nev

mut

mut. of nef >> Nevrast

nev

near

(adj. pref.) nev- (hither, on this side). Also used as a preposition nef ”on this side of”.

nev

hither

(adj. pref.) nev- (near, on this side). Also used as a preposition nef ”on this side of”.

nev

near

(hither, on this side). Also used as a preposition nef ”on this side of”.

nev

hither

(near, on this side). Also used as a preposition nef ”on this side of”.

dev-

nev-

Q. nev-.

nev-

verb. to seem, appear

nef

preposition. hither, on this (the speaker’s) side of; †beyond [loose translation], hither, on this (the speaker’s) side of; †beyond [loose translation]; *near

A word appearing in the phrase nef aear, sí nef aearon “here ... beyond the Sea, beyond the wide and sundering Sea” (LotR/238), as well as an element in the name Nevrast “Hither Shore” (S/119; WJ/197) as opposed to Haerast “Far Shore” (PE17/27). In notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (WPP) from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien clarified that the actual meaning of nef was “on this (the speaker’s) side” and that it was derived from {✶nibā >>} ✶nebā based on {√NIB >>} √NEB “turn towards (speaker)” (PE17/27). In The Road Goes Ever On (RGEO) from 1967 he again said the literal translation of nef was “on this side of” (RGEO/64). Thus “beyond” is loose translations and “hither” is used in its archaic English meaning “situated on this side” rather than “✱✱to here”.

Conceptual Development: The Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s had ᴱN. neb “near” (PE13/164).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume nef is a preposition and prefix meaning is “on this side of”, but as an adverb can be used in the sense “near” especially in opposition to something else that is “far” (and on the opposite side).

dev-

verb. to try, to try, *seek opportunity, experiment

A verb for “to try” based on the root √NDEB in notes from the 1960s (PE17/167). As suggested by Christopher Gilson, this appears to be a draft of Tolkien’s attempt to define the phrase “try harder” in Quenya. Of the root √NDEB, Tolkien said it “too obviously = endeavor”, and he wrote another root √RIK below it, with a Sindarin verb form ritha- or raitha. It seems Tolkien here changed √NDEB >> √RIK, but in later notes from 1969 Tolkien had the root √NDAB “endeavor, try, seek opportunity” (PE22/151), indicating that the concept of √NDEB was not entirely abandoned.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would mainly use ritha- for “to try (put forth effort)”, but I think dev- is worth retaining with a different connotation: “to try, ✱seek opportunity, experiment”. In other words, you use ritha- “try” when you are uncertain whether you are capable of performing the action, and dev- “try” when you know you are capable, but are uncertain what the result of the action will be.

chîr

mut

mut. of cîr

na

near

(as preposition, = ”at, by”) na (followed by lenition), with article nan (followed by ”mixed mutation”, according to David Salos reconstruction). The preposition has various meanings: ”with, by, near” and also ”to, toward, at; of”

na

near

(followed by lenition), with article nan (followed by ”mixed mutation”, according to David Salo’s reconstruction). The preposition has various meanings: ”with, by, near” and also ”to, toward, at; of”

nîf

front

nîf (construct nif) (face). No distinct pl. form.

nîf

front

(construct nif) (face). No distinct pl. form.

nev-

verb. to try, to try, *seek opportunity, experiment

A verb for “to try” based on the root √NDEB in notes from the 1960s (PE17/167). As suggested by Christopher Gilson, this appears to be a draft of Tolkien’s attempt to define the phrase “try harder” in Quenya. Of the root √NDEB, Tolkien said it “too obviously = endeavor”, and he wrote another root √RIK below it, with Quenya verb forms rike or rihta. It seems Tolkien here changed √NDEB >> √RIK, but in later notes from 1969 Tolkien had the root √NDAB “endeavor, try, seek opportunity” with a Quenya verb form nauva “will try” (PE22/151), indicating that the concept of √NDEB was not entirely abandoned.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would mainly use ric- for “to try (put forth effort)”, but I think nev- is worth retaining with a different connotation: “to try, ✱seek opportunity, experiment”. In other words, you use ric- “try” when you are uncertain whether you are capable of performing the action, and nev- “try” when you know you are capable, but are uncertain what the result of the action will be. I prefer nev- over the 1969 form ✱nav- because it has a Sindarin cognate S. dev-.

In 2024-08-19 post on the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), Luinyelle suggested this verb might be used with an adverb to describe someone’s approach to a task or situation, roughly equivalent to English “take” in phrases like “take something seriously”. For example: néves i hrangwe lungo “he tried the problem serious[ly] (with seriousness)” = English “he took the problem seriously”.

nev-

verb. try

nev- vb. "try" (PE17:167; Tolkien in the source expresses uncertainty as to whether this word should be adopted or not)

nev-

verb. to face, turn toward; to confront

A neologism for “to face, turn toward” coined by Röandil posted on 2021-07-13 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) based on √NEB “turn towards (speaker)”. I would also use it for “to confront”. Petri Tikka suggested nimba- “to face, go forward” in PPQ (PPQ) from the early 2000s based on ᴹ√NIB “face, front”, but that was before the root √NEB was published in 2007.

har

near

har, harë adj.? adv.? "near" (LT1:253)

nav-

verb. to try

ric-

verb. try, put forth effort, strive, endeavour

#ric- ("k") (1) vb. "try, put forth effort, strive, endeavour" (PE17:93, 94, 167), imperative á ricë "try!", pl. á ricir "let them try", á rice am(a)ricië "try harder!" (or more idiomatically á carë (sí) ancarië, lit. *"do (now) with more doing!"

simen

hither

simen adv. "hither" (VT49:33), símen "here" (FS; cf. sinomë in EO). Compare tamen.

simen

adverb. hither

A word for “hither” appearing in a list of demonstratives from 1969 (VT49/33), a combination of si “this” and men “way”. The form sîmen appeared Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 next to sinomë, so that context it might have meant “✱here, in this place”.

sir

hither

sir (2), also sira, adv. "hither" (primitive ¤sida, ¤sidā) (VT49:18)

sir(a)

adverb. hither

An (archaic?) word for “hither” appearing in a list of demonstratives from 1968, based on primitive ✶sidā̆ with the ancient allative suffix ✶-da (VT49/18).

hyámen

noun. front

A neologism coined by Sami Paldanius in the 1000W project (1000W), a combination of √KHYĀ “in front” and √MEN “way”.

pentë

noun. front

A neologism coined by Paul Strack in 2018 specifically for Eldamo, inspired by ᴱQ. ponte “rear” but based instead on later Q. epë “before (of place)”. Sami Paldanius instead suggested hyámen “front” in the 1000W project (1000W), a combination of √KHYĀ “in front” and √MEN “way”, but I believe this use of the root √KHYĀ was a transient idea.

séya-

verb. to seem

nîf

noun. front, face

A noun appearing as {nef >>} nîf “front, face” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶nībe under the root ᴹ√NIB of the same meaning (Ety/NIB).

Neo-Sindarin: In Tolkien’s later writings the root seems to have become √NEB “turn towards” as the basis for S. nef “hither” (PE17/27), but nîf might still be derived from primitive ✱nēbe since ancient ē became ī in Sindarin.

nîf

noun. front, face

nem-

verb. to seem, appear

sidā̆

adverb. hither