mahta-

verb. to handle, wield, use, make use of; to manage, deal with, treat, control, to handle, wield, use, make use of; to manage, deal with, treat, control; [ᴹQ.] to stroke, feel; to wield a weapon, fight

A well-attested verb whose original sense seems to be “handle”, based on the root √MAH or √MAƷ for “hand”. It had other glosses such as “wield, use, make use of”, but also “manage, deal with, treat, control”. It thus seems to be usable for both “handle, wield, use” a concrete physical item and “handle, manage, deal with” an abstract process or situation.

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s the verb ᴹQ. mahta- meant “stroke, feel, handle; wield” as a derivative of ᴹ√MAƷ “hand” (Ety/MAƷ), but also “wield a weapon, fight” as a derivative of ᴹ√MAK “sword; fight (with a sword)” (Ety/MAK). Earlier versions of the entry for ᴹ√MAK had glosses like “slay with sword” or “kill with sword” (EtyAC/MAK), which seem to be holdovers from ᴱQ. makta- “slay, slaughter” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√MAKA (QL/58).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use mahta- for both “handle” and “fight” (mainly in the sense “wield a weapon”) as a blending of √MAH and √MAK, along with the meaning “stroke, feel” a physical thing.

armac-

verb. to fight along with (an ally), fight side by side

A neologism for “fight along with (an ally), fight side by side” coined in the Neologism of the Day channel posted on 2025-12-08 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of ar(a) “beside” and mac- “hew (with a sword)”.

cotya-

verb. to fight, make strife

A neologism for “to fight, make strife” coined by Valerie posted on 2025-12-08 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) based on the root KOT(H) “quarrel”.

mahta-

verb. wield a weapon

mahta- (1) vb. "wield a weapon", "fight" (MAK), "to handle, wield, manage" (VT39:11, VT47:18), also "deal with" (VT47:6, 19, VT49:10). Past tense mahtanë is attested (VT49:10). In an earlier version of the entry MAK in the Etymologies, Tolkien first glossed mahta- as "slay [or kill] with sword", then changed it to "fight with sword" (VT45:30-32)

hyar-

verb. cleave

#hyar- vb. "cleave" (1st pers. aorist hyarin "I cleave") (SYAD). Pa.t. probably *hyandë since the R of hyar- was originally D; cf. rer- "sow", pa.t. rendë, from the root RED.

hyar-

verb. cleave

macil

sword

macil ("k")noun "sword" (MAK, LT1:259, VT39:11, VT45:32, VT49:17); macilya "his (or their) sword" (PE17:130), see -ya #4.

rissë

cut

rissë noun? The word is not clearly glossed but apparently means "cut" or "cleft" (ravine), the cognate of the final element of Imladris, Sindarin name of Rivendell. (PE17:87)

rista

cut

rista (2) noun "cut" (RIS), cf. #1 above.

yelca

sword

[yelca noun ?"sword" - Tolkien's gloss is not certainly legible, and the word was struck out anyway. (VT45:11)]

maeth

noun. battle, fight, fight, battle

maetha-

verb. to fight

maeth

noun. battle, fight (not of general host but of two or a few)

maetha-

verb. to fight

magol

noun. sword

dagor

noun. battle

dagor

noun. battle

dagr

noun. battle

dagra-

verb. to battle

maethon

noun. sword

magl

noun. sword

The word megil (q.v.), probably introduced by the Ñoldor, was also used

magol

noun. sword

The word megil (q.v.), probably introduced by the Ñoldor, was also used

megil

noun. sword

The word was struck out in the Etymologies, but is well attested in late compounds such as Mormegil or Arvegil (with regular mutation). It is conceivably the Sindarinized form of Quenya makil, coexisting with magol (see tegil and tegol for a similar case)

megil

noun. sword

osgar-

verb. to cut round, to amputate

rhest

noun. cut

rhest

noun. cut

rhista-

verb. to cut

rhista-

verb. to rend, rip

maeth

fight

(noun) (of two or a few, not a general host) maeth (i vaeth) (battle), no distinct pl. except with article (i maeth)

maetha

fight

(verb) maetha- (i vaetha, i maethar). A later source defines maetha- as ”handle, wield, manage, deal with” (VT47:6)

maeth

fight

(i vaeth) (battle), no distinct pl. except with article (i maeth)

maetha

fight

(i vaetha, i maethar). A later source defines maetha- as ”handle, wield, manage, deal with” (VT47:6)

dagor

battle

(noun) 1) dagor (i nagor, o ndagor), analogical pl. degyr (i ndegyr), coll. pl. dagorath. Archaic dagr, so we might have expected dagrath as the coll. pl.; dagorath would be an analogical formation. 2) (battle of two or a few, not a general host) maeth (i vaeth) (fight), no distinct pl. except with article (i maeth). 3) auth (war), pl. oeth, coll. pl. othath. Note: a homophone means "dim shape, apparition".

maeth

battle

(i vaeth) (fight), no distinct pl. except with article (i maeth).

maetha

handle

(i vaetha, i maethar) (wield, manage, deal with). In Tolkien’s earlier material, the verb maetha- meant ”fight”.

Rest

cut

(noun) 1) rest (ravine, cleft), pl. rist (idh rist), 2) criss (i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cleft, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss)

dagra

battle

(verb, "do battle, make war") dagra- (i nagra, i ndagrar), also dagrada- (i nagrada, i ndagradar)

megil

sword

1. megil (i vegil), no distinct pl. form except with article (i megil). This is a borrowing from Quenya macil (VT45:32). 2) magol (i vagol), analogical pl. megyl (i megyl), coll. pl. maglath (though analogical ?magolath may also be possible). In ”Noldorin”, this was the native word for ”sword” (derived from primitive makla, as is Quenya macil); it is unclear whether Tolkien definitely replaced it with megil when he turned ”Noldorin” into Sindarin, or whether both words coexist in the language. 3) lang (cutlass), pl. leng.

Rest

noun. cut

dagor

noun. battle

dagor

noun. battle

maetha-

verb. to handle

v. to handle. Q. mahta-.

maetha-

verb. to handle

_ v. _to handle, treat, manage, etc. Q. mahta-. >> maeth

megil

noun. sword

The word was struck out in the Etymologies, but is well attested in late compounds such as Mormegil or Arvegil (with regular mutation). It is conceivably the Sindarinized form of Quenya makil, coexisting with magol (see tegil and tegol for a similar case)

megil

noun. sword

_ n. _sword. i·arben na megil and 'The Knight of the Long Sword'.

rista-

verb. to cut

rista-

verb. to rend, rip

auth

battle

(war), pl. oeth, coll. pl. othath. Note: a homophone means "dim shape, apparition".

criss

cut

(i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cleft, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss)

dagor

battle

(i nagor, o ndagor), analogical pl. degyr (i ndegyr), coll. pl. dagorath. Archaic dagr, so we might have expected dagrath as the coll. pl.; dagorath would be an analogical formation.

dagra

battle

(i nagra, i ndagrar), also dagrada- (i nagrada, i ndagradar)

hathel

broadsword blade

(i chathel, o chathel) (axe blade), pl. hethil (i chethil)

hûl

cry of encouragement in battle

(i chûl, o chûl, construct hul), pl. huil (i chuil)

lang

sword

(cutlass), pl. leng.

magol

sword

(i vagol), analogical pl. megyl (i megyl), coll. pl. maglath (though analogical ?magolath may also be possible). In ”Noldorin”, this was the native word for ”sword” (derived from primitive makla, as is Quenya macil); it is unclear whether Tolkien definitely replaced it with megil when he turned ”Noldorin” into Sindarin, or whether both words coexist in the language.

matha

handle

(i vatha, i mathar) (stroke, feel; wield)

megil

sword

(i vegil), no distinct pl. form except with article (i megil). This is a borrowing from Quenya macil (VT45:32).

rest

cut

(ravine, cleft), pl. rist (idh rist)

kiris

root. cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split

makla

noun. sword