pī

noun. small insect, fly

pir

root. close eyes, blink, wink

A root introduced by Tolkien in Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959 with the gloss “close eyes, blink, wink” to provide a new explanation for the flower name S. alfirin (originally “immortal = not mortal”) after he decided the prefix al- meant “well” rather than “not” (PE17/146). He derived the names Q. pirindë and S. pirin for “a flower that opened and shut quickly with any change of light”. The root ᴱ√PIRI also appeared (unglossed) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. piri- “spin, turn”, ᴱQ. pirin “thin rod, pin” and ᴱQ. piruke “swirl, twisting, pirouetting” (QL/74). Finally, the word Q. pirë “toe” appeared in notes associated with the 1955 version of the poem Q. Nieninquë, perhaps representing a third meaning for this root (PE16/96).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think the gloss “blink, wink” for √PIR is not a great fit, since it is a contrived etymology Tolkien invented for a word he clearly meant to be something different originally. Q. tihta- is probably a better known verb for “blink”. For “spin”, I prefer a Neo-Eldarin root ᴺ√KWIR adapted from early ᴱ√QIŘI. However, I think ᴺ√PIR might be retained as a Neo-Root with the sense “✱cylinder”; I think this works as an explanation of Q. pirë “toe”, and allows the retention of early words like ᴱQ. pirin “thin rod, pin” and ᴱQ. pirinumbe “cylinder”.

pir

root. *cylinder; [ᴱ√] spin; [√]close eyes, blink, wink

pi(n) Reconstructed

root. little

Tolkien used a variety of roots for Elvish words for “small”. One early root was ᴱ√PIKI with variants ᴱ√PINI and ᴱ√PĪ from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, unglossed but with derivatives like ᴱQ. pínea “small” and ᴱQ. pinqe “slender, thin” (QL/73). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. pinig “tiny, little” and G. pibin “small berry, haw” (GL/64).

The root reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as unglossed {ᴹ√PEK >>} ᴹ√PIK with derivatives like N. pigen “tiny” and N. peg “small spot, dot” (Ety/PIK; EtyAC/PIK). Further evidence for this root can be seen in later words like Q. piki- or pitya “petty” (WJ/389) and Q. pik- “lessen, dwindle” (MC/223). A variant root √PEY appeared in a list of roots having to do with large and small, with a single derivative Q. pia “little” [< ✱peya], but it was immediately followed by the forms pikina, pinke, pitya which point back to √PIK (PE/117).

Further evidence of early forms ᴱ√PINI and ᴱ√PĪ can also be seen in Tolkien’s later writings. There is S. ✱pîn “little” in S. Cûl Bîn “Little Load” (RC/536), ✶pī {“small bird” >>} “small insect” (VT47/35), and T. pinke “little-one, baby” (VT48/6), though the last of these might be from √PIK. In any case it seems Tolkien continued to use all of √PI, √PIK and √PIN to form words for little things into the late 1960s.

In The Shibboleth of Fëanor from the late 1960s, Tolkien changed pitya to Q. nitya in the name Q. Nityafinwë “Little Finwë” (PM/353, 365 note #59), which may indicate a replacement of √PIK by √NIK, another root used regularly in Tolkien’s later writings for “small”. But I believe √PIK and √NIK may coexist with slightly different meanings: “tiny” vs. “small”; see the entry on √NIK for further discussion.

pil

root. rob

pip

root. hang, trail

lep

root. pick up/out (with the fingers); finger

This root was connected to Elvish words for “finger” for most of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as an unglossed root ᴱ√LEPE in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. let (lept-) “finger” and ᴱQ. lempe “crook, hook” (QL/53). There were also derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. leptha “finger” and G. lempa- “beckon, crook the finger” (GL/53). The root ᴹ√LEP appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with extensions ᴹ√LEPET “finger” and ᴹ√LEPEN “five” and various derivatives of similar meanings (Ety/LEP).

In Tolkien’s later writings, √LEPEN “five” continued to appear regularly, along with the base root √LEP that was glossed either “finger” (VT42/24) or “pick up (with fingers)” (VT47/10, 24, 27). Despite the stability of the root, the Elvish words for “finger” themselves when through many revisions; see Q. leper and S. leber for discussion.

mik

root. pierce

This root appeared in a late etymology of the name S. Maeglin (“Sharp Glance”) as √MIK “pierce”, along with several other derivatives including the word Q. hendumaika “sharp-eye[d]” (WJ/337). In earlier versions of the tales, the name was given as G. Meglin, but this form of the name was not given a derivation until the 1930s, when N. meglin appeared in The Etymologies as an adjectival form of N. megli “bear” (Ety/LIS). The form of this name became Maeglin in Silmarillion drafts from the 1950s and 60s (WJ/122 note §119), though when Tolkien devised its new derivation isn’t clear. The (unglossed) Quenya word Q. maica appeared in the second version Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ2) from around 1950, and it may be related to √MIK “pierce”, but without a translation it is hard to be sure.

ter

root. pierce

This root first appeared as unglossed ᴱ√TEŘE [TEÐE] in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, with derivatives like ᴱQ. teret “auger, borer, gimlet”, ᴱQ. tereva “piercing, acute, shrill, sharp”, and ᴱQ. teste “worm”; another set of derivatives based on Q. teren “lissom, lithe” were marked by Tolkien with a “?” (QL/91). In the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa the root teře was glossed “pierce” (PME/91). Possibly related forms in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon include G. tertha- “devour, destroy” and G. tereg “worm”, but if so they may represent a shift of the root from ᴱ√TEÐE >> ✱ᴱ√TERE (GL/70).

Indeed, in The Etymologies of the 1930s the root was given as ᴹ√TER “pierce” with derivatives like ᴹQ. ter/N. trî “through” and ᴹQ. tereva/N. trîw “fine, acute, [N.] very slender” (Ety/TER). As originally written, the root was ᴹ√TERÉW, but Tolkien changed this to ᴹ√TER and added an extended form ᴹ√TERES that was the basis for ᴹQ. terra/N. tess “fine pierced hole” (EtyAC/TER). The root √TER “pierce” appeared again in notes from 1957 on the origin of Q. Vairë “Weaver” as a variant of √THER “sew” (PE17/33). This specific note was marked through, but given Tolkien’s ongoing use of Q. ter “though”, the root √TER probably survived.

khabdā

noun. pile, (artificial) mound

khabnā

noun. pile, (artificial) mound

khag

root. pile up

khagdā

noun. piled mound, heap

thŏno

noun. pine

stona

noun. pine

khab

root. heap up, pile up

A root glossed “heap up, pile up” appearing in revisions written sometime after 1959 in the Outline of Phonology (OP2), where it replaced √KHAG “pile up” (PE19/91 and note #110, pp. 91-92). One notable derivative of √KHAB was S. haudh “funeral mound”, as opposed to The Etymologies of the 1930s where N. hauð “mound, grave, tomb” was derived from ᴹ√KHAG (Ety/KHAG). The root ᴹ√KHAG “pile up” also appeared in the contemporaneous Outline of Phonetic Development from the 1930s (OP1), but there its derivative was given as N. haeð “heap, piled mound” (PE19/45).

Tolkien’s revision of √KHAG “pile up” > √KHAB may have been motivated by changing conceptions of the vocalization of voiced spirants in Noldorin vs. Sindarin: see the entry on how the first in pair of voiced stops vocalized for further discussion. Compare the earlier development khagda > ✱khāda > N. hauð “mound” from The Etymologies of the 1930s to the newer development khagda > ✱khaida > haeð “fenced enclosure” derived from the newly defined root √KHAG “stake”, also appearing in these post-1959 revisions of OP2 (PE19/91). As for the roots themselves, it seems 1930s ᴹ√KHAG “pile up” >> post-1959 √KHAB “pile up”, whereas √KHAG was given the new meaning “stake”. Also note that in all of these derivations from the 1930s up through the late 1950s of S./N. haudh “(funeral) mound”, the Sindarin/Noldorin word was influenced by the root √KHAW(AD) of various meanings; see that entry for details.

As for √KHAB, it also appears to be the basis for some 1968 primitive words: ✶khābā “unleavened bread” (originally from any vegetable, later just bread from grains) and ✶khabar “a loaf or cake of bread” (NM/295), perhaps referring to the stockpiling of grains as suggested by Röandil in a Discord chat from 2021.

nap

root. take (hold), pick up, grasp, seize quickly (with fingers)

A root appearing in notes from the late 1960s on hands and fingers variously glossed as “grasp, seize quickly (with fingers)” (VT47/20), “take hold” (VT47/28) or “take, pick up” (VT47/29). It seems Tolkien introduced this root as part of his rather surprising decision to abandon √MAP “take hold, seize” after 50 years of use, stating that √NAP was the true primitive root and √MAP perhaps a Telerin-only variant of it (VT/7). It may be a restoration of the early root ᴱ√NAPA from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s which itself was said to be a variant of ᴱ√MAPA “seize” (QL/59, 64). The early root ᴱ√NAPA had no (Early) Qenya derivatives, but some Gnomish derivatives appeared in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, such as G. nab- “take, lay hold of” and G. nabos “seizure” (GL/59). ᴱN. nabru “booty” from Early Noldorin word lists of the 1920s was probably also related (PE13/150).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is preferable to retain the root √MAP “take hold, seize”, but √NAP can co-exist with it as a variant of similar meaning, both allowing its 1960s derivatives (mostly thumb words) and salvaging some of its Gnomish derivatives.

khotta

verb. gather hastily together, pile up

lepetā

noun. thumb, ‘picker’; finger

sapnā

noun. delved hole, pit

tankla

noun. brooch, clasp, fastener, pin

nik

root. small

One of various roots for “small” Tolkien used in his later writings. The root √NIK “small” first appeared in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s (VT47/26; VT48/18), but was connected to the diminutive suffix ✶-i(n)ki which had a much longer conceptual history. One of the earliest known diminutive suffix was ᴱQ. -íne(a) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s from the root ᴱ√INI “small” (QL/42), which might be a precursor to √NIK; these suffixes reappeared in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s (PE14/49, 81). In the Gnomish Grammar of the 1910s, the word G. inc “small” was used as the basis for the “diminutive superlative” -inci (PE11/16).

In the Qenya Lexicon, Tolkien connected ᴱ√INI “small” to the root ᴱ√MINI of similar meaning (QL/42, 61). There are no signs of ᴱ√MINI “small” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, but the word G. migin “little” (GL/57) hints at a (hypothetical) variant root ✱ᴱ√MIKI. Further support for ✱ᴱ√MIKI can be found in other diminutive forms in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s such as prefixal diminutive ᴱQ. mike- along adverbial ᴱQ. mike “little” (QL/48, 81), the latter appearing with the gloss “a bit” in the English-Qenya Dictionary from this period (PE15/70) along with other similar words in both the dictionary and the grammar. This ✱ᴱ√MIKI might be another precursor to √NIK. An early hint at √NIK itself might appear in the word ᴹQ. nikse “minnow, little fish” from the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s (PE21/27).

In Noldorin and Sindarin, the primary diminutive suffix became -eg, which was connected to the Common Eldarin suffix -iki elsewhere in notes on hands and fingers (VT47/14 note #21). In the notes where √NIK “small” appeared in the late 1960s, Tolkien gave the primitive diminutive as -inkĭ along with variants ikki, -iksi, -si, -ensi, -ki.

One of the main competing roots for “small” was ᴹ√PIK [see the entry for √PI(N)], itself with a lengthy conceptual history. The shift of pitya >> nitya “little” in the father name of Amrod from the late 1960s may represent a replacement of √PIK by √NIK (PM/365), but I think it is likelier the two roots coexisted with slightly different meanings, as was the case for their earlier precursors. In the notes from the late 1960s, √NIK was also contrasted with √NIP “small (usually with connotation of weakness)” (VT48/18), from which the word S. niben “petty” was derived, as in S. Nogoth Niben (WJ/388).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume √NIK meant “small” in a neutral sense, √PIK “tiny” (along with variants √PĪ and √PIN) and √NIP “small and weak”. I would use these as the major Eldarin roots for “small” words, along with a number of other more specialized roots.

ter

root. pierce

thip

root. whistle, pipe

sal

root. [unglossed], *harp(ing), lyre

The unglossed root ᴱ√SALA appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. salma “lyre, small harp” and ᴱQ. salumbe “harping, music” (QL/81). The root √SAL appeared again Common Eldarin: Verb Structure from the early 1950s to illustrate the reformed perfect form of its verb Q. asálie (PE22/132), but since these later forms are unglossed it is unclear whether they have the same meaning (“✱harp(ing)”) as the earlier version of the root.

kwinde

noun. crest, ridge

ekka

noun. hole

kin

root. *small

kit

root. *small

Tolkien gave the roots √KIN and √KIT with the gloss “small” in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957; given Sindarin derivative S. cidinn, √KIT is the likelier of the two possibilities (PE17/157).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I recommend against using the Quenya derivative of this root, as there are other better-known Quenya words for “small”. In Sindarin, however, we have fewer options, and I think it is worth retaining this root for that branch of the Eldarin languages.

laikā

adjective. green

lemek

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in the Outline of Phonology from the early 1950s illustrating certain phonetic combinations (PE19/98), and therefore possibly not a “real” root.

mal

root. gold, yellow, gold

This was the root for Elvish words meaning “yellow” for much of Tolkien’s life, though with some minor variations. It appeared as ᴱ√MALA “yellow” (usually mali-) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. malina “yellow” and ᴱQ. malikon “amber” (QL/58). It also appeared in a list of M-roots at the end of that section (QL/63). It had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. malon “yellow” and G. malthos “butter cup” (GL/56).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s it seems Tolkien first gave this root as ᴹ√MAL (EtyAC/MAL) but rejected this and replaced it with ᴹ√SMAL “yellow” (Ety/SMAL). It had derivatives like ᴹQ. malina/N. malen “yellow”, ᴹQ. malta/N. malt “gold (as metal)” and ᴹQ. malo/N. hmâl “pollen, yellow powder” (< ᴹ✶smalu), with some revisions in Noldorin forms as Tolkien vacillated on whether or not primitive sm- resulted in voiceless nasal hm- or a voiced nasal m-.

This √SMAL vs. √MAL variation seems to have continued into Tolkien’s later writings, as seen in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s where ✶malu >> ✶smalu “dust, grit” (PE21/80), probably a later iteration of ᴹ✶smalu “pollen, yellow powder” from The Etymologies. But it seems Tolkien settled on √MAL as evidenced by the extended root √MALAT “gold” from The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968 (PM/366).

malat

root. gold

nimpĭ

adjective. small

ninkĭ

adjective. small

phut

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root appearing in the second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ2) as an etymological variation of √PUT (PE18/90).

stuk

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in a rejected section of the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the early 1950s, serving to illustration certain phonetic developments: ✶stuknā > Q. thúna (PE19/86).

tig

root. [unglossed]

A root appearing in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 as the basis for the verb Q. tinga- “go (for a long while)” (PE22/157). The etymology was marked with an “X” and so was probably a transient idea (PE22/157 note #70).

wiw

root. blow

wāya

verb. blow

graw Reconstructed

root. [unglossed], [ᴹ√] dark, swart

This root appeared as a primitive form grawa serving as the basis of the word Q. roa “bear” >> “dog” in notes on monosyllabic roots from 1968 (VT47/35); a Sindarin derivative S. graw “bear” appeared in other notes written around the same time (VT47/12). Patrick Wynne suggested that in the sense “bear” grawa might be connected to the root ᴹ√GRAWA “dark, swart” from The Etymologies of the 1930s (EtyAC/GRAWA).