finca

clever

finca adj. "clever" (in petty ways) (PE17:119). A distinct form finca is also mentioned as the cognate of Sindarin fineg, but neither form is clearly glossed. The word-group under consideration has to do with hair(PE17:17).

finya

adjective. clever

Derivations

• √PHIN “clever, skillful; neat, fine, delicate; skill, dexterity, clever, skillful; neat, fine, delicate; skill, dexterity, [ᴹ√] nimbleness” ✧ PE17/017

Element in

• ᴺQ. finyalë “cleverness”
• Q. leptafinya “clever-fingered” ✧ PE17/017

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√PHIN- > finya	[pʰinja] > [ɸinja] > [finja]	✧ PE17/017

curu

skill

curu noun "skill" in names like Curufinwë (q.v.) and Sindarin Curufin, Curunir. (SA; possibly the same as curo, curu- above but there was a word curu ["k"] in Tolkien's early "Qenya", glossed "magic, wizardry" [LT1:269]).

curu

noun. skill, skill; [ᴱQ.] magic, wizardry

@@@ more accurately what men would might “magic”, but to the Elves including what is to them ordinary skills such as mental communication and powers of foresight

Cognates

• S. curu “skill (of the hand), craft; power, ability, skill (of the hand), craft; power, ability; [N.] cunning; [ᴱN.] magic” ✧ SA/curu

Derivations

• √KUR “have power, strength, ability inherent physically or mentally; skill, have power, strength, ability inherent physically or mentally; skill, [ᴹ√] craft”

Element in

• Q. Curufinwë “*Skilled-Finwë” ✧ SA/curu; SI/Fëanor
• Q. Curumo “*Skilled-one”
• ᴺQ. curuni “witch, *sorceress, female magician (not necessarily evil)”

fínëa

dexterous

fínëa adj. "dexterous" (PE17:119), also finwa, q.v.

fínëa

adjective. dexterous

Elements

Word	Gloss
fínë	“dexterity”
-a	“adjectival suffix”

finwa

adjective. clever, fine, delicate; dexterous, ️dexterous, clever; fine, delicate; [ᴱQ.] acute, sagacious

Derivations

• √PHIN “clever, skillful; neat, fine, delicate; skill, dexterity, clever, skillful; neat, fine, delicate; skill, dexterity, [ᴹ√] nimbleness” ✧ PE17/119; PE17/181

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√PHINĪ > finwa	[pʰinwa] > [ɸinwa] > [finwa]	✧ PE17/119
√PHĬN > finwa	[pʰinwa] > [ɸinwa] > [finwa]	✧ PE17/181

maen

clever

maen (lenited vaen; no distinct pl. form) (skilled) (noun):

maen

clever

(lenited vaen; no distinct pl. form) (skilled)

curu

skill

curu (i guru, o churu) (cunning, cunning device, craft), pl. cyry (i chyry). Archaic *curw, hence the coll. pl. is likely curwath. (VT45:24)

curu

skill

(i guru, o churu) (cunning, cunning device, craft), pl. cyry (i chyry). Archaic ✱curw, hence the coll. pl. is likely curwath. (VT45:24)

flâd

skilled

(construct flad, pl. flaid). Isolated from the name Fladrif ”skin-bark”.

maed

skilled

1) maed (lenited vaed; no distinct pl. form) (handy). Note: a homophone means ”shapely”. 2) maen (lenited vaen; no distinct pl. form) (clever), 3) #flâd (construct flad, pl. flaid). Isolated from the name Fladrif ”skin-bark”.ee HEAVEN. SKY-BRIDGE, see RAINBOW

maed

skilled

(lenited vaed; no distinct pl. form) (handy). Note: a homophone means ”shapely”.

maen

skilled

(lenited vaen; no distinct pl. form) (clever)

phin

root. clever, skillful; neat, fine, delicate; skill, dexterity, clever, skillful; neat, fine, delicate; skill, dexterity, [ᴹ√] nimbleness

This root has a long history in Tolkien’s Elvish languages, always having to do with clever and skillful things in association with the name Q. Finwë. It first appeared as unglossed ᴱ√FINI in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. finie “cunning” and ᴱQ. finwa “acute, sagacious” (QL/38). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. fim “clever; right hand”, G. fimlios “skillfulness”, and G. finthi “idea, notion” (GL/35). It reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “nimbleness, skill” and derivatives like ON. phinde “skill” and ON. phinya “skillful” (Ety/PHIN).

The root appeared a number of times in Tolkien’s later writings, as √PHIN- “skilful, neat, clever (especially applied to hands and fingers)” (PE17/17), √PHĪ/PHINI “skill, dexterity” (PE17/119), and √PHĬN “clever, fine, delicate” (PE17/119). In both The Etymologies and in later writings Tolkien made a point that this root was distinct from √SPIN from which various “hair” words were derived (Ety/PHIN; PE17/17), though in one place Tolkien gave that root also as √PHIN- (PM/340).

Derivatives

• Q. finca “clever (in petty ways), clever (in petty ways), *tricky” ✧ PE17/119
• Q. finda “fine and delicately made” ✧ PE17/181
• Q. fínë “dexterity” ✧ PE17/119
• ᴺQ. finië “cunning”
• Q. finta- “to make, finish off, decorate a thing with delicate work; to show skill” ✧ PE17/017; PE17/119
• Q. fintalë “trick” ✧ PE17/119
• Q. finwa “clever, fine, delicate; dexterous, ️dexterous, clever; fine, delicate; [ᴱQ.] acute, sagacious” ✧ PE17/119; PE17/181
• Q. finya “clever” ✧ PE17/017
• Q. finya- “to do/make a thing (with fine work)” ✧ PE17/181
• ᴺS. finc “trick”
• ᴺS. finna- “to trick, deceive, cheat, take in”

Element in

• Q. Findis ✧ PE17/119
• Q. Finwë ✧ PE17/017

Variations

• PHIN- ✧ PE17/017
• PHĪ ✧ PE17/119; PE17/181
• PHINĪ ✧ PE17/119; PE17/181
• PHIN ✧ PE17/151; PE17/181
• PHĬN ✧ PE17/181

maen

adjective. skilled, clever

maen

adjective. skilled, clever

Derivations

• On. magna “skilled, clever” ✧ Ety/MAƷ|MAG; EtyAC/MAƷ
  • ᴹ✶magnā “skilled” ✧ Ety/MAƷ|MAG; EtyAC/MAƷ
  • ᴹ√MAG “use, handle” ✧ Ety/MAƷ|MAG; EtyAC/MAƷ

Element in

• N. maenas “craft, handicraft, art” ✧ Ety/MAƷ|MAG
• ᴺS. maenor “craftsman”
• On. Maenros ✧ Ety/MAƷ|MAG (Maenros); EtyAC/MAƷ (Maenros)

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. magna > maen	[magna] > [maŋna] > [maina] > [main] > [maen]	✧ Ety/MAƷ	MAG