the

him (another man)

thē

root. look (see or seem)

thel(es)

root. sister

Tolkien gave this root in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√THEL and extended form ᴹ√THELES with the gloss “sister” and derivatives like ᴹQ. seler and N. thêl of the same meaning, both derived from the extended root as made clear by the Noldorin plural thelei < ON. thelehi (Ety/THEL). Hints of the roots continued use appear in the 1959 term Q. meletheldi “love-sisters” for close female friends (NM/20). In notes from the late 1960s, Tolkien gave Q. nésa and S. nethel as the words for “sister”, both from the root √NETH. Nevertheless, I think it is worth retaining ᴹ√THEL(ES) to represent more abstract notions of “sisterhood” for the purposes of Neo-Eldarin, for “metaphorical sister”s as opposed to Q. nésa/S. nethel for sisters by blood.

thelese

noun. *sister

thērē

noun. look, face, expression, countenance

ī

article. the

-mā

suffix. passive suffix, the result of a processs

ya

root. there, over there; (of time) back, ago

khe

pronoun. they

thā

adverb. then, next

snar

root. tie

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “tie” with derivatives ᴹQ. narda/N. nardh “knot” (Ety/SNAR).

tor

root. brother

Tolkien gave this root in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√TOR “brother” with derivatives like ᴹQ. toron and N. tôr of the same meaning (Ety/TOR). Hints of the roots continued use appear in the 1959 term Q. melotorni “love-brothers” for close male friends (NM/20). In notes from the late 1960s, Tolkien gave Q. háno and S. hanar as the words for “brother”, both from the root √KHAN. Nevertheless, I think it is worth retaining ᴹ√TOR to represent more abstract notions of “brotherhood” for the purposes of Neo-Eldarin, for “metaphorical” brothers as opposed to Q. háno/S. hanar for brothers by blood.

tad

adverb. thither

nē

adverb. was; then, ago

srō

root. east

A root appearing in a rejected page of roots from the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s (PE22/127), possibly as a variant of √RŌ/ORO that Tolkien introduced to explain S. rhûn “east” after he decided initial r- did not become rh- in Noldorin/Sindarin; see the entry on S. rhûn for discussion.

khyar

root. left hand

A root given as {ᴹ√KHAR >>} ᴹ√KHYAR “left hand” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, associated with ᴹQ. hyarmen/N. harad “south” (Ety/KHYAR). These words for “south” reappeared in The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1115), and the connection between “south” and “left” was reaffirmed in Tolkien’s discussion of the Ambidexters Sentence from the late 1960s, since the Elves aligned the cardinal directions by facing west towards Aman (VT49/6-8).

ser

root. love, be fond of (of liking, friendship)

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “love, be fond of (of liking, friendship)” with derivatives like ᴹQ. serme, ᴹQ. sermo, and ᴹQ. seron, all meaning “friend” = feminine, masculine and neuter respectively (Ety/SER). Tolkien also considered given this root the form ᴹ√THER (EtyAC/SER). Tolkien compared ᴹ√SER to ᴹ√SON “love, befriend, cherish” which was “only used of persons” and had derivatives ᴹQ. sonda “dear, fond” and ᴹQ. sondo/N. thond “friend” (the latter implying a root ✱ᴹ√THON), but the root ᴹ√SON was rejected (EtyAC/SON). Tolkien further compared ᴹ√SER to ᴹ√MEL “love (as friend)” (EtyAC/MEL), which is a much better known basis for “love” and “friend” words in both earlier and later writings. However, Tolkien’s use of S. seron “lover” in the 1968 name S. Seron Aearon “Sea-lover” (PM/348) indicates he did not complete abandon ᴹ√SER.

Neo-Eldarin: I would retain this root for purposes of Neo-Eldarin, but would assume it applies to a less intense form of love and friendship than √MEL, more “like” than “love”.

ber

root. valiant

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “valiant”, its most notable derivative is the name S. Beren “Bold”. It had a variety of derivatives having to do with daring, such as ᴹQ. verya-/N. bertha- “to dare” and ᴹQ. verya/N. beren “bold”. The continued appearance of the name Beren in the later versions of The Silmarillion implies the root remained valid, but this name was only translated in The Etymologies of the 1930s, so it could have shifted in meaning.

galad

root. tree

The basis for Elvish “tree” words, this root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as an extension of ᴹ√GALA “thrive” (Ety/GALAD). This replaced the earliest derivation of “tree” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where the Qenya word for “tree” ᴱQ. alda was derived from ᴱ√ALA “spread” (QL/29). In The Etymologies, the Quenya form of this word remained the same, but the 1910s Gnomish words G. âl “wood” and †alwen “tree” (GL/19) became the 1930s Noldorin word N. galadh “tree” (Ety/GALA). Quenya and Sindarin retained these words for “tree” thereafter, and while Tolkien did not mention the root √GALAD again, his continued use of primitive ✶galadā “tree” (Let/426; PE17/153; PE21/74; UT/266) made it clear this root remained valid.

khar

root. helmet

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “helmet” with extended forms √KHÁRAP and √KHÁRAN (EtyAC/KHAR); one of its derivatives ᴹQ. Eldahar seems to be a precursor to Q. Eldacar “Elfhelm”. There are many other words for “helmet” in Tolkien’s later writing, and this root was probably abandoned.

khlip

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in a rejected paragraph from the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s (PE22/112 note #78).

maiga

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root appearing in the first version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa from the 1930s (TQ1) to illustrate certain patterns of root formation (PE18/66). It may have serving as the basis for ᴹQ. Maia, though this word was given different derivations later.

phan

root. [unglossed]

A deleted root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with no glosses or derivatives and no clear function (EtyAC/PHAN).

skil

root. [unglossed]

A root mentioned in passing in as a variant of ᴹ√KIL “divide” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, but it had no derivatives and appeared nowhere else (Ety/KIL).

sliw

root. sickly

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “sickly”, with derivatives like ᴹQ. laiwa/N. flaew “sickly, sick, ill” and ᴹQ. líve/N. fliw “sickness” (Ety/SLIW). The root was first written as ᴹ√LIW (EtyAC/LIW). It is probably a later iteration of the unglossed root ᴱ√LEẆE from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives ᴱQ. leuke “sick, ill; pallid, wan” and ᴱQ. leume “sickness” (QL/53).

stā

root. [unglossed]

A deleted root reference in The Etymologies apparently serving as the basis for the verbal action suffix ᴹ✶-stā “-ing” in ᴹ✶khau̯-stā “rest-ing” (Ety/KHAW; EtyAC/KHAW). See the entry on ✶-stā for further discussion.

uruk

root. [unglossed]

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with no glosses or derivatives and no clear function (EtyAC/URUK).

us

root. [unglossed]

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with no glosses or derivatives and no clear function (EtyAC/US).

ʒel

root. sky

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “sky”, with derivatives like ᴹQ. helle/N. ell “sky” and ᴹQ. helwa/N. elw “(pale) blue” (Ety/ƷEL). It was the basis for the initial elements of the names N. Elrond, N. Elwing and ᴹQ. Elwe, but elsewhere Tolkien connected these names to √EL “star”. It was also an element in the word N. eilian(w) “rainbow, (lit.) sky-bridge”, later given as S. ninniach. On the basis of these changes, I think it is likely Tolkien abandoned ᴹ√ƷEL, but some of its derived words are still popular in Neo-Eldarin.

yan

root. give

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “give” with derivatives ON. yanta- “give” and ᴹQ. Ariante “Day-bringer” (EtyAC/YAN²). Tolkien marked this entry with a “?”, and elsewhere in The Etymologies he derived ᴹQ. anta-/N. anna- “give” from ᴹ√ANA (Ety/ANA¹), so I suspect this root was a transient idea.

danta-

verb. fall

dēr

noun. man

epe

preposition. after

eʒ-

verb. to be

il

root. all

k’rannā

adjective. ruddy (of face)

neth

root. young

we

pronoun. we (inclusive)

ñgolodō

noun. gnome

nelek

root. tooth

parmā

noun. book

stintā

root. short

ta

root. that

(n)di

root. in

a-

prefix. complete

anār

noun. Sun

auluta-

verb. [unglossed]

ay(ar)

root. sea

aı̯an-

adjective. holy

bay

root. [unglossed]

day

root. shadow

edenā

adjective. first

galadā

noun. tree

gilya

noun. star

imi

root. in

ing

root. first, foremost

ithil

noun. moon

iw

root. [unglossed], [ᴱ√] *fish

kab-

verb. can, I can

kalrondō

noun. hero

kaltwa

?. [unglossed]

kharan

root. helmet

kharap

root. helmet

khe

pronoun. we (inclusive)

khōn

noun. heart

kott-

noun. quarrel

kwentā

noun. tale

kōmā

noun. [unglossed]

lepet

root. finger

magā

noun. hand

mapā

noun. hand

maʒ

root. hand

me

pronoun. we (exclusive)

melā-

verb. to love

met

root. end

metta

noun. end

mā

noun. land

māʒ

noun. hand

nakse

noun. tooth

ndūne

noun. west

nethrā

adjective. young

neñwi

noun. nose

nut-

verb. to tie, to tie, *bind

ranku

noun. arm

ranā

proper name. Moon

ringi

root. cold

settā

adjective. first

sok

root. drink

stalgondō

noun. hero, dauntless man

stin

root. [unglossed]

sug

root. drink

tal

root. foot

tanka

adjective. firm

torōmā

noun. [unglossed]

tul-

verb. come, am coming, have come, am arrived, am here

tāl

noun. foot

vaiā

noun. sea

wedā

noun. bond

winyē

noun. evening

yē

root. to be

ē

root. to be

ī

root. to be

kwantā Reconstructed

adjective. full