láta

open

láta adj. "open" (VT39:23), "open, not closed" (PE17:159, VT41:5)

lún

deep

lún adj.??? a word of obscure meaning, perhaps "deep" as used of water (VT48:28)

panta

open

panta adj. "open" (PAT)

tumna

lowlying, deep, low

tumna adj. "lowlying, deep, low" (TUB); early "Qenya" glosses: "deep, profound, dark or hidden" (LT1:269, 271)

latin

open, free, cleared (of land)

latin, latina adj. "open, free, cleared (of land)" (LAT). According to VT41:5, the adjective latina "is used rather of freedom of movement, of things not encumbered with obstacles".

núra

deep

núra adj. "deep" (NŪ)

edra-

verb. open

_ v. _open (out). >> edro

edro

verb. open!

laden

adjective. open, cleared

edra-

verb. to open

haug

adjective. low

Derivations

• ᴹ√KHAW “rest, lie at ease”

Element in

• ᴺS. hogren “lowly, humble, mean”

tofn

low, low-lying

(lenited dofn; pl. tyfn) (deep);

dannen

low tide

(i nannen, o ndannen) (ebb), pl. dennin (i ndennin). (VT48:26) Notice the homophone dannen ”fallen” (but this past participle has different mutations).****

angol

deep lore

(magic), pl. engyl. Note: a homophone means "stench".

toss

low-growing tree

(i doss, o thoss, construct tos), pl. tyss (i thyss). Tolkien mentioned ”maple, hawthorn, blackthorn, holly, etc.” as examples of the low-growing trees covered by this word.

edra

open

(verb) 1) *edra- (i edra, in edrar), only attested in imperative form edro. 2) panna- (i banna, i phannar) (enlarge). Note: a homophone means ”fill”.

edra

open

(i edra, in edrar), only attested in imperative form edro.

laden

open

(adj.) laden (plain, flat, wide, cleared), pl. ledin (for ”N” lhaden pl. lhedin, LR:368 s.v. LAT)

laden

open

(plain, flat,  wide, cleared), pl. ledin (for ”N” lhaden pl. lhedin, LR:368 s.v. LAT)

panna

open

(i banna, i phannar) (enlarge). Note: a homophone means ”fill”.

tofn

deep

tofn (lenited dofn; pl. tyfn) (low, low-lying), also nûr (pl. nuir). Note: homophones of the latter mean ”sad” and ”race”.

tofn

deep

(lenited dofn; pl. tyfn) (low, low-lying), also nûr (pl. nuir). Note: homophones of the latter mean ”sad” and ”race”.

tovn

adjective. lowlying, deep, low

falch

deep cleft

(ravine[?]), pl. felch;

imlad

deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides

(glen), pl. imlaid;

im

deep vale

(dell), no distinct pl. form (though the pl. article in will mark the word as pl. when definite). The word typically occurs, not by itself, but in compounds like imlad, imloth, imrath, imrad (VT45:18, VT47:19)

tûm

deep valley

tum- (i** dûm, o thûm, construct tum), pl. t**uim (i** thuim**)

maeg

going deep in

(lenited vaeg; no distinct pl. form) (sharp, penetrating). (WJ:337);

low

root. flow freely (fully)

Derivatives

• ✶slowā ✧ PE17/137; VT48/28
  • S. l(h)ô “flood, fenland, flood, fenland; [G.] pool, lake” ✧ PE17/137; VT48/28
• ✶slōno “Lhûn” ✧ PE17/136; PE17/137; VT48/27; VT48/28
  • Q. lóna “(deep) pool, mere, river-feeding well” ✧ PE17/136; VT48/27
  • S. Lhûn “Deep of Water” ✧ PE17/136; PE17/137; PE17/137; VT48/27; VT48/28; VT48/28
• Q. lóna “(deep) pool, mere, river-feeding well” ✧ PE17/137; PE17/137; VT48/28; VT48/28
• S. l(h)ô “flood, fenland, flood, fenland; [G.] pool, lake” ✧ PE17/136; PE17/137; PE17/137; VT48/27; VT48/28
• S. Lhûn “Deep of Water” ✧ PE17/137; VT48/28

Variations

• (S)LOW̯ ✧ PE17/136 ((S)LOW̯); PE17/185
• SLOW ✧ PE17/137; PE17/185
• (S)LOW ✧ PE17/137
• LOWO ✧ PE17/137; PE17/161
• (s)low̯ ✧ VT48/27 ((s)low̯)
• slow ✧ VT48/28
• (s)low ✧ VT48/28
• low ✧ VT48/28 (low); VT48/28
• lowo ✧ VT48/28

lat

root. open, unenclosed, free to entry; low, lowlying, at ground level, open, unenclosed, free to entry, [ᴹ√] lie open; be extended, stretch, be situated (of an area); [√] low, lowlying, at ground level

This root has a lengthy history in Tolkien’s development of the Elvish languages.

Its development seems to have begun in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with unglossed ᴱ√LAHA which had derivatives like ᴱQ. lá “moor, heath, open space” and ᴱQ. lāta- “spread, extend, lie (of country)” (QL/50). This root was compared to a variety of other roots: ᴱ√ALA, ᴱ√AŘA, ᴱ√ṆŘṆ, ᴱ√LAŘA and ᴱ√LATA, but the last of these was a later addition, both to the list and as an entry in the lexicon (QL/51). This newer entry had derivatives like ᴱQ. latwa “smooth, glossy” and ᴱQ. latsin(a) “level, smooth”, the latter transferred from ᴱ√LAHA. This new root also had Gnomish derivatives such as G. lad “a level, a flat; fair dealing” and G. ladin “level, smooth; fair, equitable” (GL/52).

After the 1910s it seems ᴱ√LAHA “✱open” faded out of use (though it may have remerged much later as √LAƷ “cross, pass over, go beyond”: PE17/91), but ᴱ√LATA “✱level, smooth” reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√LAT “lie open” with derivatives like ᴹQ. latin(a) “open, free, cleared (of land)” and N. lhand “open space, level” (Ety/LAT). It is also evident in N. -lad “plain” from names like N. Lithlad “Plain of Ash” and N. Dagorlad “Battle Plain” from Lord of the Rings drafts (TI/208, 389), both of which reappeared in the published version (LotR/243, 636).

The root appeared again in the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s with the gloss “be extended, stretch, be situated (of an area)” and a Quenya verb ᴹQ. lat- of similar meaning (PE22/126). In this document it was compared to ᴹ√LAD “lie flat, be flat”, and Tolkien said the two roots were confused in Noldorin as a way of explaining N. laden “flat (and wide)”.

The next appearance of √LAT is in etymological notes from 1959-60 with the gloss “open, unenclosed, free to entry” and contrasted with √PAK “shut” (VT41/5-6). In these notes the derivative Q. latina also reappeared with a meaning similar to the one it had in The Etymologies: “free (of movement), not encumbered with obstacles”. The last appearance of √LAT in currently published materials is in 1968 notes on D/L variations in Common Eldarin, where it was glossed “at ground level, low; lowlying” and compared to √DAT “fall down” (VT48/24); in this document it had no derivatives.

All this amounts to considerable conceptual variation in the meaning of this root. To summarize:

• 1910s ᴱ√LATA “✱level, smooth” as alternate to ᴱ√LAHA “✱open” (QL/50-51).

• 1930s ᴹ√LAT “lie open” compared to (unglossed) ᴹ√LAD (Ety/LAD, LAT).

• 1940s ᴹ√LAT “be extended, stretch, be situated (of an area)” contrasted with ᴹ√LAD “lie flat, be flat” (PE22/126).

• 1959-60 √LAT “open, unenclosed, free to entry” contrasted with √PAK “shut” (VT41/5-6).

• 1968 √LAT “at ground level, low; lowlying” contrasted with √DAT “fall down” (VT48/24).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is best to assume this root has the sense “(lie) open, be extended, unenclosed”, as this is consistent with the largest number of derivatives of the root.

Derivatives

• ᴺQ. lat “flap, small hinged door, lid”
• Q. láta “open (not closed)” ✧ PE17/159; VT41/05
• ᴺQ. latil “key”
• Q. latina “free (of movement), not encumbered with obstacles, free (of movement), not encumbered with obstacles, [ᴹQ.] open, cleared (of land)” ✧ PE17/159; VT41/05
• ᴺQ. latsë “area, space, room”
• ᴺQ. lattin “window”
• Q. latya “opening”
• Q. latya- “to open anything (so as to allow entry)” ✧ PE17/159; VT41/05
• S. lad “plain, valley, plain, valley; [G.] a level, a flat; fair dealing”
• ᴺS. lad- “to stretch, extend (in length)”
• ᴺS. ledia- “to open; unlock (transitive)”
• ᴺS. ledil “key”

Element in

• Q. avalatya- “to close, shut” ✧ PE17/171; VT41/06
• Q. imbilat “*deep valley”

Variations

• LAT ✧ PE17/159; PE17/159; PE17/171; VT48/24; VT48/30
• lat ✧ VT41/05; VT41/06

edro

verb. open!

tofn

adjective. lowlying, deep, low

tofn

adjective. lowlying, deep, low

Cognates

• ᴹQ. tumna “lowlying, deep, low, lowlying, low; deep, [ᴱQ.] profound; dark, hidden” ✧ Ety/TUB

Derivations

• ᴹ✶tubnā “deep” ✧ Ety/TUB
  • ᴹ√TUB “to fall low[?], go down (below normal ground level), (esp.) to go down (sink, dive) into water” ✧ Ety/TUB

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶tubnā > tofn	[tubnā] > [tubna] > [tumna] > [tomna] > [tomn] > [tovn]	✧ Ety/TUB

lhaden

adjective. open, cleared

edra-

verb. to open

panna-

verb. to open, to enlarge

nûr

adjective. deep

nûr

adjective. deep

Cognates

• ᴹQ. núra “deep” ✧ Ety/NU

Derivations

• ᴹ✶nūrā “deep” ✧ Ety/NU
  • ᴹ√NUR “deep” ✧ Ety/NU
  • ᴹ√NU/UNU “*down, under” ✧ Ety/NU

Element in

• N. Núron “Ulmo” ✧ Ety/NU

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶nūrā > nûr	[nūrā] > [nūra] > [nūr]	✧ Ety/NU

Variations

• nûr ✧ Ety/NU