canta

noun. shape, framework, shape, framework, [ᴹQ.] frame; shaped

A word for “shape, frame(work)” mentioned in both the first (TQ1) and second (TQ2) versions of Tengwesta Qenderinwa from the 1940s and early 1950s (PE18/33, 90). It also appeared as an adjective and quasi-suffix ᴹQ. kanta “shaped” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√KAT “shape, make”, as in ᴹQ. lassekanta “leaf-shaped” (Ety/KAT). As a noun, canta appeared in the phrase Nasser ar Cenime Cantar Valaron ar Maiaron “The Natures and Visible Shapes of the Valar and Maiar” (PE17/175) and in Ambarkanta “Shape of the World” (SM/235), while in Tengwesta Qenderinwa it was used to describe the “shapes” of primitive roots that were the basis for forming words. As such, it seems this word is used both for the shapes of actual physical things as well as more abstract frameworks.

canta

shape

canta (2) _("k") noun"shape" (PE17:175), also used as adj._ "shaped", also as quasi-suffix -canta ("k") "-shaped" (KAT)

canta

cardinal. four

canta (1) ("k") cardinal "four" (KÁNAT, VT42:24, VT48:6). In the Etymologies as printed in LR, this word was cited with a final hyphen (as if it were a verb), but the hyphen does not actually appear in Tolkien's manuscript (VT45:19). Ordinal cantëa ("k") "fourth" (VT42:25) Compare cantil.

canta

cardinal. four

The Quenya word for “four” derived from the root √KANAT of the same meaning (PE17/95; VT42/24; VT48/6; Ety/KÁNAT).

Conceptual Development: The word ᴱQ. kanta “four” dates all the way back to the Early Qenya Grammar (EQG) of the 1920s (PE14/49, 82), but in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s the word for “four” was ᴱQ. nelde (QL/65), which in Tolkien’s later writings meant “three”.

canta

noun. frame

frame, frame-work, shape

canta-

verb. ?

canya-

verb. canya-

canya- (2) verb (pa.t. canyanë given), undefined form occurring in PE17:113 (together with the seeming variant canta-). See *can- #2 for a conjecture regarding its meaning.

can-

cardinal. four

can- (1) (prefix)("k") "four" (KÁNAT)

cat-

verb. shape

shape, fashion

sal-

verb. ?

venië

shape, cut

venië noun? "shape, cut" (LT1:254)

venwë

shape, cut

venwë noun? "shape, cut" (LT1:254)

cant

noun. shape, shape; [N.] outline

A word for “shape” appearing in its plural mutated form chaint in morchaint “dark-shapes” (VT42/9). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. cant had the gloss “outline” under the root ᴹ√KAT “shape” (Ety/KAT).

canad

cardinal. four

The Sindarin word for “four” based on the root √KANAT of the same meaning (PE17/95; VT42/24; VT48/6; Ety/KÁNAT).

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. cant “four” (GL/25). Some rough notes from the 1960s had a variant form cened “four”, but this seems to have been a ephemeral concept according to Patrick Wynne (VT47/41 note #69).

canad

cardinal. four

cant

shape

(noun) cant (i gant, o chant) (outline), pl. caint (i **chaint). The mutated pl. -chaint is attested as part of the compound morchaint**; see SHADOW.

cant

shape

(i gant, o chant) (outline), pl. caint (i chaint). The mutated pl. -chaint is attested as part of the compound morchaint; see SHADOW.

canad

cardinal. four

canad;

canad

four

;

canath

fourth part

(i ganath, o chanath) (farthing), pl. cenaith (i chenaith). As coin, the fourth part of the more valuable coin called mirian. (PM:45)

alae

interjection. ?

auth

noun. a dim shape, spectral or vague apparition

cened

ordinal. four

en

?. ?

@@@ In VT50/13 Carl Hostetter suggested this might be an indicative passive voice marker en, vs. subjunctive passive voice marker aen, maybe a plural form e “he”.

fân

shape

_n._shape, with the added notion of light and whiteness. It was thus often used where we might use 'a vision' (of something beautiful and sublime). Q. fana-. Tolkien notes that "Yet being elvish, though it may be used of things remote, it has no implication either of uncertainty or unreality" (PE17:26). In the name Fanuilos of Elbereth, the Fân was the vision of majesty of Elbereth upon the mountain where she dwelt.

ingildon

place name. ?

cannui

fourth

. The reading in VT42:25  is "canthui", but the phonology presupposed in LotR would require ✱cannui. David Salo regards "canthui" as a dialectal form.

echad

shape

(verb) echad- (i echad, in echedir) (fashion, make), pa.t. echant (VT45:19)

echad

shape

(i echad, in echedir) (fashion, make), pa.t. echant (VT45:19)

canat

cardinal. four

canad

cardinal. four

canad

cardinal. four

canath

cardinal. four

kanatā

cardinal. four

kat

root. shape, shape, [ᴹ√] make

The root ᴹ√KAT “shape” first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives ᴹQ. kanta- “to shape”, ᴹQ. kanta “shaped”, and N. echad- “fashion, shape” (Ety/KAT). All these derivatives reappeared in Tolkien’s later writings, though Q. canta was more typically used as the noun “shape” (PE17/175; PE18/84, 90). The root appeared frequently in both the first and second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa as an example of a biconsonantal root (TQ1: PE18/34, 46, 62; TQ2: PE18/84-85, 87, 89-90, 95).

kanat

root. four

This root was established as the basis for “four” very early, though the earliest known Elvish word for “four” was actually ᴱQ. nelde from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/65), which became “three” later on (PE14/49). In the Gnomish Lexicon written soon after, the Gnomish word for “four” was G. cant (GL/25), and by the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s, the Qenya word likewise became ᴱQ. kanta “four” (PE14/49, 82). The Quenya word kept this form thereafter, and the Noldorin form became N. canad in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where the root ᴹ√KANAT “four” explicitly appeared for the first time (Ety/KÁNAT). The words and root for “four” remained the same thereafter (VT42/24-26; VT47/15-16; VT48/10), with occasional minor (and transient) variations such as √KENET (VT47/41).

kat-

verb. to shape

bel

place name. ?

asad

root. ?

An otherwise unexplained root Tolkien gave to illustrate a pronunciation example (SD/421). It may not be a real root. If it is real, it is either a biconsonantal-root with vowel-prefixion or a triconsonantal-root with a lost initial consonant such as [ɣ] or [ʔ].

nak

root. ?

An otherwise unexplained root that Tolkien used to illustrate the processes of Primitive Adûnaic word formation (SD/422-3). It may have no real meaning. Even if it were, certainly only a few of its derivatives could be real words in Classical Adûnaic.

sapad

root. ?

An otherwise unexplained root Tolkien gave to illustrate a pronunciation example. It may not be a real root.

tharan Reconstructed

cardinal. four