quet- vb. "say, speak" (SA:quen-/quet-, LT2:348), sg. aorist quetë in VT41:11 and VT49:19 (spelt "qete" in the latter source), not to be confused with the infinitival aorist stem in the example polin quetë "I can speak" (VT41:6); pl. aorist quetir in VT49:10-11, present tense quéta in VT41:13, pa.t. quentë in PM:401, 404, apparent gerund quetië in VT49:28 (by Tolkien translated as "words", but more literally evidently *"speaking"). Imperative in the command queta Quenya! "speak Quenya!" (PE17:138), see Quenya regarding the meaning of this phrase. The same verb is translated "tell" in the sentence órenya quetë nin "my heart tells me" (VT41:15). Cf. also #maquet-
Quenya
ista
verb. know
ista-
know
quet-
say, speak
equë
verb. say, says, said
A defective verb in Quenya that meant “say”, “says” or “said”, the only remnant of the verbal function of the ancient root √KWE (WJ/392). This verb is “defective” in the sense that is does not have most verbal inflections:
> It has no tense forms and usually receives no pronominal affixes, being mostly used only before either a proper name (sg. or pl.) or a full independent pronoun, in the senses “say / says” or “said”. A quotation then follows, either direct, or less usually indirect after a “that”-conjunction (WJ/392).
Thus it resembles the English verb “quoth”, which is likewise a defective verb that is not inflected for tense: Eque Manwe = “Quoth Manwe”, which would then be followed by the thing that Manwe said. This difference is that English “quoth” sounds archaic and can only be used of past quotations, whereas Quenya eque is not archaic and can used of either past quotations or habitual quotations: things the speaker regularly says. The only inflections this verb can take are pronominal suffixes, which are attached directly to eque such as equen “said I” or eques “said he”, and such inflections are only used when reporting a dialogue (WJ/415).
Cognates
- T. epë “say, says, said” ✧ WJ/392
Derivations
Element in
- Q. eques “saying, (current or proverbial) dictum, quotation from someone’s uttered words, saying, (current or proverbial) dictum, quotation from someone’s uttered words, *quote, statement” ✧ WJ/392
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶ekwē > eque [ekwē] > [ekwe] ✧ WJ/392 Variations
- eque ✧ WJ/392
quet-
verb. to say, speak, tell, to say, speak, tell, [ᴱQ.] talk
Cognates
Derivations
Element in
- Q. alaquenta “well (happily) said”
- ᴺQ. apaquet- “to forebode, foretell, predict”
- ᴺQ. asquétima “easy to say”
- Q. cé mo quetë ulca “*if one speaks evil” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. enquet- “to repeat, say again”
- Q.
ataquetië“saying again, repetition”- ᴺQ. etequet- “to confess, speak out”
- ᴺQ. hanquet- “to answer, *respond”
- ᴺQ. nanquet- “to answer”
- Q. endaquet- “to answer”
- Q. tóquet- “to answer”
- Q. istan quetë “I can speak, I know how to speak”
- ᴺQ. lanquet- “to converse, debate, *discuss”
- ᴺQ. lanquetta “conversation, debate, interchange of words”
- Q. láquet- “to deny (fact or accusation); (lit.) to say ‘it is not’”
- Q. lertan quetë “I can speak, I am free to speak” ✧ PE17/160; VT41/06
- Q. loiquetë “mistake in speech”
- Q. maquet- “*to question, ask”
- ᴺQ. meluquetya “sweet-speaking person, flatterer”
- ᴺQ. mirquet- “to persuade, (lit.) into-talk”
- Q. naiquet- “to curse or blaspheme”
- Q. náner ataformaitë ve fírimor quetir “*were ambidextrous as mortals say” ✧ VT49/11
- ᴺQ. nanquet- “to talk back, speak against”
- Q. náquet- “to assent, agree (on fact); (lit.) to say ‘it is’”
- ᴺQ. nenquet- “to condescend, (orig.) speak down the nose”
- Q. órenya quéta nin “my heart is saying to me” ✧ VT41/13
- Q. órenya quetë nin “my heart tells me” ✧ VT41/11
- Q. polin quetë “I can speak, I am able to speak” ✧ PE17/181; VT41/06
- Q. Quendë “Elf, (lit.) One That Speaks”
- Q. quenten tulil márië nin “I said: you come happily (for me)” ✧ PE22/158
- Q. quentë Quengoldo “Thus spoke Pengoloð” ✧ PM/404
- Q. queta Quenya “speak Quenya” ✧ PE17/137; PE17/138
- Q. quetë Quenya “*speaks Quenya” ✧ PE17/138
- Q. quetië “words, words, *(lit.) saying” ✧ PE22/158; VT49/28
- Q. quétima “speakable, pronounceable, able to be said, speakable, pronounceable, [ᴹQ.] utterable, able to be said”
- Q. quetir en “they still say” ✧ PE17/167
- ᴺQ. quetítë “having speech, able to talk, good at expression, glib”
- Q. sáquet- “I will, to agree (to do); (lit.) to say ‘yes’”
- Q. sin quentë Quendingoldo Elendilenna “*thus Pengoloð said to Elendil” ✧ PM/401
- ᴺQ. ulquet- “to accuse”
- Q. váquet- “to refuse, forbid, prohibit; (lit.) to say no, to say ‘I will not or do not’”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √KWET > qet- [kwet-] ✧ PE17/126 √quet- > quet- [kwet-] ✧ SA/quen Variations
- quĕt- ✧ PE17/040
- qet- ✧ PE17/126
eques
saying, dictum, a quotation from someone's uttered words, a current or proverbial dictum
eques (equess-, as in pl. equessi) noun "a saying, dictum, a quotation from someone's uttered words, a current or proverbial dictum" (WJ:392); I Equessi Rúmilo "the Sayings of Rúmil" (WJ:398)
ista- (2) vb. "know", pa.t. sintë (IS, LT2:339, VT48:25). This past tense Tolkien called "certainly irregular" (VT48:25, where an alternative pa.t. isintë is also mentioned, but sintë is said to be the older form; compare editorial notes in VT48:32. Ista- is also used for "can" in the sense of "know how to", as in istan quetë "I can speak (because I have learned (a) language)" (VT41:6) Passive participle sinwa "known, certain, ascertained" (VT49:68)