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.

gāsa

noun. void

gassā

noun. hole, gap

syadsē

noun. cleft, gash

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).

skarwē

noun. wound

tundu

noun. hole

yag

root. yawn, gape