carca

tooth

carca noun "tooth" (KARAK) or "fang" (SA:carak-). In a deleted version of the entry in question, the glosses were "tooth, spike, peak" (VT45:19). When referring to a normal tooth, not necessarily sharp, the word nelet is probably to be preferred. Cf. also pl. carcar _("karkar") _in Markirya, there translated "rocks", evidently referring to sharp rocks. Already the early "Qenya Lexicon" has carca ("k")"fang, tooth, tusk" (LT2:344). Collective carcanë, q.v.

nelcë

tooth

nelcë ("k")noun "tooth", also nelet (VT46:3)

nelet

tooth

nelet, also nelcë ("k")noun "tooth", pl. nelci ("k") suggesting a stem-form nelc- (NÉL-EK)

carch

noun. tooth, fang

carch

noun. fang, fang, [N.] tooth

The Sindarin word for “fang” (SA/carak), most notably appearing as an element in the names like S. Carchost “Fang Fort” (RC/601) and S. Carcharoth “Red Maw” (S/180), perhaps more literally “✱Great Red Fang”. In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. carch was glossed “tooth, fang” under the root ᴹ√KARAK “sharp fang, spike, tooth” (Ety/KARAK). For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I’d use the word carch exclusively for the sharp teeth of animals (“fang”) and for “tooth” I’d use [N.] nêl or neleg.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had the word G. carc “jag, point, fang” (GL/25), likely based on the earlier form of the root: ᴱ√KṚKṚ (QL/48). This early word reflects the different phonetic developments of Gnomish versus Sindarin/Noldorin: compare G. orc (GL/63) vs. S./N. orch.

Cognates

• Q. carca “fang; [sharp] rock, fang, [ᴹQ.] tooth, [ᴱQ.] tusk; [Q.] rock” ✧ SA/carak

Derivations

• √KARAK “*sharp fang, spike, tooth, [ᴹ√] sharp fang, spike, tooth” ✧ SA/carak

Element in

• S. Carcharoth “Red Maw, ?(lit.) Great Red Fang” ✧ SA/carak
• S. Carchost “Fang Fort” ✧ SA/carak

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√carak- > carch	[karka] > [karkʰa] > [karxa] > [karx]	✧ SA/carak

carch

tooth

(i garch, o charch), pl. cerch (i cherch).

carch

fang

carch (i garch, o charch) (tooth), pl. cerch (i cherch)

carch

fang

(i garch, o charch) (tooth), pl. cerch (i cherch)

naes

tooth

(no distinct pl. form) (VT45:36).

nagol

tooth

1) *nagol (analogical pl. negyl, coll. pl. naglath*; possibly the analogical form nagolath would also be acceptable). Only the coll. pl. naglath is attested. 2) naes (no distinct pl. form) (VT45:36). 3) nêl (note: a homophone means ”three”), stem neleg-, whence pl. nelig. Also simply neleg (pl. nelig). 4) (fang) carch (i garch, o charch), pl. cerch (i cherch**).

nagol

tooth

(analogical pl. negyl, coll. pl. naglath; possibly the analogical form ✱nagolath would also be acceptable). Only the coll. pl. naglath is attested.

nêl

tooth

(note: a homophone means ”three”), stem neleg-, whence pl. nelig. Also simply neleg (pl. nelig).

nelek

root. tooth

Derivatives

• At. nele “tooth” ✧ PE21/71

Variations

• nelek ✧ PE21/71

carch

noun. tooth, fang

carch

noun. tooth, fang

Cognates

• ᴹQ. karka “tooth” ✧ Ety/KARAK

Derivations

• ᴹ√KARAK “sharp fang, spike, tooth” ✧ Ety/KARAK

Element in

• N. Carcharoth “Knife-fang” ✧ Ety/KARAK
• N. Carchost

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√KÁRAK > carch	[karka] > [karkʰa] > [karxa] > [karx]	✧ Ety/KARAK

naglath

noun. the teeth

naes

noun. tooth

Derivations

• ᴹ✶nakse “tooth” ✧ EtyAC/NAK
  • ᴹ√NAK “bite” ✧ EtyAC/NAK

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶nakse > naes	[nakse] > [naksa] > [naxsa] > [naisa] > [nais] > [naes]	✧ EtyAC/NAK

nagol

noun. tooth

nagol

noun. tooth

Tolkien used various “teeth” words related to the root √NAK “bite” throughout his life. The earliest of these was G. naith “a tooth” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, where its connection to the early root ᴱ√NAKA “bite” was made more clear by its archaic plural form nacthin (GL/59). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had N. naes derived from primitive ᴹ✶nakse under the root ᴹ√NAK “bite” (EtyAC/NAK). As suggested by David Salo (GL/275), another variant ✱nagol “tooth” is suggested by the class plural naglath in the names from Lord of the Rings drafts of 1940s: Naglath Morn “Teeth of Mordor” (WR/122) and Kirith Naglath “Cleft of the Teeth” (WR/137), neither of which made it into the published version.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I’d recommend using N. nêl or N. neleg for “tooth” words. Primitive ᴹ✶nakse would likely produce ✱nach rather than naes under Sindarin’s phonetic rules; compare S. ach “neck” < ✶aks[e] (PE17/92). As for N. nagol, it was also likely abandoned.

Derivations

• ᴹ√NAK “bite”

Element in

• N. Kirith Naglath “Cleft of the Teeth” ✧ WR/137
• N. Naglath Morn “Teeth of Mordor” ✧ WR/122 (Naglath Morn)

neleg

noun. tooth

neleg

noun. tooth

The most common word for “tooth”, appearing in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√NELEK of the same meaning (Ety/NÉL-EK). See variant N. nêl “tooth” for further discussion.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nelet “tooth” ✧ Ety/NÉL-EK

Derivations

• On. nele “tooth” ✧ Ety/NÉL-EK
  • ᴹ√NELEK “tooth” ✧ Ety/NÉL-EK; PE21/56

Element in

• N. Neleglos “White Tooth” ✧ WR/106
• N. Neleg Thilim “Gleaming Tooth” ✧ WR/106
• N. Nelig Myrn “Teeth of Mordor” ✧ WR/113

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. neleki > neleg	[nelek] > [neleg]	✧ Ety/NÉL-EK

Variations

• Neleg ✧ WR/106

nêl

noun. tooth

nêl

noun. tooth

A word appearing as N. nêl “tooth” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√NELEK of the same meaning (Ety/NÉL-EK). It was one of a rare set of primitive words with final k, which was lost in very early stages of the language, to produce ON. nele (PE21/56). Its ON. plural was neleki, which produced nelig in the modern form of the language. Since the plural preserved the stop lost in the simplex, an alternate form N. neleg was restored from the plural.

This longer form neleg appeared as an element in a number of names from Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s: {N. Neleg Thilim “Gleaming Tooth” >>} N. Neleglos “White Tooth” (WR/106) and N. Nelig Myrn “Teeth of Mordor” (WR/113). None of these names made it into the published version. However, primitive √nelek “tooth” was mentioned as the basis for Ancient Telerin nele “tooth” in notes from the early 1950s, again with loss of final k and plural neleki (PE21/71-72).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I’d use neleg as the ordinary word for “tooth”, and limit nêl to the final element of compounds.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nelet “tooth” ✧ Ety/NÉL-EK

Derivations

• On. nele “tooth” ✧ Ety/NÉL-EK
  • ᴹ√NELEK “tooth” ✧ Ety/NÉL-EK; PE21/56

Element in

• ᴺS. molnel “molar”
• ᴺS. nagnel “incisor (tooth)”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. nele > nêl	[nele] > [nel] > [nēl]	✧ Ety/NÉL-EK