hen

eye

hen (hend-, as in pl. hendi) noun "eye" (KHEN-D-E); possibly dual #hendu in hendumaica, q.v. Noun henfanwa "eye-screen, veil upon eyes" (PE17:176), adj. henulca "evileyed" (SD:68; cf. ulca).

hen

noun. eye

The Quenya word for “eye”, derived from the root √KHEN for eye-words (PE17/187; Ety/KHEN-D-E) and with stem-form hend- given its dual hendu (WJ/337).

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared as ᴱQ. hen in The Qenya Phonology of the 1910s, derived from primitive ᴱ✶þχe-ndǝ and appearing beside ᴱQ. sé “eye, pupil” < ᴱ✶þeχē (PE12/21). Hen (hend-) “eye” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon though it was marked “†” for archaic (QL/40), and ᴱQ. hend- also appeared in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon as the cognate of G. hen “eye” (GL/48). ᴱQ. hen appeared regularly in documents from the 1920s (PE13/147; PE14/43, 76; PE16/136), although in the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s ᴱQ. sinda was given as the cognate of ᴱN. hen(n) “eye” (PE13/122). The form ᴱQ. sinda seems to have been a transient idea.

A lengthy declension of ᴹQ. hen “eye” appeared in documents from the early 1930s (PE21/52) and in The Etymologies of the 1930s it was based on a new the root ᴹ√KHEN-D-E “eye” (Ety/KHEN-D-E). In both these documents, inflected forms indicate a stem form of hend-. Thus this word and its stem were quite stable in Tolkien’s mind, though he did alter its root from early ᴱ√SEHE [ÞEHE] to later √KHEN.

Cognates

• S. hen(d) “eye”

Derivations

• √KHEN “base of eye-words, base of eye-words; [ᴹ√] look at, see, observe, direct gaze”

Element in

• Q. alahen “eyeless”
• ᴺQ. hencalcat “eye-glasses, spectacles”
• ᴺQ. hendelë “window”
• ᴺQ. hendelúpea cecet “peafowl, (lit.) eye-plumed pheasant”
• Q. hendumaica “sharp-eye[d]” ✧ WJ/337
• Q. henfanwa “eye-screen, veil upon eyes”
• Q. henta- “to eye, examine, read, scan”
• ᴺQ. hentópa “eyelid”

maica

sharp, piercing

maica (1) ("k")adj. "sharp, piercing" (SA:maeg), cf. hendumaica and the noun maica below.

hendumaica

adjective. sharp-eye[d]

A word for “sharp-eye” (likely an adjective = “sharp-eyed”) appearing in a discussion of the name Maeglin, a combination of dual hendu “pair of eyes” and maica “sharp” (WJ/337).

Cognates

• S. maecheneb “sharp-eye[d]” ✧ WJ/337

Elements

Word	Gloss
hen	“eye”
maica	“sharp, piercing”

Variations

• hendumaika ✧ WJ/337

aica

sharp

aica (1) ("k") adj. "sharp" _(AYAK) or "fell, terrible, dire" (PM:347; according to PM:363 seldom applied to evil things)_. In Aicanáro, q.v.

ecya

sharp

#ecya adj. "sharp" in Ecyanáro ("k") "Sharp Flame", masc. name, Sindarin Aegnor(VT41:14, 19). The Quenya form of Aegnor is elsewhere given as Aicanáro instead.

nexa

sharp, angular

nexa adj. "sharp, angular" (PE17:55; the editor indicates that the reading is uncertain, so the variant nerca may be preferred.)

nerca

sharp, angular

nerca adj. "sharp, angular" (PE17:55), variant nexa (reading uncertain).

maecheneb

adjective. sharp-eyed

maecheneb

adjective. sharp-eye[d]

A word for “sharp-eye” (likely an adjective = “sharp-eyed”) appearing in a discussion of the name Maeglin, a combination of S. maeg “sharp”, (mutated) S. hen “eye” and the adjective suffix S. -eb (WJ/337).

Cognates

• Q. hendumaica “sharp-eye[d]” ✧ WJ/337

Elements

Word	Gloss
maeg	“sharp, piercing, piercing, sharp, *penetrating”
hen(d)	“eye”
-eb	“adjective suffix”

Variations

• maegheneb ✧ WJ/337 (maegheneb)

heneb

adjective. of eye, eyed, having eyes

hen

noun. eye

hend

noun. eye

henn

noun. eye

maeg

adjective. sharp, piercing, penetrating, going deep in something

hen(d)

noun. eye

The Sindarin word for “eye”, most notably in the name Amon Hen “Hill of the Eye” (LotR/400), derived from the root √KHEN that was the basis for eye-words (PE17/187). Given the words henneth “window” (LotR/674) and Lachend “Flame-eyed” (WJ/384), it is possible that the independent word for “eye” is hend, but note also maecheneb “sharp-eye” which has no double-n (WJ/337).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to G. hen “eye” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/48), cognate to ᴱQ. hend- and so probably similarly derived from primitive ᴱ✶þχe-ndǝ (PE12/21). In the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s, ᴱN. hen(n) “eye” was paired with ᴱQ. sinda (PE13/122), but in Early Noldorin Word-lists from the same period, ᴱN. henn was again cognate with ᴱQ. hen (hend-), both from primitive ᴱ✶ske-ndá. In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was N. {hent, henn >>} hên “eye” from the root ᴹ√KHEN-D-E “eye” (Ety/KHEN-D-E). Thus this word was well established in Tolkien’s mind, but had several variations in its form and derivation.

Cognates

• Q. hen “eye”

Derivations

• √KHEN “base of eye-words, base of eye-words; [ᴹ√] look at, see, observe, direct gaze”

Element in

• S. Amon Hen “Hill of Sight, (lit.) Hill of the Eye” ✧ PE17/077
• S. Emyn Hen Dúnadan “Hills of the Eye of the Dúnadan” ✧ PM/186 (Emyn Hen Dúnadan*)
• S. Finellach “?Flame of Hair and Eye”
• ᴺS. hendelu “brow”
• S. henneth “window”
• S. Lachend “Flame-eyed”
• S. maecheneb “sharp-eye[d]” ✧ WJ/337
• ᴺS. orchen “dandelion, (lit.) day-eye”

Variations

• Hen ✧ PE17/077; PM/186 (Hen)
• hen ✧ WJ/337 (hen)

aeg

adjective. sharp, sharp, [N.] pointed, piercing

Element in

• S. aeglir “line of peaks, line of peaks, [N.] range of mountain peaks; [ᴱN.] peak, mountain top”
• S. Aeglos “Snow-point”
• S. aeglos “icicle, (lit.) snow-point; snowthorn (a plant)”
• S. Aegnor “Fell Fire, Sharp Flame” ✧ SA/nár
• S. Crissaegrim “*Cleft Mountain Peaks”
• S. Ecthelion “?One with Sharp Will”
• S. Egalmoth “Pointed Helm-crest”

Variations

• Aeg ✧ SA/nár (Aeg)

negn

sharp

_ adj. _sharp, angular. Q. nerca, nexe. >> negen

megor

adjective. sharp-pointed

negen

sharp

_ adj. _sharp, angular. Q. nerca, nexe. >> negn

maecheneb

sharp-eyed

maecheneb (lenited vaecheneb; pl. maechenib)

maecheneb

sharp-eyed

(lenited vaecheneb; pl. maechenib)

heneb

eyed

(lenited chebeb, pl. henib). Isolated from maecheneb ”sharp-eyed” (lenited vaecheneb; pl. maechenib) (WJ:337)

hend

eye

hend (i chend, construct hen), pl. hind (i chind), dual hent ”pair of eyes” (VT45:22), coll. pl. hennath. Adj.

hend

eye

(i chend, construct hen), pl. hind (i chind), dual hent ”pair of eyes” (VT45:22), coll. pl. hennath. Adj.

maeg

sharp

(lenited vaeg; no distinct pl. form) (penetrating, going deep in). (WJ:337)

aeg

sharp

1) aeg (pointed, piercing). No distinct pl. form. Note: aeg is also used as noun "point, peak, thorn". 2) aig (no distinct pl. form). 3) laeg (keen, acute). No distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fresh, green”. 4) maeg (lenited vaeg; no distinct pl. form) (penetrating, going deep in). (WJ:337)

aeg

sharp

(pointed, piercing). No distinct pl. form. Note: aeg is also used as noun "point, peak, thorn".

nass

sharp end

(point, angle, corner), construct nas, pl. nais** **

laeg

sharp

(keen, acute). No distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fresh, green”.

egnas

sharp point

(peak; literally "thorn-point"), pl. egnais, coll. pl. egnassaith.

eitha

prick with a sharp point

(stab, treat with scorn; insult) (i eitha, in eithar)

megor

sharp-pointed

(lenited vegor, analogical pl. megyr); cited in archaic form megr (WJ:337)

till

sharp-pointed peak

(i** dill, o thill, construct til; also -dil, -thil at the end of compounds)  (tine, point, sharp horn), no distinct pl. form except with article (i** thill). Archaic †tild.

till

sharp horn

(i** dill, o thill, construct til; also -dil, -thil at the end of compounds)  (tine, point, sharp-pointed peak), no distinct pl. form except with article (i** thill). Archaic †tild.

aig

sharp

(no distinct pl. form).

hent

noun. the two eyes (referring to one person's eyes)

hên

noun. eye

hên

noun. eye

Changes

• hent/henn → hên “eye” ✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E

Cognates

• ᴹQ. hen “eye” ✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E

Derivations

• ᴹ√KHEN(DE) “eye; look at, see, observe, direct gaze” ✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E

Element in

• N. Amon Hen

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√KHEN-D-E > hent/henn	[kʰende] > [xende] > [xend] > [hend] > [henn]	✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E
ᴹ√KHEN-D-E > hint/hinn	[kʰendi] > [xendi] > [xindi] > [xend] > [hend] > [henn]	✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E
ᴹ√KHEN-D-E > hên	[kʰen] > [xen] > [xēn] > [hēn]	✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E
ᴹ√KHEN-D-E > hîn	[kʰeni] > [xeni] > [xini] > [xīn] > [hīn]	✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E

Variations

• hent/henn ✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E (hent/henn)