ƕen+u Reconstructed

root. *poison

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s given as ᴱ√HEN+U with derivatives having to do with poison (QL/40). Many of the Qenya derivatives begin with f, such as ᴱQ. heno “venom, poison” beside feno and ᴱQ. fent “serpent”, versus ᴱQ. henuva “venomous, poisonous”. Thus I think the true root may have been ᴱ√ǶEN+U or it at least had such a variant, since [[eq|initial and intervocalic ƕ [xʷ] became f]] in Early Qenya. Its Gnomish cognates likewise mostly began with f, such as G. fem “venom” and G. fenog “venomous” (GL/34). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing.

Derivatives

• Eq. heno “venom, poison” ✧ QL/040
• G. fent “snake”
• G. fem “venom (of snakes), poison in general”

Variations

• HEN+U ✧ QL/040