Primitive elvish

thil

root. shine silver; white light

Tolkien frequently used the root √THIL as the basis for “moon” words in Elvish. The first appearance of this root was ᴱ√ÞILI a variant of ᴱ√SILI “✱gleam” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/83). The normal “moon” words in this period were ᴱQ. Sil and G. Sil (QL83; GL/67). A rejected Gnomish variant Thil “the moon” indicates Tolkien considered ᴱ√ÞILI, but did not commit to it (GL/72). However, in The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave unglossed ᴹ√THIL with derivatives like ᴹQ. Isil and N. Ithil “Moon, (lit.) Sheen” (Ety/I²; THIL). Tolkien stuck with these “Moon” words thereafter, and the root √THIL was mentioned regularly in Tolkien’s later writings (Let/425; PE17/66; PE22/136).

Derivatives

  • thillu- “to shine out, appear (of stars, etc.)”
  • tithilla- “to twinkle, glisten” ✧ PE22/136
  • Q. Isil “Moon, (lit.) Sheen” ✧ Let/425
  • S. Belthil “Divine Radiance” ✧ SA/sil
  • S. Ithil “Moon” ✧ Let/425; SA/sil

Element in

  • Q. Narsil “Red and White Flame” ✧ Let/425
  • Q. Narsilion “(Song) of the Sun and Moon”
  • Q. tintila- “to twinkle, sparkle, glitter, give tremulous light, †tremble” ✧ PE17/066
  • S. Belthil “Divine Radiance”
  • S. Galathilion “White Tree” ✧ SA/sil

Variations

  • ΘIL ✧ PE17/066; PE17/188
  • thil- ✧ SA/sil
Primitive elvish [Let/425; PE17/066; PE17/188; PE22/136; SA/sil] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tilte

noun. peak

Derivations

  • TIL “point, horn”

Derivatives

  • Q. tildë “a fine sharp point, fine sharp point, [ᴹQ.] spike; (mountain) horn, [ᴱQ.] tip, ️peak”

Element in

Primitive elvish [PE17/186] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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).

Derivatives

  • Q. tinga- “to go (for a long while)” ✧ PE22/157
Primitive elvish [PE22/157] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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.

Derivatives

  • Q. sal- “[unglossed]” ✧ PE22/133
Primitive elvish [PE22/133] Group: Eldamo. Published by

phut

root. [unglossed]

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

Primitive elvish [PE18/090] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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.

Derivatives

  • aras(sō) “hart” ✧ PE21/82
    • ᴺQ. arasso “hart, stag, (male) deer”
    • S. aras “deer, deer, hart, *stag”
  • rass “horn”
  • Q. ras- “to stick out”
  • Q. rassë “horn, horn [of both animals and mountains]”
  • S. rass “horn, horn [of both animals and mountains]”
  • S. ras(t) “cape, shore”

Element in

Primitive elvish [PE21/82] Group: Eldamo. Published by

rass

noun. horn

Derivations

  • RAS “horn, horn; [ᴹ√] stick up”

Element in

Primitive elvish [SA/caran] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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).

Derivatives

Primitive elvish [PE19/086] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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.

Primitive elvish [PE19/098] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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).

Derivatives

  • grawa “dog” ✧ VT47/35
    • Q. röa “dog” ✧ VT47/35
  • grā “dog, bear” ✧ VT47/35
    • S. graw “bear” ✧ VT47/12

Variations

  • grāw(ɜ) ✧ VT47/35 (grāw(ɜ))
Primitive elvish [VT47/35] Group: Eldamo. Published by