usuk

root. dusk, evening, *reek, smoke; dusk, evening

This root has a long history in Tolkien’s Elvish languages, but its meaning shifted over time. The earliest iteration of this root was unglossed ᴱ√ṢQṢ in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (marked by Tolkien with a “?”) with derivatives like ᴱQ. usqe “fog” and G. usc “fog, mist” (QL/98; GL/75). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had unglossed ᴹ√USUK with derivatives like ᴹQ. usqe “reek” and N. osp “smoke” (Ety/USUK). In both the first and second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa from the 1930s (TQ1) and around 1950 (TQ2) Tolkien had √USUK > Q. usquë “dusk” (PE18/50, 100). In Common Eldarin: Noun Structure Tolkien had primitive ✶usuk “dusk, evening”, again with derivative Q. usquë (PE21/71). For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would stick with the 1930s sense “✱smoke, reek” for this root, as Elvish languages already have plenty of roots for “dusk”.

Derivatives

• ✶us(u)kwē “dusk” ✧ PE18/100; PE21/71
  • Q. usquë “dusk, dim light, [ᴹQ.] reek, *smoke; [Q.] dusk, dim light, [ᴹQ.] twilight; [ᴱQ.] fog” ✧ PE18/100; PE21/71
• ᴺQ. ussa “incense”
• ᴺQ. uruhta- “to (cause to) smoke; to belch smoke”
• ᴺQ. ustya- “to smoke (intr.)”
• ᴺS. esgia- “to smoke (intr.)”
• ᴺS. uitha- “to smoke (trans.)”
• At. uso “dusk” ✧ PE21/71

Element in

• ᴺQ. hisquë “smog”

Variations

• usuk ✧ PE21/71

us(u)kwē

noun. dusk

Derivations

• √USUK “dusk, evening, *reek, smoke; dusk, evening” ✧ PE18/100; PE21/71

Derivatives

• Q. usquë “dusk, dim light, [ᴹQ.] reek, *smoke; [Q.] dusk, dim light, [ᴹQ.] twilight; [ᴱQ.] fog” ✧ PE18/100; PE21/71

Variations

• uskwē ✧ PE18/100
• usukwē ✧ PE21/71