ris

root. cut, cleave, cut; [ᴹ√] slash, rip; cleave

This root first appeared as ᴹ√RIS “slash, rip” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the derivative N. risto “rend, rip” (Ety/RIS¹). Tolkien then created a new entry for ᴹ√RIS without deleting the prior entry, with derivatives like ᴹQ. rista/N. rhest “a cut” and ᴹQ. rista-/N. rhista- “cut” (Ety/RIS²); this seems to reflect a conceptual shift of “slash, rip” >> “cut”. Indeed, the root √RIS reappeared in Tolkien’s later writings with the gloss “cut” (PE17/87). Christopher Tolkien gave this root the gloss “cleave” in the Silmarillion Appendix (SA/ris).