pinilya

small

pinilya adj. "small" (MC:220; this is "Qenya")

inya

small

inya (2) adj. "small" (LT1:256; this "Qenya" word may be obsoleted by # 1 above)

tavar

wood

tavar (1) noun "wood" (TÁWAR)

toina

adjective. wood, wood, *wooden, made of wood

A word glossed “wood” appearing in a list of “large & small” roots from around 1968 derived from primitive ✶tawĭnā (PE17/115) and hence probably an adjective “✱wooden, (made) of wood” as suggested by Helge Fauskanger (QQ/toina).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien instead had ᴹQ. taurina “of wood”, an adjectival form of ᴹQ. tavar “wood (material)” (Ety/TÁWAR). The word ᴹQ. toina appeared in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1940s, but was unglossed, so whether it meant “✱wooden” is unclear.

Cognates

• S. tawen “wood (of material), ?wooden (of make), wood (of material), wooden (of make)” ✧ PE17/115

Derivations

• ✶tawinā “wood” ✧ PE17/115
  • √TAW “wood” ✧ PE17/115

Elements

Word	Gloss
-ina	“adjective suffix; passive participle”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶tawĭnā > toina	[tawinā] > [toinā] > [toina]	✧ PE17/115

turu

wood

turu (3) noun "wood" (properly firewood, but used of wood in general) (LT1:270)

cinta

small

cinta adj. "small" (PE17:157)

cinta

adjective. small

Cognates

• S. cidinn “[unglossed]” ✧ PE17/157

Derivations

• √KIT “*small” ✧ PE17/157

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√KIT > cinta	[kinta]	✧ PE17/157

mintë

small

mintë adj. "small" (VT45:35)

mitsa

small

mitsa adj. "small" (VT45:35) Another synonym from the same source, mitra, looks unusual for a Quenya word (because of the medial cluster tr)

nincë

small

*nincë (ninci*-) ("k")adj. "small". The form is given as "ninki" with the last vowel marked as short; this is probably the etymological form that would underlie Quenya nincë. The word is said to mean "small" with "good senses"; contrast nípa**, *nimpë. (VT48:18)

nitya

small

#nitya adj. "small" (VT48:15, PM:365)

níca

small

níca ("k")adj. "small". The word is said to mean "small" with "good senses"; contrast nípa, *nimpë. (VT47:26, VT48:18)

tauno

forest

tauno noun "forest" (LT1:267; in Tolkien's later Quenya taurë)

taure

noun. forest

calima

bright

calima adj. "bright" (VT42:32); cf. ancalima; in PE17:56, arcalima appears as another superlative "brightest" (see ar- #2).

málos

forest

málos noun "forest" (LT2:342 rather taurë in Tolkien's later Quenya)

glad

noun. wood

glad

noun. wood

A word for a “wood” in the name Methed-en-Glad “End of the Wood” (UT/153) and possibly also Gladuial “✱Twilight Wood” (WJ/183, 188 note #48). It resembles galadh “tree” and is probably related to it, but it cannot be derived directly from the same root ᴹ√GALAD as that would produce ✱✱gladh. It was either derived from a variant root ✱√GALAT, or was a loan word from Nandorin where the word for “tree” was Nan. galad (MR/182; PE17/50, 60).

Element in

• S. Methed-en-Glad “End of the Wood” ✧ UT/153
• S. Gladuial “*Twilight Wood”

Variations

• Glad ✧ UT/153

glân

adjective. bright, shining white

The word is deduced from its mutated form, but it is worth mentioning that a stem GALÁN "bright", with glan "daylight" (and later "clear") as derivative, is listed in the Etymologies (not included in the published text, but see VT/45:13). Most of the words meaning "white" in the Indo-Eureopean languages come from the original notion of "brightness", e.g. Greek leukós "white" is cognate with Latin lucere "to shine", lux "light". This association of sense is also found in Gnomish, PE/11:39 (glan "clean, pure", from "bright" originally) and in Early Noldorin (PE/13:144, glann "clean"). The similarity with Welsh glan (where the vowel, incidentally, is also long, though this is concealed by Welsh orthographic convention) is also striking

taur

noun. great wood, forest

eryn

noun. wood

taur

noun. forest

_ n. _forest. Q. taure. >> taw

cidinn

adjective. small

_ adj. _small. Q. cinta.

cinnog

adjective. small

_ adj. _small. Q. cinta.

tawar

noun. forest, forest; [N.] wood (material)

A word for “forest” in a few Sindarin names, notably Tawar-in-Drúedain “Drúadan Forest” (UT/319) and Tawarwaith “Forest People” (UT/256).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s N. tawar meant “wood (material)” but was often used with the same sense as N. taur “forest”; it was derived from the root ᴹ√TÁWAR (Ety/TÁWAR). In Sindarin, awa often became au (and then > o), and cases where it was preserved seem to have to do with patterns of stress; see the entry on that phonetic rule for further details.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, it is probably better to stick with the better known S. taur for “forest”.

Element in

• S. Tawar-in-Drúedain “Drúadan Forest” ✧ UT/319
• S. Tawarwaith “Forest People”

Variations

• Tawar ✧ UT/319

nimp

adjective. small and frail

niben

adjective. small, petty

niben

adjective. little finger (Elvish play-name used by and taught to children)

eryn

forest

_n. _forest, wood of trees.

glâd

small forest

(i ’lâd, construct glad) (wood), pl. glaid (in glaid).

glâd

forest

(i ’lâd, construct glad) (wood), pl. glaid (in glaid)

glâd

wood

(i ’lâd, construct glad) (small forest), pl. glaid (in glaid) See FOREST. 2)

gail

bright

gail (light), lenited ngail; no distinct pl. form (VT45:18). The adj. calen etymologically means "bright", but is used = "green" (q.v.).

gail

bright

(light), lenited ngail; no distinct pl. form (VT45:18). The adj. calen etymologically means "bright", but is used = "green" (q.v.).

gîl

bright spark

(i ngîl = i ñîl, construct gil) (star, silver glint), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gîl = i ñgîl), coll. pl. *giliath** (RGEO, MR:388)*

aew

small bird

. No distinct pl. form.

eryn

wood

1) (forest) eryn. No distinct pl. form. 2) glâd (i **lâd, construct glad) (small forest), pl. glaid (in glaid**) See FOREST. 2)

eryn

wood

. No distinct pl. form.

hûb

small landlocked bay

(i chûb, o chûb, construct hub) (harbour, haven), pl. huib (i chuib).

taur

forest

1) taur (i daur, o thaur) (great wood), pl. toer (i thoer), coll. pl. torath. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also (as adj.) ”lofty, high, sublime, noble” etc. 2) tawar (i dawar, o thawar) (wood [as material]), pl. tewair (i thewair). (

taur

forest

(i daur, o thaur) (great wood), pl. toer (i thoer), coll. pl. torath. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also (as adj.) ”lofty, high, sublime, noble” etc.

tawar

wood

(as material) tawar (i dawar, o thawar) (forest), pl. tewair (i thewair).

tawar

wood

(i dawar, o thawar) (forest), pl. tewair (i thewair).

mîw

small

1) mîw (tiny, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form, 2) niben (petty), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger. (VT48:6) 3) SMALL (and frail) nimp, no distinct pl. form (VT48:18)

mîw

small

(tiny, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form

niben

small

(petty), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger. (VT48:6) 

nimp

small

no distinct pl. form (VT48:18)

pêg

small spot

(i** bêg, construct peg) (dot), pl. pîg (i** phîg) 

tawar

forest

(i dawar, o thawar) (wood [as material]), pl. tewair (i thewair). (SMALL)

tinu

small star

(i** dinu, o thinu; also -din at the end of compounds) (spark), analogical pl. tiny (i** thiny). Archaic tinw, so the coll. pl. is likely  tinwath.

taw

root. wood

Tolkien used a similar set of words for “forest” starting with the earliest versions of Elvish, but their derivation evolved somewhat over time. The earliest related root was ᴱ√TAVA “beam” with variant ᴱ√TAFA (the latter marked by Tolkien with a “?” and with no obvious derivatives) from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as the basis for words like ᴱQ. taule “great tree”, ᴱQ. tauno “forest” and ᴱQ. tavar “dale-sprite” (QL/90). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. tavros/G. taur “forest” and G. tavor “wood fay” (GL/69).

ᴱQ. taure “forest” did not appear as an independent word until drafts of the Oilima Markirya from around 1930 (PE16/62; MC/213). Thereafter Tolkien mostly stuck with Q. taurë and N./S. taur for “forest”. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave the root ᴹ√TAWAR “wood, forest” (Ety/TÁWAR), though in one place it was ᴹ√TAR (EtyAC/TUR). In notes associated with the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 Tolkien gave √TAWA “wood”, and in notes on “large & small” roots from 1968 Tolkien had √TAW “wood” (PE17/115).

Derivatives

• ✶taurē “forest” ✧ PE17/115
  • Q. taurë “forest, (great) wood” ✧ PE17/115
  • S. taur “forest, wood, forest, wood, [N.] great wood, [G.] dense wood” ✧ PE17/115
• ✶tawinā “wood” ✧ PE17/115
  • Q. toina “wood, wood, *wooden, made of wood” ✧ PE17/115
  • S. tawen “wood (of material), ?wooden (of make), wood (of material), wooden (of make)” ✧ PE17/115
• Q. tauca “stiff, wooden” ✧ PE17/115
• Q. taurë “forest, (great) wood” ✧ VT39/07
• ᴺQ. tauron “forester”
• Q. táva “great tree” ✧ PE17/115
• ᴺQ. tavas “woodland”
• Q. töa “wood (as material)” ✧ PE17/115
• S. taug “firm, strong, (?withstand)” ✧ PE17/115
• S. taw “wood as material” ✧ PE17/115

Element in

• ᴺQ. taucolca “(wooden) chest”
• Q. tautamo “carpenter (carver)”

Variations

• TAWA ✧ VT39/07

tawinā

adjective. wood

Derivations

• √TAW “wood” ✧ PE17/115

Derivatives

• Q. toina “wood, wood, *wooden, made of wood” ✧ PE17/115
• S. tawen “wood (of material), ?wooden (of make), wood (of material), wooden (of make)” ✧ PE17/115

Variations

• tawĭnā ✧ PE17/115

nik

root. small

One of various roots for “small” Tolkien used in his later writings. The root √NIK “small” first appeared in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s (VT47/26; VT48/18), but was connected to the diminutive suffix ✶-i(n)ki which had a much longer conceptual history. One of the earliest known diminutive suffix was ᴱQ. -íne(a) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s from the root ᴱ√INI “small” (QL/42), which might be a precursor to √NIK; these suffixes reappeared in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s (PE14/49, 81). In the Gnomish Grammar of the 1910s, the word G. inc “small” was used as the basis for the “diminutive superlative” -inci (PE11/16).

In the Qenya Lexicon, Tolkien connected ᴱ√INI “small” to the root ᴱ√MINI of similar meaning (QL/42, 61). There are no signs of ᴱ√MINI “small” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, but the word G. migin “little” (GL/57) hints at a (hypothetical) variant root ✱ᴱ√MIKI. Further support for ✱ᴱ√MIKI can be found in other diminutive forms in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s such as prefixal diminutive ᴱQ. mike- along adverbial ᴱQ. mike “little” (QL/48, 81), the latter appearing with the gloss “a bit” in the English-Qenya Dictionary from this period (PE15/70) along with other similar words in both the dictionary and the grammar. This ✱ᴱ√MIKI might be another precursor to √NIK. An early hint at √NIK itself might appear in the word ᴹQ. nikse “minnow, little fish” from the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s (PE21/27).

In Noldorin and Sindarin, the primary diminutive suffix became -eg, which was connected to the Common Eldarin suffix -iki elsewhere in notes on hands and fingers (VT47/14 note #21). In the notes where √NIK “small” appeared in the late 1960s, Tolkien gave the primitive diminutive as -inkĭ along with variants ikki, -iksi, -si, -ensi, -ki.

One of the main competing roots for “small” was ᴹ√PIK [see the entry for √PI(N)], itself with a lengthy conceptual history. The shift of pitya >> nitya “little” in the father name of Amrod from the late 1960s may represent a replacement of √PIK by √NIK (PM/365), but I think it is likelier the two roots coexisted with slightly different meanings, as was the case for their earlier precursors. In the notes from the late 1960s, √NIK was also contrasted with √NIP “small (usually with connotation of weakness)” (VT48/18), from which the word S. niben “petty” was derived, as in S. Nogoth Niben (WJ/388).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume √NIK meant “small” in a neutral sense, √PIK “tiny” (along with variants √PĪ and √PIN) and √NIP “small and weak”. I would use these as the major Eldarin roots for “small” words, along with a number of other more specialized roots.

Derivatives

• ✶-i(n)ki “diminutive suffix” ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18
  • Q. -incë “diminutive ending”
  • S. -eg “diminutive/singular ending”
• ✶ninkĭ “small” ✧ VT48/18
• Q. níca “little, small” ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18
• ᴺQ. nihta “piece, bit (of indeterminate size)”
• ᴺQ. nihta- “to reduce, make small”
• ᴹQ. nikse “minnow, little fish”
• Q. nitya “little”
• S. niged “little finger”
• ᴺS. nigol “mouse, (lit.) small one”
• ᴺS. nítha- “to reduce, make small”
• T. nícë “little finger”

Element in

• ✶niktil “little [finger]” ✧ VT47/26

Variations

• nik ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18

nimpĭ

adjective. small

Derivations

• √NIP “small (usually with connotation of weakness)” ✧ VT48/18

Derivatives

• S. nimp “pale, pallid, white, pale, pallid, white; small and frail, [ᴱN.] wan, sickly” ✧ VT48/18
  • S. nim “white” ✧ SA/nim

ninkĭ

adjective. small

Derivations

• √NIK “small” ✧ VT48/18

taurē

noun. forest

Derivations

• √TAW “wood” ✧ PE17/115

Derivatives

• Q. taurë “forest, (great) wood” ✧ PE17/115
• S. taur “forest, wood, forest, wood, [N.] great wood, [G.] dense wood” ✧ PE17/115

Variations

• tau-rē ✧ PE17/115
• taurĭ ✧ PE21/80

kalinā

adjective. bright

Derivatives

• Q. calina “light, bright, sunny, (lit.) illumined”

Elements

Word	Gloss
kal-	“to shine, be bright”
-nā	“adjective suffix; passive participle”

gail

adjective. bright, light

Derivations

• ᴹ✶galyā “bright, light” ✧ Ety/KAL
  • ᴹ√GAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶galyā > gail	[galjā] > [galja] > [galia] > [geli] > [geil] > [gail]	✧ Ety/KAL

taur

noun. great wood, forest

mithren

adjective. small

Cognates

• ᴹQ. mitsa “small” ✧ EtyAC/MIT; EtyAC/MIT

Derivations

• ᴹ√MIT “small” ✧ EtyAC/MIT
• ᴹ✶mitra “small” ✧ EtyAC/MIT
  • ᴹ√MIT “small” ✧ EtyAC/MIT

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√MIT > mint	[minte] > [mintʰe] > [minθe] > [minθ] > [mint]	✧ EtyAC/MIT
ᴹ✶mitra > mithren	[?]	✧ EtyAC/MIT

Variations

• mint ✧ EtyAC/MIT (mint)

mîw

adjective. small, tiny, frail