Primitive elvish
mbar
root. settle, dwell; establish, fix, decide, determine, make a decision, settle; establish, fix, decide, determine, make a decision; dwell, [ᴹ√] inhabit, [ᴱ√] live
Derivatives
- ✶ambar(a) “the settlement, establishment, the world” ✧ NM/228; PE17/104; PE17/105; PE17/124
- ✶asmarō “*neighbor”
- ✶mbar- “to dwell” ✧ PE22/131
- Q. mar- “to abide, be settled or fixed, to abide, be settled or fixed, [ᴱQ.] dwell, live”
- ✶ṃbar
- ✶mbar(ă) “dwelling, habitation”
- Q. már “home, dwelling, habitation, home, dwelling, habitation; [ᴹQ.] house; earth” ✧ PE17/106; PE19/076; SA/bar
- Q. mar(da) “dwelling, (great) house, residence, mansion, a thing or place dwelt in, home, dwelling, (great) house, residence, mansion, a thing or place dwelt in, home; [ᴱQ.] world” ✧ PE17/163; PE17/164
- S. bâr “house, dwelling, home, house, dwelling, home; [N.] earth” ✧ PE17/109; PE17/109; PE17/163; PE17/164; SA/bar
- √M(B)ARAT “doom, fate”
- ✶mbartā- “to define, decree, destine”
- Q. marta- “to define, decree, destine, to define, decree, destine; [ᴱQ.] to happen (impers.), chance” ✧ PE17/104
- S. amarth “fate, doom” ✧ PE17/104
- S. amartha- “to define, decree, destine” ✧ PE17/104
- Q. marto “tower” ✧ NM/228
- Q. umbar “fate, doom, curse” ✧ PE17/066
- S. amarth “fate, doom” ✧ PE17/066
- S. barad “tower, great towering building, tower, great towering building, [N.] fort, fortress” ✧ NM/228
- ✶mbartā- “to define, decree, destine” ✧ PE17/104
- ✶ṃbart(ă) “fate, doom; (orig.) permanent establishment” ✧ NM/228; PE17/124
- Q. Ambar “The World, Earth, (lit.) Habitation, Settlement” ✧ NM/226; PE17/064; PE17/066; PE17/078; PE17/090; PE17/163
- Q. mar(da) “dwelling, (great) house, residence, mansion, a thing or place dwelt in, home, dwelling, (great) house, residence, mansion, a thing or place dwelt in, home; [ᴱQ.] world” ✧ PE17/064
- ᴺQ. marindo “settler”
- ᴺQ. marya- “to found, establish, settle (as dwelling)”
- Q. umbar “fate, doom, curse” ✧ PE17/104; PE17/105
- S. amar “world, the Earth, (lit.) settlement, the great habitation” ✧ NM/226
- S. amarth “fate, doom” ✧ NM/226; PE17/104
- ᴺS. bar- “to live, dwell, stay”
- ᴺS. barna- “to till (land), *cultivate; (orig.) to dwell in (a land)”
- ᴺS. baron “tilled, inhabited”
- T. ambar “the world, the great habitation” ✧ NM/226
Element in
- √M(B)ARAT “doom, fate” ✧ NM/228
- ✶tura-mbar “master of fate” ✧ PE17/104
- Q. armaro “*neighbor”
- Q. colbamarië “gestation, *(lit.) womb-residence”
- Q. Hröambari “Incarnate[s]”
- Q. martan “dwelling-house” ✧ PE17/105
- Q. ombari “company, dwellers together”
- Q. Turambar “Master of Doom, Master of Fate” ✧ PE17/163
- Q. umbar “fate, doom, curse” ✧ PE17/163
ṃbar
noun. ṃbar
Derivations
- √MBAR “settle, dwell; establish, fix, decide, determine, make a decision, settle; establish, fix, decide, determine, make a decision; dwell, [ᴹ√] inhabit, [ᴱ√] live”
Derivatives
Variations
- ṃbară ✧ PE17/104
mbar(ă)
noun. dwelling, habitation
Derivations
- √MBAR “settle, dwell; establish, fix, decide, determine, make a decision, settle; establish, fix, decide, determine, make a decision; dwell, [ᴹ√] inhabit, [ᴱ√] live”
Derivatives
- Q. már “home, dwelling, habitation, home, dwelling, habitation; [ᴹQ.] house; earth” ✧ PE17/106; PE19/076; SA/bar
- Q. mar(da) “dwelling, (great) house, residence, mansion, a thing or place dwelt in, home, dwelling, (great) house, residence, mansion, a thing or place dwelt in, home; [ᴱQ.] world” ✧ PE17/163; PE17/164
- S. bâr “house, dwelling, home, house, dwelling, home; [N.] earth” ✧ PE17/109; PE17/109; PE17/163; PE17/164; SA/bar
Element in
- ✶mbarda ✧ PE17/106
- ✶mbar-ndor “home land, native land” ✧ PE17/164
- ✶Mbartanō “World-artificer”
- ✶mēlā̆-mbar “beloved dwelling” ✧ PE17/164
- S. Angmar “*Iron Home” ✧ RC/020
Variations
- mbără ✧ PE17/106
- mbăr(a) ✧ PE17/106
- mbar ✧ PE17/163 (mbar)
- mbā̆r ✧ PE17/164
- mbar- ✧ PE19/076; RC/020
- mbár ✧ SA/bar
This root was connected to the sense “dwell” for all of Tolkien’s life. In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s it appeared as ᴱ√MBARA “dwell, live”, though in Qenya it was blended with ᴱ√ŊWAÐA “tarry, linger” since [[eq|initial [ŋʷ] became [m]]] (QL/60). In Gnomish the two roots remained distinct: G. bar “home” (GL/21) vs. G. gwadh- “dwell” (GL/46). However, other Gnomish derivatives hint at an unstrengthened variant ᴱ√MARA: G. mar “Earth, ground, soil” and G. Môr “The Earth”, of which Tolkien said “mar and môr probably conceal two roots and a confusion; mbara” (GL/56). The source of this confusion might be ᴱ√MARA “ripe” (QL/59, 63).
In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root appeared as ᴹ√MBAR “dwell, inhabit” (Ety/MBAR); an earlier version of this entry had the extra gloss “build” (EtyAC/MBAR). In The Etymologies, it seems this root was a strengthened form of ᴹ√BAR “raise” (Ety/BAR), but the root ᴹ√MBARAT “fate” seems to be unrelated at this point (Ety/MBARAT). The root mbar- was mentioned in the Outline of Phonetic Development (OP1) from the 1930s (PE19/36) and again as √MBAR “{house >>} dwell” in the second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ2) from around 1950 (PE18/92).
The root √MBAR still had the basic sense “dwell” in Notes on Galadriel’s Song (NGS) from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/64); in those notes it seems it was distinct from both √BAR “raise” and √MAR(AT) or √MBART “doom, fate” (PE17/66). But in notes on Fate from 1968 (NM/226-231; PE17/104-109), Tolkien shifted the meaning of the root:
> English “settle” in its various branches of meaning closely resembles the development of the meanings of √MBAR: thus settlement can mean the act of colonizing or taking up an abode, or the area or place so occupied (by a family or community); or (the terms of) an agreement fixed after debate. The development was not, however, the same: the senses of settle proceed from a sense “place in or take up” a firm position, especially in a place that seems suitable; from which the sense of settling affairs that were in confusion or doubt arose. √MBAR meant basically to make a decision, and the meanings relating to dwelling or occupying land proceeded from that (PE17/105).
This new definition for √MBAR was to support a more direct connection between this root and words like Q. umbar “fate”, hence establishing an etymological relationship to extended √MBARAT for the first time, for example with √MBAR > ✶mbartā- “to define, decree, destine” (PE17/104).
Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think this late 1960s meaning “settle, decide, establish; (by extension) dwell” is probably the best.