matil

matil

*matil, see matl

matl

food

matl noun "food"; read *matil in LotR-style Quenya (in which language final syllabic -l becomes -il) (QL:59); however, the word matso from a later source may be preferred.

matso

food

matso noun "food" (PE16:141)

matta

noun. food

matta

noun. food

A noun for “food” from the Common Eldarin: Verb Structure (EVS2) of the early 1950s, derived from primitive ✶matnā, originally an ancient adjective meaning “eaten” (PE22/136).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s the word for “food” was ᴱQ. matl under the early root ᴱ√MATA (QL/59). This became ᴱQ. {masta} >> matso in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/141). In EVS2 the word was originally manna “food”, but this was struck through and replaced by matta (PE22/136 note #36), which likely reflects Tolkien’s shift in the phonetic developments of primitive tn, so that tn became tt rather than nn as it did in Tolkien’s earlier writings (PE19/85 and note #79).

Neo-Quenya: I find the phonetic developments associated with the above sound change to be problematic for various reasons. Therefore, I prefer to assume the primitive form of this word was an ancient noun: ✱mattā.

Changes

• manna → matta ✧ PE22/136

Cognates

• ᴺS. math “food”
• ᴺS. mann “food”

Derivations

• ✶matnā “eaten, eaten, [ᴹ✶] food” ✧ PE22/136

Element in

• ᴺQ. celvamatta “animal food”
• ᴺQ. laimamatta “vegetable food, (lit.) plant food”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶matnā > matta	[matnā] > [mattā] > [matta]	✧ PE22/136

Variations

• manna ✧ PE22/136 (manna)

mann

food

mann (i vann, construct man), pl. main (i main) (VT45:35).

mann

noun. food

Cognates

• Q. matta “food”

Derivations

• ✶matnā “eaten, eaten, [ᴹ✶] food”

mann

food

(i vann, construct man), pl. main (i main) (VT45:35).

math

noun. food

Cognates

• Q. matta “food”

Derivations

• √MAT “eat”

salph

liquid food

(i halph, o salph) (soup, broth), pl. seilph (if the word goes like alph ”swan”), with article i seilph.

mann

noun. food

The earliest word for “food” in precursors to the Sindarin language was G. môs “food (of men)” (GL/56, 58), probably based on the early root ᴱ√M(B)ASA “cook, bake” (QL/59). This became ᴱN. math “food” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s, appearing only in its lenited form vath as an element in ᴱN. orvath “foodless” (PE13/155). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had N. mann “food” as a derivative of primitive ᴹ✶matna under the root ᴹ√MAT “eat”, but the version of the entry where this form appeared was struck out (EtyAC/MAT). The primitive form ✶matnā “food” did reappear in the early 1950s, however (PE22/136).

Neo-Sindarin: Of the above, I prefer ᴺS. math for “food”. I first saw math proposed as the Neo-Sindarin word for “food” in a list of neologisms by Elaran on the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) from 2018. I prefer math because I tend to assume Q. matta is derived from ✱mattā rather than ✶matnā to avoid certain phonological difficulties; see that entry for discussion. If you are not concerned with those difficulties, ᴺS. mann “food” is also viable.

Derivations

• ᴹ✶matna “food” ✧ EtyAC/MAT
  • ᴹ√MAT “eat” ✧ EtyAC/MAT

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶matna > mann	[matna] > [madna] > [manna] > [mann]	✧ EtyAC/MAT

aes

noun. cooked food, meat