can-

cardinal. four

can- (1) (prefix)("k") "four" (KÁNAT)

canta

cardinal. four

canta (1) ("k") cardinal "four" (KÁNAT, VT42:24, VT48:6). In the Etymologies as printed in LR, this word was cited with a final hyphen (as if it were a verb), but the hyphen does not actually appear in Tolkien's manuscript (VT45:19). Ordinal cantëa ("k") "fourth" (VT42:25) Compare cantil.

canta

cardinal. four

Cognates

• S. canad “four” ✧ PE17/095; VT48/06
• T. canat “four” ✧ VT42/24; VT48/06

Derivations

• ✶kanatā “four” ✧ VT42/24
  • √KANAT “four”

Element in

• Q. ca(na)sta “one fourth, one fourth, *quarter”
• ᴺQ. canquain “forty”
• ᴺQ. canaquain “forty”
• ᴺQ. canaquëan “forty”
• ᴺQ. cantallumë “four times”
• ᴺQ. cantalya “four-legged, quadruped, (lit.) four-footed”
• Q. cantëa “fourth”
• ᴺQ. cantil “quadrangle, *quadrilateral, rectangle, square”
• Q. lepecan “fourth finger”
• Q. cantil “fourth finger”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶kanatā > kanta	[kanatā] > [kantā] > [kanta]	✧ VT42/24

Variations

• can-ta ✧ PE17/095
• kanta ✧ VT42/24; VT48/06

tharan

adjective. vigorous

adj. vigorous. >> tharanduil, thranduil

tharan

adjective. vigorous

An adjective for “vigorous” derived from the Sindarin-only root √THAR “vigour” in notes from 1959 (D59), coined by Tolkien to explain the name Thranduil (< th(a)randuil) “Vigorous Spring” (PE17/27, 187).

Derivations

• √THAR “vigour” ✧ PE17/187

Element in

• S. Thranduil “Vigorous Spring” ✧ PE17/027; PE17/187

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√THAR > tharan	[tʰarane] > [θarane] > [θaran]	✧ PE17/187

canad

cardinal. four

canad

cardinal. four

Cognates

• Q. canta “four” ✧ PE17/095; VT48/06
• T. canat “four” ✧ VT42/24; VT47/41

Derivations

• ✶kanatā “four” ✧ VT42/24
  • √KANAT “four”
• √KANAT “four” ✧ VT47/41

Element in

• ᴺS. canthil “square”
• S. canthui “fourth” ✧ VT42/25

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶kanata > canad	[kanata] > [kanat] > [kanad]	✧ VT42/24
√KENET > cened	[kenet] > [kened]	✧ VT47/41

Variations

• can(ad ✧ PE17/095
• cened ✧ VT47/41

cened

ordinal. four

canath

fourth part

(i ganath, o chanath) (farthing), pl. cenaith (i chenaith). As coin, the fourth part of the more valuable coin called mirian. (PM:45)

gorn

vigorous

gorn (hasty, impetuous); lenited orn; pl. gyrn. Note: a homophone means ”valour”. or

gorn

vigorous

(hasty, impetuous); lenited ’orn; pl. gyrn. Note: a homophone means ”valour”.

canad

cardinal. four

canad;

canad

four

;

cannui

fourth

. The reading in VT42:25  is "canthui", but the phonology presupposed in LotR would require ✱cannui. David Salo regards "canthui" as a dialectal form.

canat

cardinal. four

Cognates

• Q. canta “four” ✧ VT42/24; VT48/06
• S. canad “four” ✧ VT42/24; VT47/41

Derivations

• ✶kanatā “four” ✧ VT42/24
  • √KANAT “four”
• √KANAT “four” ✧ VT47/41

Variations

• cenet ✧ VT47/41

kanat

root. four

This root was established as the basis for “four” very early, though the earliest known Elvish word for “four” was actually ᴱQ. nelde from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/65), which became “three” later on (PE14/49). In the Gnomish Lexicon written soon after, the Gnomish word for “four” was G. cant (GL/25), and by the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s, the Qenya word likewise became ᴱQ. kanta “four” (PE14/49, 82). The Quenya word kept this form thereafter, and the Noldorin form became N. canad in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where the root ᴹ√KANAT “four” explicitly appeared for the first time (Ety/KÁNAT). The words and root for “four” remained the same thereafter (VT42/24-26; VT47/15-16; VT48/10), with occasional minor (and transient) variations such as √KENET (VT47/41).

Derivatives

• ✶kanakwe “*14”
  • ᴺQ. canquë “*fourteen”
  • ᴺQ. canaquë “*fourteen”
• ✶kanatā “four”
  • Q. canta “four” ✧ VT42/24
  • S. canad “four” ✧ VT42/24
  • T. canat “four” ✧ VT42/24
• ᴺS. canab “fourteen”
• S. canad “four” ✧ VT47/41
• S. canath “quarter”
• T. canat “four” ✧ VT47/41

Element in

• ᴺS. caphaen “forty”
• ᴺS. paegan “fourteen”

Variations

• kan-at ✧ VT42/24; VT47/12; VT47/15; VT48/10
• KAN ✧ VT42/26
• kanat ✧ VT47/16; VT47/16
• KENET ✧ VT47/41

kanatā

cardinal. four

Derivations

• √KANAT “four”

Derivatives

• Q. canta “four” ✧ VT42/24
• S. canad “four” ✧ VT42/24
• T. canat “four” ✧ VT42/24

Element in

• ✶galadā kanta “4 trees” ✧ PE21/74

Variations

• kanta ✧ PE21/74
• kanata ✧ VT42/24

canad

cardinal. four

canad

cardinal. four

Changes

• canath → canad ✧ Ety/KÁNAT

Cognates

• ᴹQ. kanta “four” ✧ Ety/KÁNAT

Derivations

• ᴹ√KANAT “four” ✧ Ety/KÁNAT

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√KÁNAT > canad	[kanata] > [kanat] > [kanad]	✧ Ety/KÁNAT

Variations

• canath ✧ EtyAC/NEL (canath)

canath

cardinal. four