eye

root. feminine

A primitive suffixal form appearing in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure and serving as the basis of feminine words, most notably the femininizing suffixes -ī and -ē (PE21/82-83). For most purposes, though, I think it is best to stick with the better attested √INI for feminine words.

éyë

éyë

éyë, rare perfect of ëa, q.v.

hen

noun. eye

The Quenya word for “eye”, derived from the root √KHEN for eye-words (PE17/187; Ety/KHEN-D-E) and with stem-form hend- given its dual hendu (WJ/337).

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared as ᴱQ. hen in The Qenya Phonology of the 1910s, derived from primitive ᴱ✶þχe-ndǝ and appearing beside ᴱQ. sé “eye, pupil” < ᴱ✶þeχē (PE12/21). Hen (hend-) “eye” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon though it was marked “†” for archaic (QL/40), and ᴱQ. hend- also appeared in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon as the cognate of G. hen “eye” (GL/48). ᴱQ. hen appeared regularly in documents from the 1920s (PE13/147; PE14/43, 76; PE16/136), although in the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s ᴱQ. sinda was given as the cognate of ᴱN. hen(n) “eye” (PE13/122). The form ᴱQ. sinda seems to have been a transient idea.

A lengthy declension of ᴹQ. hen “eye” appeared in documents from the early 1930s (PE21/52) and in The Etymologies of the 1930s it was based on a new the root ᴹ√KHEN-D-E “eye” (Ety/KHEN-D-E). In both these documents, inflected forms indicate a stem form of hend-. Thus this word and its stem were quite stable in Tolkien’s mind, though he did alter its root from early ᴱ√SEHE [ÞEHE] to later √KHEN.

hen

eye

hen (hend-, as in pl. hendi) noun "eye" (KHEN-D-E); possibly dual #hendu in hendumaica, q.v. Noun henfanwa "eye-screen, veil upon eyes" (PE17:176), adj. henulca "evileyed" (SD:68; cf. ulca).

henta-

to eye, to examine (with the eyes), scan; to read (silently)

henta- vb. "to eye, to examine (with the eyes), scan; to read (silently)" (for "read aloud", et-henta is used). Forms cited: Aorist henta, present continuative hentëa, "aorist past" hentanë, perfect ehentanië. Gerund #hentië "reading", isolated from parmahentië "book reading" (PE17:77, 156).

henfanwa

noun. eye-screen, veil upon eyes

henta-

verb. to eye, examine, read, scan

alahen

adjective. eyeless

An adjective for “eyeless” appearing in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 as a combination of Q. al(a)- “not” and Q. hen “eye”, so perhaps more literally “✱not eyed” (PE22/153). This use of al(a)- to mean “-less, without” was a normal but somewhat archaic function of that prefix:

> Older formations were those in which al functioned as E[nglish] “-less” or “no, non-, without”. As alahen, pl. alahendi “eyeless” (PE22/153).

Helinyetillë

eyes of heartsease

Helinyetillë noun "Eyes of Heartsease", a name of the pansy (LT1:262)

alahen

adjective. eyeless

hencalcat

noun. eye-glasses, spectacles

hentópa

noun. eyelid

A neologism for “eyelid” coined by Tamas Ferencz, a combination of hen “eye” and [ᴹQ.] tópa “roof”.

-ē, -ĕ

suffix. feminine

feminine

cen

noun. sight, sight, *sense of sight

cénë

noun. sight

hen(d)

noun. eye

The Sindarin word for “eye”, most notably in the name Amon Hen “Hill of the Eye” (LotR/400), derived from the root √KHEN that was the basis for eye-words (PE17/187). Given the words henneth “window” (LotR/674) and Lachend “Flame-eyed” (WJ/384), it is possible that the independent word for “eye” is hend, but note also maecheneb “sharp-eye” which has no double-n (WJ/337).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to G. hen “eye” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/48), cognate to ᴱQ. hend- and so probably similarly derived from primitive ᴱ✶þχe-ndǝ (PE12/21). In the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s, ᴱN. hen(n) “eye” was paired with ᴱQ. sinda (PE13/122), but in Early Noldorin Word-lists from the same period, ᴱN. henn was again cognate with ᴱQ. hen (hend-), both from primitive ᴱ✶ske-ndá. In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was N. {hent, henn >>} hên “eye” from the root ᴹ√KHEN-D-E “eye” (Ety/KHEN-D-E). Thus this word was well established in Tolkien’s mind, but had several variations in its form and derivation.

hen

noun. eye

hend

noun. eye

henn

noun. eye

heneb

adjective. of eye, eyed, having eyes

hend

eye

hend (i chend, construct hen), pl. hind (i chind), dual hent ”pair of eyes” (VT45:22), coll. pl. hennath. Adj.

hend

eye

(i chend, construct hen), pl. hind (i chind), dual hent ”pair of eyes” (VT45:22), coll. pl. hennath. Adj.

heneb

eyed

(lenited chebeb, pl. henib). Isolated from maecheneb ”sharp-eyed” (lenited vaecheneb; pl. maechenib) (WJ:337)

heneb

eyed

(having eyes) #heneb (lenited chebeb, pl. henib). Isolated from maecheneb ”sharp-eyed” (lenited vaecheneb; pl. maechenib) (WJ:337)

hent

noun. eyesight, *(sense of) sight

cened

sight

#cened (i gened) (seeing), pl. cenid (i chenid) if there is a pl. Isolated from cenedril, see MIRROR.

cened

sight

(i gened) (seeing), pl. cenid (i chenid) if there is a pl. Isolated from cenedril, see

inwathren

adjective. feminine

A neologism for “feminine”, an adjectival form of ᴺS. inwas “feminity” based on N. inw “female”, coined by Paul Strack in 2018 specifically for Eldamo to replace G. gwiniol.

hên

noun. eye

hên

noun. eye

hent

noun. the two eyes (referring to one person's eyes)