Ipsin

fine thread

Ipsin noun "fine thread" (PE17:17)

ipsin

noun. fine thread

A word for “fine thread” derived from the root √SPIN- in notes from the mid-1960s (PE17/17).

Cognates

• S. esbin “thin thread, tress” ✧ PE17/017

Derivations

• √SPIN(ID) “fine thread, filament; hair” ✧ PE17/017

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√SPIN- > ipsin	[ispin] > [ipsin]	✧ PE17/017

pir-

spin, turn

pir- "spin, turn" (apparently intransitive). Actually cited in the form piri-, perhaps with the connecting vowel of the aorist included. "Qenya" pa.t. pírë. (QL:74)

quir-

stir

#quir- vb. "stir" or make spin (actually cited as quiri-, perhaps with the connecting vowel of the aorist included); pa.t. quindë (QL:77)

lia

fine thread, spider filament

lia noun "fine thread, spider filament" (SLIG).

nor-

verb. run

yur-

run

yur- vb. "run" (quoted in form yurin, translated "runs", but within Tolkien's later framework it looks like a 1st person aorist "I run")-QL:106 (cf. entry YUR in Etym)

lanya-

weave

lanya- (2) vb. "weave" (LAN)

were-

weave

were- vb. "weave" (cited as a derivative of the root WER "twine, weave" and maybe a primitive form rather than a Quenya word). (PE17:33)

were-

verb. to weave

A verb based on √WER “weave” that Tolkien coined in notes from around 1957 while exploring the development of the name S. Gwaihir (PE17/33). The section where this verb appeared was marked out, and in notes 1959-60 Tolkien changed the root to √WIR “weave” (PE17/191; VT39/10).

Neo-Quenya: This verb might be updated to ✱vir- “to weave” from the later form of the root, but I prefer to stick to attested [ᴹQ.] lanya- for “to weave” (Ety/LAN).

Derivations

• √WIR “weave, twine, weaving with cross-threads or withes” ✧ PE17/033

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√WER > were-	[gwer-] > [ɣwer-] > [wer-]	✧ PE17/033

nor-

verb. to run

nor-

verb. to ride

ior

i

in ”Noldorin”, but apparently ✱yr- in Sindarin. Compare

cell

running

(of water: flowing), lenited gell; pl. cill

nor

run

(verb) 1) nor- (i nôr, in nerir). Only attested as imperative noro! 2) *yr-. Only the ”Old Noldorin” form yurine* ”I run” is given in the source; the verbal stem would become ior**- in ”Noldorin”, but apparently *yr- in Sindarin. Compare COURSE, q.v., where the words come from the same root __-.

nor

run

(i nôr, in nerir). Only attested as imperative noro! 2) ✱yr-. Only the ”Old Noldorin” form yurine ”

lhê

fine thread

*lhê (?i thlê or ?i lê the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (spider filament), pl. lhî (?i lî). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” thlê.

lhê

fine thread

*lhê (?i thlê or ?i lê the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (spider filament), pl. lhî (?i lî). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” thlê. -THREAD, see MIST.

gwer-

verb. to weave, wind, spin, twist

Elements

Word	Gloss
WIR	“weave, twine, weaving with cross-threads or withes”

gwir-

verb. to weave

Derivations

• √WIR “weave, twine, weaving with cross-threads or withes”

Element in

• ᴺS. gwirfin “braid, pigtail, (lit.) woven-tress”
• ᴺS. gwirthar “shuttle, (lit.) weave-across”

spin(id)

root. fine thread, filament; hair

Tolkien had Elvish “hair” words that began with fin- for most of his life, but the details of their derivation evolved. The earliest form of this root was unglossed ᴱ√FIÐI [FIÐI] in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. findl “lock of hair” and ᴱQ. firin “ray of sun” (QL/38). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. fiðra “collective hair” and {findel >>} G. finn “a lock of hair” (GL/35), the latter an element in the name G. Glorfindel “Golden Hair”, a name that retained this form and meaning for all of Tolkien’s life.

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had unglossed ᴹ√SPIN with derivatives like ᴹQ. finde “tress, braid of hair” and N. finnel “(braided) hair” (Ety/SPIN). He made a point that this root was distinct from ᴹ√PHIN “nimbleness, skill” (Ety/PHIN), a distinction he reemphasized in later writings as well (PE17/17, 119). The additional form ᴹQ. fine “larch” (a species of tree with needle-like leaves) indicates the 1930s root was not limited exclusively to “hair” (Ety/SPIN). The root √SPIN appeared a number of times in Tolkien’s later writings, variously glossed “single hair, filament” >> “fine thread, filament” (PE17/17), “lock, tress of human/elvish hair” as extended √SPIN-ID (PE17/119), or “single hair” (PE17/185). However, in The Shibboleth of Feanor from 1968 Tolkien gave the root as √PHIN “hair” (PM/340).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would ignore this 1968 change of √SPIN >> √PHIN. Furthermore, I would assume √SPIN referred to a single hair or other kind of filament, and extended √SPINID referred to a tress of hair.

Derivatives

• ✶phini- “a single hair”
  • S. fîn “(single) hair, filament” ✧ PM/362
• ✶phinik ✧ PE17/017
  • Q. finca “[unglossed]” ✧ PE17/017
  • S. fing “lock of hair” ✧ PE17/017
• ✶spindē “tress, braid of hair” ✧ PE17/017
  • S. find “tress; single hair, tress, [ON.] lock of hair; [ᴱN.] hair (in general); [S.] single hair” ✧ PE17/017
• ✶phindē “tress”
  • S. find “tress; single hair, tress, [ON.] lock of hair; [ᴱN.] hair (in general); [S.] single hair” ✧ PM/362
• ✶spini- “thin thread” ✧ PE17/017
  • S. esbin “thin thread, tress” ✧ PE17/017
• Q. findë “hair (especially of the head), tress or plait of hair, hair (especially of the head); tress or plait of hair, [ᴹQ.] braid of hair” ✧ PE17/119; PM/340
• Q. finë “(single) hair, filament” ✧ PE17/017; PE17/017; PM/340
• Q. ipsin “fine thread” ✧ PE17/017
• S. esbin “thin thread, tress” ✧ PE17/119
• ᴺS. fidhras “collective hair, *all hair on the body”
• S. fîn “(single) hair, filament” ✧ PE17/017

Element in

• ✶spindilā “head of hair” ✧ PE17/017; PE17/017; PE17/017; PE17/119
• Q. Finwë ✧ PM/340

Variations

• SPIN- ✧ PE17/017; PE17/017
• SPIN-ID ✧ PE17/119
• SPĬN ✧ PE17/185
• SPIN ✧ PE17/185
• fin- ✧ PM/340
• PHIN ✧ PM/340

nor

root. run (or leap) of animals or men, run (or leap) of animals or men; [ᴹ√] run as of wheels, roll along, [ᴱ√] go smoothly, ride, spin

This root was the basis for Elvish words having to do with “running” and (in earlier notes) “rolling” for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√NORO “run, go smoothly, ride, spin” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/67), and it had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon like G. nor- “run, roll” (GL/61) as well as dronn “race, course, track” < ✱n’rond- (GL/31). ᴹ√NORO “run as of wheels, roll along” reappeared in a page of roots in the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s, though this page was deleted (PE22/127 note #152). √NOR “run (or leap: of animals, men etc.)” also appeared in some etymological notes associated with The Lord of the Rings, probably from the late 1950s (PE17/168).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I’d retain both senses “run” and “roll” for this root, but limit the latter to the rolling of wheels as an extrapolation from the movement of legs.

Derivatives

• Q. nor- “to run (or leap, of animals or men)” ✧ PE17/168
• ᴺQ. norollë “cart”
• Q. norta- “to make run (specially used of riding horses or other animals), ride” ✧ PE17/168
• S. nor- “to run (or leap) of animals or men, to run (or leap) of animals or men; [G.] to roll [of vehicles]” ✧ PE17/168
• ᴺS. norn “[G.] wheel”
• S. north “riding, race (of people running), charge or gallop” ✧ PE17/168
• S. northa- “to make run, to make run, *ride; [G.] to send rolling [as a vehicle], speed” ✧ PE17/168

kwir

root. stir, spin

Derivatives

• ᴺQ. quir- “to stir, make spin”
• ᴺQ. quiril “spindle; [spinning] top, *whirligig”
• ᴺQ. quirmë “cream”
• ᴺS. pir- “to stir, stir round, make spin”
• ᴺS. pîr “cream”
• ᴺS. piruin “spinning wheel”