ta

root. that, there, then; demonstrative

Tolkien used the root √TA for Elvish demonstratives for much of his life, but in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, ᴱ√TA “demonstrative” (with variant ᴱ√TAMA²) had derivatives like ᴱQ. tāma “this” and ᴱQ. tamīne “today” (QL/87). This ᴱ√TA seems to be a near demonstrative “this”, as opposed to ᴱ√E “that (by you)” for far demonstratives (QL/87), the latter reappearing in later writings as a “very far” demonstrative ᴹ√EN “yonder, over there”.

By The Etymologies of the 1930s, ᴹ√TA had switch from “this” to “that”, with derivatives like ᴹQ. tana “that (anaphoric)” and ᴹQ. tar/ON. tō “thither” (Ety/TA). √TA continued to appear regularly in Tolkien’s later writings with senses like “that, there, then”.

ta

conjunction. that, then

tagra

adjective. tagra

tatie

feminine name. Tatie

tandā

noun. tandā

tassā

noun. tassā

tata

root. TATA

tar

root. stand

The root √TAR appeared unglossed in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 as the basis for Q. tára “tall, high” (WJ/417), a word that elsewhere was derived from √TĀ/TAƷ “high” (Ety/TĀ; PE17/186). The root √TAR was glossed “stand” along with derivative tāra “tall” in rough notes on the back of a discussion of the comparitive from around 1967 (PE17/186). The past tense for Q. tarne “stood” appears in other notes from this period, along with Q. astarindo, artarindo or astarmo “bystander” (PE17/70-71). √TAR “stand” seems to be a later iteration of ᴹ√THAR “stand” from the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s; of this earlier root Tolkien said it “is only used [in describing the location of things] — except, of course, with reference to persons or animals when they are noted especially as ‘standing’ (not sitting or lying) — of mountains, high hills, towers, pillars” (PE22/126).

tak

root. fasten, fix, fasten, fix, [ᴹ√] make fast; [ᴱ√] stick (in), firm; [ᴹ√] make

This root meant “fix, fasten” for much of Tolkien’s life. The earliest appearance of this root was as ᴱ√TAKA “fix, fasten, stick” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, with derivatives in that document as well as in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon like ᴱQ. taka-/G. tag- “fix, make firm” and ᴱQ. tanka/G. tanc “firm, steady” (QL/88; GL/68). It also had the extended root ᴱ√TAQA “fashion” = TAK + W̯Ǝ with derivative like ᴱQ. tāqa/G. tôb(a) “shape” (QL/89; GL/71). The root ᴱ√tak “stick, [stick] in, fix, firm” was mentioned in the Early Qenya Phonology of the 1920s with numerous etymological variants like ᴱ√stak, ᴱ√taku̯, and ᴱ√tu̯ak (PE14/66).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave the root ᴹ√TAK “fix, make fast” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tak-/N. taetha- “fasten”, ᴹQ. tanka/N. tanc “firm” and ᴹQ. tankil/N. tachol “pin, brooch” (Ety/TAK). The root also appeared in the first version of the Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ1) from the 1930s with the glosses “fix” (PE18/50) and “make” (PE18/54). √TAK reappeared in the second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ2) from around 1950 with the gloss “fasten, fix” (PE18/100), and again (unglossed) in the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the early 1950s as part of the derivation of ✶tankla > Q. tañkal “brooch” (PE19/83). Derivatives of this root appeared regularly in Tolkien’s later writings, making this a particularly stable root in Tolkien’s conception of Elvish.

tan

root. indicate, show

In Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957, Tolkien gave √TAN “indicate, show” as the basis for Q. tanna “sign, token” (PE17/186) and in notes from the late 1950s Tolkien gave the verbal root √tana “show, indicate” (MR/385). Possible earlier hints of this root can be seem in the first and second versions of Tengwesta Qenderinwa where Tolkien gave √TAN as an extension of demonstrative √TA (PE18/33, 60, 84, 95), but those references were unglossed and may simply have been illustrations of principles of root formation. The use of √TAN = “indicate” would have conflicted with √TAN “make, fashion, construct” (Ety/TAN; PE17/96, 106), but in 1968 or 69 Tolkien changed {√TAN >>} √TAM “construct” (PE17/107); see that entry for details.

tas

root. point out, indicate

The root √TAS “point out, indicate” was mentioned a couple times in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s as the basis for various words for the index finger as a pointer, most likely as an extension of the demonstrative root √TA (VT47/11, 13, 26, 29). However, in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, the root ᴱ√TASA had derivatives like ᴱQ. tasarin “willow” and ᴱQ. taste “fringe” and was connected to ᴱ√TAŘA [TAÐA] which was the basis for “hedge” words (QL/89-90). A superscript S after the root seemed to indicate the primitive form was indeed ᴱ√TASA rather than ✱✱ᴱ√TAÞA as pointed out by Gilson, Hostetter, Wynne and Smith. The words G. tast “border, fringe” and G. tathrin “willow” from the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon were clearly related (GL/69), the latter most likely the result of the sound change whereby sr became thr in Gnomish as it also did in later Sindarin.

The root ᴹ√TAS reappeared in revisions to The Feanorian Alphabet from the early 1940s, where it served as the basis for ᴹQ. atsa {“claw” >>} “tassel, fryse, fringe” (PE22/50). However, as the basis for ᴹQ. tasar(e) “willow” the root ᴹ√TAS was problematic, because starting in the 1930s intervocalic s > z > r in Quenya (PE19/49), as opposed to Early Qenya of the 1910s where this transition happened only before nasals, liquids and voiced spirants (PE12/15-16, 19). Thus in The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien introduced a new root ᴹ√TATHAR as the basis for ᴹQ. tasar(e)/N. tathor “willow-tree” and N. tathren “of willow” (Ety/TATHAR). The root {√TASĀR >>} √TATHAR reappeared in Words, Phrases and Passages in the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s as the basis for Q. tasar/S. tathar “willow” (PE17/81).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would posit the existence of a Neo-Root ᴺ√TATH as a replacement for early ᴱ√TASA to salvage early “fringe” words as well as being the basis for √TATHAR, reserving for √TAS the sense “point(er)” it had in the late 1960s.

tay

root. mark, line, limit; stretch, [ᴹ√] extend, make long(er), stretch, [ᴹ√] extend, make long(er); [√] mark, line, limit

The root ᴹ√TAY first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “extend, make long(er)” and derivatives like ᴹQ. taile “lengthening, extension”, ᴹQ. taina “lengthened, extended” and N. taen “long (and thin)” (Ety/TAY). Tolkien considered making it a variant of ᴹ√TAƷ (EtyAC/TAY), perhaps intending ᴹ√TAY to refer to horizontal length as opposed to vertical ᴹ√TAƷ. The root ᴹ√TAY “stretch” also appeared in the first version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ1) from the 1930s as the basis for ᴹ✶tainā “long”, and there were various related linguistic terms like Q. ómataima “vocalic extension” and Q. ómatailë “vowel lengthening” that appeared in both the first and second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ1: PE18/34, 45; TQ2: PE18/86, 95).

The root √TAJA “stretch” appeared in notes associated with the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (VT39/7), and √TAY “stretch” appeared in a list of sound roots from around this same time (PE17/138). However, in notes on the origin of the river name S. Taeglin “✱Boundary Singer”, Tolkien glossed √taya “mark, line, limit” with extension tayak as the basis for ✶taika “boundary, limit, boundary line” > S. taeg (WJ/309). Perhaps it was Tolkien’s intent that the sense “mark, line, limit” only applied to the extended form tayak.

tal

root. foot; *flat; [ᴱ√] support

This root was the basis for “foot” words for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√TALA “support” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, but its derivatives were broken into two groups, the first with derivatives like ᴱQ. tala “foot” and ᴱQ. talas “sole”, and the second with derivatives like ᴱQ. tala- “carry, bring; weigh”, ᴱQ. talan “burden” and ᴱQ. talma “a weight, measure” (QL/88). This probably represents a blended root ᴱ√TALA and ✱ᴱ√DALA as suggested by Roman Rausch (HPG/§2.1), since there were derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon that began with both t- and d-: G. tâl “foot” and G. talc “upright” (GL/68) vs. G. dalech “(upright) stone” and G. daltha- “erect, set up”.

In The Etymologies of the 1930s, the root ᴹ√DAL “flat” seems unrelated to any of its meanings from the 1910s, but ᴹ√TAL “foot” was clearly a continuation of the 1910s root, with derivatives like ᴹQ. tál/N. tâl “foot” and an extended root ᴹ√TALAM “floor, base, ground” with derivatives like ᴹQ. talan (talam-)/N. talaf “floor, ground” (Ety/TAL). Both the root ᴹ√TAL “foot” and its extension ᴹ√TALAM “base, root, foundation” were mention in the contemporaneous Primitive Quendian Structure: Final Consonants (PE21/56), whereas ᴹ√TAL “foot” was mentioned in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s (PE21/70). The extended form √talam- “flat space” appeared again in notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings written in the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/52), and both Q. tál and S. tâl “foot” appeared regularly in Tolkien’s later writings.

talat

root. to slip (down), collapse, fall in ruin; slipping, sliding, falling down; ground (bottom), to slip (down), collapse, fall in ruin; slipping, sliding, falling down; ground (bottom); [ᴹ√] slide down, incline, slope, lean, tip, topple over

This root was connected to the name Q. Atalantë “Downfall(en)” as a sort of multilingual pun on “Atlantis”. The first appearance of this root was as unglossed ᴱ√TḶTḶ in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. talta “shaky, wobbling, tottering; sloping, slanting” and ᴱQ. tilt- “make slope, incline (tr.), decline, shake at foundations, make totter” (QL/93). Further signs of this early root can be found in the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s where Tolkien gave ᴱ✶tḹtá > ᴱN. tlad “hillside, slope” and ᴱ✶tḷtā́ > ᴱN. tleth/ᴱQ. tilta “slanting” (PE13/165).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root appeared as ᴹ√TALAT “to slope, lean, tip” with derivatives like ᴹQ. talta-/N. atlanna- “to slope” and ᴹQ. talta/N. talad “an incline” (Ety/TALÁT). The root was mentioned regularly thereafter, mostly in a verbal sense with glosses like “incline, slope, slide down” (PE18/38), “slip (downwards)” (PE18/61), “topple over, slip down” (SD/249), “slip (down)” (PE18/85) and “collapse, fall in ruin” (PM/158). In notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien gave the root a noun sense “ground (bottom)” alongside “fall down” (PE17/150) and in a 1964 letter to Christopher Bretherton gave it the sense “slipping, sliding, falling down” (Let/347).

tam

root. construct, construct; [ᴹ√] knock, [ᴱ√] beat; smelt, forge

There were two roots in competition for “construction” words in Tolkien’s later writing: √TAM and √TAN. The first appearance of these was ᴱ√TAMA “(beat) smelt, forge” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. tambe “copper” and ᴱQ. tamin “forge” (QL/88). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon it had derivatives like G. tăm “copper” and G. tambos “cauldron” (GL/69).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the early root reappeared as ᴹ√TAM “knock” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tamba-/N. tamma- “knock” and ᴹQ. tambaro/N. tavor “woodpecker, knocker” (Ety/TAM; EtyAC/TAM). However, for “construction” words Tolkien introduced a new root ᴹ√TAN “make, fashion” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tano “craftsman, smith”, ᴹQ. tanwe “craft, thing made, device, construction” and ᴹQ. kentano/N. cennan “potter” (Ety/TAN). The root ᴹ√TAN was the basis for several names: ᴹQ. Martan(o) “Earth-smith”, ᴹQ. Tintánie “Star-maker”, and ᴹQ. Cirdan “Shipbuilder” (Ety/TAN).

The root √TAN appeared several times in Tolkien’s later writings with the glosses “make with tools” (PE17/96) and “construct” (PE17/106). But the names ᴹQ. Martan(o) and ᴹQ. Tintánie became Q. Martamo (LT1A/Talka Marda) and Q. Tintallë (PE21/85; LotR/377), and in notes from 1968 or 1969 Tolkien had {√TAN >>} √TAM “construct” with derivatives like Q. taman/S. tavn “a thing made by handicraft” and Q. tamo “smith” (PE17/107-108). However, in this same note Tolkien said “in Sindarin the base appeared mostly in form √TAN owing to contact with √PAN arrange, set in order”, most likely because he wanted to retain names like S. Círdan.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume the root √TAM originally had the sense “beat, knock”, from there becoming the basis for “forge” words and then a general root for tool and handicraft words, but with a Sindarin-only variant √TAN as noted above. I would use the root √TAN for “indicate, show”, see that entry for details.

taw

root. wood

Tolkien used a similar set of words for “forest” starting with the earliest versions of Elvish, but their derivation evolved somewhat over time. The earliest related root was ᴱ√TAVA “beam” with variant ᴱ√TAFA (the latter marked by Tolkien with a “?” and with no obvious derivatives) from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as the basis for words like ᴱQ. taule “great tree”, ᴱQ. tauno “forest” and ᴱQ. tavar “dale-sprite” (QL/90). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. tavros/G. taur “forest” and G. tavor “wood fay” (GL/69).

ᴱQ. taure “forest” did not appear as an independent word until drafts of the Oilima Markirya from around 1930 (PE16/62; MC/213). Thereafter Tolkien mostly stuck with Q. taurë and N./S. taur for “forest”. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave the root ᴹ√TAWAR “wood, forest” (Ety/TÁWAR), though in one place it was ᴹ√TAR (EtyAC/TUR). In notes associated with the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 Tolkien gave √TAWA “wood”, and in notes on “large & small” roots from 1968 Tolkien had √TAW “wood” (PE17/115).

-tā

suffix. verb suffix (transitive), causative

-tă

suffix. verb suffix (intransitive)

tad(a)

adverb. thither, thereto, to that

tankas-

verb. become firm, settle down

tankatā-

verb. to make firm, fix, confirm

tankā

adjective. firm, fixed

tathar

root. *willow

tathari

noun. *willow

tata

masculine name. Two

taika

noun. boundary, limit, boundary line

takse

noun. *nail

talam

root. flat space, flat space, [ᴹ√] floor, ground; base, root, foundation

talam

noun. floor; flat space, platform, floor; flat space, platform, [ᴹ✶] ‘flet’; ground

talat-

verb. slip (down), collapse, fall in ruin

tald(a)

adverb. to the foot

talmā

noun. basis

taltā

adjective. tottering, unsteady

taman-

noun. a thing made by handicraft

tamō

noun. craftsman, smith

tan

root. construct, make with tools, construct, make with tools, [ᴹ√] make, fashion

tankla

noun. brooch, clasp, fastener, pin

tanma

noun. sign, token

tatalat-

verb. totter, keep on slipping

taurē

noun. forest

tawinā

adjective. wood

tāl

noun. foot

taltas-

verb. begin to slip down

taltas-

verb. begin to slip down

tatakwe

cardinal. *12

tañkas-

verb. become firm, settle down

tā/taʒ

root. high, high, [ᴹ√] lofty; noble

This root and ones like it were used for “high” things for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as unglossed ᴱ√TAHA in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. tā “high; high above, high up”, ᴱQ. tahōra or tayóra “lofty”, and ᴱQ. tāri “queen”; it had a variant form ᴱ√TAʕA where the ʕ might be a malformed Y (QL/87). The corresponding forms in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon were G. dâ “high” and G. dara “lofty” (GL/29), indicating the true form of the root was ᴱ√DAHA, since initial voiced stops were unvoiced (d- > t-) in Early Qenya (PE12/17). Primitive forms like ᴱ✶dagá > ᴱN. dâ/ᴱQ. tá “high” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s indicates the root continued to begin with D for the following decade (PE13/141, 161).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave this root as ᴹ√TĀ/TAƷ “high, lofty; noble” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tára “lofty, high”, ᴹQ. tári “queen” and N. taen “height, summit of high mountain” (Ety/TĀ). In Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959 Tolkien gave the root as √TAG or Tā- “high”, and in notes from around 1967 Tolkien gave √TAƷ as the explanation of the initial element of Q. Taniquetil and contrasted it with √TĂR “stand” (PE17/186). In 1970 green-ink revisions to the Outline of Phonology (OP2), Tolkien wrote a marginal note giving √TAƷ > TĀ “high”, but this note was rejected with a statement “transfer to Gen. Structure. No [ʒ] existed in Eldarin” (PE19/72-73 note #22).

This last rejection seems to be part of Tolkien’s general vacillation on the nature and phonetic evolution of velar spirants in Primitive Elvish in 1968-70. For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume the root form was √TAH or √TAƷ > √TĀ as the basis for “high” words, much like √MAH or √MAƷ > ✶mā was the basis for “hand” words.

-ta

suffix. noun suffix, single product of an action

atata

root. two, two; [ᴹ√] again, back

(a)tata

cardinal. two

atar

noun. father

atatya

adjective. double

atta

cardinal. two

sinkitamo

noun. smith

tad

root. enclosure

takala Reconstructed

noun. post, mark

tanat Reconstructed

root. harp

tanta

root. bounce

tarkhilde Reconstructed

proper name. high-Men

tarkwa

root. to dry (food), preserve

tath

root. fringe

kyaw

root. taste, select, choose

This root and ones like it were connected to taste throughout Tolkien’s life. The earliest manifestion of this root was ᴱ√TYAVA “to savour, taste” with derivatives like ᴱQ. tyausta “savour, flavour” and ᴱQ. tyava- “it tastes of, reminds one of” (QL/49); in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon it had derivatives like G. caf- “to taste” and G. côf “savour, smack, odour” (GL/24).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root became ᴹ√KYAB “taste” with a derivative ᴹQ. tyav- of the same meaning (Ety/KYAB). This root and verb also appeared in the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s (PE22/102). The root appeared again in Late Notes on Verbs from 1969, first as √KJABA “taste”, then as √KJAW “taste, select, choose”, the latter with derivatives Q. tyav- and S. caw- “taste” (PE22/151, 152).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I recommend assuming the root was √KYAW, since some of the later derivatives like S. caw- can only be derived from this version of the root.

map

root. take away, take hold of, grasp, take away, take hold of, grasp, [ᴹ√] lay hold of with hand, seize

This root was connected to grabbing things by hand for most of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√MAPA “seize” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. map- “seize, take” and ᴱQ. maptale “robbery” (QL/59). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon its main derivative was G. mab “hand” (GL/55). In the Gnomish Lexicon, Tolkien did redefine mab as a dual form of G. mô “hand”, but it was later restored as an independent word and survived all the way into Sindarin as S. mâb “hand”.

The root reappeared as ᴹ√MAP “lay hold of with hand, seize” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with a similar set of derivatives (Ety/MAP). √MAP was mentioned again in the late 1960s in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals, with glosses like “take hold of, grasp” (VT47/7) and “take away” (VT47/20). But in these same notes Tolkien made the somewhat shocking decision to abandon this root, proposing instead that S. mâb was derived from CE ✶makwā “handful” (VT47/6).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would ignore this very late idea, since √MAP appears so regularly in Tolkien’s earlier writings.

nap

root. take (hold), pick up, grasp, seize quickly (with fingers)

A root appearing in notes from the late 1960s on hands and fingers variously glossed as “grasp, seize quickly (with fingers)” (VT47/20), “take hold” (VT47/28) or “take, pick up” (VT47/29). It seems Tolkien introduced this root as part of his rather surprising decision to abandon √MAP “take hold, seize” after 50 years of use, stating that √NAP was the true primitive root and √MAP perhaps a Telerin-only variant of it (VT/7). It may be a restoration of the early root ᴱ√NAPA from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s which itself was said to be a variant of ᴱ√MAPA “seize” (QL/59, 64). The early root ᴱ√NAPA had no (Early) Qenya derivatives, but some Gnomish derivatives appeared in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, such as G. nab- “take, lay hold of” and G. nabos “seizure” (GL/59). ᴱN. nabru “booty” from Early Noldorin word lists of the 1920s was probably also related (PE13/150).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is preferable to retain the root √MAP “take hold, seize”, but √NAP can co-exist with it as a variant of similar meaning, both allowing its 1960s derivatives (mostly thumb words) and salvaging some of its Gnomish derivatives.

thara

adjective. tall (or long) and slender

kyab

root. taste

karap

root. *talk, speech

The root √KARAP appeared with various forms and meanings throughout Tolkien’s life. Perhaps the earliest iteration was ᴱ√KᴬRPᴬR [KṚPṚ] “pluck” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/45), with derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon as well such as G. carp “bundle, bunch” and G. crib- “gather, pluck” (GL/25, 27). The verb form ᴱ✶kṛp- > ᴱQ. karpe “pluck” reappeared in the Early Qenya grammar of the 1920s (PE14/58).

The root ᴹ√KARPA appeared unglossed in the first version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ1) from the 1930s as an example of a KALTA-stem root, but whether it was related to earlier √KṚPṚ is unclear. Possibly also related is N. carab “hat”, appearing in N. Amon Carab which was an earlier name of S. Amon Rûdh.

Finally, the root √KARAP appeared in notes probably dating to the early 1960s, serving as the basis for various “speech” words such as Q. carpa-/S. carfa- “talk, speak, use tongue”, but that root was probably replaced by √PAKAT (PE17/126). Given the muddled history of this root, I would mostly avoid its use for purposes of Neo-Eldarin, though it is needed to justify N. carab “hat”.

pakat

root. *talk, speech

This root appeared in notes probably dating to the early 1960s as the basis for words for “speech”, probably replacing another root √KARAP of similar meaning, and with a deleted variant √PATAK (PE17/126). The root √PAKAT itself was probably a restoration of a (hypothetical) early root ✱ᴱ√PAKATA, the likely basis for “speech” words in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s such as G. pactha- “utter, speak, talk” and G. paithron “orator” (GL/63).

ron

root. solid, tangible, firm

A root in Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957 glossed “solid, tangible, firm” with derivative Q. ronda “solid, firm” (PE17/183). It had a couple variants: √GRON > S. grond “solid, tangible, firm”, also the name of Melkor’s hammer, as well as √SRON > Q. hrón/S. rhû “matter” and Q. hrondo/S. rhond “body”. The root √SRON appeared again with the gloss “flesh, substance, matter” in etymological notes associated with the essay Of Death and the Severance of Fëa and Hrondo from the late 1950s, along with both Q. hrón “matter” and Q. hrondo “physical body” (MR/231 note #26). However, in the title of this essay hrondo was revised to Q. hröa (MR/217), elsewhere derived from primitive ✶srawā (MR/350); see the entry on √SRAW for further discussion (MR/330).

Regarding S. grond: in The Etymologies of the 1930s this word was derived instead from the unglossed root ᴹ√RUD, which had derivatives ᴹQ. runda “rough piece of wood” and ON. runda > N. grond “club” (Ety/RUD); it also had strengthened variant ᴹ√G-RUD (EtyAC/G-RUD).

Neo-Eldarin: Despite the change of Q. hrondo >> Q. hröa, I think √SRON might be retained in the more limited sense “matter” rather than “flesh”, along with related root √(G)RON “solid” from 1957. As for ᴹ√RUD, it might also be retained, with S. grond “solid; club” being a blending of ᴹ√RUD and √(G)RON.

teles

root. come at rear, end a line or series, come at rear, end a line or series; [ᴹ√] hindmost, tarrier

The word Q. Teler was a long established word for an Elf in Tolkien’s writing, though it ultimately came to refer only to the third tribe, and had a variety of derivations over time. In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s ᴱQ. Teler “little elf” was not given a root, but its stem form teleř- implies derivation from ✱ᴱ√TELEÐ (QL/90), which is consistent with its Gnomish cognate G. Tilith (GL/70). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s Tolkien derived ᴱQ. Teler and ᴱN. Tiledh from primitive ᴱ✶Teled- (PE13/154).

In the first version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa from the 1930s Tolkien initially gave the root ᴹ√TELED for the third Elven kindred (PE18/34), but later in the same document he gave ᴹ√TELES (PE18/61), which is the form he used in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “hindmost, tarrier” (Ety/TELES). In The Etymologies he explicitly contrasted ᴹ√TELES with ᴹ√KYEL “come to an end” (> ᴹQ. tyel-) with which it was sometimes blended in Quenya (Ety/KYEL, TELES). However, in the second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa from around 1950 Tolkien gave {√TELES >>} √KYELES as the basis for the name of the third tribe, with Teler- being the Telerin variant.

In Common Eldarin: Verb Structure from the early 1950s Tolkien reversed himself, deciding √TEL meant “close, end, complete” at which point primitive teles “come at rear, end a line or series” was restored (PE22/135). In rough notes associated with Notes on Names (NN) from 1957, he switched to primitive Teler- as the basis for the tribe-name, as supported by Sindarin forms like S. †teleir (PE17/139), and in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 he said Q. Teler was based on the old agental suffix ✶-rŏ (WJ/371), again pointing to primitive ✱teler-.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume that the tribal name Teleri was based on ancient ✱tele-rŏ as noted above, but I would also assume √TELES “hindmost, last in a series” remained valid to preserve relevant derivatives from The Etymologies.

san-

noun. that

aikwā

adjective. steep, tall

kyaw-

verb. to taste

ornā

adjective. uprising, tall

wanwa

adjective. gone, taken away, lost, departed

kelutā-

verb. to cause to spring forth, start (water) flowing, tap

kanga

root. *tangle; [ᴱ√] weave, twine

pay

root. punish, take vengeance on, requite; conquer, subdue

tok

root. appraise, tax, assess, assay; try, test, essay, endeavour; feel with the hand, handle

tyas

root. test, try [out], choose, select, taste

si

root. this, this, [ᴹ√] here, now

Tolkien used √SI as the basis for “near demonstratives” like “here” and “now” from very early in his writings on Elvish. The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had two competing roots ᴱ√HYA “this by us” with derivatives like ᴱQ. hyá “here by us” (QL/41) and ᴱ√KI “this by me” with derivative ᴱQ. tyá (< ᴱ✶kı̯-ā) “now” (QL/41, 49). Indications of the latter can be seen words in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. cî {“now” >>} “here” and G. cîrin “present (place or time), modern” [gloss deleted] (GL/26). However, Tolkien also introduced a new root ᴱ√si(n) “this here by me” with derivatives like G. sî “here” and G. sith “hither” (GL/68). Revisions of Gnomish ci- word glosses indicate Tolkien was vacillating on which forms were temporal and which were spatial.

In The Etymologies Tolkien gave the root ᴹ√SI “this, here, now” with derivatives like ᴹQ. sí or sin “now” and ᴹQ. sinya/N. sein “new” (Ety/SI). The root √SI was mentioned a couple times in Tolkien’s later writings, usually glossed “this” (PE17/67; VT48/25; VT49/18) and in one place with the variant √SIN (PE17/67). This root was not entirely without competition in Tolkien’s later notes, however: in one place he gave primitive ✶khĭn- as the possible basis for Q. hí “here” and S. hí “now” in 1968 notes on demonstratives, though it appeared beside primitive ✶si- forms (VT49/34 note #21).

at(ar)

root. father

As the basis for “father” words, √AT and its extended form √ATAR date all the way back to Tolkien’s earliest ideas. The root itself did not explicitly appear in the Qenya or Gnomish Lexicons of the 1910s, but forms like ᴱQ. atar, G. †ador “father” indicate its presence (QL/33; GL/17). The root ᴹ√ATA “father” did appear in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives ᴹQ. atar, N. adar (Ety/ATA) and the base √AT(AR) “father” was mentioned again in late 1960s notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals (VT48/19). In this late period, the Elvish words for “father” remained Q. atar and S. adar (PM/324).

dom

root. dark, dark, [ᴹ√] faint, dim

This root was the basis for the main Elvish words for “dusk, night”, which was established as Q. lómë in Quenya for most of Tolkien’s life. The earliest form of this root was ᴱ√LOMO in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, unglossed but with various derivatives having to do with “dusk” and “shadow” (QL/55). One notable derivative was ᴱQ. lóme “dusk, gloom, darkness”, which survived in Tolkien’s later writings as “night” and in the 1910s was the basis for ᴱQ. Hisilóme/G. Hithlum “Shadowy Twilights”. Another notable derivative was G. lómin “shady, shadowy, gloomy; gloom(iness)” (GL/45) used in the name G. Dor Lómin, which in the 1910s was translated as “Land of Shadow” (LT1/112).

The “shadow” meaning of this early root seems to have transferred to ᴹ√LUM from The Etymologies of the 1930s, which served as the new basis for N. Hithlum (Ety/LUM), as opposed contemporaneous N. Dor-lómen which was redefined as “Land of Echoes (< ᴹ√LAM via Ilkorin or in later writings, via North Sindarin). The “dusk” sense was transferred to a new root ᴹ√DOM “faint, dim”, which (along with ᴹ√DOƷ) was the basis for the pair words ᴹQ. lóme/N. dû “night” (Ety/DOMO).

These two words for “night” survived in Tolkien’s later writing in both Quenya and Sindarin (Let/308; SA/dú). In notes from the 1940s Tolkien clarified that it “has no evil connotations; it is a word of peace and beauty and has none of the associations of fear or groping that, say, ‘dark’ has for us” (SD/306). The Elves were quite comfortable being under the night sky, dating back to the time when the Elves lived under the stars before the rising of the Sun and the Moon. The root √DOM reappeared in etymologies for star-words from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/152). It appeared again in some very late notes from 1969 where it was glossed “dark” and served as the basis for words meaning “blind” as well as “night”, though this paragraph was rejected (PE22/153, note #50).

kalak

root. glass

A root appearing in etymological notes from 1968 glossed “glass” with Quenya and Telerin derivatives Q./T. calca of the same meaning (VT47/35). It seems to be a late restoration of the much earlier root ᴱ√kail(i)k or ᴱ√tail(i)k that was the basis of “glass” words in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s; in this early period the Qenya derivatives began with t- and the Gnomish derivatives with c- [k-] (GL/25). It may also have replaced Q. cilin (< ✱√KILIN?) from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/37). Given its Quenya/Telerin derivatives, √KALAK was probably coined in Aman as was also the case with earlier Q. cilin, since the Sindarin word for “glass” is the unrelated word S. heledh borrowed from Khuzdul (PE17/37).

las

root. leaf

This root was connected to leaves throughout Tolkien’s life. It did not appear directly in the Qenya or Gnomish lexicons of the 1910s, but ✱ᴱ√LASA “leaf” is implied by ᴱQ. lasse and G. lass “leaf” (QL/51; GL/52). ᴹ√LAS appeared directly in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the derivatives ᴹQ. lasse and N. lhass (Ety/LAS¹), and the root √LAS “leaf” was also mentioned in Tolkien’s later writings (PE17/77; VT39/9).

mal

root. gold, yellow, gold

This was the root for Elvish words meaning “yellow” for much of Tolkien’s life, though with some minor variations. It appeared as ᴱ√MALA “yellow” (usually mali-) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. malina “yellow” and ᴱQ. malikon “amber” (QL/58). It also appeared in a list of M-roots at the end of that section (QL/63). It had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. malon “yellow” and G. malthos “butter cup” (GL/56).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s it seems Tolkien first gave this root as ᴹ√MAL (EtyAC/MAL) but rejected this and replaced it with ᴹ√SMAL “yellow” (Ety/SMAL). It had derivatives like ᴹQ. malina/N. malen “yellow”, ᴹQ. malta/N. malt “gold (as metal)” and ᴹQ. malo/N. hmâl “pollen, yellow powder” (< ᴹ✶smalu), with some revisions in Noldorin forms as Tolkien vacillated on whether or not primitive sm- resulted in voiceless nasal hm- or a voiced nasal m-.

This √SMAL vs. √MAL variation seems to have continued into Tolkien’s later writings, as seen in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s where ✶malu >> ✶smalu “dust, grit” (PE21/80), probably a later iteration of ᴹ✶smalu “pollen, yellow powder” from The Etymologies. But it seems Tolkien settled on √MAL as evidenced by the extended root √MALAT “gold” from The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968 (PM/366).

nar

root. fire, fire, [ᴹ√] flame

A root for “fire” first appearing as ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” in The Etymologies of the 1930s along with derivatives like ᴹQ. nár(e)/N. naur “flame” (Ety/NAR¹). There was also an augmented variant ᴹ√ANÁR that served as the basis for “Sun” words: ᴹQ. Anar and N. Anor (Ety/ANÁR). These roots and the various derivatives continued to appear in Tolkien’s later writings in the 1950s and 60s (PE17/38; Let/425), and in one place Tolkien specified that nār- was “fire as an element” as opposed to √RUYU for an actual blaze.

phen

root. door

The root ᴹ√PHEN first appeared (unglossed) in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. fenda “threshold” and N. fenn “threshold, door” (Ety/PHEN). The root √PHEN “door” reappeared in etymological notes from 1959 as the basis for Q. fendë/S. fen “door” (PE17/181). The most notable name associated with this root was S. Fen Hollen “Closed Door” from The Lord of the Rings (LotR/826; RC/550) along with its precursors in LotR drafts: N. Fenn Forn(en) and N. Fenn Uiforn (WR/338, 341).

ras

root. horn, horn; [ᴹ√] stick up

This root first appeared as ᴹ√RAS “stick up (intr.)” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. rasse and N. rhas or rhasg “horn (especially on living animal, but also applied to mountains)” (Ety/RAS; EtyAC/RAS). It reappeared as ᴹ√RASA “stick up” on an rejected page of roots in the Quenya Verbal System from the 1940s (PE22/127). Finally, √RAS “horn” appeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure of the early 1950s, but that was merely the last appearance of the root in Tolkien’s published writings. Q. rassë and S. rass “horn” continued to appear regularly as an element in mountain names in the 1950s and 60s.

sal

root. [unglossed], *harp(ing), lyre

The unglossed root ᴱ√SALA appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. salma “lyre, small harp” and ᴱQ. salumbe “harping, music” (QL/81). The root √SAL appeared again Common Eldarin: Verb Structure from the early 1950s to illustrate the reformed perfect form of its verb Q. asálie (PE22/132), but since these later forms are unglossed it is unclear whether they have the same meaning (“✱harp(ing)”) as the earlier version of the root.

sed

root. rest

This root first appeared as ᴹ√SED “rest” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. sére “rest, repose, peace” and N. sîdh “peace”, along with the name of the Valië ᴹQ. Este < ᴹ✶ezdē (Ety/SED). The root √SED “rest” along with the etymology of Este reappeared in both the Outline of Phonetic Development (OP1) from the 1930s (PE19/45) and the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the early 1950s (PE19/92), and again in revisions to the OP2 page annotated in green ink and thus probably from 1970 (PE19/91 and note #110).

The root √SED “rest” was mentioned a couple times in the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s as the basis for the verb ᴹQ. ser- “rest, repose” (PE22/102, 125) and again (unglossed) in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 as the basis for Este (WJ/403). In the sense “peace” this root had some competition, however. In the first version of the Gloria in Excelsis Deo prayer from the mid-1960s, Tolkien used Q. sívë for “peace”, revised to Q. sérë in the second version and then Q. rainë (VT44/32). The word Q. sívë “peace” reappeared in unpublished etymological notes from 1969 derived from the root √SIB “rest, quiet” (VT44/35).

Neo-Eldarin: For purpose of Neo-Eldarin, I would use √SED for the act of resting and so Q. sérë “peace” = “restfulness (personal peace)”, and would use √SIB = “quiet, ✱stillness, absence of activity” and so Q. sívë “peace” = “absence of activity or violence (environmental peace)”. I would use Q. rainë as “good will” in connection to √RAY “smile”.

stuk

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in a rejected section of the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the early 1950s, serving to illustration certain phonetic developments: ✶stuknā > Q. thúna (PE19/86).

teg

root. line

Tolkien used a number of similar roots as the basis for “line” words throughout his life. The earliest of these appeared in the Qenya Lexicon as ᴱ√TEHE [teχe] “pull” (gloss marked with a “?” by Tolkien) with derivatives like ᴱQ. tea “straight”, ᴱQ. telya “attractive; importunate”, and ᴱQ. tie “line, direction, route, road” (QL/90), the last of these surviving more or less unchanged all the way into the published version of The Lord of the Rings (LotR/377). The early root ᴱ√TEHE also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. tê “mark, line; track; path”, G. tî or tion “straight”, and G. tîr “honest; esteem, regard, honour”, originally “straight, upright” (GL/69, 71). Primitive ᴱ✶tegna > ᴱQ. tína/ᴱN. tain “straight” from Early Noldorin Word-lists from the 1920s may represent a shift in the form of the root to ✱ᴱ√TEGE (PE13/153, 165).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root appeared as {ᴹ√TEƷ >>} ᴹ√TEÑ “line, direction” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tie/N. tê “line, way” and ᴹQ. téra/N. tîr “straight, right” (Ety/TEƷ, TEÑ). In the Outline of Phonology Tolkien gave √TEG “line”, whereas √TEÑ was given as the basis for Q. tenna “a thought, notion, idea” and thus clearly with a different meaning; see the entry √TEÑ for further discussion. In any case it is clear that Tolkien considered various ancient velar consonants for the second consonant of this root, all ultimately vanishing in the child languages with similar vocalic effects: 1910s teχ-, 1920s teg-, 1930s {teʒ- >>} teñ- and 1950s teg-.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume this root was √TEƷ in order to preserve the validity of the word téma “series”. This is because Tolkien kept vacillating on the development of gm, but usually had gm &gt; ngw, so that teg-mā > tengwa, not téma.

than

root. kindle, set light to, fire, light

Tolkien used this root primarily to explain the name S. Gilthoniel “Star-kindler”. In a 1955 letter to David Masson, Tolkien gave √THAN “kindle” as the basis for the perfect participle S. thoniel “kindler”, in contrast to S. thôn < ✶stŏna (PE17/82). In Words, Phrases and Passages in the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien gave {√TON >> √TÁN >>} √THĂN/THĀN as the basis for the same name, but with the suffix S. -iel being a feminine suffix (PE17/23; MR/388).

The root √THAN from the 1950s might be a restoration of the unglossed root ᴱ√tan- from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like G. tan “firewood” and G. tantha- “set light to, kindle” (GL/69), along with other forms like G. tôn “fire (on a hearth)” and G. tortha- “scorch” (GL/71). This may be reflected in the deleted forms in the aforementioned note: {√TON >> √TÁN >>} √THĂN/THĀN.

tig

root. [unglossed]

A root appearing in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 as the basis for the verb Q. tinga- “go (for a long while)” (PE22/157). The etymology was marked with an “X” and so was probably a transient idea (PE22/157 note #70).

lemek

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in the Outline of Phonology from the early 1950s illustrating certain phonetic combinations (PE19/98), and therefore possibly not a “real” root.

phut

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root appearing in the second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ2) as an etymological variation of √PUT (PE18/90).

malat

root. gold

tektā

noun. sign, symbol, mark

tāra

adjective. high

graw Reconstructed

root. [unglossed], [ᴹ√] dark, swart

This root appeared as a primitive form grawa serving as the basis of the word Q. roa “bear” >> “dog” in notes on monosyllabic roots from 1968 (VT47/35); a Sindarin derivative S. graw “bear” appeared in other notes written around the same time (VT47/12). Patrick Wynne suggested that in the sense “bear” grawa might be connected to the root ᴹ√GRAWA “dark, swart” from The Etymologies of the 1930s (EtyAC/GRAWA).

-(s)tā

suffix. -(s)tā

-yā

suffix. causative

-yă

suffix. formative

barathī

noun. queen

dirnā

adjective. tough

dāra

adjective. wise

ezdē

noun. rest

imte

pronoun. themselves

kegyā

noun. hedge

khamu-

verb. to sit down

khaw

root. big

lassē

noun. leaf

lā̆

preposition/adverb. beyond

mai

adverb. well

mornā

adjective. dark

morokō

noun. bear

nāro

noun. fire

palad

noun. plain

palda

noun. flat surface

pendā

adjective. sloping

rass

noun. horn

sidā̆

adverb. hither

sĭnā

adjective. this

te

pronoun. they

towo

noun. wool

tul-

verb. come, is coming, has come, is here

tār(a)-ninqui-tilte

place name. High White Peak

urun

root. copper

us(u)kwē

noun. dusk

ʒandā

adjective. long

du Reconstructed

root. dark

en

root. name

lungu Reconstructed

adjective. heavy

pelek

root. axe

sisti

root. ‽

apa

root. touch

khamu

verb. sit down

pū

noun. ‽

sin

root. this

skā

noun. ‽

skū

noun. ‽

teles

verb. come at rear, end a line or series

tulku

noun. prop, support

tārī

noun. queen, (lit.) she that is high