The Etymologies of the 1930s had a pair of words kulu “gold (metal)” and kulo “gold (substance)” derived from the root ᴹ√KUL of similar meaning (Ety/KUL). However Tolkien revised the meaning of this root to “golden-red” and the derivatives of the root became color words: ᴹQ. †kullo “red gold” and ᴹQ. kulda or ᴹQ. kulina “flame-coloured, golden-red”.
Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. kulu “gold” under the early root ᴱ√KULU of the same meaning (QL/49). The word ᴱQ. kulu “gold” reappeared in the Early Qenya Grammar and English-Qenya Dictionary of the 1920s (PE14/46, 71; PE15/72) before being abandoned in The Etymologies of the 1930s, as noted above. In later writings, “gold (metal)” was Q. malta.
A word for “flame” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√KUL “golden-red”, but this word was deleted (EtyAC/KUL).