mahta- (1) vb. "wield a weapon", "fight" (MAK), "to handle, wield, manage" (VT39:11, VT47:18), also "deal with" (VT47:6, 19, VT49:10). Past tense mahtanë is attested (VT49:10). In an earlier version of the entry MAK in the Etymologies, Tolkien first glossed mahta- as "slay [or kill] with sword", then changed it to "fight with sword" (VT45:30-32)
Quenya
mahta-
verb. to handle, wield, use, make use of; to manage, deal with, treat, control, to handle, wield, use, make use of; to manage, deal with, treat, control; [ᴹQ.] to stroke, feel; to wield a weapon, fight
mahta-
verb. wield a weapon
mahta-
verb. trade
[mahta-] (2) vb. "trade", changed by Tolkien to manca-, q.v. (VT45:33)
mahta-
verb. handle
handle, deal with, manage, wield, treat
-ndor
land
-ndor, final element in compounds: "land" (Letters:308, UT:253)
cambë
noun. hand, (hollow of) hand
manca-
verb. trade
manca- ("k")vb. "trade" (MBAKH, VT45:33)
mancalë
commerce
mancalë ("k")noun "commerce" (MBAKH; this form apparently replaced mahtalë, cf. mahta- #2 [VT45:33])
má
noun. hand
hand
má
hand
má noun "hand" (MA3, LT2:339, Narqelion, VT39:10, [VT45:30], VT47:6, 18, 19); the dual "a pair of hands" is attested both by itself as mát (VT47:6) and with a pronominal suffix as máryat "his/her (pair of) hands" (see -rya, -t) (Nam, RGEO:67). The nominative plural form was only máli, not **már (VT47:6), though plurals in -r may occur in some of the cases, as indicated by the pl. allative mannar "into hands" (FS). Mánta "their hand", dual mántat "their hands" (two hands each) (PE17:161). Cf. also the compounds mátengwië "language of the hands" (VT47:9) and Lungumá "Heavyhand" (VT47:19); also compare the adj. -maitë "-handed". See also málimë.
má
noun. hand
má
noun. hand
The most common Quenya word for “hand”, which Tolkien usually derived from a root √MAH or √MAƷ “hand; handle, wield”. The weak consonant h or ʒ in the root was lost very early, so that primitive ✶mā was one of a rare set of ancient monosyllabic nouns ending in a vowel. Tolkien said that of the various hand words, má was “the oldest (probably) and the one that retained a general and unspecialized sense - referring to the entire hand (including wrist) in any attitude or function” (VT47/6).
As a part of the body, má “hand” was usually referred to in the singular (má) or dual (mát). This was true when referring to the hands of groups of people as well. For example, to say that “the Elves raised their hands”, you would say either i Eldar ortaner mánta (singular, one hand each) or i Eldar ortaner mántat (dual, both hands each), with the possessive suffix -nta “their”.
The plural form már “hands” (or archaic †mai) was almost never used, in part because it conflicted with Q. már “dwelling”. The singular form was also used in general statements and proverbs: “hand is cleverer than foot” má anfinya epe tál (ná). A collection of otherwise unrelated hands would likely use the partitive-plural form: máli “some hands”, which in this case could also serve as the general plural (VT47/12 Note 2). See the discussions on PE17/161 and VT47/6 for more information.
This word is also unusual in that it retains its long vowel before consonant clusters in inflected forms such as mánta “their hand” (PE17/161) or márya “his/her hand” (PE17/69). As Tolkien described it:
> Lá is usually shortened to la before 2 consonants, according to the usual Q. procedure, but the long vowel can be retained, especially for additional emphasis, as in other cases where pronominal affixes follow a long vowel, as in márya “his hand” (PE22/160).
Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to ᴱQ. mā “hand” from Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, derived from the early root ᴱ√MAHA “grasp” (QL/57). ᴹQ. má “hand” also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√MAƷ “hand” (Ety/MAƷ). Tolkien mentioned this word with great frequency, usually derived from √MAH or √MAƷ (as noted above) though he sometimes considered deriving it from √MAG instead.
nonda
hand, especially in [?clutching]
nonda noun "hand, especially in [?clutching]" (VT47:23; Tolkien's gloss was not certainly legible)
nór
land
nór noun "land" (stem nor-, PE17:106) this is land as opposed to water and sea (nor in Letters:308). Cf. nórë.
nór
noun. land
A term for “land” as in “(dry) land as opposed to the sea”, mentioned in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (WJ/413) and again in notes from around 1968 (PE17/106-107).
Possible Etymology: In the Quendi and Eldar essay this term was derived from primitive ✶ndōro, but in the aforementioned 1968 notes Tolkien clarified that its stem form was nŏr-. This means it was probably derived from ancient ✱ndŏr-, where the long vowel in the uninflected form was inherited from the Common Eldarin subjective form ✱ndōr, a phenomenon also seen in words like nér (ner-) “man”. I prefer this second derivation, as it makes the independent word more distinct from the suffixal form -ndor or -nóre used in the names of countries.
nóre
noun. land
nórë
land
nórë noun "land" (associated with a particular people) (WJ:413), "country, land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live, race, clan" (NŌ, NDOR, BAL), also used = "race, tribe, people" (SA:dôr, PE17:169; however, the normal word for "people" is lië). Early "Qenya" hasnórë "native land, nation, family, country" (in compounds -nor) (LT1:272)
orvincë
noun. little apple, pommel
A well-attested verb whose original sense seems to be “handle”, based on the root √MAH or √MAƷ for “hand”. It had other glosses such as “wield, use, make use of”, but also “manage, deal with, treat, control”. It thus seems to be usable for both “handle, wield, use” a concrete physical item and “handle, manage, deal with” an abstract process or situation.
Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s the verb ᴹQ. mahta- meant “stroke, feel, handle; wield” as a derivative of ᴹ√MAƷ “hand” (Ety/MAƷ), but also “wield a weapon, fight” as a derivative of ᴹ√MAK “sword; fight (with a sword)” (Ety/MAK). Earlier versions of the entry for ᴹ√MAK had glosses like “slay with sword” or “kill with sword” (EtyAC/MAK), which seem to be holdovers from ᴱQ. makta- “slay, slaughter” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√MAKA (QL/58).
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use mahta- for both “handle” and “fight” (mainly in the sense “wield a weapon”) as a blending of √MAH and √MAK, along with the meaning “stroke, feel” a physical thing.