Quenya 

lapsë

babe

lapsë noun "babe" (LAP)

Sindarin 

laes

noun. babe

Sindarin [Ety/367, X/LH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

laes

babe

laes (no distinct pl. form);

laes

noun. babe

Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/adaptations. Published by

laes

babe

(no distinct pl. form);

gwenig

little baby

(i ’wenig, no distinct pl. form except with article: in gwenig). Also used (in children’s play) as a name of the little finger. (VT47:6, 16-17)

Noldorin 

lhaes

noun. babe

Noldorin [Ety/367, X/LH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lhaes

noun. babe

A noun appearing as N. lhaes “babe” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√LAP (Ety/KEM).

Neo-Sindarin: This word is sometimes adapted to Neo-Sindarin as ᴺS. laes, for example in HSD (HSD). This updated form is the usual revision of the voiceless initial lh of Noldorin to voiced l in Sindarin. However, this is not the only phonological difficulty in this word. For example, there is some evidence that in Sindarin, the vocalization of spirantalized p is to u rather than i, suggesting ᴺS. ✱laus. There is also evidence that voiceless stops didn’t vocalize before s in Sindarin, but rather became simple spirants, as in ach “neck” < aks, suggesting instead ✱laph. In this case, I think it is best to avoid all these complexities and just use the 1968 word S. gwinig for “baby”.

Cognates

  • Ilk. laf “babe” ✧ Ety/LAP
  • ᴹQ. lapse “babe” ✧ Ety/LAP

Derivations

  • ᴹ√LAP “*babe” ✧ Ety/LAP

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√LAP > lhaes[lapse] > [lapsa] > [laɸsa] > [laisa] > [lais] > [l̥ais] > [l̥aes]✧ Ety/LAP

Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Qenya 

lapse

noun. babe

A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “babe” derived from the root ᴹ√LAP (Ety/LAP). The root was unglossed in The Etymologies, but in notes both before and after the 1930s this root had glosses like “enfold” and “fold”, so perhaps lapse meant something like “✱swaddled one”; hat-tip to Lokyt for this suggestion.

Cognates

  • N. lhaes “babe” ✧ Ety/LAP

Derivations

  • ᴹ√LAP “*babe” ✧ Ety/LAP

Element in

  • ᴺQ. lapselunga “pregnant, (lit.) baby-heavy”
  • ᴺQ. lapsarwa “pregnant, (lit.) baby-having”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√LAP > lapse[lapse]✧ Ety/LAP

Doriathrin

laf

noun. babe

A rejected Doriathrin noun for “babe” developed from the root ᴹ√LAP (EtyAC/LAP). Its Quenya cognate ᴹQ. lapse suggests a primitive form of ✱✶lapsē, but elsewhere a [[ilk|medial [ps] became [ss]]] in Ilkorin, as with tuss < ᴹ✶tupsē.

Cognates

  • N. lhaes “babe” ✧ Ety/LAP

Derivations

  • ᴹ√LAP “*babe” ✧ Ety/LAP

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√LAP > laf[lapse] > [laf]✧ Ety/LAP
Doriathrin [EtyAC/LAP] Group: Eldamo. Published by