(ñ)gay

root. gape, become wide, open, vast

A root appearing in notes on words and phrases from The Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s, serving as an explanation for √GAY(AR) “sea” (PE17/27). Its gloss was “gape, become wide, open, vast”, but elsewhere “sea” words were generally attached to roots meaning “awe, dread”, so I think this was likely a transient idea. See the entry on √GAY(AR) for further discussion.

Derivatives

• Q. naira “vast, wide, empty” ✧ PE17/027

Elements

Word	Gloss
GAY(AR)	“awe, dread; astound, make aghast; sea”

Variations

• GAY ✧ PE17/027; PE17/153
• ÑGAY ✧ PE17/027; PE17/153; PE17/169