mai

well

mai (1) adv. "well" (VT47:6), apparently also used as prefix (PE17:17:162, 163, 172)

mai

if

mai (2) conj. "if" (PE14:59 cf. VT49:20; possibly obsoleted by #1 above; for "if", Tolkien later used qui)

mai

adverb. well, well; [ᴱQ.] too much

Mairen

well

Mairen fem. name(UT:210), initial element perhaps related or identical to mai "well". The second element is obscure; the root REN "recall, have in mind" (PM:372) could be related; if so the name may imply "well remembered", "(of) good memory" or something similar. It may also connect with the adj. maira, q.v. and compare the masc. name Mairon (PE18:163).

mai-

verb. to have, possess

An irregular verb for “have, possessive” in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 (PE22/148). The section where it appeared was struck through (PE22/148 note #24). It may have been supplanted by öa- “possess, own, keep” from the same bundle of documents (PE22/151).

mai-

prefix. excellent, admirable, excellent, admirable; *well, happily

maitya

?. [unglossed]

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.

amya-

verb. amya-

amya- (2) evidently a prefix corresponding to mai- (q.v.) in meaning (PE17:163, 172)

mandë

well

mandë (2) adv. "well" (VT49:26; this is "Qenya"). Rather mai in Tolkiens later Quenya.

harya-

verb. to have, to have, *hold, [ᴹQ.] possess

A verb in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “possess” under the root ᴹ√ƷAR “have, hold” (Ety/ƷAR). There was another variant arya- “to possess” under the entry for ᴹ√GAR, but this was deleted (EtyAC/GAR). The verb harya- reappeared in the Merin sentence merin sa haryalyë alassë nó vanyalyë Ambarello “I hope that you have happiness before you pass from the world”, probably from the 1950s.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would mainly use harya- for “have” as in currently have ahold of or possess something which can be lost or given up. For more abstract senses of “have”, including possession of inalienable traits or relationships that do no imply ownership, I would use sam-.

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.

-ndor

land

-ndor, final element in compounds: "land" (Letters:308, UT:253)

amya-

verb. [unglossed]

amya-

prefix. excellent, admirable

arra

adjective. [unglossed]

cairë

?. [unglossed]

cambë

noun. hand, (hollow of) hand

conta-

verb. [unglossed]

cé

conjunction. if

cúma

noun. [unglossed]

ehtelu-

verb. well, bubble out

felca

adjective. [unglossed]

felehta-

verb. [unglossed], *to excavate, tunnel, mine

An untranslated form appearing in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 derived from the root √PHELEG/PHELEK (PE17/118), possibly a verb derived from ✱phelektā- or ✱phelegtā-. The derivatives of this root had to do with mines and tunnels, so perhaps this verb meant “✱to excavate, tunnel, mine”.

finca

noun. [unglossed]

hendas

?. [unglossed]

hindo

noun. [unglossed]

hindë

noun. [unglossed]

holdë

noun. [unglossed]

hríva

place name. [unglossed]

háro

?. [unglossed]

iqui

conjunction. if

iqui

conjunction. if

lingi-

verb. [unglossed]

malsa

?. [unglossed]

melya-

verb. [unglossed], *to be in love

má

noun. hand

hand

má

noun. hand

máriel

feminine name. [unglossed]

naue

?. [unglossed]

nonda

hand, especially in [?clutching]

nonda noun "hand, especially in [?clutching]" (VT47:23; Tolkien's gloss was not certainly legible)

níva

?. [unglossed]

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)

que

conjunction. if

qui

if

qui conj. "if" (VT49:19)

qui

conjunction. if, when

qui

conjunction. if

quí(ta)

conjunction. if

sal-

verb. [unglossed]

sam-

verb. to have

A verb for “to have” in Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959, derived from the root √SAM of the same meaning. It was the opposite of pen- “to lack, have not”.

sélo

?. [unglossed]

sóla

?. [unglossed]

tampo

well

tampo noun "well" (QL:93)

thar-

verb. [unglossed]

tomba

noun. [unglossed]

tompë

noun. [unglossed], *pulse, beat

@@@ Neo-meaning “✱pulse, beat” suggested by Röandil on 2023-04-20

um(ba)-

prefix. [unglossed]

umbacarin

noun. [unglossed]

éna

?. [unglossed]

úpa-

verb. [unglossed]

þúna

?. [unglossed]

it(ë) Speculative

adverb. if

tampo

noun. well

mai

adverb. well

mai govannen

well met

adwen

noun. [unglossed]

An untranslated word appearing in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the late 1940s or early 1950s (PE23/26). It might be a later iteration of G. adhwen “approach, avenue” from the 1910s, or is perhaps related to S. adu and ᴹQ. atwa “double”.

borth

?. [unglossed]

cam

noun. hand

cam

noun. hand

camb

noun. hand

camm

noun. hand

camm

noun. hand

clei

?. [unglossed]

coen

?. [unglossed]

diragas

?. [unglossed]

dor

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

mauth

?. [unglossed]

menwed

?. [unglossed]

mō

noun. hand

ON. hand

nith

?. [unglossed]

nithrad

?. [unglossed]

níth

?. [unglossed]

porennin

?. [unglossed]

telwen

?. [unglossed]

mai

adverb. well

mā

noun. hand

lemek

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in the Outline of Phonology from the early 1950s illustrating certain phonetic combinations (PE19/98), and therefore possibly not a “real” root.

ndorē

noun. land

ndōro

noun. land

phut

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root appearing in the second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ2) as an etymological variation of √PUT (PE18/90).

sal

root. [unglossed], *harp(ing), lyre

The unglossed root ᴱ√SALA appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. salma “lyre, small harp” and ᴱQ. salumbe “harping, music” (QL/81). The root √SAL appeared again Common Eldarin: Verb Structure from the early 1950s to illustrate the reformed perfect form of its verb Q. asálie (PE22/132), but since these later forms are unglossed it is unclear whether they have the same meaning (“✱harp(ing)”) as the earlier version of the root.

sam

root. to have, have; [ᴹ√] unite, join

The root ᴹ√SAM “unite, join” was a later addition to The Etymologies of the 1930s with the derivative ᴹQ. samnar “diphthongs” (Ety/SAM). There is also evidence for it in the word ᴹQ. sampane “combination” as in ᴹQ. Lámasampane “Combination of Sounds”, a term used in the first version of the Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ1) from the 1930s (PE18/40), and again in the second version (TQ2) from around 1950 (PE18/90). In an isolated note from the late 1930s, Tolkien gave ᴹ√kam “bind, join” as a replacement for √sam along with a new word ᴹQ. okamna “diphthong” (VT44/13), but given the reappearance of Q. sampanë in TQ2 this may have been a transient idea, and in any case Tolkien used the word Q. ohlon for “diphthong” in the 1950s and 60s (VT39/9; VT48/29).

In notes grouped with Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959, Tolkien gave √SAM as the basis for Elvish verbs for “to have”, with Q. samin and S. sevin “✱I have” (PE17/173). Whether this was connected to 1930s ᴹ√SAM “unite, join” is unclear. In notes associated with the 1959-60 essay Ósanwe-kenta, Tolkien gave the root √SAM with the gloss “mind, think, reflect, be aware” (VT41/5), but in later writings he used √SAN for “think, use mind” instead (PE22/158); see that entry for discussion.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I’d use √SAM = “have”.

stuk

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in a rejected section of the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the early 1950s, serving to illustration certain phonetic developments: ✶stuknā > Q. thúna (PE19/86).

tig

root. [unglossed]

A root appearing in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 as the basis for the verb Q. tinga- “go (for a long while)” (PE22/157). The etymology was marked with an “X” and so was probably a transient idea (PE22/157 note #70).

graw Reconstructed

root. [unglossed], [ᴹ√] dark, swart

This root appeared as a primitive form grawa serving as the basis of the word Q. roa “bear” >> “dog” in notes on monosyllabic roots from 1968 (VT47/35); a Sindarin derivative S. graw “bear” appeared in other notes written around the same time (VT47/12). Patrick Wynne suggested that in the sense “bear” grawa might be connected to the root ᴹ√GRAWA “dark, swart” from The Etymologies of the 1930s (EtyAC/GRAWA).

mae-

prefix. mai-

_ pref. _Q. mai-. >> maeron

mae govannen

well met

This is the best known Sindarin greeting, used by Glorfindel when greeting Aragorn west of Rivendell. For the meaning of the elements in this phrase, see the discussion below.

Conceptual Development: This phrase appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts as N. mai govannen “well met” (RS/194, 198 note #5), with the only difference from the published version being N. mai “well” rather than S. mae. The element govannen “met” is certainly a past/passive participle, but it is not entirely clear what the verb was intended to be when Tolkien coined the phrase. One likely possibility is N. ✱govad- “to meet, (lit.) together tread”, a combination of the prefix N. go- “together” and the verbal root ᴹ√BAT “tread”, analogous to N. trevad- “traverse, ✱(lit.) through tread” from The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/BAT). Another possibility is the root ᴹ√BA “go, proceed” from the Quenya Verbal System of 1940s (PE22/112), perhaps with a verb form N. ✱govan- “together go”.

Either way, it seems likely that in the original phrase, govannen “met” was not mutated. In Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s, Tolkien revisited this notion, deciding the verb should be mutated following the adverb mae. At first he wrote:

> go-vannen “met”: past participle from go- “together” (cf. Q o- above) + past participle form of stem ba(n)- [from footnote: connected with Quenya ABA/BA, go (away), as in vanwa “gone, departed”], a Sindarin stem not related to but having similar sense as Q men-, forming Sindarin verb govan-, to come to same place, meet, in past participle form govannen (PE17/16).

He struck this through and devised a new etymology that would allow the verb to be a mutated form, as suggested by Christopher Gilson:

> go-vannen “met”: past participle from S covad- “collect”, transitive or intransitive, “assemble, bring together” (√KOB-) past tense covant, past participle covannen “art brought together” (PE17/16).

He then reversed himself, saying:

> This won’t really do. The explanation of the word as containing Sindarin √BAN “meet”, come up against, prefixed by go (< Common Eldarin WĀ, WO) is obviously right (PE17/16).

Tolkien then squeezed a new analysis of the phrase into the margin as mae “well” + g(ī)’ovannen “thou met”, where the second element of the phrase was derived from the ancient pronoun kī “thou” [2nd person familiar] + gwā-ƀandina (PE17/17). By introducing the pronoun ki between “well” and “met”, Tolkien was able to explain the initial g- as a mutated remnant of this pronoun, combined with ’ovannen after its initial consonant g- was lost. Of interest is the d in ƀandina, which seems to hint at a possible new root (√BAD or √BAT) for the base verb form; see the section on Alternate Explanations below for more details on this variant root.

The reason an alternate root was of interest is that the root √BA(N) “go” was on shaky grounds, having been in competion with √BĀ/ABA “refuse” dating all the way back to the 1930s. In Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959, Tolkien firmly rejected this root:

> Delete √BA(N) “go.” (For this sense Quenya, Sindarin stem is √MEN.) ... √ABA, BĀ [root of refusal and negative command] distinct from AWA, WĀ “away” (PE17/143).

Hereafter, any remaining derivatives of √BA(N) “go” were reassigned to other roots, such as Q. vanwa “lost, gone” < √WĀ “away” (WJ/366). In the same bundle of 1959 notes, Tolkien again mentioned the root √KOB. In a page of roots having to do with “flower” and “snow” Tolkien gave:

> √KOB, KOM- gather, collect. bring to same place / point. S cova-, weak intransitive. gather, assemble, come to same place, meet. mae-govannen, well met! (PE17/157).

This note was marked through and, according to Christopher Gilson, presumably replaced by a new note in a different page of roots having to do with “beautiful”:

> √KOB/KOM. gather, collect (bring or come into same place). {S cova(d) “bring” >>} S cova “come together, meet”, covad “bring together, make meet” (covannen, late Sindarin for covan(n) in mae-govannen “well-met”) (PE17/158).

If this analysis of the order of changes is correct, it seems the last thing Tolkien said on the topic was that the base verb in mae govannen was S. cova- “come together, meet”.

Alternate Theory: One challenge with the above analysis is that the order of composition for these various 1959 notes is not at all clear. Tolkien seems to have committed to the rejection of √BA(N) “go”, since the root √BĀ/ABA “refuse” was mentioned regularly in notes from 1959 forward. However, it is not entirely clear whether √KOB/KOM was actually restored. Christopher Gilson only said that “presumably” the note on PE17/157 was replaced by the note on PE17/158; it is possible that the order was reversed. One argument in favor of this ordering are the variations on the verb cova(d)-: on PE17/16 covad- was both transitive and intransitive, on PE17/158 Tolkien first wrote cova(d) “bring” before splitting it into intransitive cova- and transitive covad- and on PE17/157, it was intransitive only cova-. If the order was PE17/16 >> PE17/158 >> PE17/157, then √KOB/KOM may have been ultimately rejected.

If this is the case, then the explanation kī + gwā-ƀandina > g(ī)’ovannen “thou met” from PE17/17 may have been restored or perhaps was even added as a marginal note after the rejection of √KOB/KOM. As noted above, the d in ƀandina hints that the verbal root may also have changed from √BAN to √BAD or √BAT. Based on the form only, √BAD would seem to be most likely, but there is no appropriate meaning assigned to the root √BAD: in The Etymologies, it seems ᴹ√BAD = “judge” (Ety/BAD). However, as noted above, ᴹ√BAT “tread” would work fine, and ƀandina may be an Old Sindarin passive participle of govad- < ✱wo-BAT, perhaps even a restoration of the Noldorin form of the verb from the 1940s. The ƀ hints that it is an Old Sindarin form, and ƀandina may be a reformed passive participle after wo-bat > OS. gwa-ƀad.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I prefer to stick with S. cova- “meet” as the basis for the second element of mae govannen “well met”. I think the alternate theory is a bit of a stretch. While I think it is possible that PE17/16 >> PE17/158 >> PE17/157 was the order of composition, I think Christopher Gilson’s suggested order of PE17/157 >> PE17/158 is equally likely. Furthermore, it requires some fancy guesswork to determine the root for ƀandina given the firm rejection of √BA(N) “go”, and some phonological gymnastics to justify the initial g- in govannen as the passive participle of govad-. All in all, sticking with S. cova- “meet” seems like the simpler scenario to me.

maer

adjective. excellent

_ adj. _excellent. Q. maira admirable, excellent, precious. >> maer-, maeron

maw

noun. hand

The Sindarin equivalent of Q. má, likewise derived from the root √MAH or √MAƷ “hand; handle, wield” (PE17/162; VT47/6). However, in Sindarin this word was archaic, used only in poetry, having been replaced in ordinary speech by other words like S. mâb and (less often) cam. Other remnants of this word can be seen in compounds like molif “wrist, (orig.) hand link” and directional words like forvo and harvo for left and right hand side.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, G. mô from the early root ᴱ√MAHA was the normal word for “hand”, replacing mab “hand” (< ᴱ√MAHA) which in this document Tolkien decided was instead an irregular dual form of mô (GL/55). It had also had an irregular plural mabin based on this dual, replacing an older plural †maith. In the Gnomish Grammar, its archaic form was †mâ, with the usual Gnomish sound change of ā to ō (GG/14), as opposed to later Sindarin/Noldorin ā to au, spelt -aw when final. Tolkien seems to have abandoned mô as a non-archaic word for “hand” early on, preferring ᴱN. mab “hand” by the 1920s and introducing N. cam “hand” in the 1930s.

cam

hand

1. cam (i gam, o cham), pl. caim (i chaim), coll. pl. cammath; 2) mâb (i vâb; construct mab), pl. maib (i maib). 3) Archaic †maw (i vaw), pl. moe (i moe). A homophone means ”soil, stain”. (VT47:6) 4) (fist) dond (i dhond; construct don), pl. dynd (i nynd), coll. pl. donnath (VT47:23).

mâb

hand

(i vâb; construct mab), pl. maib (i maib).

mael

adjective. well

dôr

land

1. dôr (i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr), coll. pl. dorath (WJ:413), 2) bâr (dwelling, house, home, family; earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

eithel

well

(= source) eithel (spring, issue of water), pl. eithil

mae

well

(adverb) mae (lenited vae).

al-

well

pref. #well. Q. al(a)-. . This gloss was rejected.

cam

noun. hand

camm

noun. hand

cidinn

?. [unglossed]

An untranslated word (adjective?) appearing with Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 derived from the root √KIT and cognate to Q. cinta “small”, so perhaps of similar meaning (PE17/157).

cinnog

?. [unglossed]

An untranslated word (noun?) appearing with Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 derived from the root √KIT or √KIN and cognate to Q. cinta “small”, so perhaps of similar meaning (PE17/157).

dor

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

dôr

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

dôr

noun. land, land, [N.] region where certain people live, [ᴱN.] country; [G.] people of the land

ein-

prefix. amya-

_ pref. _Q. amya-.

ein-

amya-

pref. Q. amya- . This gloss was rejected.

ein-

prefix. excellent, admirable

hand

noun. [unglossed]

mab-

noun. a hand-full, complete hand (with all five fingers)

madu

?. [unglossed]

mae

adverb. well

mae

adverb. well

adv. well. Ai na vedui Dúnadan. Mae g'ovannen. 'Ah! At last, Dúnadan ! Well met !'.

mae

well

_ adv. _well. >> mael

mae-govannen

verb. well met

_ weak intr. v. _well met. . This gloss was rejected.

mael

adjective. well

_ adj. _well. adjective << adverb. >> mae

maud

?. [unglossed]

maw

noun. hand

mâb

noun. a hand-full, complete hand (with all five fingers)

mâb

noun. hand, hand, [N.] grasp

The typical Sindarin word for “hand” (VT47/7, 20), usable in almost any context. It is most notable as an element in the name Mablung “Heavy Hand” (VT47/8). See below for a discussion of its etymology.

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, where G. mab “hand” appeared as a derivative of the early root ᴱ√MAPA “seize” (GL/55). Tolkien then revised the gloss to “hands”, saying instead it was an irregular dual of G. mô “hand”. The word reverted to singular ᴱN. mab “hand” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/149). These early versions of the word were already an element of Mablung “Heavy Hand(ed)” (LT2/38; LB/311), but also of Ermabwed “One-handed” (LT2/34; LB/119).

In the 1930s it seems Tolkien decided Ilk. mâb “hand” was primarily an Ilkorin word, and the usual word for “hand” in Noldorin was N. cam. Compare Ilkorin Ermabuin “One-handed” and Mablosgen “Empty-handed” with Noldorin Erchamion and Camlost of the same meaning. In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Tolkien had N. mab “grasp” under the root ᴹ√MAPA “seize”, but the version of the entry with that word was overwritten (EtyAC/MAP), leaving only the Ilkorin form mâb. In this period, Mablung may also have been an Ilkorin name.

After Tolkien abandoned Ilkorin in the 1950s, he kept S. Erchamion and Camlost based on cam, but also kept Mablung “Heavy Hand” which must have become Sindarin. In his later writings Tolkien again revisited the etymology of S. mâb “hand”. In a note from Jan-Feb 1968, he wrote:

> It [Q. má = “hand”] did not survive in Telerin and Sindarin as an independent word, but was replaced by the similar-sounding but unconnected C.E. makwā, Q. maqua, T. mapa, S. mab, of uncertain origin, but probably originally an adjectival formation from MAK “strike” ... (VT47/19).

This sentence was struck through, however. In drafts of notes on Elvish Hands, Fingers and Numerals written in or after 1968, Tolkien again derived mâb from √MAP (VT47/20 note #13), but in the final version of these notes he made the remarkable decision to discard this root despite it being a stable part of Elvish for nearly 50 years, declaring it was used only in Telerin and not Quenya or Sindarin (VT47/7). He coined a new etymology for S. mâb “hand” based on ✶makwā “handful” = ✶mā + ✶kwā (VT47/6-7), a variation on the above etymology from √MAK.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I prefer to ignore Tolkien’s 1968 removal of √MAP “seize”, and so would continue to derive S. mâb “hand” from that root. However, its ancient meaning may have been “✱grasp”, and its eventual use as “hand” might have been influenced by ancient ✶makwā “handful”.

raud

excellent

_ adj. _excellent, noble, eminent.

sav-

verb. to have

A verb for “to have” in Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959, derived from the root √SAM of the same meaning (PE17/173). It was the opposite of pen- “to lack, have not”. As such, it seems the verb sav- was not usually negated, but pen- was used instead as in penim vast “we have no bread” [= (lit.) ✱“we lack bread”] (PE17/144).

sevin

8r$5% verb. I have

v. aor. & pron. suff. I have. Q. samin. >> -n

ae

lE conjunction. if, supposing

Cognate of Q. ai.

ae

conjunction. if

bâr

land

(dwelling, house, home, family; earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

cam

hand

(i gam, o cham), pl. caim (i chaim), coll. pl. cammath

camlann

of the hand

(i gamlann, o chamlann), pl. cemlain (i chemlain).

crûm

left hand

(i grûm, o chrûm, construct crum), pl. cruim (i chruim), coll. pl. crummath. Also ✱hair (i chair), no distinct pl. form (not even with article). Note: hair is also used = ”left” as adjective. Cited in archaic form heir (LR:365 s.v. KHYAR).

dond

hand

(i dhond; construct don), pl. dynd (i nynd), coll. pl. donnath (VT47:23).

dôr

land

(i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr), coll. pl. dorath (WJ:413)

eithel

well

(spring, issue of water), pl. eithil

forgam

right-handed

(pl. fergaim, for archaic förgeim)

fuir

right hand

pl. fŷr. Also used as adj. "right, north" (VT42:20). In ”Noldorin” the word appeared as (”foeir” =) föir, feir (LR:382 s.v. PHOR).

mae

well

(lenited vae).

maw

hand

(i vaw), pl. moe (i moe). A homophone means ”soil, stain”. (VT47:6) 

nand

wide grassland

(construct nan) (valley), pl. naind, coll. pl. **nannath **(VT45:36);

parth

enclosed grassland

(i barth, o pharth) (field, sward), pl. perth (i pherth);

pi

adverb. if

asdi

?. [unglossed]

A word Tolkien used to illustrate Adûnaic pronunciation (pronounced [azdi]) without giving its meaning (SD/421).

pâ

noun. hand

A noun translated “hand”, given as an example of an apparent Adûnaic uniconsonantal noun, which had a biconsonantal-root but lost one of its consonants from its ancient form ✶Ad. paʒa (SD/416, 426).

sapda

?. [unglossed]

A word Tolkien used to illustrate Adûnaic pronunciation without giving its meaning (SD/421).

thâni

noun. land

A noun translated “land” (SD/435) appearing in the Adûnaic names for the Blessed Realm: Amatthâni and thâni’nAmân. Its Primitive Adûnaic form was also ✶thāni, though its primitive was glossed “realm" (SD/420).

zâyan

noun. land

An Adûnaic word for “land” (SD/423). It has an irregular plural form zâin which is the result of the phonetic change (SD/423): [[pad|medial [w] and [j] vanished before [u] and [i]]]. Thus, the archaic plural changed from †zâyîn > zâîn > zâin.

Conceptual Development: In earlier names this word appeared as zen (SD/378, 385).

camba

noun. hand

mapa

noun. hand

má

noun. hand

dóri-

noun. land

Isolated from Lindórinan. The independent form of the word may differ; it is unclear where the i of the compound Lindórinan comes from. In the Etymologies, the Eldarin words for "land" are derived from a stem NDOR "dwell, stay, rest, abide" (LR:376).

No Nandorin word is there listed, but Sindarin dor is derived from primitive ndorê. Notice, however, that Tolkien many years later derived the Eldarin words for "land" from a stem DORO "dried up, hard, unyielding" (WJ:413). However, this later source does confirm that the Primitive Quendian form was ndorê, now thought to be formed by initial enrichment d > nd. This is defined as "the hard, dry land as opposed to water or bog", later developing the meaning "land in general as opposed to sea", and finally also "a land" as a particular region, "with more or less defined bounds".

Whether dóri- actually comes from ndorê is highly doubtful (this would rather yield *dora in Nandorin), but it must be derived from the same set of stems.