lebed

noun. finger

Tolkien later seems to have replaced this form by leber

lebed

noun. thumb

Cognates

• Q. lepta “fingered; thumb, fingered; thumb, [ᴱQ.] finger” ✧ VT47/27

Derivations

• ✶lepetā “thumb, ‘picker’; finger” ✧ VT47/27
  • √LEP “pick up/out (with the fingers); finger” ✧ VT47/27

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶lepet(ā) > lebed	[lepetā] > [lepeta] > [lepet] > [lepet] > [lebed]	✧ VT47/27

leber

noun. finger

leber

noun. finger

The Sindarin word for “finger”, derived from primitive ✶leper and based on the root √LEP “pick up” (VT47/10; VT48/5).

Conceptual Development: Tolkien used various Elvish words for “finger” over his life, but most were based on the root √LEP. The Gnomish Grammar and Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. leptha “finger” (GG/13; GL/53), clearly derived from the early root ᴱ√LEPE that was the basis for contemporaneous Qenya finger words (QL/53). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s it was ᴱN. lhê “finger”, derived from primitive ᴱ✶lept- (PE13/148). In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was N. lhebed “finger” based on the root ᴹ√LEPET of the same meaning (Ety/LEP). In drafts of the 1968 notes mentioned above, Tolkien had S. lebed “finger” (VT47/27), but this was replaced by leber in the finished versions (VT47/23-24 note #30).

Cognates

• Q. leper “finger” ✧ VT47/10; VT47/24; VT48/05

Derivations

• ✶leper “finger” ✧ VT47/10; VT47/24; VT47/24; VT48/05; VT48/05
  • √LEP “pick up/out (with the fingers); finger” ✧ VT44/16
  • ✶lepero “finger” ✧ VT47/13; VT47/24
  • √LEP “pick up/out (with the fingers); finger” ✧ VT47/10; VT47/24

Element in

• S. lebdas “index finger” ✧ VT48/05
• S. lebenedh “middle finger” ✧ VT48/05
• S. lebent “fourth finger” ✧ VT48/05
• ᴺS. leberen “fingered, of fingers”
• S. lebethron “Gondorian hardwood, *(lit.) finger tree”
• S. lebig “little finger” ✧ VT48/05

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶leper- > leber	[lepero] > [leper] > [leber]	✧ VT47/10
✶leper- > lebir	[leperī] > [leperi] > [lepiri] > [lepir] > [lebir]	✧ VT47/10
✶leper- > leber	[lepero] > [leper] > [leber]	✧ VT47/24
✶leperī > lebir	[leperī] > [leperi] > [lepiri] > [lepir] > [lebir]	✧ VT47/24
✶leper > leber	[lepero] > [leper] > [leber]	✧ VT48/05
✶leperī > lebir	[leperi] > [leperi] > [lepiri] > [lepir] > [lebir]	✧ VT48/05

Variations

• lebed ✧ VT47/23 (lebed)

lebenedh

noun. middle finger

lebent

noun. ring finger

lebig

noun. little finger

niged

noun. little finger

nobad

noun. the pair of fingers composed of the thumb and the index (grouped together as in the act of picking something)

naub

noun. thumb

A word for the thumb given as nawb in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from 1968 (VT48/5), clearly based on the root √NAP “pick up” (VT47/29). Its dual form nobad was used to refer to the “thumb and index [finger] as a pair” (VT48/5).

Conceptual Development: In rough drafts of these notes, Tolkien used lebed for “thumb, picker” from primitive ✶lepet(ā) (VT47/27). In early writings N. lhebed was instead “finger” (Ety/LEP), and its use for “thumb” was likely a transient idea.

Cognates

• Q. nápo “thumb, (lit.) picker” ✧ VT48/05

Derivations

• √NAP “take (hold), pick up, grasp, seize quickly (with fingers)”

Element in

• S. nobad “thumb and index finger as a pair, *(lit.) pickers”

Variations

• nawb ✧ VT48/05

nawb

noun. thumb

leber

finger

leber (pl. lebir) (VT47:10, 23, 24; VT48:5). This may replace ”Noldorin” lhebed, which we would otherwise update to Sindarin as lebed. For names of specific fingers, see INDEX FINGER, LITTLE FINGER, MIDDLE FINGER, RING FINGER, THUMB.

naub

thumb

*naub (pl. noeb). The spelling used in the source is nawb (VT48:5). Dual nobad, used of the thumb and the index finger grouped together in the act of picking something (VT48:5, 6). In childrens play the thumb was also called atheg, ”little father” (pl. ethig) (VT48:6, 17)