The basis for Elvish “tree” words, this root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as an extension of ᴹ√GALA “thrive” (Ety/GALAD). This replaced the earliest derivation of “tree” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where the Qenya word for “tree” ᴱQ. alda was derived from ᴱ√ALA “spread” (QL/29). In The Etymologies, the Quenya form of this word remained the same, but the 1910s Gnomish words G. âl “wood” and †alwen “tree” (GL/19) became the 1930s Noldorin word N. galadh “tree” (Ety/GALA). Quenya and Sindarin retained these words for “tree” thereafter, and while Tolkien did not mention the root √GALAD again, his continued use of primitive ✶galadā “tree” (Let/426; PE17/153; PE21/74; UT/266) made it clear this root remained valid.
Middle Primitive Elvish
not
root. count, reckon
not-
verb. to count
war
root. give way, yield, not endure, let down, betray
gū
root. no, not
gū̆-
interjection. no, not
la
root. no, not; to be not
la-
prefix. no, not, negative prefix
ala
root. no, not; to be not
galad
root. tree
al
prefix. without
berékā
adjective. wild
daʒ
root. great
ed(er)
root. open
A deleted root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “open” and the forms √ED and extended √EDÉR, but it had no derivatives (EtyAC/ED).
galadā
noun. tree
ilpirin
adjective. immortal
lī
noun. number
melā-
verb. to love
ndar
root. sign
A rejected root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with a single derivative: ᴹQ. narwe “sign, token”, along with an unglossed (and probably incomplete) form nar... (EtyAC/NDAR).
ndulna
adjective. secret
pantā
adjective. open
ñgolda
adjective. wise
A (Noldorin only?) root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “give way, yield, not endure, let down, betray” with derivatives like N. awarth “abandonment”, N. gwarth “betrayer”, and N. gweria- “betray” (Ety/WAR). Tolkien said it was the opposite of ᴹ√BOR “endure” (EtyAC/WAR) which had various Noldorin derivatives having to do with loyalty (Ety/BOR).