nitya

adjective. little

Derivations

• √NIK “small”

Element in

• Q. Nityafinwë “Little Finwë” ✧ PM/365

Variations

• Nitya ✧ PM/365 (Nitya)

pia

little

pia adj. "little" (PE17:115); variants picina ("k"), pincë ("k"), pitya

pia

adjective. little

Derivations

• √PEY “*little” ✧ PE17/115

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√PEYE > pia	[peja] > [pia]	✧ PE17/115

picina

adjective. little

Derivations

• ᴹ√PIK “*tiny”

Variations

• pikina ✧ PE17/115
• pinke ✧ PE17/115

pincë

adjective. little

pitya

little

#pitya adj. "little" in Pityafinwë, Pitya-naucor

titta

little, tiny

titta adj. "little, tiny" (TIT)

níca

adjective. little, small

Derivations

• √NIK “small” ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18

Element in

• Q. nícë “little finger”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√nik > níka	[nīka]	✧ VT47/26
√nik > níka	[nīka]	✧ VT48/18

Variations

• níka ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18

pitya

adjective. petty, little

Derivations

• ᴹ√PIK “*tiny”

Element in

• Q. Pityafinwë “Little Finwë” ✧ PM/353
• Q. Pitya-naucor “Petty-dwarves” ✧ WJ/389

Variations

• Pitya ✧ PM/353

mintë

small

mintë adj. "small" (VT45:35)

cinta

small

cinta adj. "small" (PE17:157)

cinta

adjective. small

Cognates

• S. cidinn “[unglossed]” ✧ PE17/157

Derivations

• √KIT “*small” ✧ PE17/157

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√KIT > cinta	[kinta]	✧ PE17/157

inya

small

inya (2) adj. "small" (LT1:256; this "Qenya" word may be obsoleted by # 1 above)

mitsa

small

mitsa adj. "small" (VT45:35) Another synonym from the same source, mitra, looks unusual for a Quenya word (because of the medial cluster tr)

nincë

small

*nincë (ninci*-) ("k")adj. "small". The form is given as "ninki" with the last vowel marked as short; this is probably the etymological form that would underlie Quenya nincë. The word is said to mean "small" with "good senses"; contrast nípa**, *nimpë. (VT48:18)

nitya

small

#nitya adj. "small" (VT48:15, PM:365)

níca

small

níca ("k")adj. "small". The word is said to mean "small" with "good senses"; contrast nípa, *nimpë. (VT47:26, VT48:18)

pinilya

small

pinilya adj. "small" (MC:220; this is "Qenya")

nessa

young

nessa adj. "young" (NETH), alsoNessa as name of a Valië, the spouse of Tulkas (adopted and adapted from Valarin, or an archaic Elvish formation: WJ:404 vs. 416). Also called Indis, "bride" (NETH, NI1). The fem. name Nessanië (UT:210) would seem to incorporate Nessa's name; the second element could mean "tear" (nië), but since Nessa is not normally associated with sorrow, this #nië is perhaps rather a variant of ní "female" (compare Tintanië as a variant of Tintallë).

vinya

young

vinya (1) adj. "young" (VT46:22, VT47:26, PE17:191) or "new" (cf. compounds Vinyamar, Vinyarië below; cf. also winya "new, fresh, young" in a deleted entry in the Etymologies, VT45:16; there the word was first written as vinya.) Vinya "the Young", original name of the isle of Númenor among its own people (SD:332).

nicë

adverb. little, a bit

pîn

adjective. little

Similar words occur in Gnomish (pinig "tiny, little", PE/11:64) and in Qenya (pinea "small" etc., PE/12:73)

pîn

adjective. little

Derivations

• √PI(N) “little”

Element in

• S. Cûl Bîn “Little Load” ✧ RC/536

cidinn

adjective. small

_ adj. _small. Q. cinta.

cinnog

adjective. small

_ adj. _small. Q. cinta.

niben

adjective. small, petty

niben

adjective. little finger (Elvish play-name used by and taught to children)

niben

adjective. petty, petty, *small

Derivations

• √NIP “small (usually with connotation of weakness)” ✧ VT48/18

Element in

• S. Niben-nog “Petty Dwarf” ✧ UT/100
• S. Nogoth Niben “Petty Dwarf” ✧ WJ/388

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√nip > nipinā > niben	[nipinā] > [nipina] > [nipena] > [nipen] > [niben]	✧ VT48/18

Variations

• Niben ✧ WJ/388

nimp

adjective. small and frail

gwein

adjective. young

adj. young. Q. vinya. >> gwîn

gwein

adjective. young

tithen

little

1) tithen (lenited dithen, pl. tithin) (tiny), 2) pîn (lenited bîn; no distinct pl. form) (RC:536).

tithen

tiny

1) tithen (lenited dithen, pl. tithin) (little), 2) mîw (small, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form; 3) pigen (lenited bigen; pl. pigin)

tithen

tiny

(lenited dithen, pl. tithin) (little)

mîw

small

1) mîw (tiny, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form, 2) niben (petty), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger. (VT48:6) 3) SMALL (and frail) nimp, no distinct pl. form (VT48:18)

mîw

small

(tiny, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form

niben

small

(petty), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger. (VT48:6) 

niben

petty

niben (small), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger (VT48:6).

niben

petty

(small), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger (VT48:6).

nimp

small

no distinct pl. form (VT48:18)

pigen

tiny

(lenited bigen; pl. pigin)

glâd

small forest

(i ’lâd, construct glad) (wood), pl. glaid (in glaid).

nogotheg

petty-dwarf

(”dwarflet”), pl. negethig for archaic nögethig (WJ:388).

aew

small bird

. No distinct pl. form.

pêg

small spot

(i** bêg, construct peg) (dot), pl. pîg (i** phîg) 

tinu

small star

(i** dinu, o thinu; also -din at the end of compounds) (spark), analogical pl. tiny (i** thiny). Archaic tinw, so the coll. pl. is likely  tinwath.

hûb

small landlocked bay

(i chûb, o chûb, construct hub) (harbour, haven), pl. huib (i chuib).

dess

young woman

(i ness, o ndess, constuct des), pl. diss (i ndiss)

mîw

tiny

(small, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form

neth

young

neth (pl. nith). A homophone is the noun ”sister, girl”.

neth

young

(pl. nith). A homophone is the noun ”sister, girl”.

pey

root. *little

Derivatives

• Q. pia “little” ✧ PE17/115
• ᴺQ. píta- “to reduce, decrease”

Variations

• PEYE ✧ PE17/115; PE17/173

nik

root. small

One of various roots for “small” Tolkien used in his later writings. The root √NIK “small” first appeared in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s (VT47/26; VT48/18), but was connected to the diminutive suffix ✶-i(n)ki which had a much longer conceptual history. One of the earliest known diminutive suffix was ᴱQ. -íne(a) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s from the root ᴱ√INI “small” (QL/42), which might be a precursor to √NIK; these suffixes reappeared in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s (PE14/49, 81). In the Gnomish Grammar of the 1910s, the word G. inc “small” was used as the basis for the “diminutive superlative” -inci (PE11/16).

In the Qenya Lexicon, Tolkien connected ᴱ√INI “small” to the root ᴱ√MINI of similar meaning (QL/42, 61). There are no signs of ᴱ√MINI “small” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, but the word G. migin “little” (GL/57) hints at a (hypothetical) variant root ✱ᴱ√MIKI. Further support for ✱ᴱ√MIKI can be found in other diminutive forms in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s such as prefixal diminutive ᴱQ. mike- along adverbial ᴱQ. mike “little” (QL/48, 81), the latter appearing with the gloss “a bit” in the English-Qenya Dictionary from this period (PE15/70) along with other similar words in both the dictionary and the grammar. This ✱ᴱ√MIKI might be another precursor to √NIK. An early hint at √NIK itself might appear in the word ᴹQ. nikse “minnow, little fish” from the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s (PE21/27).

In Noldorin and Sindarin, the primary diminutive suffix became -eg, which was connected to the Common Eldarin suffix -iki elsewhere in notes on hands and fingers (VT47/14 note #21). In the notes where √NIK “small” appeared in the late 1960s, Tolkien gave the primitive diminutive as -inkĭ along with variants ikki, -iksi, -si, -ensi, -ki.

One of the main competing roots for “small” was ᴹ√PIK [see the entry for √PI(N)], itself with a lengthy conceptual history. The shift of pitya >> nitya “little” in the father name of Amrod from the late 1960s may represent a replacement of √PIK by √NIK (PM/365), but I think it is likelier the two roots coexisted with slightly different meanings, as was the case for their earlier precursors. In the notes from the late 1960s, √NIK was also contrasted with √NIP “small (usually with connotation of weakness)” (VT48/18), from which the word S. niben “petty” was derived, as in S. Nogoth Niben (WJ/388).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume √NIK meant “small” in a neutral sense, √PIK “tiny” (along with variants √PĪ and √PIN) and √NIP “small and weak”. I would use these as the major Eldarin roots for “small” words, along with a number of other more specialized roots.

Derivatives

• ✶-i(n)ki “diminutive suffix” ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18
  • Q. -incë “diminutive ending”
  • S. -eg “diminutive/singular ending”
• ✶ninkĭ “small” ✧ VT48/18
• Q. níca “little, small” ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18
• ᴺQ. nihta “piece, bit (of indeterminate size)”
• ᴺQ. nihta- “to reduce, make small”
• ᴹQ. nikse “minnow, little fish”
• Q. nitya “little”
• S. niged “little finger”
• ᴺS. nigol “mouse, (lit.) small one”
• ᴺS. nítha- “to reduce, make small”
• T. nícë “little finger”

Element in

• ✶niktil “little [finger]” ✧ VT47/26

Variations

• nik ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18

nimpĭ

adjective. small

Derivations

• √NIP “small (usually with connotation of weakness)” ✧ VT48/18

Derivatives

• S. nimp “pale, pallid, white, pale, pallid, white; small and frail, [ᴱN.] wan, sickly” ✧ VT48/18
  • S. nim “white” ✧ SA/nim

ninkĭ

adjective. small

Derivations

• √NIK “small” ✧ VT48/18

-i(n)ki

suffix. diminutive suffix

Derivations

• √NIK “small” ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18

Derivatives

• Q. -incë “diminutive ending”
• S. -eg “diminutive/singular ending”

Element in

• Q. lepincë “little finger” ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18
• Q. luinincë “bluish” ✧ VT48/18
• ᴺQ. lupsë “nugget, (small) chunk, clump, tidbit”
• S. honeg “brother (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/14
• ᴺS. loph “nugget, (small) chunk, clump, tidbit”
• S. nethig “sister, girl (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/14
• T. attacë “father [diminutive]; *daddy”
• T. emmecë “mother [diminutive]; *mommy”
• T. hannacë “brother [diminutive]”
• T. netticë “sister (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/14
• T. winicë “little-one, baby”

Variations

• -iki ✧ VT47/14
• -inkĭ ✧ VT47/26; VT48/18
• -ikki/-iksi ✧ VT48/18
• -si/-ki ✧ VT48/18

win

root. young, young, [ᴹ√] new, fresh

Tolkien used a similar set of Elvish roots for “youth” and “freshness” for many years. The earliest of these was primitive guı̯u̯ or gu̯iu̯ [ᴱ√GWIWI] in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like G. gui “just, just now, only just, already”, G. guin “recent, fresh”, and G. gwioth “youth” (GL/42). This root reappeared as ᴹ√WIR “new, fresh, young” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with variants ᴹ√WĪ and ᴹ√WIN and derivatives ᴹQ. vírie “youth” and ᴹQ. virya “fresh” (EtyAC/WIR). The ᴹ√WIN variant had derivatives ᴹQ. vinya/N. gwîn “young”. Tolkien considered, but rejected, deriving these from strengthened ᴹ√GWIN instead, producing (also rejected) ᴹQ. winya/N. bîn (EtyAC/GWIN).

Q. vinya appeared in quite a few later names with the gloss “young” or “new”, but the Sindarin form became S. gwain as in S. Narwain “January, ✱(lit.) New Fire” (LotR/1110) and S. Iarwain “Old-young” (LotR/1114; RC/128). In Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959, both were given as derivatives of √WIN “young” along with Q. víne/S. gwîn “youth”, though the Sindarin word for “young” was given as (archaic?) gwein (PE17/191). Also related are various words for “baby” from 1968 notes such Q. †wine/S. gwinig “little-one, baby” (VT48/6). In these notes primitive wini was glossed “little” but this was deleted (VT47/26), making it likely that the earlier senses “young, new” were restored for √WIN.

As for the 1930s root ᴹ√WIR, it might have survived as an element in the month names Q. Víressë/S. Gwirith “April” (LotR/1110), perhaps meaning “✱freshness”.

Derivatives

• ✶wini “child not yet full grown” ✧ VT47/26
  • Q. winë “baby, little-one, child not yet full grown” ✧ VT47/26
• ᴺQ. vin “just, just now, only just, already”
• Q. vínë “youth, youth, *childhood” ✧ PE17/191; VT47/26
• Q. vinya “young, new” ✧ PE17/191; VT47/26
• Q. Víressë “April, *Freshness”
• S. gwain “young, *new” ✧ PE17/191
• ᴺS. gwí “just, just now, only just, already”
• S. gwîn “youth” ✧ PE17/191

Element in

• S. gwinig “little-one, baby”
• S. Gwirith “April, *Freshness”
• T. winicë “little-one, baby”

Variations

• wini ✧ VT47/26 (wini)
• win ✧ VT47/26

pi(n) Reconstructed

root. little

Tolkien used a variety of roots for Elvish words for “small”. One early root was ᴱ√PIKI with variants ᴱ√PINI and ᴱ√PĪ from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, unglossed but with derivatives like ᴱQ. pínea “small” and ᴱQ. pinqe “slender, thin” (QL/73). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. pinig “tiny, little” and G. pibin “small berry, haw” (GL/64).

The root reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as unglossed {ᴹ√PEK >>} ᴹ√PIK with derivatives like N. pigen “tiny” and N. peg “small spot, dot” (Ety/PIK; EtyAC/PIK). Further evidence for this root can be seen in later words like Q. piki- or pitya “petty” (WJ/389) and Q. pik- “lessen, dwindle” (MC/223). A variant root √PEY appeared in a list of roots having to do with large and small, with a single derivative Q. pia “little” [< ✱peya], but it was immediately followed by the forms pikina, pinke, pitya which point back to √PIK (PE/117).

Further evidence of early forms ᴱ√PINI and ᴱ√PĪ can also be seen in Tolkien’s later writings. There is S. ✱pîn “little” in S. Cûl Bîn “Little Load” (RC/536), ✶pī {“small bird” >>} “small insect” (VT47/35), and T. pinke “little-one, baby” (VT48/6), though the last of these might be from √PIK. In any case it seems Tolkien continued to use all of √PI, √PIK and √PIN to form words for little things into the late 1960s.

In The Shibboleth of Fëanor from the late 1960s, Tolkien changed pitya to Q. nitya in the name Q. Nityafinwë “Little Finwë” (PM/353, 365 note #59), which may indicate a replacement of √PIK by √NIK, another root used regularly in Tolkien’s later writings for “small”. But I believe √PIK and √NIK may coexist with slightly different meanings: “tiny” vs. “small”; see the entry on √NIK for further discussion.

Derivatives

• ✶pī “small insect, fly”
  • Q. pí “small insect, fly, small insect, fly, *mite, gnat; [ᴱQ.] speck, spot, dot, mote” ✧ VT47/35
• ᴺS. pibin “small berry, haw”
• S. pîn “little”
• T. pincë “little-one, baby”

tithen

adjective. little, tiny

tithen

adjective. little, tiny

Cognates

• ᴹQ. titta “little, tiny, tiny, little” ✧ Ety/TIT

Derivations

• ᴹ√TIT “*little, tiny” ✧ Ety/TIT

Elements

Word	Gloss
-en	“adjective suffix”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√TIT > tithen	[tittina] > [tittʰina] > [tiθθina] > [tiθθena] > [tiθθen] > [tiθen]	✧ Ety/TIT
ᴹ√TIT > tithin	[tittini] > [tittʰini] > [tiθθini] > [tiθθin] > [tiθin]	✧ Ety/TIT

mithren

adjective. small

Cognates

• ᴹQ. mitsa “small” ✧ EtyAC/MIT; EtyAC/MIT

Derivations

• ᴹ√MIT “small” ✧ EtyAC/MIT
• ᴹ✶mitra “small” ✧ EtyAC/MIT
  • ᴹ√MIT “small” ✧ EtyAC/MIT

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√MIT > mint	[minte] > [mintʰe] > [minθe] > [minθ] > [mint]	✧ EtyAC/MIT
ᴹ✶mitra > mithren	[?]	✧ EtyAC/MIT

Variations

• mint ✧ EtyAC/MIT (mint)

pigen

adjective. tiny

pigen

adjective. tiny

Derivations

• On. pikina “tiny” ✧ Ety/PIK
  • ᴹ√PIK “*tiny” ✧ Ety/PIK

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. pikina > pigen	[pikina] > [pikena] > [piken] > [pigen]	✧ Ety/PIK

neth

adjective. young

neth

adjective. young

irregular, compare: tathor @@@

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nessa “young” ✧ Ety/NETH

Derivations

• ᴹ✶nethrā “young” ✧ Ety/NETH
  • ᴹ√NETH “young” ✧ Ety/NETH
• ᴹ√NETH “young” ✧ Ety/NĪ¹; EtyAC/NIS

Element in

• N. dineth “bride” ✧ Ety/NĪ¹; EtyAC/NIS
• N. Neth “Nessa” ✧ Ety/NETH
• N. Nethwelein “Younger Gods”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶nethra > neth	[netʰra] > [neθra] > [neθr] > [neθ]	✧ Ety/NETH

mîw

adjective. small, tiny, frail

gwîn

adjective. young

Changes

• gwîn → bîn ✧ EtyAC/GWIN

Cognates

• ᴹQ. vinya “young, new” ✧ EtyAC/GWIN; EtyAC/GWIN; EtyAC/WIR

Derivations

• ᴹ√WIN “new, fresh, young” ✧ EtyAC/GWIN; EtyAC/WIR

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√GWIN > bîn	[gwinje] > [binje] > [binie] > [bini] > [bin] > [bīn]	✧ EtyAC/GWIN
ᴹ√WINI > gwîn	[winje] > [gwinje] > [gwinie] > [gwini] > [gwin] > [gwīn]	✧ EtyAC/WIR

Variations

• bîn ✧ EtyAC/GWIN (bîn)
• gwîn ✧ EtyAC/GWIN (gwîn); EtyAC/WIR