polë

noun. meal, grist, meal, grist, [ᴹQ.] flour, [ᴱQ.] oats, grain (unground kernels of oats, wheat, etc.)

This word was used for “flour” related words for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱQ. pole (poli-) “oats” in both the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s, derived from the early root ᴱ√POL-I which was, in that document, distinct from ᴱ√POLO “have strength” (QL/75, PME/75). The word reappeared with various glosses in documents from the 1920s: “grain; unground kernels of oats, wheat, etc.” (PE15/73), “grain” (PE14/75), “flour” (PE16/141).

In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s it was ᴹQ. pole “flour, meal” (PE21/12), but in The Etymologies of the 1930s it became ᴹQ. pore (pori-) “flour, meal” derived from primitive ᴹ✶pori under the root ᴹ√POR (Ety/POR). Tolkien may have changed l to r to better distinguish it from the root ᴹ√POL(OD) “physically strong” (Ety/POL). In notes from around 1967, however, Tolkien became dissatisfied with the meaning of the root √POL, saying:

> POL. This cannot refer to strength. (Too obvious a reminiscence of [Latin] pollens); also it does not account for poli- “meal, grist”. POL- should have senses “pound up”, break up small, reduced to powder etc. (PE17/181).

Thus it seems he restored pole (poli-). However, in notes from 1968 he reversed himself, saying:

> Q. pol, large, big (strong). polda big. DELETE pole “meal”! Make it mule (PE17/115).

Neo-Quenya: Given the widespread use of √POL in words having to do with physical ability, I agree with Tolkien’s 1968 note that poli- is not viable for “flour” words. I recommend Q. mulë for “meal” = any ground grains in general, but I think it is worth retaining 1930s ᴹQ. pore specifically for “flour”.

polë

meal, grist

[polë (stem poli-) noun "meal, grist" (PE17:115, 181), a word Tolkien decided to replace by mulë; perhaps polë was a variant of porë.]

porë

flour, meal

porë (stem *pori-, given the primitive form ¤pori) noun "flour, meal" (POR). See polë.

pol-

verb. can, to be able to

pol-

can

pol- (1) vb. "can" = have physical power and ability, as in polin quetë "I can speak (because mouth and tongue are free)". Cf. ista-, lerta- as verbs "can" with somewhat different shades of meaning. (VT41:6, PE17:181)

polëa

adjective. able

tulwë

pillar, standard, pole

tulwë noun "pillar, standard, pole" (LT1:270)

mulë

noun. meal, meal, *grist, ground grains

A word in a list of “large & small” roots from around 1968 replacing polë “meal” (PE17/115). It was likely derived from ✱√MUL, which in the 1910s meant “grind” (QL/63). This words means “meal” in the sense “ground grains” such as “cornmeal”, not “meal” as a time for eating which is [ᴹQ.] mat.

andanyarro

noun. weasel, ferret, mink, stoat, polecat, (lit.) long-rat

A neologism for “weasel, ferret, mink, stoat, polecat” coined by Dírheron on Discord in 2019, a combination of anda “long” and [ᴹQ.] nyarro “rat”.

mulë

meal, grist

mulë noun "meal, grist" (PE17:115, 181), replacing polë, q.v.

lerta-

can

lerta- vb. "can" in the sense "be free to do", being under no restraint (physical or other). Lertan quetë "I can speak (because I am free to do so, there being no obstacle of promise, secrecy, or duty)". Where the absence of a physical restraint is considered, this verb can be used in much the same sense as pol- (VT41:6)

mat

meal, meal time

mat (matt-) noun "meal, meal time" (QL:59)

tarma

pillar

tarma noun "pillar" (SA:tar); Tarmasundar (þ) "the Roots of the Pillar", the slopes of Mt. Meneltarma in Númenor (UT:166)

tarma

noun. pillar

tavar

wood

tavar (1) noun "wood" (TÁWAR)

toina

adjective. wood, wood, *wooden, made of wood

A word glossed “wood” appearing in a list of “large & small” roots from around 1968 derived from primitive ✶tawĭnā (PE17/115) and hence probably an adjective “✱wooden, (made) of wood” as suggested by Helge Fauskanger (QQ/toina).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien instead had ᴹQ. taurina “of wood”, an adjectival form of ᴹQ. tavar “wood (material)” (Ety/TÁWAR). The word ᴹQ. toina appeared in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1940s, but was unglossed, so whether it meant “✱wooden” is unclear.

turu

wood

turu (3) noun "wood" (properly firewood, but used of wood in general) (LT1:270)

mulessë

noun. porridge