hrai-

verb. hrai-

hrai- prefix denoting difficulty (PE17:154, 185), cf. ur(u)-

hrai-

prefix. hard, *difficult

A prefix in Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959 meaning “hard, ✱difficult”, based on the root √SRAG (PE17/154). Tolkien contrasted it with ur(u)- “hard, difficult” from the root √GUR “hard, stiff, difficult, cumbrous, slow”. Examples of its use include hraicénima (or hraicene) “scarcely visible, hard to see” (PE17/154) and {hrainote} “✱difficult to count”, the latter appearing unglossed and crossed through on a rejected draft page of these notes (PE17/172).

Neo-Quenya: Although Tolkien did not make it explicit, I believe hrai- implies “hard” due to resistance from the thing or people being worked upon, as opposed to ur(u)- meaning “difficult” due to the inherent complexity of the task; compare hranga- “thwart”.

hrai

adjective. awkward, difficult, stiff

hrai(a)

adjective. awkward, difficult, stiff, difficult, awkward, stiff

An adjective glossed “awkward, difficult” in Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959 derived from the root √SRAG (PE17/154), and on a rejected page glossed “awry” (PE17/172). In notes from December 1959 (D59) it was given as hrai “stiff, awkward, difficult”, identical in meaning to hranga (PE17/185), but in DLN hranga was glossed “awkward, hard” distinct from hraia.

Conceptual Development: On the rejected page from DLN, hrai(a) was first glossed “easy” rather than “difficult” (PE17/172). See the entry as(a)- for a discussion of the conceptual development of words for “easy”.

Neo-Quenya: I believe that hraia means “difficult, awkward” due to resistance from the thing or people being worked upon, as opposed to urda meaning “difficult” due to the inherent complexity of the task, and hranga which has the additional connotation of “[physically] stiff, hard” when used as an adjective.

hrai(a)

adjective. easy

hraia

awkward, difficult

hraia adj. "awkward, difficult" (PE17:154), ephemerally meant "easy" (PE17:172)

hranga

awkward, hard

hranga (2) adj. "awkward, hard" (PE17:154), "stiff, awkward, difficult" (PE17:185)

sarda

hard

sarda adj. "hard" (VT39:17); pl. sardë "hards" may be used in the same sense as sarda tengwi, q.v. (As an independent form we would rather expect a nominal pl. sardar.)

torna

hard

#torna adj. "hard", as in tornanga (q.v.), seemingly -storna after prefixes ending in a vowel, as in the comparative forms aristorna, anastorna (PE17:56; the forms are untranslated and may not necessarily be the same adjective "hard".)

torna

adjective. hard

urda

hard, difficult, arduous

urda adj. "hard, difficult, arduous" (PE17:154)