find

noun. a tress

find

noun. single hair

n. single hair (of man or elf). >> finn

find

noun. tress; single hair, tress, [ON.] lock of hair; [ᴱN.] hair (in general); [S.] single hair

This word had a quite lengthy history as an element in the name S. Glorfindel “Golden Hair”. It appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s as G. finn “a lock of hair” (GL/35), simply as ᴱN. find or finn “hair” in Early Noldorin Word-lists (PE13/143), and as Old Noldorin sphinde “lock of hair” from The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√SPIN (Ety/SPIN). In notes from the mid-1960s Tolkien said that find, finn meant a “single hair (of man or elf)” vs. S. †findel for a head of hair (PE17/17), but in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968 Tolkien said it meant “tress” and was derived from primitive ✶phindē (PM/362 note #37).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I’d use fîn for a single hair, find for hair in general or for a tress or lock of hair, and finnel for an entire head of hair.

Cognates

• Q. finë “(single) hair, filament” ✧ PE17/017
• Q. findë “hair (especially of the head), tress or plait of hair, hair (especially of the head); tress or plait of hair, [ᴹQ.] braid of hair” ✧ PM/345

Derivations

• ✶spindē “tress, braid of hair” ✧ PE17/017
  • √SPIN(ID) “fine thread, filament; hair” ✧ PE17/017
• ✶phindē “tress” ✧ PM/362
  • √SPIN(ID) “fine thread, filament; hair”

Element in

• ᴺS. fidhren “having hair, -haired”
• S. Glorfinniel “Goldilocks”
• ᴺS. gwirfin “braid, pigtail, (lit.) woven-tress”
• ᴺS. merifind “Black-haired”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶spindē > find	[spindē] > [spinde] > [sɸinde] > [ɸinde] > [finde] > [find] > [finn]	✧ PE17/017
✶phindē > find	[pʰindē] > [pʰinde] > [ɸinde] > [finde] > [find] > [finn]	✧ PM/362

Variations

• finn ✧ PE17/017
• finn- ✧ PM/362

fing

noun. lock of hair

A noun appearing in 1967 notes on the Nomenclature of the Lord of the Rings as an element in Finglas “Leaflock” (RC/760). The form fineg appeared unglossed in notes from around 1965 as a derivative of ✶phinik (PE17/17). The word fing is more obscure than S. find of similar meaning.

Conceptual Development: The word G. fingl or finnil “a tress” appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/35). In that period, the gl was probably the result of the sound change whereby ðl became gl, since this early form was likely derived from the root ᴱ√FIŘI [FIÐI] (QL/38). When it first appeared, the name N. Finglas (= find + las?) may also have had a similar sound change, but since Tolkien abandoned that phonetic rule in Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s (compare S. edlenn vs. N. eglenn “exiled”), Tolkien needed to come up with a new etymology.

Cognates

• Q. finca “[unglossed]” ✧ PE17/017

Derivations

• ✶phinik ✧ PE17/017
  • √SPIN(ID) “fine thread, filament; hair” ✧ PE17/017

Element in

• S. Finglas “Leaflock” ✧ RC/760
• ᴺS. orfing “pear, *(lit.) hair-apple”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶finik/fink > fineg	[pʰinika] > [ɸinika] > [ɸineka] > [fineka] > [finek] > [fineg]	✧ PE17/017

Variations

• fineg ✧ PE17/017

finn

noun. single hair

n. single hair (of man or elf). >> find

finn

noun. tress; single hair, tress; single hair; [ᴱN.] hair; [G.] lock of hair

finn-

noun. a tress

fîn

noun. a tress

fen

noun. door, threshold

fen

door

_ n. _door. Q. fenna. >> fennas

fen(n)

noun. door, door; [N.] threshold

A word for “door” in the name Fen Hollen “Closed Door” (LotR/826; RC/550). In notes from December 1959 (D59), Tolkien based it on the root √PHEN and gave its Quenya equivalent as fenna, indicating a primitive form of ✱phennā (PE17/181). If so, its ordinary form should be fenn, and this was indeed the form in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (WR/341). Perhaps fen is a reduced pseudo-prefixal form.

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had N. fenn “threshold” derived from ON. phenda under the root ᴹ√PHEN (Ety/PHEN).

Neo-Sindarin: I don’t think the senses “door” and “threshold” are likely to coexist, so for purposes of Neo-Sindarin I would limit fenn to “door” and would use ᴺS. fend < ✱phenda for “threshold”, following the principle that nd remained “at the end of fully accented monosyllables” in Sindarin (LotR/1115).

Cognates

• Q. fendë “door” ✧ PE17/045; PE17/181

Derivations

• √PHEN “door” ✧ PE17/181

Element in

• S. Fen Hollen “Closed Door, Shut Door” ✧ PE17/045; PE17/098; RC/550
• S. fennas “great door, doorway, gateway” ✧ PE17/045

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√PHEN > fen	[pʰenna] > [ɸenna] > [fenna] > [fenn]	✧ PE17/181

Variations

• fen ✧ PE17/045; PE17/098; PE17/181
• Fen ✧ RC/550

laws

noun. hair ringlet

annon

noun. great door or gate

raeda-

verb. to catch in a net

find

hair

(construct fin), no distinct pl. form, coll. pl. finnath.

find

tress

find (lock of hair). Construct fin; no distinct pl. form; coll pl. finnath.

find

tress

(lock of hair). Construct fin; no distinct pl. form; coll pl. finnath.

find

lock of hair

find (tress). Construct fin; no distinct pl. form; coll pl. finnath

find

lock of hair

(tress). Construct fin; no distinct pl. form; coll pl. finnath

hir-

verb. find

fend

door

(threshold), construct fen, pl. find, coll. pl. fennath, 2) fennas (gateway), pl. fennais, coll. pl. fennassath, 3) annon (great gate), pl. ennyn

fend

treshold

fend (door), construct fen, pl. find, coll. pl. fennath

fend

treshold

(door), construct fen, pl. find, coll. pl. fennath

fing

lock of hair

fing (no distinct pl. form)

tov-

verb. to find

Cognates

• Q. tuv- “to find, discover”

fîn

hair

1) (a single hair) fîn (construct fin), no distinct pl. form. (PM:362), 2) (lock of hair, tress) find (construct fin), no distinct pl. form, coll. pl. finnath.

fîn

hair

(construct fin), no distinct pl. form. (PM:362)

gad

catch

(i ’âd, i ngedir = i ñedir), pa.t. gant;

fast

shaggy hair

(pl. faist if there is a pl.).

hir-

verb. to find, *light on, chance on

Cognates

• Q. hir- “to find”

Derivations

• √KHIR “light on, find”

raeda

catch in a net

(i raeda, idh raedar) (VT42:12)