” ✧ PE17/055
• √NEK “narrow, narrow; *angular, sharp” ✧ UT/282

Element in

• S. dírnaith “wedge-shaped battle-formation, (lit.) man-spearhead” ✧ UT/282
• S. Naith “Gore, Triangle”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶nek-tē > naith	[nektē] > [nekte] > [nektʰe] > [nexθe] > [neiθe] > [neiθ] > [naiθ]	✧ PE17/055

naith

angle

_ n. _angle. Q. nehte. >> neith

naith

noun. any formation or projection tapering to a point: a spearhead, triangle gore, wedge, narrow promontory

neith

angle

_ n. _angle. Q. nehte. >> naith

naith

Naith

The Sindarin word naith is glossed as "angle". The literal meaning was "spear-point", but over time it came to be used by the Elves for all manner of sharp or spear-like objects.[source?] Tolkien translates naith into English using the word gore (meaning "sharp point"), a very close equivalent. Just like naith, gore can describe any of a wide range of narrow or pointed items, though it is now so rarely used that many readers find it almost as obscure as its Elvish equivalent. Its etymology goes back in time to Old English gára (a word for a narrow triangular piece of land) so Haldir's translation is a very precise one.[source?]

naith

gore

1) naith (spearhead, wedge, point, promontory); no distinct pl. form; 2) cên (i gên, o chên, construct cen) (wedge), pl. cîn (i chîn). Alternative sg. form cîn (i gîn, o chîn, construct cin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîn) (VT45:20)

naith

spearhead

naith (gore, wedge, point, promontory); no distinct pl. form;

naith

wedge

1) naith (spearhead, gore, point, promontory); no distinct pl. form; 2) cên (i gên) (gore), pl. cîn (i chîn). Alternative form cîn (i gîn, o chîn), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîn) (VT45:20) WEDGE-FORMATION, see MAN-SPEARHEAD: No general word for ”weed” is known, but cf.

naith

promontory

naith (spearhead, gore, wedge, point); no distinct pl. form.

naith

spearhead

(gore, wedge, point, promontory); no distinct pl. form;

naith

point

(spearhead, gore, wedge, promontory); no distinct pl. form.

naith

gore

(spearhead, wedge, point, promontory); no distinct pl. form

naith

wedge

(spearhead, gore, point, promontory); no distinct pl. form

naith

promontory

(spearhead, gore, wedge, point); no distinct pl. form.

aith

point of spear, spear point

(no distinct pl. form)

aeg

point

1) aeg (peak, thorn). No distinct pl. form. Note: aeg is also used as adj. "sharp, pointed, piercing". 2) naith (spearhead, gore, wedge, promontory); no distinct pl. form. 3) nass (sharp end, angle, corner), construct nas, pl. nais. 4)

bennas

angle

1) bennas (i vennas), pl. bennais (i mennais), coll. pl. bennassath, 2) nass (sharp end, point, corner), construct nas, pl. nais

ment

point

(at the end of a thing) ment (i vent), pl. mint (i mint), coll. pl. mennath.

nagol

tooth

1) *nagol (analogical pl. negyl, coll. pl. naglath*; possibly the analogical form nagolath would also be acceptable). Only the coll. pl. naglath is attested. 2) naes (no distinct pl. form) (VT45:36). 3) nêl (note: a homophone means ”three”), stem neleg-, whence pl. nelig. Also simply neleg (pl. nelig). 4) (fang) carch (i garch, o charch), pl. cerch (i cherch**).

nasta

point

(verb) nasta- (i nasta, in nastar) (prick, stick, thrust)

till

point

till (i dill, o thill, construct til; also -dil, -thil at the end of compounds) (spike, tine, sharp horn, sharp-pointed peak), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thill). Archaic †tild. 5)

-il

point

suff. point, ending. >> niphredil, til

aeg

noun. point

The adjective oeg "sharp, pointed, piercing" from Ety/349 is perhaps rejected: Tolkien later decided that no cognate of Quenya aica "fell, terrible, dire" was used in Sindarin, "though aeg would have been its form if it had occurred" (PM/347). On the other hand, we have words such as aeglos and aeglir , so there must be a noun aeg "point"

carch

noun. tooth, fang

til

point

n. point, ending. >> -il, niphredil

aeg

point

(peak, thorn). No distinct pl. form. Note: aeg is also used as adj. "sharp, pointed, piercing".

bennas

angle

(i vennas), pl. bennais (i mennais), coll. pl. bennassath

carch

tooth

(i garch, o charch), pl. cerch (i cherch).

cên

gore

(i gên, o chên, construct cen) (wedge), pl. cîn (i chîn). Alternative sg. form cîn (i gîn, o chîn, construct cin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîn)  (VT45:20)

cên

wedge

(i gên) (gore), pl. cîn (i chîn). Alternative form cîn (i gîn, o chîn), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîn) (VT45:20)

ecthel

point of spear, spear point

(pl. ecthil), literally "thorn point&quot

ecthel

spear point

(pl. ecthil), literally "thorn point”

hadron

hurler of spears or darts

(i chadron, o chadron), pl. hedryn (i chedryn), coll. pl. hadronnath

mechor

noun. gore

Cognates

• ᴺQ. mehar “gore”

Derivations

• ᴺ✶. MEKH “*gore”

ment

point

(i vent), pl. mint (i mint), coll. pl. mennath**. **

naes

tooth

(no distinct pl. form) (VT45:36).

nagol

tooth

(analogical pl. negyl, coll. pl. naglath; possibly the analogical form ✱nagolath would also be acceptable). Only the coll. pl. naglath is attested.

nass

point

(sharp end, angle, corner), construct nas, pl. nais.

nass

angle

(sharp end, point, corner), construct nas, pl. nais

nasta

point

(i nasta, in nastar) (prick, stick, thrust)

nêl

tooth

(note: a homophone means ”three”), stem neleg-, whence pl. nelig. Also simply neleg (pl. nelig).

rafn

extended point at the side

(wing, horn), pl. raifn (idh raifn).

thela

point of spear, spear point

(-thel), pl. ?thili

thela

spear point

(-thel), pl. ?thili, 3) aith; no distinct pl. form.

till

point

(i** dill, o thill, construct til; also -dil, -thil at the end of compounds) (spike, tine, sharp horn, sharp-pointed peak), no distinct pl. form except with article (i** thill). Archaic †tild. 5)