A verb glossed “to prick” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s of unclear derivation (GL/70).
Gnomish
nast
noun. being (abstract); being (creature)
aitha-
verb. to prick, sting
eg
noun. point
tigla-
verb. to prick
Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!
A noun appearing as G. nast in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “1) being, abstract; 2) being, creature” (GL/59), a noun form of G. na- “is” (GL/58) based on the early root ᴱ√NĀ “be, exist” (QL/64).
Neo-Sindarin: Since √NĀ “be” survived in Tolkien’s later writings, I would retain the noun ᴺS. nast “being”, used for both “a creature” and “the state of existence”.