ris

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

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).

Derivatives

• ✶rinsa “cleft, cloven, separate” ✧ PE17/087
  • S. riss “cleft, cloven, separate; cleft” ✧ PE17/087
• ✶rinse “?cleft, ravine” ✧ PE17/087
  • Q. rissë “?cleft, ravine” ✧ PE17/087
• ✶rista “*cut”
  • S. rest “*cut, [N.] cut” ✧ WJ/365
• Q. rista “*cut, [ᴹQ.] cut” ✧ PE17/087
• S. crist “cleaver, cleaver; [N.] sword; [G.] knife; slash, slice” ✧ SA/ris

Element in

• √KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split” ✧ SA/ris
• S. Angrist “Iron-cleaver” ✧ SA/ris
• S. criss “cleft, cleft, [N.] cut, slash, [G.] gash; [N.] pass, [G.] gully, ravine” ✧ PE17/087
• S. Imladris “Rivendell, (lit.) Deep Dale of the Cleft” ✧ SA/ris

Variations

• ris ✧ SA/ris