fern

phir

_, the word fern means "dead" with reference to the (inevitable) death of mortals. Also gwann (departed), lenited wann; pl. gwain

phir

root. exhale, expire, breathe out, exhale, expire, breathe out; [ᴹ√] die of natural causes

This root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√PHIR “die of natural causes” with derivatives like ᴹQ. fire/N. feir “mortal man” and ᴹQ. firin/N. fern “dead” (Ety/PHIR; EtyAC/ÑGUR). In one place it had a rejected variant ᴹ√SPIR (EtyAC/ÑGUR). In later notes, Tolkien explained that √PHIRI meant “exhale, expire, breathe out” and was initially unconnected to death (WJ/387). In this scenario, √PHIRI came to be associated with death through the passing of Q. Míriel, the most notable Elf to die of non-violent causes who “overcome by a great sorrow ... gave up her life in the body and went to the keeping of Mandos, [with] a deep sigh of weariness” (WJ/387). In this event, she was given the new name Q. Fíriel “She that died” but also meaning “She that sighed” (MR/250). From there it came to be used of the natural death of mortal men, something which the Elves had little experience with themselves.

Derivatives

• ✶alfirīne “not dying”
  • S. alfirin “immortal, (lit.) not dying; a species of flower” ✧ PE17/101
• ✶firīne “mortal, dying”
  • S. firin “mortal, dying, dying, mortal; [N.] human” ✧ PE17/101
• Q. fir- “to die, fade, †expire, breathe forth”
• Q. Fírima “Mortal, (lit.) One Apt to Die” ✧ WJ/387
• Q. Firya “Mortal” ✧ WJ/387
  • S. Feir “Mortal, Mortal, [N.] mortal man” ✧ WJ/387
• ᴺQ. firta- “to kill”
• S. fern “dead, dead person; [N.] dead (of mortals)”
• S. fir- “to fade, *die”
• S. fíreb “mortal” ✧ WJ/387

Element in

• Q. firya “mortal; human, [ᴹQ.] human; [Q.] mortal”

Variations

• PHIRI ✧ WJ/387