Primitive elvish

min

root. one, first of a series, one, first of a series; [ᴹ√] stand alone, stick out

This and similar roots were used for Elvish words for “one” for most of Tolkien’s life, though generally in competition with √ER. The root first appeared as unglossed ᴱ√ in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. mir “one” and ᴱQ. minqe “eleven”; the parenthetical comment (mi’i) indicated it originally had some other now-lost consonant, though Tolkien marked this comment with a “?” (QL/61). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. min “one single” (GL/57).

The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had a distinct root ᴱ√MINI from which “tower” words were derived, such as ᴱQ. mindon/G. mindon (QL/61; GL/57). In The Etymologies of the 1930s these roots were merged together into a single root ᴹ√MINI “stand alone, stick out”, whose derivatives included both ᴹQ. min/N. min “one” as well as ᴹQ. mindo and N. mindon/minnas “tower” (Ety/MIN).

In Tolkien’s later writings √MIN was mostly mentioned in the context of Elvish numbering systems, and given glosses like “one” or “first of a series” (VT42/24; VT47/16-17), but in notes written in 1967-69 Tolkien indicated it was still the basis for “tower” words, most likely from the sense “prominent” (VT42/24). In these later notes Tolkien was careful to distinguish √MIN “one” used in counting vs. √ER “one” used for individual things: √MIN was for the first of a series of things, whereas √ER was for a single thing that was unique, alone or in isolation. The distinct senses of these two roots dates back at least as far as The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/ER, MIN).

Primitive elvish [VT42/24; VT47/16; VT47/17; VT48/07] Group: Eldamo. Published by

min

cardinal. one

Primitive elvish [NM/060; WJ/421] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mīni

preposition. between

Primitive elvish [VT47/11] Group: Eldamo. Published by

min(i)kewē̆

cardinal. eleven, (lit.) fresh one

Primitive elvish [VT42/24; VT48/07; VT48/08; VT48/21] Group: Eldamo. Published by

minya

ordinal. first

Primitive elvish [VT42/25] Group: Eldamo. Published by

imin

masculine name. One

Primitive elvish [NM/055; NM/060; WJ/380; WJ/421; WJI/Imin] Group: Eldamo. Published by

minity

root. remind

Primitive elvish Group: Neologism. Published by

in(id)

root. mind, (inner) thought, inmost heart, inner senses

A root appearing in various notes written around 1957 connected to the mind (PE17/145, 155, 189; UT/400; VT43/16). Its most notable derivatives are Q. indo/S. ind “(state of) mind”. In The Etymologies of the 1930s, ᴹQ. indo “heart, mood” and N. ind “inner thought, meaning, heart” were instead derived from the root ᴹ√ID; this 1930s root was unglossed but had derivatives connected to both thoughts and desires, such as ᴹQ. íre “desire, longing” (Ety/ID).

Tolkien introduced a new derivation of indo from √IN(ID) in Quenya Notes written in 1957 (PE17/145, 189):

> IN-I-D, mind, inner thought. These refer to the movements or activities of the fëa or “spirit” (rational soul). indo, inner thought, in fea as exhibited in character or [?personality]. indóme, settled character, also used of the “will” of Eru (PE17/189).

The root √IN- “inmost heart, thought, mind” with extended forms √INID and √INIS also appeared in contemporaneous Notes on Names (NN), again as the basis for indo (PE17/155).

Tolkien coined yet another etymology of Q. indo in notes written in 1969, deriving it from √NID “force, press(ure), thrust” (PE22/165). This new derivation doesn’t necessarily invalidate √INID, but rather gives a new basis for the root itself as an vocalic augment of √NID rather than an extended form of √IN-.

Primitive elvish [PE17/145; PE17/155; PE17/189; UT/400; VT43/16] Group: Eldamo. Published by

phelgā

noun. mine, boring, tunnel, underground dwel[ling]; minor excavations, temporary dwellings

Primitive elvish [NM/304; PE17/118] Group: Eldamo. Published by

sam

root. mind, think, reflect, be aware

Primitive elvish [PE17/183; VT41/05] Group: Eldamo. Published by

imi

root. in

sinki

noun. *mineral

A primitive element of ✶sinkitamo, the basis for Q. sintamo “smith” (PE17/108). It is unlikely to mean “metal”, given Q. tinco “metal” from The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1122). I think it may mean “mineral” in the sense of any non-organic solid, a later iteration of ᴱQ. sink “mineral, gem, metal”, presumably applying to all of these (QL/83). As further evidence of this, it is almost certainly the basis for Q. sinca “flint” as in Q. sincahonda “flint-hearted” (LotR/979). Perhaps this was originally an adjective formation ✱sinkā “mineral-like”.

Primitive elvish [PE17/108] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kwentrō

noun. speaker, reciter, narrator, minstrel

Primitive elvish [PE18/100; PE19/083] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tolya

adjective. prominent

Primitive elvish [VT47/16] Group: Eldamo. Published by

inis

root. inmost heart, thought, mind

nik

root. small

One of various roots for “small” Tolkien used in his later writings. The root √NIK “small” first appeared in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s (VT47/26; VT48/18), but was connected to the diminutive suffix ✶-i(n)ki which had a much longer conceptual history. One of the earliest known diminutive suffix was ᴱQ. -íne(a) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s from the root ᴱ√INI “small” (QL/42), which might be a precursor to √NIK; these suffixes reappeared in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s (PE14/49, 81). In the Gnomish Grammar of the 1910s, the word G. inc “small” was used as the basis for the “diminutive superlative” -inci (PE11/16).

In the Qenya Lexicon, Tolkien connected ᴱ√INI “small” to the root ᴱ√MINI of similar meaning (QL/42, 61). There are no signs of ᴱ√MINI “small” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, but the word G. migin “little” (GL/57) hints at a (hypothetical) variant root ✱ᴱ√MIKI. Further support for ✱ᴱ√MIKI can be found in other diminutive forms in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s such as prefixal diminutive ᴱQ. mike- along adverbial ᴱQ. mike “little” (QL/48, 81), the latter appearing with the gloss “a bit” in the English-Qenya Dictionary from this period (PE15/70) along with other similar words in both the dictionary and the grammar. This ✱ᴱ√MIKI might be another precursor to √NIK. An early hint at √NIK itself might appear in the word ᴹQ. nikse “minnow, little fish” from the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s (PE21/27).

In Noldorin and Sindarin, the primary diminutive suffix became -eg, which was connected to the Common Eldarin suffix -iki elsewhere in notes on hands and fingers (VT47/14 note #21). In the notes where √NIK “small” appeared in the late 1960s, Tolkien gave the primitive diminutive as -inkĭ along with variants ikki, -iksi, -si, -ensi, -ki.

One of the main competing roots for “small” was ᴹ√PIK [see the entry for √PI(N)], itself with a lengthy conceptual history. The shift of pitya >> nitya “little” in the father name of Amrod from the late 1960s may represent a replacement of √PIK by √NIK (PM/365), but I think it is likelier the two roots coexisted with slightly different meanings, as was the case for their earlier precursors. In the notes from the late 1960s, √NIK was also contrasted with √NIP “small (usually with connotation of weakness)” (VT48/18), from which the word S. niben “petty” was derived, as in S. Nogoth Niben (WJ/388).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume √NIK meant “small” in a neutral sense, √PIK “tiny” (along with variants √ and √PIN) and √NIP “small and weak”. I would use these as the major Eldarin roots for “small” words, along with a number of other more specialized roots.

Primitive elvish [VT47/26; VT48/18] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ambō

noun. hill

Primitive elvish [PE17/092] Group: Eldamo. Published by

banayā

noun. Vanyar

Primitive elvish [PE17/139] Group: Eldamo. Published by

imbi

preposition. between

Primitive elvish [NM/355; PE17/092; VT47/11; VT47/14; VT47/30] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kin

root. *small

kit

root. *small

Tolkien gave the roots √KIN and √KIT with the gloss “small” in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957; given Sindarin derivative S. cidinn, √KIT is the likelier of the two possibilities (PE17/157).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I recommend against using the Quenya derivative of this root, as there are other better-known Quenya words for “small”. In Sindarin, however, we have fewer options, and I think it is worth retaining this root for that branch of the Eldarin languages.

Primitive elvish [PE17/157] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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.

Primitive elvish [PE19/098] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mat-

verb. to eat

Primitive elvish [PE17/131; PE18/106; PE22/129; PE22/130; PE22/131; PE22/132; PE22/134; PE22/136; PE22/139; PE22/157; VT39/09] Group: Eldamo. Published by

menel

noun. heaven, sky

Primitive elvish [NM/060; PE21/71; PE21/75] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nimpĭ

adjective. small

Primitive elvish [VT48/18] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ninkĭ

adjective. small

Primitive elvish [VT48/18] Group: Eldamo. Published by

phut

root. [unglossed]

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

Primitive elvish [PE18/090] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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.

Primitive elvish [PE22/133] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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).

Primitive elvish [PE19/086] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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).

Primitive elvish [PE22/157] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tilte

noun. peak

Primitive elvish [PE17/186] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tollă

noun. island

Primitive elvish [VT47/26] Group: Eldamo. Published by

yuyuñal

noun. twilight

Primitive elvish [PE17/169] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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).

Primitive elvish [VT47/35] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mangya

root. butter

Primitive elvish Group: Eldamo - neologism/adaptations. Published by

mikw Reconstructed

root. kiss

pi(n) Reconstructed

root. little

Tolkien used a variety of roots for Elvish words for “small”. One early root was ᴱ√PIKI with variants ᴱ√PINI and ᴱ√ from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, unglossed but with derivatives like ᴱQ. pínea “small” and ᴱQ. pinqe “slender, thin” (QL/73). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. pinig “tiny, little” and G. pibin “small berry, haw” (GL/64).

The root reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as unglossed {ᴹ√PEK >>} ᴹ√PIK with derivatives like N. pigen “tiny” and N. peg “small spot, dot” (Ety/PIK; EtyAC/PIK). Further evidence for this root can be seen in later words like Q. piki- or pitya “petty” (WJ/389) and Q. pik- “lessen, dwindle” (MC/223). A variant root √PEY appeared in a list of roots having to do with large and small, with a single derivative Q. pia “little” [< ✱peya], but it was immediately followed by the forms pikina, pinke, pitya which point back to √PIK (PE/117).

Further evidence of early forms ᴱ√PINI and ᴱ√ can also be seen in Tolkien’s later writings. There is S. ✱pîn “little” in S. Cûl Bîn “Little Load” (RC/536), ✶ {“small bird” >>} “small insect” (VT47/35), and T. pinke “little-one, baby” (VT48/6), though the last of these might be from √PIK. In any case it seems Tolkien continued to use all of √PI, √PIK and √PIN to form words for little things into the late 1960s.

In The Shibboleth of Fëanor from the late 1960s, Tolkien changed pitya to Q. nitya in the name Q. Nityafinwë “Little Finwë” (PM/353, 365 note #59), which may indicate a replacement of √PIK by √NIK, another root used regularly in Tolkien’s later writings for “small”. But I believe √PIK and √NIK may coexist with slightly different meanings: “tiny” vs. “small”; see the entry on √NIK for further discussion.