A root appearing several times in notes written on or shortly before 1960 with a general meaning “pale, fair” (PE17/150, 154, 165, 189; WJ/383), as opposed to √BAN which was simply “beautiful”. It seems Tolkien introduced this root when he realized that “VAN cannot only = fair (blonde), since vanima is applied in LR to Arwen who was like Lúthien dark” (PE17/165). In the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 he used this root for a new etymology for the tribal name of the Vanyar referring to their fair, blond hair.
This root appeared as √GWAN, √WAN and √GWAY, though the note where the last of these appeared was marked through (PE17/154). With √GWAN the root would merge with √BAN in both Quenya and Sindarin: Q. vanya and S. bain “fair and beautiful” (PE17/154). But with √WAN the two would remain distinct in Sindarin, as in bain “beautiful” vs. gwain “fair haired” (PE17/150). I find the second paradigm more interesting, and thus recommend assuming the ancient root was √WAN for the purposes of Neo-Eldarin.
This root might be a restoration of an earlier separation of ᴱ√ɃANA versus ᴱ√WANA in the Elvish languages as Tolkien conceived of them in the 1910s, though the semantic divisions in the earlier conception were not the same. See the entry on √BAN for further discussion.
This root was well established in Tolkien’s mind, but its meaning shifted slightly over time. It first appeared as ᴱ√PALA in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s whose derivatives had to do with flat and wide things such as ᴱQ. palume “plain”, ᴱQ. palta “shelf”, ᴱQ. palo “plane surface, plain, the flat”, and ᴱQ. Paluren “the Wide World” (elsewhere ᴱQ. Palúrien), but also ᴱQ. palwa- “make wander” and ᴱQ. palāva “wandering” (QL/71). The Gnomish name G. Bladorwen “the Wide Earth” points to an actual root of ✱ᴱ√BALA, as do words like G. bladwen “plain” and G. blant “flat” (GL/23). However, the words G. paltha “blade (of swords, knives, oars, etc.); wide flat leaf; page of book” and G. plados “oar” seem to be derived directly from ᴱ√PALA, though the verb G. palta- “beat” [sic., rather than expected paltha-] hints that this variant of the root may mean “beat” rather than “flat” (GL/63-64); see the entry for ᴹ√PALAP “✱beat” for further discussion.
In The Etymologies of the 1930s this root appeared as ᴹ√PAL “wide (open)”, still serving as the basis for the name ᴹQ. Palúrien along with other derivatives like ᴹQ. palar “flat field, ‘wang’, plain” and ᴹQ. palme/N. palath “surface” (Ety/PAL). A later addition to the entry was ᴹQ. palan “far” and ᴹQ. palantir “far-seeing stone”. The root √PAL remained the basis for Q. palan “far” in Tolkien’s later writings, and appeared with the glosses “broad, wide” (PE17/65) and “wide, extended” (VT47/8). The latter gloss appeared in notes from the late 1960s having to do with Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals, where Tolkien indicated the root had two extended forms palat- and palan, and that its meaning was “originally also with the implication that the area was more or less flat and even, without hindrance to movement, or view”, and so serving as the basis for the words Q. palta/S. plad “palm, flat of the hand” (VT47/8-9). Thus even in Tolkien’s later writings, it seems the root retained the sense “flatness”.