ho

root. from, coming from

The most notable function of this root was as the basis for the Quenya genitive suffix -o. The introduction of this root seems to predate the later iteration of this form of the Quenya genitive, with the root first appearing in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√ƷŌ̆ where it served as the basis for the prepositions ᴹQ. ho/N. o “from” as well as an “old partitive” ᴹQ. -on (Ety/ƷŌ̆). In 1930s the usual Quenya genitive suffix was ᴹQ. -(e)n as in ᴹQ. Nyarna Valinóren “Annals of Valinor” (LR/202). However, the genitive suffix was often -o in earlier iterations of Quenya, and even in the 1930s it was a feature of the genitive plural, as in ᴹQ. ar antaróta mannar Valion “and he gave it into the hands of the Lords (Vali-on)” (LR/72).

After the conceptual shift of the primitive velar spirant from ʒ to h, this root became √HO (WJ/361), and Tolkien discussed its function at length in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60. He said it “was evidently an ancient adverbial element, occurring principally as a proclitic or enclitic: proclitic, as a prefix to verb stems; and enclitic, as attached to noun stems” (WJ/368). As proclitic it formed the verbal prefix Q. hó- “away, from, from among”, as an enclitic it formed the basis of the noun inflectional suffix -o used for genitives in Quenya of the 1950s and 60s. Its role in Sindarin is less clear, given Tolkien’s later vacillations on whether or not suffixal genitives were even a part of Sindarin.

hō

adverb. from, coming from, as described by a genitive

ʒō

preposition. from

hor

root. urge, impel, move

khom

root. heart (physical organ)

This root has a fairly long history as the basis for Elvish words for the physical heart (as opposed to metaphorical). Its earliest appearance was as ᴱ√HONO in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivative ᴱQ. hon (hond-) “heart” (QL/40), as well as G. honn “heart” appearing in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon along with the added note “not used metaphorically, for which ilf is used” (GL/49).

In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, Tolkien gave the words as ᴹQ. hōn “heart” with stem-form hom-, indicating that the final consonant of the primitive form was revised to -m. However, in The Etymologies of the mid-to-late 1930s the root was ᴹ√KHŌ-N “heart (physical)” (Ety/KHŌ-N), and in Primitive Quendian Structure from 1936 it was ᴹ✶khōn “heart”, and likewise in Primitive Quendian Structure: Final Consonants (PE22/64) and Notes for Quenya Declensions (PE22/66) from the 1940s, though in the last it was revised to ᴹ✶hōn (PE22/66 note #4).

The form ✶khō-n “heart” reappeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from 1951-2 (PE21/71), but in Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the early 1950s Tolkien wrote CE ✶khōm “heart” (PE19/102). In notes from 1968 he again gave ✶khom as the basis for the physical heart, though in another note written at the same time, it was ✶khōn or ✶khond (NM/176 and note #2).

In a green-ink marginal note to the Outline of Phonology (OP2), Tolkien wrote:

> Cf. holmo > khomlo “from the heart” us[ed] as adverb, sincerely, (?heartily). N.B. CE khō̆m, heart, is not the physical heart, but “the interior” used of the whole range of emotions or feelings. [It] is distinct from indo (?applied) to interior reflection[?] or mind (PE19/97).

These green-ink revisions were circa 1970, so this may be the last thing Tolkien wrote on the topic. It seems the conceptual history for the forms of this root was 1910s √HON >> early 1930s √HOM >> mid 1930s-early 50s √KHON >> mid 1950s-1970 √KHOM, with a (brief?) flirtation with √KHON in 1968. The switch from physical to metaphorical heart seems to be a very late idea (1970), and I would ignore it for purposes of Neo-Eldarin.

khollō̆

noun. cock

kholyē

noun. hen

khomdō

noun. (seat of the) deepest feelings

khomlō

adverb. from the heart

thow

root. stink

hot

root. sneeze

ak

root. hostile return

A “Sindarin only” root in etymological notes from around 1959-60, whose primary purpose seems to be the derivation of Sindarin words for “vengeance” (PE17/167) as in the phrase tôl acharn “vengeance comes” from contemporaneous Silmarillion narratives (WJ/254), though this phrase didn’t make it into the published Silmarillion. Tolkien explained this root as a blending of prefixal √AT “re- (a second time)” and √OKO “evil”, also seen in the word Q. olca. √AK replaced an earlier derivation of Sindarin vengeance-words directly from the root √AT (PE17/166), which Tolkien may have rejected because this did not have the connotation he wanted: at-kar- = “doing again”, not “revenge”.

kab

root. hold, contain, retain, possess, have in hand, hold, contain, retain, possess, have in hand; [ᴹ√] hollow

This root’s most notable derivative was one of the Sindarin words for “hand”, S. cam, supplanting archaic S. †maw which survived only in compounds (VT47/6-7). This root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “hollow” (Ety/KAB), replacing an earlier entry glossed “hold, (?contain)”. The root reappeared in the late 1960s in Tolkien’s notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals, variously glossed “hold, contain, retain” (VT47/7) or “to hold, possess, have in hand” (VT47/20).

A later addition to these notes then made the rather surprising claim that “kamba is from KAM not KAB”. This seems to be supported by a Quenya verb form camnelyes “you received it” (VT47/21), where the past form camne must be from √KAM. However, the form cambelyes was written below this, possibly indicating a restoration of √KAB, as suggested by Patrick Wynne.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin I think it is best to continue to assume the existence of √KAB.

nad

root. hollow (of structures or natural features more or less concave with rising sides)

This root and ones like it were connected to the names of dales and vales for much of Tolkien’s life. A likely precursor is ᴱ√NAŘA [NAÐA] from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. nan(d) “woodland” and ᴱQ. nandin “dryad” (QL/64). Words like G. nand “field acre”, G. nandriol “rustic, rural”, and G. nandor “farmer” from the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon are probably derived from the same root, since G. nandir “fay of the country” in the same list is said to be a cognate of ᴱQ. nandin (GL/59). Another likely precursor is ᴱ√NḶDḶ or nḷřḷ [NḶĐḶ] from the Qenya Lexicon, given as nḷđ in the Gnomish Lexicon, with derivatives like ᴱQ. nal (nald-) and G. glith “dell” (QL/66; GL/40).

The unglossed root ᴹ√NAD appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. nanda “water-mead, watered plain”, N. nadhor “pasture”, and N. nann “wide grassland” and so probably meaning something like “✱plain” (Ety/NAD); it had a rejected variant ᴹ√NÁNAD as well (EtyAC/NAD). √NAD appeared in notes from 1968 with the gloss “hollow (of structures or natural features more or less concave with rising sides)” and derivatives like Q. nanwa “a (large) bowl” and S. nand “valley” (NM/351). In these notes, primitive ✶nandē was described as meaning:

> ✱nandē “a valley, bottom”, originally used only of not very large areas the sides of which were part of their own configuration. Vales or valleys of great extent, plains at the feet of mountains, etc. had other names.

The most notable names in the early Legendarium using this root are ᴱQ. Tasarinan and G. Nan Tathrin “Land of Willows”, names that retained the same basic form and meaning in Tolkien’s later writings, except that the Sindarin form became S. Nan-tathren, and that Tolkien sometimes translated the name as “Valley of Willows” instead of “Land”. Indeed, the elements S. nan(d) and Q. nan(do) or nandë appeared regularly in names in Tolkien’s later writings, but almost always translated as “valley” or “vale”.

Neo-Eldarin: Since primitive ✶nandē referred as much to the plain at the bottom of the valley than the valley itself, I would assume Noldorin (and Neo-Sindarin) words having to doing with pastures could be extrapolate from that sense. For Neo-Quenya pasture words, however, I would use derivatives of ᴺ√NES; see that entry for discussion.

ras

root. horn, horn; [ᴹ√] stick up

This root first appeared as ᴹ√RAS “stick up (intr.)” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. rasse and N. rhas or rhasg “horn (especially on living animal, but also applied to mountains)” (Ety/RAS; EtyAC/RAS). It reappeared as ᴹ√RASA “stick up” on an rejected page of roots in the Quenya Verbal System from the 1940s (PE22/127). Finally, √RAS “horn” appeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure of the early 1950s, but that was merely the last appearance of the root in Tolkien’s published writings. Q. rassë and S. rass “horn” continued to appear regularly as an element in mountain names in the 1950s and 60s.

rom

root. horn noise, horn noise; [ᴹ√] loud noise

This root and ones like it were connected to horns and loud noises for much of Tolkien’s life. The earliest iteration of the root was unglossed ᴱ√RAMA in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. rama- “shout, sound loud, bray, blare” and ᴱQ. ran (ram-) “noise” (QL/78-79). G. rum “noise” and similar words from the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon may be derived from a variant of this root (GL/66). The root appeared as ᴹ√ROM “loud noise, horn blast” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. róma/N. †rhû “loud sound, trumpet-sound” and ᴹQ. romba/N. †rhom “horn, trumpet” (Ety/ROM). It also had an augmented variant ᴹ√OROM as the basis for ᴹQ. Orome (Ety/ORÓM).

The root √ROM was mentioned several times in Tolkien’s later writings with glosses like “horn noise” (PE17/138), “noise of horn” (PE17/153), and “used of the sound of trumpets and horns” (WJ/400). Starting in the 1930s, the name Q. Oromë was derived from this root, as opposed to the 1910s where ᴱQ. Orome was initially connected to the root ᴱ√OŘO having to do with “dawn” (QL/70-71).

ñgaw

root. howl; falsify, deform, disguise

This root first appeared as ᴹ√ÑGAW “howl” in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/ÑGAW), apparently replacing deleted ᴹ√ÑO(NO) of the same meaning. Its most notable derivative was N. gaur “werewolf” as in N. Tol-na-Gaurhoth “Isle of Werewolves”, a name Tolkien introduced in Silmarillion drafts of the 1930s (SM/311, LR/284). The root reappeared as √NGWAW “howl” in the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the early 1950s (PE19/106), but in notes on the words and phrases of The Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien gave √ÑGAW the gloss “falsify, deform, disguise”.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I recommend sticking with the sense “howl” for this root.

(ñ)guruk

noun. horror

airē

noun. holiness, sanctity

ekka

noun. hole

gampa

noun. hook

kuldā

adjective. hollow

kā

noun. home, house

mbar-ndor

noun. home land, native land

mbard(a)

adverb. home, homeward

nandā

adjective. hollow (not used of things empty inside but those open above)

nābā

noun. hollow

rass

noun. horn

rokkō

noun. horse, swift horse for riding

rokokwēn

noun. horseman, rider

thūsē

noun. horrible darkness, black mist

urkā

adjective. horrible

áyan

noun. holy thing or object or place

ngur

root. horror

ngwaw

root. howl

han

root. add to, increase, enhance, enrich, honour (especially by gift); give

This root did not explicitly appear until very late in Tolkien writing, in 1969-1970, but there were a few earlier precursors. Wynne, Smith, and Hostetter suggested the preposition Q. han “beyond” from Quenya prayers of the 1950s might be connected to this root. I think another precursor might be √ƷAN “long” or “extend” given as a variant of √YAN around 1959; Tolkien was considering √ƷAN as the basis for a new etymology of Q. anda/S. and “long” (PE17/40, 155), though there are no clear indications he carried through with this idea.

The root √ƷAN reappeared in 1968 notes with the gloss “adorn” serving as the basis for Q. antil, a word for the middle finger, perhaps being the place where rings were usually worn (VT47/26). As pointed out by Patrick Wynne this use of √ƷAN indicates it was from the period in the late 1960s where Tolkien was playing around with the form and phonetic developments of the ancient velar spirant [h] or [ɣ] (ʒ); see the discussion in the entry on how [[aq|initial [ɣ] became [h]]] in Ancient Quenya; this was one of the more common phonetic developments Tolkien used, but he vacillated a great deal on the subject.

√ƷAN reappeared again in 1969 notes on Quenya verbs with the gloss “give”, but here it was revised to √HAN (PE22/163). Tolkien then elaborated on the meaning of √HAN, saying that its actual sense was “enhance, enrich, add to”. In this note h- was preserved in Quenya and Telerin but lost in Sindarin, and the Quenya verb anta- “give” was influenced by but not directly derived from √HAN; in Sindarin the influence was more direct. We know that √HAN reappeared at least one more time in some notes from 1970 with the gloss “add to, increase, enhance, honour (espec. by gift)” (VT43/14) but this note remains unpublished so we don’t have the full context.

Sorting through all these variations is quite difficult, especially since they are intertwined with Tolkien’s shifting notions of the initial developments of ancient ʒ- and h-, but I think the basic conceptual development is (1959) √ƷAN “extend” >> (1968) √ƷAN “adorn” >> (1969) √ƷAN “give” >> (1969-70) √HAN “add to, increase, enhance, enrich, honour”.

Outside of its influence on “give” and “gift”, √HAN has no real attested derivatives, but it has long been theorized that it is basis for the Q. hantalë “thanksgiving” in Q. Eruhantalë (UT/214). This in turn serves as the basis for the most common Neo-Eldarin words for “thanks” and “to thank”, a pretty important word for polite conversation. These words, and their role in Neo-Eldarin, have been exceptionally contentious, giving this otherwise obscure root an outsized role in debates about Tolkien’s languages.

man

root. good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil, good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil; [ᴹ√] holy spirit

This root for “(morally) good” and “holy” things dates back to Tolkien’s earliest versions of Elvish, probably due to its long-standing connection to the name Q. Manwë, one of the most stable names in Tolkien’s Legendarium. The unglossed root ᴱ√MANA appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. mane “good (moral)” and ᴱQ. manimo “holy soul” (QL/58). Derivatives like G. mani “good (of men and character only), holy” and G. manos “spirit that has gone to the Valar” also appear in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/56).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s ᴹ√MAN “holy spirit” appeared with derivatives like ᴹQ. manu/N. mân “departed spirit” (Ety/MAN). Earlier versions of the entry had the gloss “holy” (EtyAC/MAN), and an earlier version of the entry for ᴹ√MBAD has MAN- “blessed” (EtyAC/MBAD).

The senses “good, blessed, holy” were retained in Tolkien’s later writings, though sometimes the root was given in its augmented form √AMAN. In Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957, √MAN was contrasted with √ARA which also meant “good”, but with the nuance of one specimen that is “good of its kind” and hence “excels, without necessarily implying that others are bad or marred” (PE17/147). Elsewhere in QN Tolkien elaborated on the meaning of √MAN in more detail:

> √MAN “good”. This implies that a person/thing is (relatively or absolutely) “unmarred”: that is in Elvish thought unaffected by the disorders introduced into Arda by Morgoth: and therefore is true to its nature & function. If applied to mind/spirit it is more or less equivalent to morally good; but applied to bodies it naturally refers to health and to absence of distortions, damages, blemishes, &c (PE17/162).

In Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959, √AMAN “good (morally), holy, blessed, free from evil” was contrasted with √AYA(N) “treat with awe/reverence” and √MAGA “good (physically)” (PE17/149). In The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968, Tolkien said the root meant “blessed, holy” and was adapted from Valarin (PM/357 note #18), which is consistent with the fact that its derivatives were almost entirely limited to Quenya and not Sindarin; where derivatives do appear in Sindarin, such as S. Avon the equivalent of Q. Aman (PE17/162), they were probably loan words from Quenya.

neg

root. ‽ooze, drip, ooze, drip; *honey

This root served as the basis for honey words and (in earlier writings) for bee words. Its earliest form is unglossed ᴱ√NEHE in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s where it had derivatives like ᴱQ. nekte “honey” and ᴱQ. nier “honey bee” (QL/65). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon the root was given as neg- with derivatives like G. neglis “honey” and G. nio “bee” < ᴱ✶nēgu, with another (feminine?) form nios (GL/59-60).

The root ᴹ√NEG reappeared unglossed in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. nehte and N. nîdh “honeycomb” (EtyAC/NEG). It appeared in the Outline of Phonology from the early 1950s with the gloss “ooze, drip” (marked by Tolkien with a “?”) and derivatives Q. nehtë/T. nettë “honey” and S. nîdh “juice” (PE19/91).

til

root. point, horn

The root √TIL was used for “pointy thing” for much of Tolkien’s life, most notably as the final element in the name Q. Taniquetil “High White (or Snow) Peak”. Its earliest appearance was as unglossed ᴱ√TILI⁽⁾ or ᴱ√T͡YILI (probably the true form) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where it had derivatives like ᴱQ. til⁽⁾ “a hair”, ᴱQ. tilde “point”, and ᴱQ. tille “eyelash” (QL/92). It was constrasted ᴱ√TILI⁽⁾ which had derivatives like ᴱQ. tilu- “shine (blue)” and ᴱQ. Tilio “Sirius” (QL/92). There is no connection between √TIL and “shine” in Tolkien’s later writings, with roots like √SIL or √TIN being used for that purpose instead.

The Etymologies of the 1930s had ᴹ√TIL “point, horn” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tilde/N. till “spike, horn” and ᴹQ. neltil/N. nelthil (Ety/TIL). The root √TIL “point” was mentioned a couple times in notes from the late 1960s in connection to finger-names (VT47/26, 28).

ñgor

root. dread, terror, fear, horror

This root was connected to fear and dread in Tolkien’s later writing, most notably in S. goroth as an element in S. Gorgoroth “[Valley] of Terror” as the name of a region in Mordor (LotR/401), as well as in S. Ered Gorgoroth “Mountains of Terror” where Ungoliant dwelled (S/95). The root first appeared in its extended form ᴹ√ÑGOROTH “horror” in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/ÑGOROTH) with a variant ÑGOR-OT mentioned in another entry (EtyAC/GOS). The unextended root √ÑGOR was mentioned regularly in Tolkien’s later writings with glosses like “dread” (PE17/113), “terror, dread” (PE17/154), “fear” (PE17/172) and “terror” (PE17/183). It did not necessarily have an entirely negative meaning, however, as its derivative S. gorn given the sense “revered” in (one possible) etymology of S. Aragorn < Ara-ngorn “Revered King” (PE17/113).

A variant root √NGUR “horror” was mentioned in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (WJ/415), but elsewhere √ÑGUR was generally given the sense “death”; see that entry for detail.

kawa

noun. shelter, house

khawad

root. store, hoard, store, hoard; *lay in store

oktā

noun. war, hostility, strife

thaurā

masculine name. detestable, abominable, horrible

aman

root. good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil

tiph

root. flute, hoot

gor

root. deep, profound; warn, counsel; urge, impel, move, deep, profound; warn, counsel; urge, impel, move; [ᴹ√] impetus, haste, violence

The root ᴹ√GOR “violence, impetus, haste” first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. orme “haste, violence, wrath” and N. gorn “impetuous” (Ety/GOR), along with a variant ᴹ√ƷOR whose only derivative was ᴹQ. orro or horro “ugh, alas!, ow!” (EtyAC/ƷOR). The root √GOR reappeared in 1968 notes on Gender and Sex with the gloss “deep, profound”, and there it served as the basis for órë (see below) along with other derivatives like Q. orda “profound”, S. gœria- “to ponder”, and S. gordh “deep thought” (NM/176). The root appeared again in another essay from 1968 on the topic of órë (VT41/11-15; NM/219-224), where Tolkien explained its meaning as follows:

> Nearest to the original sense is “warn”, but (a) it did not refer only to dangers, evils, or difficulties ahead; and (b) though it could be used of the influence of one person upon another by visible or audible means (words or signs) — in which case “counsel” was nearer to its sense — this was not its chief use. This can best be explained by consideration of its principal derivative. This was in Common Eldarin ✱gōrē: Quenya óre, Telerin ōre, Sindarin gûr (NM/219).

Tolkien went on to explain Q. órë as the source of deep emotions, that “advises, but is never represented as commanding”, roughly analogous to one’s conscience; see the entry on Q. órë for further details. Note that when this essay on órë was first published in Vinyar Tengwar 41 in the year 2000, Carl Hostetter gave the root and the primitive form as √ƷOR and ✱ʒōrē (VT41/11), but in his book The Nature of Middle-earth (NM) from 2021, he corrected them to √GOR and ✱gōrē (NM/219).

In rough notes after the main essay, Tolkien altered the root to √HOR with glosses “urge, impel, move” specifically limited to “mental impulses” (VT41/13; NM/221). This revised form might be a later iteration of ᴹ√KHOR “set going, put in motion, urge on” from The Etymologies (Ety/KHOR) as suggested by Carl Hostetter (VT41/17 note #9). Tolkien gave the Quenya derivative of this revised form as (h)óre but did not specify its Sindarin derivative (VT41/13; NM/222). In another rough note in the same bundle he gave [primitive?] hor- “warn” as the basis for T. hŏra or ora and Q. óre (VT41/15).

Neo-Eldarin: The root √HOR is problematic and difficult to reconcile with either Q. óre and S. gûr, since typically primitive h- survived in Quenya but vanished in Sindarin. I think it is preferable to assume the root remaining √GOR. As for its meaning, I would assume the basic sense was “warn, council” as well as “mental impulse”, with ✶gorē serving as the source of deep-seated thoughts and emotions. This interpretation would allow the continued use of the majority of the root’s attested derivatives from both the 1930s and 1960s, including various 1930s words having to do with “haste” and “impetousness”.

kaw

root. shelter

This root was primarily used as the basis for the word Q. coa “house”, which first appeared (without the root) in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (WJ/369). The root √KAW “shelter” appeared in various etymological notes from the mid-to-late 1960s (PE17/107-108, 164; VT47/35). The root √KAWA also appeared in the 2nd version of the Tengwesta Qenderinwa written around 1950, but there it was unglossed and had no glossed derivatives, so whether it meant “shelter” in the early 1950s is unclear.

The only published root with form similar to √KAWA prior to 1950 is ᴱ√KAẆA “stoop” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/45), also appearing as kava- or cava- in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/25, 27). The Ẇ is Tolkien’s usual representation of derivatives of ancient labialized velar spirants [ɣʷ] or [xʷ] (PE12/15-16). The derivatives of this root included words like ᴱQ. kauko/G. caug “humpback” and ᴱQ. kawa-/G. cam(m)a- “bow”, so it seems to have no connection to later √KAW other than its similarity in form.

khan

root. brother

A root for “brother” that Tolkien introduced in notes on finger-names from the late 1960s as a companion to √NETH “sister” (VT47/14, 26, 34). It conflicts with, and possibly replaces, earlier uses for √KHAN such as √KHAN “back” in notes from around 1959 serving as the basis for the prefix Q. han- in hanquenta “answer” (PE17/166). The root ᴹ√KHAN also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “understand, comprehend”, with various derivatives in both Quenya and Noldorin of similar meaning (Ety/KHAN).

It is unlikely that all these uses of √KHAN coexisted, but I think at a minimum both √KHAN “brother” and ᴹ√KHAN “understand, comprehend” should be retained for the purposes of Neo-Eldarin, as the latter has no good replacements in Tolkien’s later writing. As for hanquenta “answer”, it might be reinterpreted as “a saying providing understanding”, and so be derived from ᴹ√KHAN “understand”.

kher

root. possess, possess, [ᴹ√] rule, govern, [ᴱ√] have power

The basic root for rulership was √KHER for most of Tolkien’s life. The root appeared as ᴱ√HERE “rule, have power” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, and in this period already had the derivative ᴱQ. heru “lord” and ᴱQ. heri “lady” (QL/40), words that retained the same form and meaning throughout Tolkien’s life. Gnomish derivatives from this period include G. herma “protection, lordship, sway”, G. hermon “lord”, G. hîr “care, anxiety; heed”, and G. hiril “queen†, princess” (GL/49).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s these last two Gnomish words became N. hîr “master” and N. hiril “lady” as derivatives of ᴹ√KHER “rule, govern, possess”; the words ᴹQ. heru/ᴹQ. heri reappeared as well (Ety/KHER). All four of these words reappeared frequently in Tolkien’s later writing, though S. hîr was more typically glossed “lord” (PM/210; SD/129; VT41/9; Let/382; UT/318). The root √KHER itself reappeared in a 1954 letter to Naomi Mitchison with the gloss “possess” (Let/178).

mat

root. eat

This was the root for eating words for all of Tolkien’s life, appearing very regularly. It was ᴱ√MATA “eat” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/59), ᴹ√MAT “eat” in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/MAT), and √MAT “eat” in etymological notes from the late 1960s (VT48/26), among its many other appearances. This puts it among the most conceptually stable of Elvish roots.

phay

root. spirit, spirit; [ᴹ√] radiate, send out rays of light

When this root first appeared in The Etymologies (Ety/PHAY), it was glossed “radiate, send out rays of light” and its derivatives were consistent with this definition, most notably in N. Feanor “Radiant Sun”. In later writings, this root was instead glossed “spirit” (PM/352), which is the connotation of most of its later derivatives. For example, the later meaning of S. Fëanor was changed to “Spirit of Fire”.

The earlier sense “radiate” probably also survived in Tolkien’s later conception, however. On MR/250, the word Q. fairë “spirit” is said to originally have had the sense “radiance”, which is precisely the meaning that ᴹQ. faire had in The Etymologies. There is also a primitive monosyllable ✶phāy “flame, ray of light” in the Outline of Phonology from the early 1950s (OP2: PE19/102). If the root meaning “radiate” remains valid, then the word S. ✱fael “gleam of the sun”, an element of S. Faelivrin “gleam of the sun on the pools of Ivrin” (the second name of Finduilas), might be a derivative of this root.

porok

root. hen

An onomatopoeic root appearing in notes from the late 1960s with variants porok- and korok and the gloss “hen” (VT47/36). It seems to be a restoration of the form ᴱQ. poroke “barn fowl” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/75) with Gnomish cognate G. porog “fowl (domestic)” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/64). ᴱQ. poroke “hen” reappeared in Qenya Word-lists from the 1920s (PE16/132), and primitive ✶porokĭ “fowl” and ✶porokē “hen” appeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s (PE21/82). Thus this root seems to be a pretty enduring notion.

sal

root. [unglossed], *harp(ing), lyre

The unglossed root ᴱ√SALA appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. salma “lyre, small harp” and ᴱQ. salumbe “harping, music” (QL/81). The root √SAL appeared again Common Eldarin: Verb Structure from the early 1950s to illustrate the reformed perfect form of its verb Q. asálie (PE22/132), but since these later forms are unglossed it is unclear whether they have the same meaning (“✱harp(ing)”) as the earlier version of the root.

sam

root. to have, have; [ᴹ√] unite, join

The root ᴹ√SAM “unite, join” was a later addition to The Etymologies of the 1930s with the derivative ᴹQ. samnar “diphthongs” (Ety/SAM). There is also evidence for it in the word ᴹQ. sampane “combination” as in ᴹQ. Lámasampane “Combination of Sounds”, a term used in the first version of the Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ1) from the 1930s (PE18/40), and again in the second version (TQ2) from around 1950 (PE18/90). In an isolated note from the late 1930s, Tolkien gave ᴹ√kam “bind, join” as a replacement for √sam along with a new word ᴹQ. okamna “diphthong” (VT44/13), but given the reappearance of Q. sampanë in TQ2 this may have been a transient idea, and in any case Tolkien used the word Q. ohlon for “diphthong” in the 1950s and 60s (VT39/9; VT48/29).

In notes grouped with Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959, Tolkien gave √SAM as the basis for Elvish verbs for “to have”, with Q. samin and S. sevin “✱I have” (PE17/173). Whether this was connected to 1930s ᴹ√SAM “unite, join” is unclear. In notes associated with the 1959-60 essay Ósanwe-kenta, Tolkien gave the root √SAM with the gloss “mind, think, reflect, be aware” (VT41/5), but in later writings he used √SAN for “think, use mind” instead (PE22/158); see that entry for discussion.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I’d use √SAM = “have”.

stuk

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in a rejected section of the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the early 1950s, serving to illustration certain phonetic developments: ✶stuknā > Q. thúna (PE19/86).

tig

root. [unglossed]

A root appearing in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 as the basis for the verb Q. tinga- “go (for a long while)” (PE22/157). The etymology was marked with an “X” and so was probably a transient idea (PE22/157 note #70).

lemek

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in the Outline of Phonology from the early 1950s illustrating certain phonetic combinations (PE19/98), and therefore possibly not a “real” root.

phut

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root appearing in the second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ2) as an etymological variation of √PUT (PE18/90).

graw Reconstructed

root. [unglossed], [ᴹ√] dark, swart

This root appeared as a primitive form grawa serving as the basis of the word Q. roa “bear” >> “dog” in notes on monosyllabic roots from 1968 (VT47/35); a Sindarin derivative S. graw “bear” appeared in other notes written around the same time (VT47/12). Patrick Wynne suggested that in the sense “bear” grawa might be connected to the root ᴹ√GRAWA “dark, swart” from The Etymologies of the 1930s (EtyAC/GRAWA).

ambō

noun. hill

au-

prefix. away

awa-

prefix. away

awā

adverb. away

bani

adjective. fair

gardā

noun. region

gondō

noun. stone, rock

hekla-mbar

place name. Eglamar

hyōba

noun. spirit, shadow

hōmen

?. hōmen

kambā

noun. (cupped) hand

keme

noun. earth

kemen

noun. earth

khadmā

noun. seat

khaw

root. big

lisyā

adjective. sweet

lub

root. bend

manrā

adjective. good

morokō

noun. bear

porokē

noun. hen

raika

adjective. crooked

thŏno

noun. pine

tilte

noun. peak

urku/urkō

noun. orc

wanyā

adjective. fair

ñgūr

noun. wolf

ăwă

preposition. from

askō Reconstructed

noun. bone

gō

preposition. from

korok

root. hen

stona

noun. pine

swar

root. crooked