mai (2) conj. "if" (PE14:59 cf. VT49:20; possibly obsoleted by #1 above; for "if", Tolkien later used qui)
Quenya
Calainis
may
mai
if
cé
adverb. may (be)
Changes
ké→ kwí “may” ✧ PE22/154- ké → kwí ✧ VT42/34
Cognates
- S.
ce“*might, maybe”Derivations
- √KE/EKE “may (be); have chance, opportunity or permission; it is open” ✧ PE22/158
Derivatives
- Q. céla “maybe not” ✧ PE22/158
Element in
- Q. lá caritas alasaila cé nauva “not doing this may be/prove unwise” ✧ PE22/154; VT42/34
- Q. nácë “it may be seeming, *qualified yes” ✧ VT49/29
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √KE > ké [kē] ✧ PE22/158 Variations
- ké ✧ PE22/154; PE22/154 (
ké); PE22/158 (ké); VT42/34; VT42/34; VT49/19- ke ✧ VT49/29
kwí
maybe, perhaps
kwí, kwíta, particle indicating uncertainty (evidently like English "maybe, perhaps"). We would expect the spelling quí, quíta (VT42:34). See cé (which form is perhaps to be preferred)
asta
month
asta (1) noun "month", a division of the year (VT42:20). Pl. astar is attested (Appendix D). According to VT48:11, the basic meaning of asta is "division, a part", especially one of other equal parts: "of the year, a month or period". According to VT48:19, asta is also used in Quenya as a group suffix (see quentasta).
lótessë
noun. May, *(lit.) Flower-ness
Cognates
- S. Lothron “May, *Flower-ness” ✧ LotR/1110; UTI/Lótessë; UTI/Lothron
Elements
Word Gloss lótë “flower, single blossom, flower, single blossom; [ᴱQ.] bloom” -ssë “abstract noun”
quí(ta)
conjunction. if
ec-
verb. to have a chance of; may, can
Derivations
- √KE/EKE “may (be); have chance, opportunity or permission; it is open” ✧ VT49/20
Element in
- Q. ecë nin? “please, may I?” ✧ VT49/20
- Q. ecë nin care sa “I can do that” ✧ VT49/20
- Q. ecuva nin carë sa nöa “I ‘may’ do that tomorrow, I have a chance of doing that [tomorrow]” ✧ VT49/20
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √ek > eke [ek-] ✧ VT49/20 Variations
- eke ✧ VT49/34
cé
conjunction. if
Derivations
- √KE/EKE “may (be); have chance, opportunity or permission; it is open” ✧ VT49/19
Element in
- Q. ar cé mo formenna tentanes Amanna “and if northwards, it pointed towards Aman” ✧ VT49/26
- Q. cé mo quetë ulca “*if one speaks evil” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. cenai “if it be that” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. cenasta “if it be so, may be, perhaps” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. cé tulis, ní nauva tanomë “*if he/she comes, I will be there” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. cé tulis, tanomë nauvan “*if he/she comes, I will be there” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. úsië, an cé mo quernë cendelë númenna, ve senya “on the contrary, for if one turned the face westward, as was usual” ✧ VT49/19; VT49/19
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √ke > ke [ke] ✧ VT49/19 Variations
- ké ✧ VT49/19; VT49/26
- ke ✧ VT49/19; VT49/19; VTE/42
- kē̆ ✧ VT49/19
iqui
conjunction. if
iqui
conjunction. if
it(ë) Speculative
adverb. if
Element in
- Q. [[q|[?it/itē] kestallen, tuluvanye]] “if you ask me, I shall come” ✧ PE22/138
- Q. [[q|aite[?] kestallen]] “now, suppose, you ask me” ✧ PE22/138
- Q. [[q|aite[?] kestuvallen, tuluvanye]] “now supposing you asked me, a thing unlikely {or ridiculous} to suppose...” ✧ PE22/138
Variations
- it ✧ PE22/138 (it)
- itē ✧ PE22/138
- [i]te ✧ PE22/138 ([i]te)
que
conjunction. if
qui
if
qui conj. "if" (VT49:19)
qui
conjunction. if, when
qui
conjunction. if
Cognates
- ᴺS. pi “if”
Derivations
- √KWI “suppose” ✧ PE22/158; VT49/19
Element in
- Q. carë mára quí tyarë naxa “doing good may cause evil” ✧ PE22/154
- Q. laqui “unless” ✧ PE22/158
- Q. quīlas tūleste san inye tūle “*suppose he came (he did not), then I came” ✧ PE22/140
- ᴺQ. quima “whether”
- Q. quíta céla tuldes, quíta ✧ PE22/158; PE22/158
- Q. quí(ta) la tuldes, nánë márië (nin) “[if he had not come], it was well to me (I was glad)” ✧ PE22/158
- ᴺQ. quitulma “scenario”
- ᴺQ. vequi “as if, as though”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √kwi- > qui [kwi] ✧ VT49/19 Variations
- quī ✧ PE22/140; PE22/158 (quī)
- kwí ✧ PE22/154; VT42/34
- kwíta ✧ PE22/154; VT42/34
- quīta ✧ PE22/158 (quīta)
- quī(ta) ✧ PE22/158 (quī(ta))
- quíta ✧ PE22/158 (quíta)
- kwi ✧ PE22/158
- iqui ✧ PE22/158
Calainis _("k")_noun "May" (LT1:252, 254; in Tolkien's later Quenya Lótessë)