ga

pronoun. indefinite subject

garad

root. GARAD

gas

root. yawn, gape

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “yawn, gape” with several derivatives such as ᴹQ. assa/N. gas “hole” and N. gaw “void” (Ety/GAS). The names based on this root like N. Belegast and ᴹQ. Ilmen-assa do not appear in later versions of the legendarium, so the eventual fate of this root is uncertain, especially given that there are other roots of similar meaning like ᴹ√YAG “yawn, gape” (Ety/YAG) that do reappear later (Let/383; PE17/35, 42).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, derivatives of this root are among the best attested words for “hole”, so it’s probably best to retain ᴹ√GAS and its derivatives in Neo-Eldarin writing.

gassā

noun. hole, gap

galad

root. tree

The basis for Elvish “tree” words, this root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as an extension of ᴹ√GALA “thrive” (Ety/GALAD). This replaced the earliest derivation of “tree” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where the Qenya word for “tree” ᴱQ. alda was derived from ᴱ√ALA “spread” (QL/29). In The Etymologies, the Quenya form of this word remained the same, but the 1910s Gnomish words G. âl “wood” and †alwen “tree” (GL/19) became the 1930s Noldorin word N. galadh “tree” (Ety/GALA). Quenya and Sindarin retained these words for “tree” thereafter, and while Tolkien did not mention the root √GALAD again, his continued use of primitive ✶galadā “tree” (Let/426; PE17/153; PE21/74; UT/266) made it clear this root remained valid.

galas

root. joy, be glad

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “joy, be glad” that is an extension of ᴹ√GALA “thrive” (Ety/GALAS). Its two most notable derivatives were ᴹQ. alasse and N. glass “joy”. The appearance of Q. alassë “happiness” in the so-called “Merin Sentence” (MS), probably written after the publication of The Lord of the Rings, indicates that this root may have remained valid.

gar

root. keep, hold, possess; maintain, defend

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s, apparently a variant of ᴹ√ƷAR, and having extensions ᴹ√GARAD and ᴹ√GARAT (Ety/ƷAR). It was given various glosses in separate entries such as “hold, possess” and “keep, maintain, defend”, but these glossed entries were all deleted (Ety/GAR; EtyAC/GAR). Two notable derivatives of ᴹ√ƷAR/GAR were ᴹQ. arda “realm, region” and N. ardh “realm” (Ety/ƷAR), apparently transferred to here from the earlier root ᴱ√ƷARA “spread” (QL/32). Both these words reappeared in the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 as Q. arda and S. gardh “region” from primitive ✶gardā (WJ/402), hinting at the continued validity of the root √GAR, though its later meaning is unclear.

gat

root. *catch

An unglossed root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. atsa “claw, catch, hook” and N. gad- “catch” (Ety/GAT), so probably meaning something like “catch”. It is not clear whether this root remained valid in Tolkien’s later writing.

gat(h)

root. *cave

An unglossed root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like N. gath “cavern” and N. gador “prison, dungeon” (GAT(H)), so probably meaning something like “✱cave”. Its most notable derivative was N. Doriath “Land of the Cave”. But later on in this same entry, Tolkien added Doriathrin words Dor. gad “fence” and Dor. argad “outside the fence”, indicating a conceptual shift in the meaning of this root. Indeed, in later versions of The Silmarillion, S. Doriath was translated “Land of the Fence” containing the element S. iath “fence” (WJ/370, 378), so most likely ᴹ√GAT(H) “✱cave” was abandoned.

gaw

root. think out, devise, contrive

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “think out, devise, contrive”, appearing beside a variant ᴹ√GOWO (Ety/GAWA). Its most notable derivative is the name Q. Aulë, which Tolkien usually translated as “Maker” (S/44) or “Smith” (LotR/1137). Its Noldorin counterpart in the 1930s was N. Gaul, replacing G. Ôla from the 1910s, but Tolkien did not give a Sindarin equivalent of Aulë’s name in his later writings. In 1959-60 Tolkien portrayed Q. Aulë as an adaptation of this Valarin name Aʒūlēz, but I would retain ᴹ√GAW for purposes of Neo-Eldarin.

gay

root. *red, copper-coloured, ruddy

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “red, copper-coloured, ruddy” with the derived adjectives ᴹQ. aira and N. goer of similar meaning (Ety/GAWA). It replaced a (deleted) root ᴹ√GAIRĀ (EtyAC/GAIRĀ). Its most notable derivative is the name N. Taragaer “Ruddyhorn” (Ety/TARÁK), which was the precursor in Lord of the Rings drafts of 1940s to the name of S. Caradhras “Redhorn” (RS/419). Given the eventual replacement of this name in the final version of The Lord of the Rings Tolkien likely abandoned this root, especially given its conflict with the later root √GAY(AR) “awe, dread” that was the basis for words for “sea”.

gayas

root. fear

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “fear” (Ety/GÁYAS). One of its derivatives, N. gaer “dreadful” (< ᴹ✶gaisrā), was given a new etymology in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60, where S. gaer “awful, fearful” was derived from ✶gairā (WJ/400). However, it is conceivable that √GAYAS could have survived as an extension of the later root √GAY “astound, make aghast”.

gal

root. shine

gal

root. grow, thrive

galan

root. bright

gap

root. *hook

garat

root. *defend

gattā

noun. cavern

gais-

verb. to dread

gaisrā

adjective. dreadful

galadā

noun. tree

galyā

adjective. bright, light

galā-

verb. to grow

garta

noun. hide, leather

glā

noun. radiance

maiga

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root appearing in the first version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa from the 1930s (TQ1) to illustrate certain patterns of root formation (PE18/66). It may have serving as the basis for ᴹQ. Maia, though this word was given different derivations later.

ñgaw

root. howl

adnō

noun. gate

khoth

root. gather

phaw

root. gape

ad

root. entrance, gate

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “gate, entrance” (Ety/AD) that seems to have replaced ᴱ√BOÐO (QL/75) from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s. Its two main derivatives are ᴹQ. ando and N. annon “(great) gate, door”. These words in turn were transferred in 1959 to the root √ANA “to, towards”, from the original “approach, entrance” (PE17/40). Thus it seems Tolkien abandoned this root, perhaps because he wished to use it instead for √AD(A) “alongside, by the side of”, one of the etymologies Tolkien considered for the Eldarin words for “and” (PE17/71).

den

root. hole, gap, passage

A (Noldorin-only?) root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “hole, gap, passage” with the derivative dîn “opening, gap, pass in mountains” (< ✱dēnǝ) which is an element in a couple names from The Etymologies but appearing nowhere else (Ety/DEN).

lop

root. horse, [ᴱ√] *run (of animals), gallop, lope; [ᴹ√] horse

This root was the basis for horse words starting with the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where it appeared unglossed as ᴱ√LOPO (QL/56). It was compared to the root ᴱ√LOQO, and these roots include the verbs ᴱQ. lopo- “gallop, run (of animals)” and ᴱQ. loqo- “run (of human beings)”, and I think it likely that those were also the meanings of the roots (QL/56). In the Qenya Lexicon, ᴱ√LOPO had the derivatives ᴱQ. lōpa “horse or mare” and ᴱQ. lopsi “mare” (QL/56), but elsewhere in that document there was the word ᴱQ. lapatte “rabbit” < ᴱ✶lopatte, so I think that word is related as well, though Tolkien did mark the primitive form with a “?” (QL/51). The probably-related word ᴹQ. lopo “rabbit” appeared in a discussion of nouns from the early 1930s (PE21/31).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root ᴹ√LOP was glossed “horse”, and its derivatives ᴹQ. olombo and N. lobor had only that sense (EtyAC/LOP), but horse words were usually derived from ᴹ√ROK from the 1930s and later. The word Q. lopoldi “rabbits” appeared in some 1965 notes on Númenor, so it seems likely √LOP remained valid in some form. Another possibly related late word is S. ✱laba- “hop” as in S. Labadal “Hopafoot” (UT/60).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is worth retaining ᴹ√LOP with a verbal sense “✱run (of animals), gallop, lope”. In this way, it can remain the basis for rabbit words based on their loping run. The horse words from this root might be specialized for heavier loping horses like destriers, since ᴹQ. rokko was more specifically referred to a “swift horse” (EtyAC/ROK).

syadsē

noun. cleft, gash

yag

root. yawn, gape

bereth

root. beech

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s serving principally as the basis for N. brethil “beech” (Ety/BERÉTH). In the notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s Tolkien instead connected brethil to the root √BARATH and S. bereth “queen”, where it had the true meaning of “princess” (PE17/23). But that could be a later association rather that a genuine etymology, and doesn’t necessarily invalidate ᴹ√BERETH (especially given the other phonological issues with S. bereth < √BARATH).

glam

root. *noise, echo

A (Noldorin-only) root in The Etymologies of the 1930s, a strengthened form of the root ᴹ√LAM which was the basis of general sound words (Ety/GLAM). The derivatives of ᴹ√GLAM include N. glamm “shouting, confused noise” and N. glavra- “babble” but also N. glamor “echo” and N. glamren “echoing”, the last of these seen in N. Dorlamren, the pure Noldorin form of N. Dor-lómen “Land of Echoes”, which incorporates the Ilkorin word lómen “echoing” (LR/249; Ety/LAM).

The word S. glam “din, uproar, the confused yelling and bellowing of beasts” reappeared in the Quendi and Eldar essay written in 1959-60, where it was an element (as it was earlier) in the collective name for orcs: S. Glamhoth “Din-horde” (WJ/391). This strongly indicates that the “confused sounds” aspect of this root survived into Tolkien’s later conception of the language. However, the “echo” portion seemed to have been transferred to the unstrengthened form of this root √LAM as with (West) Sindarin loven “echoing” vs. North Sindarin lómin, which remained an element in Dor-lómin “Land of Echoes”, albeit reconceived of as a North Sindarin name (PE17/133).

tyal

root. play

This root first appeared as ᴱ√TYALA “play” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with the derivative ᴱQ. tyalie “play, game” (QL/49). Forms in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon like G. dairtha- “play” < ᴱ✶daı̯al- hint that the actual primitive form might have been ✱ᴱ√DYALA or ✱ᴱ√DAYALA (GL/29). In a table of vowel mutations added as a revision to the Gnomish Lexicon Tolkien instead had forms like ᴱ✶táliı̯èndǝ > G. teilian indicating a primitive initial t- (PE13/116); similar forms appeared in the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s (PE13/165).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave ᴹ√TYAL “play” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tyal-/N. telia- “to play” and ᴹQ. tyalie/N. telien “sport, play, game” (Ety/TYAL). Tolkien continued to use Q. tyalië “mirth” in later writings (PE21/80; PE17/64), but at some point in the 1950s decided that initial palatalized dentals were no longer a feature of Primitive Elvish (PE18/93-94), making the ongoing validity of √TYAL as a CE root doubtful: see the entry on how [[at|[j] was lost after initial dentals]] in the Welsh-like branch of the Elvish languages for further details. For example, in the second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ2) from around 1950, Tolkien indicated √TYAL was a Quenya-only root, an elaboration of √TAL:

> In Quenya initial groups ty, ny, ps, ks appeared as developments of ky, ñy, sp, sk. But being established they were used in new formations. Thus Q tyal- “play” as a variation on tal- (not kal!) (PE18/84).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is best to ignore Tolkien’s decision to remove initial palatalized dentals from Primitive Elvish in order to retain roots like √TYAL for both Quenya and (Neo) Sindarin.

abar

root. *refuser

A “root” in The Etymologies from the 1930s that was an extension of ᴹ√AB “refuse, deny” (Ety/AB). It seems to just be ᴹ√AB(A) with the usual agental suffix -ro added. Its main derivative was Avari, a term that survived into Tolkien’s later writings as the name of the Elves that refused to go to Valinor.

gos

root. dread

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “dread” with two variations: ᴹ√GOS and ᴹ√GOTH (Ety/GOS). It was an element in quite a few names in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, such as ᴹQ. Mandos “Dread Imprisoner” (Ety/MBAD), ᴹQ. Osse (Ety/GOS), N. Gothmog (Ety/MBAW), N. Tauros “Forest-Dread” (Ety/TÁWAR), and N. Dor-Daideloth “Land of the Shadow of Dread” (LR/405), the last of these containing N. deloth “abhorrence, detestation, loathing” = ᴹ√DYEL + ᴹ√GOTH (Ety/DYEL).

In Tolkien’s later writings, many of these names were given new forms or etymologies: Q. Mandos “Castle of Custody” = mando + osto (MR/350); Q. Ossë as an adaptation of his Valarin name Oš(o)šai (WJ/400); S. Tauron “Forester” (PM/358). This calls into question whether ᴹ√GOS or ᴹ√GOTH survived as a root. It does have a few useful derivatives for the purposes of Neo-Eldarin, however, such as N. gosta- “fear exceedingly”.

karan

root. red

This root appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “red” (Ety/KARÁN), a later iteration of ᴱ√KṚN of the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s of the same meaning, but with syllabic ṛ (QL/48). Its main Quenya derivative, Q. carnë, retained the same form throughout Tolkien’s life, but its Gnomish forms G. carn(in) “scarlet” and G. crintha “rosy, pink” (GL/25, 27) became N. caran “red” in the 1930s, and retained that form thereafter.

kum

root. void

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “void”, with derivatives like ᴹQ. kúma “void” and N. caun “empty” (Ety/KUM). It was probably also the basis of ᴹQ. kumba in ᴹQ. saurikumba in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, unglossed but probably “✱foul-bellied” (SD/86).

narta

root. kindle

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “kindle”, with derivatives ᴹQ. narta- and N. nartha- of the same meaning (EtyAC/NARTA). There is a mark above the final A that might be a partially formed macron (NARTĀ), so this “root” may just be an ordinary causative verb “✱make fire” = ᴹ√NAR + ᴹ✶-tā. The root was originally glossed “spear point, gore, triangle” with a derivative [N.] Narthas “gore”, a name that appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts but was eventually replaced by N./S. Naith “angle” (TI/244 note #50).

ndar

root. sign

A rejected root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with a single derivative: ᴹQ. narwe “sign, token”, along with an unglossed (and probably incomplete) form nar... (EtyAC/NDAR).

rauta

root. metal

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s, first glossed “copper” and then “metal”, with derivatives ᴹQ. rauta/N. rhaud “metal” and serving mainly to explain names like N. Angrod and N. Finrod (Ety/RAUTĀ). It might have reappeared in the name S. Rodëol “metal of Eöl” from later Silmarillion drafts (WJ/322), but by 1957 Tolkien was explaining the final element of S. Finrod as S. raud “noble” (PE17/49, 118), so I think it is likely that ᴹ√RAUTA “metal” was abandoned.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I’d use Q. tinco (LotR/1122) and its cognate [N.] tinc (Ety/TINKŌ) for “metal” words. For “copper” I'd use derivatives of √(U)RUS (VT41/10).

skwar

root. crooked

This root appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√SKWAR “crooked” with derivatives like ᴹQ. hwarin “crooked” and Dan. swarn “perverse, obstinate, hard to deal with” (Ety/SKWAR). In red-ink revisions to the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the 1950s Tolkien decided that the initial combination skw- was not possible (PE19/78 and note #51). For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, this root might be salvaged by assuming its actual form was ᴺ√SWAR.

stā

root. [unglossed]

A deleted root reference in The Etymologies apparently serving as the basis for the verbal action suffix ᴹ✶-stā “-ing” in ᴹ✶khau̯-stā “rest-ing” (Ety/KHAW; EtyAC/KHAW). See the entry on ✶-stā for further discussion.

tinkō

root. metal

The “root” ᴹ√TINKŌ (more likely just a primitive word) appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “metal” and derivatives like ᴹQ. tinko/N. tinc of the same meaning (Ety/TINKŌ). The reappearance of Q. tinco “metal” in The Lord of the Rings appendices (LotR/1122) strongly indicates its ongoing validity.

ᴹ√TINKŌ may have replaced the root ᴱ√SINI “pale blue” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. sink “mineral, gem, metal” and G. sinc “metal” (QL/83; GL/67); these early mineral words were originally attributed to ᴱ√SṆT͡YṆ “twinkle” before they were transferred to ᴱ√SINI, leaving only derivatives like ᴱQ. sintl “crystal” and ᴱQ. sinty- “sparkle” under ᴱ√SṆT͡YṆ (QL/85). However, in notes from the late 1960s Tolkien had primitive ✶sinki as an element ✶sinkitamo, the basis for Q. sintamo “smith” (PE17/108). Likewise there is evidence of the earlier root in Q. sinca “flint” as in Q. sincahonda “flint-hearted” (LotR/979), initially given as ᴹQ. tingahondo in Lord of the Rings drafts (SD/68).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would definitely use ✶tink- = “metal”, but I think it is worth keeping ✶sinki = “✱mineral = any inorganic solid including both stone and metal” as a variant.

yur

root. run

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “run” with derivatives like ON. yur- “run” and N. iôr “course” (Ety/YUR). It was a later iteration of ᴱ√ẎURU “run” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. yuro “a run, race” and ᴱQ. yuru- “run” (QL/106). For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, it is probably better to stick to the better attested root √NOR.

ʒan

root. male

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “male” and used in this sense for both people and animals (Ety/ƷAN). Its principle derivatives are ᴹQ. hanu/N. anw “male (person or animal)”, so it might more properly be ✱ᴹ√ƷAN+U.

skil

root. [unglossed]

A root mentioned in passing in as a variant of ᴹ√KIL “divide” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, but it had no derivatives and appeared nowhere else (Ety/KIL).

yan

root. give

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “give” with derivatives ON. yanta- “give” and ᴹQ. Ariante “Day-bringer” (EtyAC/YAN²). Tolkien marked this entry with a “?”, and elsewhere in The Etymologies he derived ᴹQ. anta-/N. anna- “give” from ᴹ√ANA (Ety/ANA¹), so I suspect this root was a transient idea.

gāsa

noun. void

kal

root. shine

ol

root. grow

ala-

prefix. very

anta-

verb. to give, present

anār

noun. Sun

arʒā

noun/adjective. dread

auluta-

verb. [unglossed]

ay(ar)

root. sea

aı̯an-

adjective. holy

daʒ

root. great

gilya

noun. star

golā-

verb. to grow

gālæ

noun. light

hō

noun. shout

ista-

verb. to know

kalaryā

adjective. brilliant

kaltwa

?. [unglossed]

kantaya

adjective. shapely

karani

adjective. red

katwārā

adjective. shapely

khotsē

noun. assembly

kuldā

adjective. red

kōmā

noun. [unglossed]

k’lā

noun. light

lot(h)

root. flower

mori

adjective. black

nakma

noun. jaw

neth

root. young

nethrā

adjective. young

nēthē

noun. youth

nō-

?. male

patnā

adjective. wide

pheleg

root. cave

pher(en)

root. beech

ragnā

adjective. crooked

rīgē

noun. crown

rǭda

noun. cave

skarwē

noun. wound

torōmā

noun. [unglossed]

tundu

noun. hole

ungwē

noun. gloom

vaiā

noun. sea

wedā

noun. bond

yagō

noun. gulf

yakta-

noun. neck

yantā

noun. yoke

a

pronoun. indefinite subject

bay

root. [unglossed]

iw

root. [unglossed], [ᴱ√] *fish

kalat

noun. light

khlip

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in a rejected paragraph from the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) written in 1948 (PE22/112 note #78).

oth

root. fort

phan

root. [unglossed]

A deleted root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with no glosses or derivatives and no clear function (EtyAC/PHAN).

stin

root. [unglossed]

uruk

root. [unglossed]

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with no glosses or derivatives and no clear function (EtyAC/URUK).

us

root. [unglossed]

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with no glosses or derivatives and no clear function (EtyAC/US).