can-

cardinal. four

can- (1) (prefix)("k") "four" (KÁNAT)

canta

cardinal. four

canta (1) ("k") cardinal "four" (KÁNAT, VT42:24, VT48:6). In the Etymologies as printed in LR, this word was cited with a final hyphen (as if it were a verb), but the hyphen does not actually appear in Tolkien's manuscript (VT45:19). Ordinal cantëa ("k") "fourth" (VT42:25) Compare cantil.

canta

cardinal. four

Cognates

• S. canad “four” ✧ PE17/095; VT48/06
• T. canat “four” ✧ VT42/24; VT48/06

Derivations

• ✶kanatā “four” ✧ VT42/24
  • √KANAT “four”

Element in

• Q. ca(na)sta “one fourth, one fourth, *quarter”
• ᴺQ. canquain “forty”
• ᴺQ. canaquain “forty”
• ᴺQ. canaquëan “forty”
• ᴺQ. cantallumë “four times”
• ᴺQ. cantalya “four-legged, quadruped, (lit.) four-footed”
• Q. cantëa “fourth”
• ᴺQ. cantil “quadrangle, *quadrilateral, rectangle, square”
• Q. lepecan “fourth finger”
• Q. cantil “fourth finger”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶kanatā > kanta	[kanatā] > [kantā] > [kanta]	✧ VT42/24

Variations

• can-ta ✧ PE17/095
• kanta ✧ VT42/24; VT48/06

mirian

noun. piece of money, coin used in Gondor

mirian

noun. Gondorian coin

Cognates

• Wes. kastar ✧ PM/045

Elements

Word	Gloss
mîr	“jewel, precious thing, treasure”
?

canad

cardinal. four

canad

cardinal. four

Cognates

• Q. canta “four” ✧ PE17/095; VT48/06
• T. canat “four” ✧ VT42/24; VT47/41

Derivations

• ✶kanatā “four” ✧ VT42/24
  • √KANAT “four”
• √KANAT “four” ✧ VT47/41

Element in

• ᴺS. canthil “square”
• S. canthui “fourth” ✧ VT42/25

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶kanata > canad	[kanata] > [kanat] > [kanad]	✧ VT42/24
√KENET > cened	[kenet] > [kened]	✧ VT47/41

Variations

• can(ad ✧ PE17/095
• cened ✧ VT47/41

cened

ordinal. four

mirian

coin

(name of a coin) mirian (i virian), pl. miriain (i miriain)

mirian

coin

(i virian), pl. miriain (i miriain)

mirian

penny

(name of a coin) mirian (i virian), pl. miriain (i miriain)

mirian

penny

(i virian), pl. miriain (i miriain)

pant

noun. money

Derivations

• √PAN “arrange, set in order, arrange, set in order; [ᴹ√] place, set, fix in place (especially of wood)”

Element in

• ᴺS. pennig “coin”

pennig

noun. coin

Elements

Word	Gloss
pant	“money”

canad

cardinal. four

canad;

canad

four

;

canath

fourth part

(i ganath, o chanath) (farthing), pl. cenaith (i chenaith). As coin, the fourth part of the more valuable coin called mirian. (PM:45)

canath

farthing

canath (i ganath, o chanath) (fourth part), pl. cenaith (i chenaith). As coin, the fourth part of a mirian. (PM:45)

canath

farthing

(i ganath, o chanath) (fourth part), pl. cenaith (i chenaith). As coin, the fourth part of a mirian. (PM:45)

cannui

fourth

. The reading in VT42:25  is "canthui", but the phonology presupposed in LotR would require ✱cannui. David Salo regards "canthui" as a dialectal form.

canat

cardinal. four

Cognates

• Q. canta “four” ✧ VT42/24; VT48/06
• S. canad “four” ✧ VT42/24; VT47/41

Derivations

• ✶kanatā “four” ✧ VT42/24
  • √KANAT “four”
• √KANAT “four” ✧ VT47/41

Variations

• cenet ✧ VT47/41

kanat

root. four

This root was established as the basis for “four” very early, though the earliest known Elvish word for “four” was actually ᴱQ. nelde from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/65), which became “three” later on (PE14/49). In the Gnomish Lexicon written soon after, the Gnomish word for “four” was G. cant (GL/25), and by the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s, the Qenya word likewise became ᴱQ. kanta “four” (PE14/49, 82). The Quenya word kept this form thereafter, and the Noldorin form became N. canad in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where the root ᴹ√KANAT “four” explicitly appeared for the first time (Ety/KÁNAT). The words and root for “four” remained the same thereafter (VT42/24-26; VT47/15-16; VT48/10), with occasional minor (and transient) variations such as √KENET (VT47/41).

Derivatives

• ✶kanakwe “*14”
  • ᴺQ. canquë “*fourteen”
  • ᴺQ. canaquë “*fourteen”
• ✶kanatā “four”
  • Q. canta “four” ✧ VT42/24
  • S. canad “four” ✧ VT42/24
  • T. canat “four” ✧ VT42/24
• ᴺS. canab “fourteen”
• S. canad “four” ✧ VT47/41
• S. canath “quarter”
• T. canat “four” ✧ VT47/41

Element in

• ᴺS. caphaen “forty”
• ᴺS. paegan “fourteen”

Variations

• kan-at ✧ VT42/24; VT47/12; VT47/15; VT48/10
• KAN ✧ VT42/26
• kanat ✧ VT47/16; VT47/16
• KENET ✧ VT47/41

kanatā

cardinal. four

Derivations

• √KANAT “four”

Derivatives

• Q. canta “four” ✧ VT42/24
• S. canad “four” ✧ VT42/24
• T. canat “four” ✧ VT42/24

Element in

• ✶galadā kanta “4 trees” ✧ PE21/74

Variations

• kanta ✧ PE21/74
• kanata ✧ VT42/24

canad

cardinal. four

canad

cardinal. four

Changes

• canath → canad ✧ Ety/KÁNAT

Cognates

• ᴹQ. kanta “four” ✧ Ety/KÁNAT

Derivations

• ᴹ√KANAT “four” ✧ Ety/KÁNAT

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√KÁNAT > canad	[kanata] > [kanat] > [kanad]	✧ Ety/KÁNAT

Variations

• canath ✧ EtyAC/NEL (canath)

canath

cardinal. four