nahta-

slay

nahta- (1) verb "slay" (nahtan "I slay"). Possible variant #nehta- see #nehtar. Passive participle nahtana in the phrase nahtana ló Túrin *"slain by Turin". (VT49:24)

nahta-

verb. slay

nehtar

slayer

#nehtar noun "slayer", isolated from Morinehtar "Darkness-slayer" (PM:384, 385). It may be that a verbal stem #nehta- "to slay, kill" can also be isolated from this noun, though the attested form is actually nahta- (a possible example of A/E variation).

nehtar

noun. slayer

An element in Morinehtar “Darkness-slayer”, a name of one of the Blue Wizards (PM/384). It seems to be an agental form of nahta- “to slay”, but the reason why the vowel is e is unclear.

Cognates

• S. dagnir “slayer, bane”

Element in

• Q. Morinehtar “Darkness-slayer” ✧ PM/384

Elements

Word	Gloss
nahta-	“to slay; to hurt, injure, wound, to slay, [ᴱQ.] slay cruelly; [Q.] to hurt, injure, wound”

nehta-

to slay

#nehta- (2) vb. "to slay" if such a stem can be isolated from #nehtar (see below). The (variant?) form nahta- is given in VT49:24.

rista

cut

rista (2) noun "cut" (RIS), cf. #1 above.

pelecta-

hew

pelecta- ("k")vb. "hew" (this "Qenya" word may be adapted to LotR-style Quenya as *pelehta-)(LT2:346)

#nac-

hew, cut

#nac- ("k") vb. "hew, cut" (nacin "I hew, cut", VT49:24) or "bite" (NAK); compare nahta #2.

mac-

hew with a sword

#mac- _("k")_vb. "hew with a sword" (VT39:11, where the aorist macë is given); cf. early "Qenya" mac- ("k")"slay" (LT1:259)

nac-

verb. to hew, cut, to hew, cut; [ᴹQ.] to kill, slay; to hate

Cognates

• S. dag- “to slay, to slay, [ᴱN.] kill”

Derivations

• √NDAK “hew, slay, slay; hew” ✧ PE22/156; VT49/24

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NDAK > nakin	[ndakin] > [nakin]	✧ PE22/156
√ndak- > nakin	[ndakin] > [nakin]	✧ VT49/24

Variations

• nak- ✧ PE22/133

rissë

cut

rissë noun? The word is not clearly glossed but apparently means "cut" or "cleft" (ravine), the cognate of the final element of Imladris, Sindarin name of Rivendell. (PE17:87)

nahta-

verb. to slay; to hurt, injure, wound, to slay, [ᴱQ.] slay cruelly; [Q.] to hurt, injure, wound

A verb for “slay” based on the root √NDAK (PE22/156). Conjugations from 1964 (PE17/77) and 1969 (PE22/156-157, 159, 164) indicate it was a half-strong verb with past tense nacante, though it also had an (archaic) strong past nance.

Conceptual Development: This verb dates back to the Early Qenya Phonology of the 1920s where Tolkien had ᴱQ. nahta- “slay cruelly” based on primitive ᴱ✶ndagta- from the early root ᴱ√DAGA (PE14/66). In The Etymologies of the 1930s this root became ᴹ√NDAK “slay”, but this verb was not mentioned (Ety/NDAK). The verb ᴹQ. nahta- “slay” was mentioned again in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948, but there its root shifted back to √NDAG “slay” (PE22/102, 114-115).

In 1959 revisions to the Outline of Phonology (OP2), the root again became √NDAK “hew, slay”, but Q. nahta- was derived from an unrelated root √SNAG “wound” and was itself glossed “hurt, injure, wound” (PE19/91). A conjugation for nahta- appeared in notes from 1964, but without glosses (PE17/77). The verb nahta- appeared in quite a few examples in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969, and in those notes the gloss was again “slay” and its root was again √NDAK “hew” (PE22/156).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d stick to the meaning “to slay” for nahta-, and for “wound” I’d use [ᴹQ.] harna-.

Derivations

• √SNAG “wound, gash” ✧ PE19/091
• ✶ndakta- “to slay” ✧ PE22/156
  • √NDAK “hew, slay, slay; hew” ✧ PE22/156
• √NDAK “hew, slay, slay; hew” ✧ VT49/24

Element in

• ᴺQ. nahtalë “slaughter”
• Q. nahtana “*slain” ✧ VT49/24
• ᴺQ. nahtar “slayer, murderer”
• Q. nehtar “slayer”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√SNAG > nahta-	[snagta-] > [snakta-] > [n̥akta-] > [n̥axta-] > [naxta-]	✧ PE19/091
✶ndakta > nahtan	[ndakta-] > [nakta-] > [naxta-]	✧ PE22/156
√ndak- > nahtan	[ndakta-] > [nakta-] > [naxta-]	✧ VT49/24

Variations

• nahta- ✧ PE19/091
• nahta ✧ PE22/164

firta-

verb. to kill

Derivations

• √PHIR “exhale, expire, breathe out, exhale, expire, breathe out; [ᴹ√] die of natural causes”

dagnir

noun. slayer

dag-

verb. to slay, to slay, [ᴱN.] kill

A verb meaning “to slay” derived from the root √NDAK, best known from its passive participle dangen as in Haudh-en-Ndengin “Hill of Slain” (S/197). Tolkien wrote a set of possible past forms aðag, aðanc, aðarch in notes from 1962 (PE17/131), and the verb appeared in its (Noldorin) infinitive form degi “to slay” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√NDAK “slay” (Ety/NDAK), along with another couple of (Noldorin) past forms: danc, degant (EtyAC/NDAK). The verb form ᴱN. (n)dag- “to slay” appeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/141), but its present form dág was glossed “kills” and in the contemporaneous Early Noldorin Grammar the form dagion was likewise glossed “I kill” (PE13/130). Thus “slay” and “kill” are both viable translations.

Possible Etymology: In notes from around 1962, Tolkien gave ✶dankĭna as the primitive form of its passive participle dangen, indicating a root √DAK rather than √NDAK, which is also consistent with its nasal mutated plural form on that page: {i dengin >>} i nengin (PE17/133). The 1964 past forms aðag and aðanc also seem to indicate derivation from √DAK (PE17/131). In notes from around 1967, however, Tolkien had the mixed mutated form n(d)engin in the phrase i·m(b)air en N(d)engin, indicating √NDAK, and he consistently gave nac- for the equivalent Quenya forms, so the early 1960s flirtation with √DAK seems to have been a transient idea.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume the root is √NDAK, and hence I’d give it the past form ✱annanc “slayed” rather than aðanc.

Cognates

• Q. nac- “to hew, cut, to hew, cut; [ᴹQ.] to kill, slay; to hate”

Derivations

• √NDAK “hew, slay, slay; hew” ✧ SA/dagor

Element in

• S. Dagmor “?Slayer of Darkness”
• S. dagnir “slayer, bane” ✧ PE17/097; SA/dagor
• S. dangen “slain” ✧ PE17/133

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√ndak- > Dag-	[ndak-] > [dak-] > [dag-]	✧ SA/dagor

Variations

• Dag- ✧ SA/dagor (Dag-)

rista-

verb. to cut

rista-

verb. to rend, rip

Rest

noun. cut

dagnir

noun. bane

dag

slay

dag- (i nâg, i ndegir), pa.t. danc or dagant, passive participle dangen "slain" (pl. dengin, lenited nengin) (VT45:37)

dag

slay

(i nâg, i ndegir), pa.t. danc or dagant, passive participle dangen "slain" (pl. dengin, lenited nengin) (VT45:37)

ristannen

adjective. cut

Elements

Word	Gloss
rista-	“to cut; to rend, rip”

Rest

cut

(noun) 1) rest (ravine, cleft), pl. rist (idh rist), 2) criss (i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cleft, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss)

rest

cut

(ravine, cleft), pl. rist (idh rist)

criss

cut

(i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cleft, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss)

drava

hew

drava- (i dhrava, in dravar), pa.t. †dramp, later apparently dravant; passive participle drammen (VT45:8)

drava

hew

(i dhrava, in dravar), pa.t. †dramp, later apparently dravant; passive participle drammen (VT45:8)

ndakta-

verb. to slay

Derivations

• √NDAK “hew, slay, slay; hew” ✧ PE22/156

Derivatives

• Q. nahta- “to slay; to hurt, injure, wound, to slay, [ᴱQ.] slay cruelly; [Q.] to hurt, injure, wound” ✧ PE22/156

Variations

• ndakta ✧ PE22/156

ndak

root. hew, slay, slay; hew

This root and similar ones were the basis for “slay” words for much of Tolkien’s life. The root first appeared in the Early Qenya Phonology of the 1920s as ᴱ√dag- with numerous etymological variants, including ᴱQ. taila/ᴱN. dail “axe (blade)” < dagla, ᴱQ. tanga-/ᴱT. danga- “to beat” < tang-, and ᴱQ. nahta-/ᴱN. dag- “to slay” (PE14/65-66); these last two words for “slay” appeared regularly in Tolkien’s writings thereafter. The root reappeared as ᴹ√NDAK “slay” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with similar Noldorin derivatives (Ety/NDAK), apparently a strengthened form of ᴹ√DAK “slay” (EtyAC/DAK).

The root was given as ᴹ√NDAG “slay” in the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s (PE22/102, 115), but unglossed ᴹ√NDAK appeared in the same document (PE22/112), and verb ᴹQ. nak- was sometimes glossed “kill” as well (PE22/120). The root appeared as √NDAK “hew, slay” in the Outline of Phonology from the 1950s (OP2: PE19/91) and again as √NDAK “hew” in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 (LVS: PE22/156). This introduction of the sense “hew” in the 1950s and 60s may be a partial restoration of the senses of the 1920s root ᴱ√dag-, which meant more that just “slay”. If so, √NDAK may be compared with √MAK which had a similar variety of meanings (“cleave, sword, slay, fight, forge”); see that entry for details.

Derivatives

• ✶ndakna
  • Q. nanca “*hewn, slain” ✧ PE17/068
• ✶ndakta- “to slay” ✧ PE22/156
  • Q. nahta- “to slay; to hurt, injure, wound, to slay, [ᴱQ.] slay cruelly; [Q.] to hurt, injure, wound” ✧ PE22/156
• Q. nac- “to hew, cut, to hew, cut; [ᴹQ.] to kill, slay; to hate” ✧ PE22/156; VT49/24
• ᴺQ. nacil “victor”
• Q. nahta- “to slay; to hurt, injure, wound, to slay, [ᴱQ.] slay cruelly; [Q.] to hurt, injure, wound” ✧ VT49/24
• ᴺQ. nangwë “victory”
• Q. -ndacil “-victor, -slayer”
• S. dag- “to slay, to slay, [ᴱN.] kill” ✧ SA/dagor
• S. dagor “battle” ✧ SA/dagor
• ᴺS. degil “victor, winner”

Element in

• S. Haudh-en-Ndengin “Hill of Slain, (lit.) Mound of the Slain” ✧ SA/dagor

Variations

• ndak- ✧ SA/dagor; VT49/24

mak

root. cut, hew with a sharp edge; kill, slay; forge metal, cut, hew with a sharp edge, [ᴹ√] cleave; sword, fight (with a sword); ️[√] forge metal; kill, slay

This root was the basis for “sword” words throughout Tolkien’s life, but the meaning of the root itself shifted over time. The first appearance of this root was as ᴱ√MAKA in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, unglossed but with derivatives like ᴱQ. mak- “slay”, ᴱQ. makil “sword”, and ᴱQ. makka “slaughter” (QL/57-58). The root was also given the gloss “slay” in a section of the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon along with etymologies of names of the various Valar, but this section was deleted (GL/18). Derivatives of this root appeared elsewhere in the Gnomish Lexicon, however, such as G. mactha- “slay, kill” and G. magli “a great sword” (GL/55). Thus, the meaning of this root in the earliest period seems to be “slay”.

The root ᴹ√MAK appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, but the entry went through quite a few revisions. The gloss apparently was “cleave” >> “kill, cleave with sword” >> “sword, or verbal [stem] fight with sword, cleave” >> “sword, or as verb-stem: fight (with sword), cleave” (EtyAC/MAK; Ety/MAK). Thus the 1930s root was more directly connected with swords and wielding swords, and its derivatives included ᴹQ. makil/N. magol “sword” and ᴹQ. mahta-/N. maetha- “fight” (Ety/MAK).

In Tolkien’s later writings, the words for “sword” remained nearly the same: Q. macil and S. megil (PE17/130, 147), but the gloss of the root √MAK varied considerably based on whatever linguistic puzzle Tolkien was trying to solve at that particular moment. In notes associated with the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60, its gloss was very similar to that from The Etymologies: “cut, hew with a sharp edge” (VT39/11). In notes associated with The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968 Tolkien glossed {m(b)aka- >>} maka- as “forge metal” as part of a new etymology of the name S. Maglor as an adaptation Q. Makalaure “Forging Gold” (PM/353; VT41/10). In notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s Tolkien gave √MAK “strike” as the basis for ✶makwā > S. mâb “hand”, but this idea was rejected immediately (VT47/19). This was part of Tolkien’s rather surprising decision to abandon the long-standing root √MAP (VT47/20 note #13); elsewhere in these notes he said √MAK meant “kill, slay” as it did in the 1910s (VT47/20).

Lokyt suggested in a Discord chat from 2018 that there may be a common underlying meaning for all these glosses, referring to “the movement one does when chopping with a tool”. Assuming this is true, the other associations of the root (“sword; slay; fight; forge”) may be the result of a narrowing of the meaning of the root in more specific contexts. While it is hard to know whether Tolkien himself interpreted the root this way, I think this is the best way to treat the root for purposes of Neo-Eldarin, as it allows us to retain the largest set of derivatives of the root.

Changes

• m(b)aka- → maka- ✧ VT41/10

Derivatives

• ✶maikā “blade of a cutting tool or weapon (especially sword-blade)” ✧ VT39/11
  • Q. maica “blade of a cutting tool or weapon (especially sword-blade)” ✧ VT39/11
• ✶makwā “a hand-full, complete hand with all five fingers” ✧ VT47/19
  • Q. maqua “hand-full, group of five (similar) things; hand (colloquial); closing or closed [hand] (facing down) for taking” ✧ VT47/06; VT47/07; VT47/19
  • S. mâb “hand, hand, [N.] grasp” ✧ VT47/06; VT47/07; VT47/19
  • T. mapa “hand” ✧ VT47/06; VT47/07; VT47/19
  • T. mapa- “to take hold of, grasp” ✧ VT47/07
• Q. mac- “to hew with a sword, to hew (with a sword); [ᴱQ.] to slay; to die” ✧ VT39/11
• ᴺQ. maca- “to forge”
• Q. macar “swordsman; †forger” ✧ VT39/11; VT41/10
• Q. macil “sword, forged sword blade, cutting sword, sword, forged sword blade, cutting sword, [ᴱQ.] broadsword” ✧ VT39/11; VT41/10
• ᴺS. maga- “to forge metal”
• S. magor “swordsman”
• S. megil “sword, longsword”

Element in

• ✶maka-glawar ✧ VT41/10
• ᴺQ. aimahto “martyr, (lit.) blessed slain”
• Q. Macalaurë “Forging Gold” ✧ VT41/10
• Q. Mahtan “?Forger Smith”

Variations

• m(b)aka- ✧ VT41/10
• maka- ✧ VT41/10
• mak ✧ VT47/20

dag-

verb. to slay

dag-

verb. to slay

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nak- “to kill, slay; to hate”

Derivations

• On. ndak- “to slay” ✧ Ety/NDAK
  • ᴹ√(N)DAK “slay” ✧ Ety/NDAK

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. ndakie > degi	[ndakie] > [dakie] > [dekie] > [deki] > [degi]	✧ Ety/NDAK

osgar-

verb. to cut round, to amputate

rhista-

verb. to cut

rhista-

verb. to rend, rip

draf-

verb. to hew

rhest

noun. cut

rhest

noun. cut

Cognates

• ᴹQ. rista “cut” ✧ Ety/RIS²

Derivations

• ᴹ√RIS “slash, rip” ✧ Ety/RIS²

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√RIS > rhest	[rista] > [resta] > [rest] > [r̥est]	✧ Ety/RIS²

drava-

verb. to hew

Derivations

• ᴹ√DARAM “beat, hew, beat, hew; [ᴱ√] batter, thud” ✧ Ety/DARÁM

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√DARÁM > dravo	[daráma-] > [drama-] > [drava-]	✧ Ety/DARÁM