tál

noun. foot, foot; [ᴹQ.] bottom, [ᴱQ.] lowest part

The Quenya word for “foot” derived from the root √TAL of similar meaning (PE19/103; VT49/17; Ety/TAL). Given its Sindarin cognate S. tâl (not ✱✱taul) its ancient stem form must have had a short vowel, with the long vowel in the uninflected form the result of the subjective noun case which lengthened the base vowel of monosyllables (PE21/76). Q. tál could also refer to the bottom of things (PE21/21, 76) analogous to English “foot of the mountain” and similar phrases.

Conceptual Development: The earliest iteration of this word was ᴱQ. tala “foot” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√TALA “support” (QL/88), a form also appearing in the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/88). In the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s it became ᴱQ. tál with plural tăli indicating an ancient short vowel (PE14/43, 76). In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, ᴹQ. tāl had inflected forms with tal-, again indicating a short vowel in the stem (PE21/21), and likewise with the (1930s-style) genitive form talen in The Etymologies written around 1937 (Ety/TAL). Most of its later appearances also imply a short vowel in the stem, the main exception being the plural form táli in the 1950s version of the Nieninquë “poem”.

Cognates

• S. tâl “foot; [lower] end”

Derivations

• ✶tāl “foot”
  • √TAL “foot; *flat; [ᴱ√] support”

Element in

• Q. attalya “biped, *(lit.) two-footed”
• ᴺQ. cantalya “four-legged, quadruped, (lit.) four-footed”
• Q. táli lantalasselingië “*with feet like the music of falling leaves” ✧ PE16/096
• ᴺQ. tallimë “ankle, (lit.) foot-link”
• Q. taltil “toe, *(lit.) foot-tip”
• Q. taltol “big toe”
• Q. Tyeleptalëa “Silver-footed”

Variations

• tal ✧ PE19/103
• tāl ✧ VT43/16; VT49/17

hyapat

shoe

hyapat noun "shoe" (SKYAP; in the Etymologies as printed in LR the gloss appears as "shore", but according to www.elvish.org this was a misreading of Tolkien's manuscript)

talas

sole

talas noun "sole" (LT2:347; Tolkien's later Quenya has tallunë)

tál

g.sg. talen

tál (tal-, as in "g.sg. talen"; in LotR-style Quenya this is rather the dative singular) noun "foot" (TAL, VT49:17). Also tala (VT49:42). Pl. táli "feet" (PE16:96); here Tolkien did not use tal- with a short a as the stem-form. VT43:16 mentions "an unpublished declension" of this word dating from ca. 1967; here the locative is said to appear as talassë and talsë. Cf. also talya "his foot"; see -ya #4. Early "Qenya" forms:tala "foot" (LT2:347) and dual talwi "the feet" (LT2:347); tálin "feet" (MC:216); instrumental talainen, talalínen (MC:213, 216, 220; this is "Qenya")

-zya

his, her, its

-zya, archaic form of the pronominal ending -rya "his, her, its", q.v. (VT49:17)

-rya

his, her

-rya 3rd person sg. pronominal ending "his, her" and probably "its" (VT49:16, 38, 48, Nam, RGEO:67), attested in coivierya *"his/her life", máryat "her hands", ómaryo "of her voice" (genitive of *ómarya "her voice"), súmaryassë "in her bosom" (locative of súmarya "her bosom"); for the meaning "his" cf. coarya "his house" (WJ:369). The ending is descended from primitive ¤-sjā via -zya (VT49:17) and therefore connects with the 3rd person ending -s "he, she, it". In colloquial Quenya the ending -rya could be used for "their" rather than "his/her", because it was felt to be related to the plural ending -r,e.g. símaryassen "in their [not his/her] imaginations" (VT49:16, 17). See -ya #4.

-ya

his

-ya (4) pronominal suffix "his" (and probably also "her, its"), said to be used in "colloquial Quenya" (which had redefined the "correct" ending for this meaning, -rya, to mean "their" because it was associated with the plural ending -r). Hence e.g. cambeya ("k") "his hand", yulmaya "his cup" (VT49:17) instead of formally "correct" forms in -rya. The ending -ya was actually ancient, primitive ¤-jā being used for "all numbers" in the 3rd person, predating elaborated forms like -rya. It is said that -ya "remained in Quenya" in the case of "old nouns with consonantal stems", Tolkien listing tál "foot", cas "head", nér "man", sír "river" and macil "sword" as examples. He refers to "the continued existence of such forms as talya his foot", that could apparently be used even in "correct" Quenya (VT49:17). In PE17:130, the forms talya "his foot" and macilya ("k") "his (or their) sword" are mentioned.

tâl

noun. foot; [lower] end

The Sindarin word for “foot”, derived from the root √TAL of similar meaning (SA/celeb; Ety/TAL). As an element in compounds, it could also refer to the “end” of something, especially the lower end, as in Ramdal “Wall’s End” (S/122; Ety/TAL). This word probably may be used metaphorically for the “foot” of things like mountains and pedestals.

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to G. tâl (tald-) “foot” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/68), clearly based on the early root ᴱ√TALA “support” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT2A/Talceleb). Tolkien experimented with some variant forms like ᴱN. tail or taul in documents from the 1920s (PE13/123, 153), but N. tâl “foot” was restored in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√TAL “foot” (Ety/TAL) and Tolkien seems to have stuck with that form thereafter.

Cognates

• Q. tál “foot, foot; [ᴹQ.] bottom, [ᴱQ.] lowest part”

Derivations

• Os. tal
  • ✶tāl “foot”
  • √TAL “foot; *flat; [ᴱ√] support”

Element in

• S. Celebrindal “Silverfoot” ✧ SA/celeb; SA/tal
• S. Labadal “Hopafoot”
• S. Ramdal “Wall’s End” ✧ SA/tal
• S. tad-dal “two-legged, two-legged, *biped”
• ᴺS. tallif “ankle”
• S. talraph “stirrup” ✧ UT/313
• ᴺS. talvad “footpath”

Variations

• tal ✧ SA/celeb; SA/tal

tîn

adjective. his

tîn

pronoun. his

Non-lenited form suggested by Carl Hostetter (VT31/21).

Element in

• S. ar Iorhael, Gelir, Cordof, ar Baravorn, ionnath dîn “and Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Hamfast his sons” ✧ AotM/062; SD/129
• S. ar Meril bess dîn, ar Elanor, Meril, Glorfinniel, ar Eirien sellath dîn “and Rose his wife; and Elanor, Rose, Goldilocks and Daisy his daughters” ✧ AotM/062; AotM/062; SD/129; SD/129

-deith

suffix. his

_3rd sg. poss. suff. his, her.See also the paradigm of poss. suff. in PE17:46. Earlier -ed_. >> -deid, -dyn, -ed, [[]]

în

adjective. his (referring to the subject)

-deid

suffix. his

_3rd sg. poss. suff. his, her.See also the paradigm of poss. suff. in PE17:46. Earlier -ed_. >> -deith, -dyn, -ed, [[]]

-dyn

suffix. his

_3rd sg. poss. suff. his, her.See also the paradigm of poss. suff. in PE17:46. Earlier -ed_. >> -deid, -deith, -ed, [[]]

ín

his

(pronoun referring to the subject, e.g. ✱i venn sunc i haw ín ”the man drank his [own] juice”, as opposed to ✱i venn sunc i haw dín ”the man drank his [= another’s] juice”)

pôd

foot

(of animal) pôd (i bôd, o phôd, construct pod), pl. pŷd (i phŷd).

pôd

foot

(i bôd, o phôd, construct pod), pl. p**ŷd (i ph**ŷd).

tâl

foot

(body-part and unit of measure) tâl (i dâl [LR:298], o thâl), also -dal in compounds; pl. tail (i thail). In LR:390 s.v.

tâl

foot

(i dâl [LR:298], o thâl), also -dal in compounds; pl. tail (i thail). In LR:390 s.v.

telluin

sole of the foot

(i delluin, o thelluin), pl. tellyn (i thellyn). *Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” telloein, tellen (LR:384 s.v. *

habad

noun. shoe

habad (i chabad, o chabad), pl. hebaid (i chebaid). Archaic pl. hebeid (LR:386).

In the Etymologies as printed in The Lost Road this word was glossed ‘shore’ and this has been adopted by Fauskanger in Parviphith. However this was a misreading of ‘shoe’ in the manuscript, confirmed in Lambengolmor/735.

tín

his

*tín (only attested in lenited form dín, following a noun with article). Possibly, the word also covers ”her(s)” and ”its” as a general 3rd person form. If ”his” refers to the same person as the subject, the form ín* is used instead (e.g. i venn sunc i haw ín** ”the man drank his (own) juice”, but *i venn sunc i haw dín ”the man drank his (somebody elses) juice”.

tín

his

(only attested in lenited form dín, following a noun with article). Possibly, the word also covers ”her(s)” and ”its” as a general 3rd person form. If ”his” refers to the same person as the subject, the form ín is used instead (e.g. ✱i venn sunc i haw ín ”the man drank his (own) juice”, but ✱i venn sunc i haw dín ”the man drank his (somebody else’s) juice”.

tāl

noun. foot

Derivations

• √TAL “foot; *flat; [ᴱ√] support”

Derivatives

• Q. tál “foot, foot; [ᴹQ.] bottom, [ᴱQ.] lowest part”
• Os. tal
  • S. tâl “foot; [lower] end”

Variations

• tal ✧ PE21/75

tal

root. foot; *flat; [ᴱ√] support

This root was the basis for “foot” words for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√TALA “support” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, but its derivatives were broken into two groups, the first with derivatives like ᴱQ. tala “foot” and ᴱQ. talas “sole”, and the second with derivatives like ᴱQ. tala- “carry, bring; weigh”, ᴱQ. talan “burden” and ᴱQ. talma “a weight, measure” (QL/88). This probably represents a blended root ᴱ√TALA and ✱ᴱ√DALA as suggested by Roman Rausch (HPG/§2.1), since there were derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon that began with both t- and d-: G. tâl “foot” and G. talc “upright” (GL/68) vs. G. dalech “(upright) stone” and G. daltha- “erect, set up”.

In The Etymologies of the 1930s, the root ᴹ√DAL “flat” seems unrelated to any of its meanings from the 1910s, but ᴹ√TAL “foot” was clearly a continuation of the 1910s root, with derivatives like ᴹQ. tál/N. tâl “foot” and an extended root ᴹ√TALAM “floor, base, ground” with derivatives like ᴹQ. talan (talam-)/N. talaf “floor, ground” (Ety/TAL). Both the root ᴹ√TAL “foot” and its extension ᴹ√TALAM “base, root, foundation” were mention in the contemporaneous Primitive Quendian Structure: Final Consonants (PE21/56), whereas ᴹ√TAL “foot” was mentioned in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s (PE21/70). The extended form √talam- “flat space” appeared again in notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings written in the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/52), and both Q. tál and S. tâl “foot” appeared regularly in Tolkien’s later writings.

Derivatives

• ✶tāl “foot”
  • Q. tál “foot, foot; [ᴹQ.] bottom, [ᴱQ.] lowest part”
  • Os. tal
  • S. tâl “foot; [lower] end”
• ᴺQ. talaitë “footed”
• S. talath “flat lands, plain, vale”
• ᴺS. talu “flat”

Element in

• √TALAM “flat space, flat space, [ᴹ√] floor, ground; base, root, foundation”
• ᴺQ. pattal “hoof”

Variations

• tal ✧ PE21/70

khyapat-

noun. shoe

tâl

noun. foot

pôd

noun. animal's foot

tellein

noun. sole of foot

tellen

noun. sole of foot

tellœin

noun. sole of foot

tâl

noun. foot; (lower) end

Cognates

• ᴹQ. tál “foot; bottom” ✧ Ety/TAL

Derivations

• ᴹ√TAL “foot” ✧ Ety/TAL

Element in

• N. Celebrindal “Silverfoot”
• N. lheben teil brann i annon ar neledh neledhi gar godrebh “five foot high the door and three may walk abreast” ✧ TAI/150
• N. Rhamdal “Wall’s End” ✧ Ety/TAL
• N. Narothal “Firefoot” ✧ RS/351

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√TAL > tâl	[tal] > [tāl]	✧ Ety/TAL
ᴹ√TAL > teil	[tali] > [teli] > [teil]	✧ Ety/TAL

Variations

• tal- ✧ Ety/TAL

habad

noun. shoe

The meaning "shore" in Ety/386 should actually read "shoe", see VT/Errata and Lambengolmor/735. Compare also with Early Qenya hyapa (PE/13:41) and Gnomish habin (PE/11:47), both glossed as "shoe"

habad

noun. shoe

A word for “shoe” in The Etymologies of the late 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶skyapat- under the root ᴹ√SKYAP (Ety/SKYAP). In The Etymologies as published in The Lost Road, the gloss was “shore” (LR/386), but Vinyar Tengwar Errata confirmed the actual gloss was “shoe” (VTE for issue 46). The Old Noldorin form was ON. skhapa with the early loss of final t, but in modern Noldorin it seems the -d < -t was restored via the plural N. hebeid, which in Sindarin would be ✱hebaid since ei became ai in final syllables for Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. habin “shoe” derived from {ᴱ√sı̯ap >>} ᴱ√χı̯ap, appearing above G. habach “a big shoe, clog, sabot” of similar derivation (GL/47). Elsewhere in the document, Tolkien compared G. saib “boot” derived from ᴱ√SAYAP to (unglossed) hab (GL/66).

Cognates

• ᴹQ. hyapat “shoe” ✧ Ety/SKYAP

Derivations

• On. skhapa “shoe” ✧ Ety/SKYAP
  • ᴹ✶skyapat- “shoe” ✧ Ety/SKYAP
  • ᴹ√SKYAP “*shoe” ✧ Ety/SKYAP

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. skhapa > habad	[sxapat] > [xapat] > [xapad] > [xabad] > [habad]	✧ Ety/SKYAP
On. skhapa > hebeid	[sxapati] > [xapati] > [xepeti] > [xepeit] > [xepeid] > [xebeid] > [hebeid]	✧ Ety/SKYAP