tup-

verb. to cover, to cover, [ᴱQ.] put a lid on, put hat on, roof

A verb appearing as an element in untup- “cover over/down”, so likely “✱cover”, based on the root √TUP of similarly meaning (PE17/73).

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. tupu- “roof, put lid on, put hat on, cover” under the early root ᴱ√TUPU (QL/95). Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s had ᴱQ. tump- “cover”, probably of similar derivation. The Etymologies of the 1930s instead had ᴹQ. tope “covers” under the root ᴹ√TOP “cover, roof” (Ety/TOP). It seems that by the time The Lord of the Rings was finished, Tolkien had reverted to √TUP “cover”.

tup-

verb. cover

#tup- vb. "cover", isolated from untúpa, q.v. Variant top- in the Etymologies.

top-

verb. cover

top- vb. "cover" (1st pers. aorist topë "covers"), pa.t. tompë (TOP). Variant tup-, q.v.