An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s marked by Tolkien with a “?” having a single derivative ᴱQ. NÛLE “lead” (QL/68). There are no signs of this root elsewhere in Tolkien’s later writing, and even in the early period he generally used ᴱQ. kanu for “metallic lead” (LT1/100; QL/44).
Early Primitive Elvish
pol-i
root. ‽
Derivatives
po
root. ‽
Derivatives
Element in
gwori
root. ‽
Changes
WORI→ GWORI ✧ QL/104Derivatives
Variations
- WORI ✧ QL/104 (
WORI)
oso
root. ‽
Derivatives
nulu
root. ‽
Derivatives
- Eq. núle “lead” ✧ QL/068
vḷkḷ
root. ‽
An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. valkane “torture” and ᴱQ. vilkin “bitter, evil”, serving as the basis for ᴱQ. Valkarauke, the Qenya name of Balrogs (QL/100). In later writings the initial element of this name was derived from √BAL “(divine) power”.
Derivatives
siŋi
root. ‽
The root ᴱ√SIŊI appeared unglossed in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives ᴱQ. singe “salt” and (adjective) ᴱQ. singwa “salt” (QL/83). It had similar derivatives the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon: G. sing and singrin “salt”, noun and adjective (GL/67). I think it is worth positing a Neo-Root ᴺ√SIÑGI to salvage these early words.
Derivatives
- Eq. singe “salt” ✧ QL/083
Element in
- G. sing “salt”
tum(b)u
root. ‽
Derivatives
- ᴹ✶tundu “hole”
- ᴹQ. tundo “hole” ✧ PE21/08
- Eq. túma “moving”
- Eq. tum- “to dive”
- Eq. tumbe “trumpet, (large) horn” ✧ LT1A/Tombo
- Eq. tumbo “dale, vale” ✧ LT1A/Tombo; QL/095
- Eq. tumna “deep, profound, dark or hidden” ✧ LT1A/Tombo; QL/095
- ᴺQ. tumya- “to dip, baptize”
- Eq. tunda “hole”
- G. tumla- “to excavate, hollow out” ✧ LT1A/Tombo
- G. tûm “valley” ✧ LT1A/Tombo
- G. tum “hollow” ✧ LT1A/Tombo
- G. tumli “dale” ✧ LT1A/Tombo
- G. Udum
Variations
- TUMU ✧ LT1A/Tombo
- TUM(B)U² ✧ QL/095
bē Reconstructed
root. ‽
Derivatives
Variations
- PĒ ✧ QL/072
hama
root. ‽
Derivatives
Element in
Variations
- HAM ✧ QL/039
ru’u
root. ‽
An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, probably actually ✱ᴱ√RUƷU, with derivatives like ᴱQ. rú “dwelling, village, hamlet”, ᴱQ. rue “rest, stillness, remaining, steadfastness”, and ᴱQ. ruin “peace” (QL/80). There were a number of likely-related words in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. rô “enduring, long suffering; quiet, gentle, docile”, G. rû “dwelling, house”, and G. rûtha- “dwell, remain”, though Tolkien seems to have rejected the Gnomish forms beginning with rô- (GL/66). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing, but I think it is worth positing a Neo-Root ᴺ√RUH “✱still” to preserve some of these early words.
Derivatives
- Eq. rú “dwelling, village, hamlet” ✧ QL/080
- Eq. rú “steadfastness, faith, trustiness” ✧ QL/080
- Eq. rue “rest, stillness, remaining, steadfastness” ✧ QL/080
- Eq. ruin “peace” ✧ QL/080
- Eq. rungwa “stiff, solid” ✧ QL/080
- Eq. rúse “weary”
- Eq. rúya “unmoved, steadfast” ✧ QL/080
- G. rô- “to remain, stay, stand; to endure”
- G. rô “enduring, long suffering; quiet, gentle, docile”
- G. rôs “endurance, meekness, patience, gentleness”
- G. rû “dwelling, house”
- G. ruin “inhabited, tilled”
- G. rûs “endurance, long suffering, patience”
- G. rust “inhabitation; cultivation, tillage”
- G. rûtha- “to dwell, remain”
sē
root. ‽
Derivatives
Variations
- SENE² ✧ QL/082
sṣtyṣ
root. ‽
The unglossed root ᴱ√SṢT͡YṢ appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. sastya “sore, galled” and ᴱQ. sist (sisty-) “ulcer, sore” (QL/86). The latter word was also mentioned as siste in “ulcer, boil” as a derivative of ᴱ✶sṣtē (PE12/14), and the primitive form was given as sistyi, though Tolkien did say it was indicative of ancient syllabic ṣ (PE12/3). However, in the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s it seems primitive ᴱ✶sṣt- = “✱hiss” (PE13/163); see the entry on ᴹ√SUS “hiss” for discussion.
Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin I think it is worth positing a Neo-Root ᴺ√SISTI to salvage some of these early words.
Derivatives
Variations
- sistyi- ✧ PE12/003
- SṢT͡YṢ ✧ QL/086
An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. oksa “joint” and ᴱQ. oswe “hip” (QL/71). In Tolkien’s later writings “joint” words seem to be based on √LIM “link, join” as in Q. málimë/S. molif “wrist, (lit.) hand-link” (VT47/6), but ᴱQ. oswe “hip” may be salvaged as a derivative of ᴹ√OS “round, about” referring instead to a rotating joint rather than a link.