Argol(do)

noun. Noble Noldo

Noble Noldo

ahtar-

verb. to do back, react; to requite, avenge

In notes from around 1959 Tolkien had a verb akkar- or ahtar-, cognate to S. achar- “do back, react; requite; avenge” as combination of √AT “back” (related to √AT-TA “two”) and √KAR “do” (PE17/166). This etymology was rejected when Tolkien decided that, as a prefix, at- meant “re- of the same or other agent in repeating (more or less similarly) a previous action” and in Q. “only in literal sense of second time, double”. It was thus not suitable for “avenge”.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I think ᴺQ. ahtar- can be salvaged in the more limited sense “to do back, react”.

car-

verb. to do, make, to do, make, *act [take action]; [ᴹQ.] to build

Car- is the Quenya verb for “do, make”, derived from the root √KAR of the same meaning, and was very well established in Tolkien’s mind. ᴱQ. karin “I do, make” dates back all the way to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/45), and appeared regularly in Tolkien’s writings thereafter. Tolkien frequently used car- in examples of conjugating basic verbs, so the inflections of car- are pretty representative of Tolkien’s evolving notations of the Quenya verb system.

The English verb “do” has many specialized functions, such as in the formation of questions like “do you want to go?”. Quenya car- does not share many of those functions. Quenya car- serves as a “generic action” verb, in some sense acting like verbal pronoun, which can be substituted for a more specific verb. For example, in phrases like A carnë ta yallë B (carnë) “A did that as / like B (did)” (PE17/74) or ecuva nin carë sa nöa “I may do that tomorrow” (VT49/20), the verb car- is a placeholder for the specific action done, in the same way that ta and sa is a pronominal placeholder for the action as a noun.

The English verb “do” often requires a generic object like “it”, but that is not the case for Quenya car-: consider English “don’t do it” [with object] vs. Quenya áva carë [without object] (WJ/371) or the Quenya phrase á carë ancárië “try harder” (PE17/94), more literally “✱do [it] with more doing”. When car- has a specific direct object, it generally has the sense “make” or “build”, as in ma caruvalwë ohta “shall we make war” (PE22/161) or i carir quettar ómainen “those who form [make] words with voices” (WJ/391).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had ᴹQ. karin “I make, build” under the root ᴹ√KAR {“make, do” >>} “make, build, construct” (Ety/KAR), and in this period kar- was more often glossed “make” rather than “do”, such as in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948. It could be that in the 1930s and 40s this verb was more limited in sense than it was earlier and later.

Neo-Quenya: Orondil suggested this verb can probably also be used intransitively for “to act” [= “take action”], especially given the suffix -carë often used as “action”. For a more distinctive verb for “to act, take action”, see [ᴺQ.] carta-.

úcárima

adjective. hard to do, difficult, *undoable, unmakeable; hard to do, difficult

A word glossed “hard to do, difficult” in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969, a negated form of cárima “able to be done” (PE22/156). This word is from the brief period in 1969 where Tolkien decided that the main negative root was √LA, and ú- meant only “bad, hard, difficult, unfavourable”.

Neo-Quenya: For most of the 1960s, the prefix ú- was used for negation, and thus úcárima is likely to be interpreted as “✱undoable, unmakeable” for those Neo-Quenya writers that subscribe to u-negation; see the entry on the Quenya negative for discussion. To minimize ambiguity, I would instead use hraia or hranga to mean “difficult” for purposes of Neo-Quenya, and urucárima for “hard to make / do”.

-nyë

i do

-nyë, 1st person sg. pronominal suffix "I"; also short form -n (q.v.). Carin or carinyë *"I do" (VT49:16). With object -s following in utúvienyes "I have found it" (see tuv-). It may be that Tolkien at one point considered nye (or ne, inyë) as an independent emphatic pronoun "I", but this was struck out (VT49:49).

accar-

verb. do back; react; requite, avenge

accar- vb. "do back; react; requite, avenge" (PE17:166). Also ahtar-. (The note containing this form was struck out, but the related Sindarin word acharn "vengeance" appears in the narratives.)

ahtar-

do back; react; requite, avenge

ahtar- "do back; react; requite, avenge" (PE17:166). Also accar-. (The note containing this form was struck out, but the related Sindarin word acharn "vengeance" appears in the narratives.)

car-

verb. make, do, build, form

car- (1) vb. "make, do, build, form" (1st pers. aorist carin "I make, build"; the aorist is listed with all pronominal endings in VT49:16, also in pl. and dual forms carir, carit). Regarding the form carize- (PE17:128), see -s #1. Pa.t. carnë (KAR, PE17:74, 144). The infinitival aorist stem carë ("k") (by Patrick Wynne called a "general aorist infinitive" in VT49:34) occurs in ecë nin carë sa "I can do it" (VT49:34), also in áva carë "don't do it" (WJ:371) and uin carë (PE17:68); in the last example Tolkien calls carë an example of the "simplest aorist infinitive", the same source referring to carië as the "general infinitive" of the same verb. Pl. aorist carir "form" in the phrase i carir quettar ("k") "those who form words" (WJ:391, cf. VT49:16), continuative cára, future caruva (PE17:144), carita ("k"), infinitive/gerund "to do" or "doing" (VT42:33), with suffixes caritas "to do it" or "doing it", caritalya(s) "your doing (it)" in VT41:13,17, VT42:33. Past participle #carna, q.v.; VT43:15 also gives the long form carina ("k"), read perhaps *cárina. (Carima as a passive participle may be a mistake, VT43:15.) PE17:68 refers to a "simple past passive participle" of the form carinwa ("kari-nwa"). "Rare" past participle active (?) cárienwa* ("k") "having done" (PE17:68), unless this is also a kind of passive participle (the wording of the source is unclear). Some alternative forms in Fíriel's Song: past tense cárë ("káre") "made"; this may still be an alternative to the better-attested form carnë (LR:362) even in LotR-style Quenya. Cf. ohtacárë "war-made", made war (see #ohtacar-). Also cárië with various suffixes: cárier ("kárier") is translated "they made"; in LotR-style Quenya this could be seen as an augmentless perfect, hence "they have made", "they" being simply the plural ending -r. The literal meaning of cárielto* ("k") must also be "they made" (cf. -lto). Derived adjectives urcárima and urcarnë "hard to make / do", urucarin "made with difficulty" (PE17:154), saucarya "evil-doing" (PE17:68).

ec-

i can do it

ec- ("k") verb denoting an opportunity, with the one having the opportunity in dative: ecë nin carë sa "I can do it" (it-is-open for-me to-do it), ecë nin? "please, may I?", ecuva nin care sa noa "I may do [have a chance of doing] do that tomorrow". This construction is said to denote "have chance, opportunity or permission" (VT49:20, 34)

finya-

verb. to do a thing / make a thing (with fine work)

finya- (2) vb. "to do a thing / make a thing (with fine work)" (PE17:181)

finya-

verb. to do/make a thing (with fine work)

A verb in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 glossed “to do a thing / make a thing (with fine work)”, derived from the root √PHIN “clever, fine, delicate” (PE17/181).

horya-

have an impulse, be compelled to do something, set vigorously out to do

horya- noun "have an impulse, be compelled to do something, set vigorously out to do" (VT45:22)

hum-

verb. not to do

[#hum- vb. "not to do" (cited as 1st person aorist: humin "I do not"; pa.t. húmë. (VT45:17). See #um-.]

u-

verb. not do, not be

#u- vb. "not do, not be" (1st pers. aorist uin "I do not, am not"), pa.t. úmë (UGU/UMU). A late (ca. 1968) source gives the forms uin, uin(yë) "I am not", uil(yë) "you are not", uis "it is not", uilmë "we are not", uir "are not" and endingless ui *"is not" (VT49:29, 36); these forms were however struck out. The example uin carë "I dont" (PE17:68) combines this negative verb with a following verb in the "simplest aorist infinitive". Compare ua in another late source. See also ui, which (despite its use as an interjection "no") seems to be the endingless 3rd person aorist.

ua-

not do, not be

ua- negative verb "not do, not be". If a verb is to be negated, ua (coming before the verb) receives any pronominal endings (and presumably also any endings for plurality or duality, -r or -t), whereas the uninflected tense-stem of the verb follows: With the ending -n for "I", one can thus have constructions like uan carë "I do not" (aorist), uan carnë "I did not" (past), uan cára "I am not doing" (present), uan caruva "I shall not do" (future). The verb ua- can itself be fully conjugated: #ua aorist (or present?), únë (past), úva "(future), #uië (perfect) (the aorist and perfect are attested only with the ending -n "I"). In "archaic Quenya" these tense-forms could be combined with an uninflected aorist stem, e.g. future *úvan carë = later Quenya uan caruva, "I shall not do". In later Quenya, only the forms ua (present or aorist) and "occasionally" the past tense form #únë were used in normal prose (únen* "I did not, was not"). (PE17:144; compare FS for úva** as a future-tense negative verb "will not")

um-

verb. not to do, not to be

#um- vb. "not to do, not to be" (1st pers. aorist umin "I do not, am not"), past tense úmë (UGU/UMU). Another version of this negative verb had the form #hum-, q.v., but Tolkien rejected it.

urcárima

hard to make / do

urcárima, urcarnë adj. "hard to make / do". (PE17:154). Cf. urucarin.

úa

do not thou lead us

úa, with 1st person suffix úalyë, imperative particle á, a combined with the negation ú- to express a prohibition (úalyë mittanya me, *"do not thou lead us", VT43:9, 21-22). However, Tolkien apparently abandoned úa in favour of ala, alalyë, q.v. (later he also used the form áva for "don't"). Compare ua.

úcar-

verb. to sin, trespass; to do wrong

#úcar- vb. "to sin, trespass; to do wrong" (pl. aorist úcarer in VT43:12, we would rather expect úcarir, a form seemingly indicated by an emendation in one variant of the text in question, VT43:21). The verb is car- "do" with the prefix ú-, here suggesting something morally bad ("do wrong") rather than simple negation.

úsahtië

inducement to do wrong

úsahtië (þ) noun "inducement to do wrong" (VT43:23); allative úsahtienna attested (the alternative form úsahtíenna with a long í must be erroneous, as pointed out by the editors [ibid.]). Compare sahta-, sahtië.

alasaila ná lá carë tai mo nave mára

it is unwise not to do what one judges good

sahtië

noun. pressure or force (to do something against one’s will or conscience)

ua-

verb. to not be, to not do

ui-

verb. to not be, to not do

urucárima

adjective. hard to make / do

ván caruva

I will not (do not intend) to make

áva carë

Don’t do it

úsahtië

noun. inducement to do wrong, *temptation

accar-

verb. to do back, react; to requite, avenge

asa-

verb. be willing, agree (to do so)

asanye

verb. I will (do so) -- as you ask/order

aþa Archaic

adverb. I agree of course, of course I do

car-

verb. do, make

carilye tar

you do, sir

cárima

adjective. feasible, possible (to do)

ecë nin care sa

I can do that

indu-

verb. will, do on purpose

laceníte cuimar

creatures that cannot/do not (by nature) see

la navin caritalyas mára

I do not advise you to do so, (lit.) I don’t judge your doing (it) good

lerta-

verb. to be free to do

lá

not to be/do

lá carita i hamil mára alasaila ná

not to do (in this case) what you judge good (would be) unwise

orë nin caritas

I feel an urge/wish/desire to do it

orë nin caritas nó namin alasaila

I would like / feel moved to do so but judge it unwise

uan carë

I do not make

uin carë

I do not make

urcarne

adjective. hard to make / do

vá caris i

he is not to do it (now or ever); in any case (whatever may be said, desired, or may occur to the contrary) he is not to do this

vá caruvas i

*he is not to do it (in the future)

ála

particle. do not

á tule

do come!

úcárima

adjective. hard to do, difficult

þá Archaic

adverb. I agree of course, of course I do

salyon(do)

noun. hero, dauntless man

voron(do)

noun. trusty man, faithful vassal

caru-

verb. to take action, step into action, begin to do, take something up

A neologism for “take action, step into action, take something up” coined by Arael posted on 2025-11-05 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), an inceptive verb based on √KAR “do”, so originally = “begin to do”.

lascar-

verb. to obey, (lit.) listen and do

A neologism for “obey” coined by Luinyelle posted on 2025-06-22 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of √LAS “listen” and √KAR “do”.

úcaira

adjective. reluctant (to do)

A neologism for a “reluctant (to do)” coined by Laiqua posted on 2026-04-27 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a negation of the desiderative caira “eager to do”.

Ma istanyel?

t# `B81D5Ì$jÀ interrogative. Do I know you?

Translates officially as: Do I know (formal) you?

ninya ná cares

I need do it, (lit.) mine is to do it

@@@ modernization of MQ idiom to express “I need/should ...”, of form <possessive-pronoun> + ná + <infinitive> (or possibly gerund), more literally “mine is to do”. This is an alternative to mauya nin care (“it is compelled to me to do”) construction

sarrer-

verb. to do something useless or futile, to waste effort, (lit.) sow stone

A neologism for “to do something useless or futile, to waste effort” coined by Chaered posted on 2025-06-22 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of sar “stone” and rer- “sow”.

ahtar-

verb. to do back, react; to requite, avenge

ascárima

adjective. easy [to do]

caira

adjective. eager [to do]

vesta-

verb. to swear (to do something), contract, make a compact

@@@ originally given by Fiona as westa-

irin

town

irin noun "town" (LT2:343; hardly a valid word in Tolkien's later Quenya)

nyare

verb. recites

recites