mai

adverb. well

Derivations

• √MAY “excellent, admirable, beautiful; make [art]; suitable, useful, proper, serviceable; right”

Derivatives

• S. mae “well; excellent, admirable” ✧ PE17/016; PE17/017

Variations

• măgē ✧ PE17/016

mā

noun. hand

Derivations

• ✶maha “hand, the manager” ✧ PE19/074; PE19/102; VT47/06; VT47/07; VT47/35
  • √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use, handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use; [ᴹ√] hand; [ᴱ√] grasp” ✧ VT47/18; VT47/18
  • √MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state, good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state; [ᴹ√] use, handle” ✧ VT47/18
• √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use, handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use; [ᴹ√] hand; [ᴱ√] grasp” ✧ PE21/70
• √MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state, good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state; [ᴹ√] use, handle” ✧ VT47/18

Derivatives

• Q. má “hand” ✧ PE19/102; VT47/06
• S. maw “hand” ✧ VT47/06
• T. má “hand” ✧ VT47/06

Element in

• ✶makwā “a hand-full, complete hand with all five fingers” ✧ VT47/07
• ✶mā-limi “wrist, (lit.) hand-link” ✧ VT47/06

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶maʒa > mā	[maɣa] > [mā]	✧ VT47/06

Variations

• māh ✧ PE19/102
• mâ ✧ VT47/18; VT47/34 (mâ)

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”.

Derivatives

• Q. sam- “to have” ✧ PE17/173
• S. sav- “to have” ✧ PE17/173

Element in

• ᴺQ. sampan- “to combine”
• Q. sampanë “combination”

Variations

• SAM ✧ PE17/173; PE17/183

ndorē

noun. land

Derivations

• √NDOR “land; hard, firm; [ᴹ√] dwell, stay, rest, abide” ✧ PE17/106; PE17/107
  • √DOR “hard, tough, dried up, unyielding”
• √DOR “hard, tough, dried up, unyielding” ✧ WJ/413

Derivatives

• Q. -ndor “land, country” ✧ SA/dôr
• Q. nór “land” ✧ PE17/106; PE17/107
• Q. nórë “land, country; †people, race, tribe, land, country, [ᴹQ.] region where certain people live, [ᴱQ.] nation; [Q.] †people, race, tribe, [ᴹQ.] folk, [ᴱQ.] family” ✧ PE19/076
• S. dôr “land, land, [N.] region where certain people live, [ᴱN.] country; [G.] people of the land” ✧ PE17/164; SA/dôr; WJ/413

Element in

• ✶etlā-ndŏrē “Eglador” ✧ VT42/04; VT42/04
• ✶mbar-ndor “home land, native land” ✧ PE17/164
• Q. Endórë “Middle-earth, (lit.) Middle Land” ✧ Let/384
• Q. Valandor “Land of the Valar” ✧ WJ/413
• S. Ennor “Middle-earth” ✧ Let/384
• S. Eriador “Lonely Land” ✧ VT42/04
• S. Thonador ✧ VT42/04

Variations

• (n)dor ✧ Let/384
• ndōr ✧ PE17/106
• NDŌR/NDŎR- ✧ PE17/107
• ndor ✧ PE17/164; SA/dôr
• ndōrē ✧ PE19/076; VT42/04

ndōro

noun. land

Derivations

• √DOR “hard, tough, dried up, unyielding” ✧ WJ/413

Derivatives

• Q. nór “land” ✧ WJ/413