pal

root. wide (open)

pal

root. beat

phal

root. foam

palap

root. *beat

A root appearing in both The Etymologies of the 1930s as well as the contemporaneous Tengwesta Qenderinwa (first version, TQ1) appearing as both short ᴹ√PAL “beat” and extended form ᴹ√PALAP of similar meaning (Ety/PALAP; PE18/33). In The Etymologies, the entry for short ᴹ√PAL was erased (EtyAC/PAL), and the extended root ᴹ√PALAP had a couple of derivatives: ᴹQ. palpa- “to beat, batter” and N. blab- “flap, beat (wings etc.)” (Ety/PALAP). A variant root ᴹ√PALAK may have been the basis for ᴹQ. palka- “to beat flat” from the Quenya Verbal System of 1948 (PE22/114).

The short form ᴹ√PAL may also have been the basis for some words in the earlier Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s: G. palta- “beat” [sic., rather than expected paltha-], G. paltha “blade (of swords, knives, oars, etc.); wide flat leaf; page of book” and G. plados “oar” (GL/63-64), though these words might be blended with root ᴱ√PALA “flatness” from the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon (QL/71); see that entry for discussion.

spal(as)

root. *foam

The root ᴹ√SPAL with extended form ᴹ√SPÁLAS appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a variant of ᴹ√PHAL(AS) (Ety/SPAL). Given that both ᴹ√SPAL(AS) and ᴹ√PHAL(AS) produce the same results in both Quenya and Noldorin, it is had to say which derivatives belong to which root, but Ilk. espalass and ᴹT. spalasta- are definitely from ᴹ√SPAL(AS) (Ety/PHAL; EtyAC/PHAL). This root is likely a later iteration of unglossed ᴱ√Palas or ᴱ√Palat from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where Tolkien indicated it was related to ᴱ√PḶTYḶ “✱strike; flat of the hand” (QL/72); it had derivatives like ᴱQ. palasse “foam, splashing” and ᴱQ. palasya- “splash, foam” (QL/72), and it might be related to G. osp(a) “foam” from the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/63).

In general, however, Tolkien used √PHAL (earlier ᴱ√FALA) much more regularly as the basis for wave/beach/foam words.

glindi

root. pale blue

A rejected root in The Etymologies of the 1930s for “pale blue” used in an abandoned explanation of N. Eredlindon as “Blue Mountains” (Ety/GLINDI; EtyAC/GLINDI). Later this name was S. Ered Lindon “Mountains of Lindon” (Ety/LIN²; S/123).

thindi

adjective. pallid, grey, wan

win(i)d

root. pale blue

A rejected with roots with derivatives having to do with “blue-grey” and “fading” (Ety/WIN), perhaps replacing another rejected root ᴹ√GWINDI (EtyAC/GWINDI).

windı̯ā

adjective. pale blue

mad

root. *pale (yellow)

A root in The Etymologies with derivatives ᴹQ. marya and N. maidh glossed “pale, fallow, fawn”(Ety/MAD), the last of these (fawn) probably referring to a light yellowish-tan colour. In this entry it was the basis for the name N. Maidhros “Pale-glitter”, but this and related entries went through a number of revisions as Tolkien tried to sort out the origin of that name. Indeed in later writings Tolkien gave this name as S. Maedhros or Maedros along with completely different etymologies (PM/366; VT41/10). Nevertheless, I think it is worth retaining this root for purposes of Neo-Eldarin to refer to a pale yellow or tan colour.

ninkwi

adjective. white, pale

smalwā

adjective. fallow, pale

lugni

adjective. blue

smal

root. yellow

smalinā

adjective. yellow

patnā

adjective. wide

gengwa

root. sick

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “sick” with derivatives ᴹQ. engwa/N. gem “sickly” (Ety/GENG-WĀ). It was given as ᴹ√GENG-WĀ, and thus represented an extension of an otherwise unattested root ᴹ√GENG. In the entry for ᴹ√YEN from The Etymologies it appeared as ᴹ√GEM in the discussion of N. ingem “old, (lit.) year-sick” (EtyAC/YEN), but I believe this represents the Noldorin phonetic developments of the true primitive form rather than a conceptual variation. The continued appearance of Q. Engwar in The Silmarillion narratives of the 1950s and 60s hints that this root may have remained valid as well.

solos

noun. surf

span

root. white

wig

root. *foam

The Elvish words for “foam” were establish very early, retaining forms similar to Q. wingë and S. gwing throughout Tolkien’s life. The earliest basis for these words were the (unglossed) roots ᴱ√GWIŊI and ᴱ√GWIGI in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives ᴱQ. winge (QL/104) and G. gwing “foam”, the latter also connected to G. uin “whale” via ancient uı̯u (GL/45).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave the root as ᴹ√WIG with derivatives ᴹQ. winge and N. gwing, all of the same basic meaning. The continued appearance Q. wingë and S. gwing in Tolkien’s later writings indicates the continued validity of this root, but the related verb Q. winta- “scatter, blow about” (PM/376 note #6) hints the root may have become √WIÑ, or at least had such a variant. In notes from 1968 Tolkien’s considered having gwing along with ross “spray” be loan words from Beorian (PM/368, 371), but he ultimately abandoned this idea (PM/376 note #6); see the entry on √ROS for further discussion.