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

find

noun. single hair

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

find

noun. a tress

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

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

laws

noun. hair ringlet

raeda-

verb. to catch in a net

find

lock of hair

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

find

tress

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

hir-

verb. find

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.

hir-

verb. to find, *light on, chance on

Cognates

• Q. hir- “to find”

Derivations

• √KHIR “light on, find”