Early Quenya
malda
adjective. tender
malda
adjective. better, best
kulu
noun. gold
mal
adverb. better, best
malasta
adjective. tender
mald-
verb. to pound, crush
malda la munta
better than nothing
malda muntar
better than nothing
malin(d)
adjective. yellow
malina
adjective. yellow
mild(i)-
verb. to pound
mára
adjective. mighty, power[ful], doughty; good, excellent, useful (of things)
túrea
adjective. mighty
This verb appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with variants ᴱQ. mald- and mild-, both meaning “pound” and derived from the early root ᴱ√MLŘL [MḶÐḶ] (QL/62). Elsewhere in the document Tolkien said the verb mildi- meant “crush, pound” (QL/63).
Neo-Quenya: I would retain this verb as ᴺQ. malda- “to pound”, but update its derivation to be from the later root ᴹ√MBAL (Ety/MBAL).