nyérë noun "grief" (LT1:261), "sorrow" (GL:60)
Quenya
nahta
bite
nyérë
grief
nyérë
noun. grief
Derivations
- ᴹ√NEY “tear”
Sindarin
naeth
noun. woe, woe; [N.] biting, gnashing of teeth
Derivations
- √NAY “cause bitter grief or pain, cause bitter grief or pain, [ᴹ√] lament”
Element in
- S. nirnaeth “tears, tears, [N.] lamentation”
- S. Sigil Elu-naeth “Necklace of the Woe of Thingol” ✧ WJ/258
naeth
noun. biting
naeth
noun. woe (gets sense of gnashing teeth in grief)
naeth
biting
(noun) 1) naeth (gnashing of teeth in grief; woe); no distinct pl. form. 2) narch (pl. nerch) (RC:601)
naeth
woe
(noun) naeth (biting, gnashing of teeth in grief); no distinct pl. form.
naeth
grief, gnashing of teeth in
naeth (biting, woe); no distinct pl. form.
naeth
biting
(gnashing of teeth in grief; woe); no distinct pl. form.
naeth
grief, gnashing of teeth in
(biting, woe); no distinct pl. form.
naeth
woe
(biting, gnashing of teeth in grief); no distinct pl. form.
naeth
gnashing of teeth
(biting, woe); no distinct pl. form.
nag
bite
(verb) nag- (i nâg, in negir);
narch
noun. (bitter-) biting
nag
bite
(i nâg, in negir);
nanc
noun. bite
Derivations
- √NAK “bite”
narch
biting
(pl. nerch) (RC:601)
Primitive elvish
nak
root. bite
This root was the basis for Elvish words for “bite” from all of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√NAKA “bite” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. naka- “bite” and ᴱQ. naksa “sour” (QL/64). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon it had derivatives like G. nactha- “bite” and G. naith “tooth” (GL/59). The root reappeared as ᴹ√NAK “bite” in The Etymologies of the 1930s along with augmented variant ᴹ√ÁNAK and derivatives like ᴹQ. anka/N. anc “jaw, row of teeth” (Ety/ÁNAK, NAK); in this same document Tolkien considered the possibility that the roots ᴹ√NAYAK “pain” and ᴹ√NDAK “slay” might be related to ᴹ√NAK, though he did not commit to either idea (Ety/NÁYAK; EtyAC/NDAK).
One interesting derivative of this root from the 1930s was N. naeth “biting, gnashing of teeth” from which N. nírnaeth “lamentation = ✱tear[ful]-gnashing” was derived, serving as an element in N. Nírnaeth Arnediad “[Battle of] Unnumbered Tears” (Ety/NAY; LR/310), replacing earlier Nirnaith of unclear etymology. In later writings Tolkien said S. naeth simply meant “woe” in the name S. Sigil Elu-naeth “Necklace of the Woe of Thingol” (WJ/258), but this may just be a generalization of its 1930s meaning “gnashing of teeth”. As for the root √NAK “bite”, it reappeared in the second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ2), serving again as example of an abnormal vocalization leading to the derivative ✶ankā “jaws” (PE18/87).
Derivatives
Noldorin
naeth
noun. biting, gnashing of teeth
Derivations
Element in
- N. nírnaeth “lamentation” ✧ Ety/NAY; Ety/NAK
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ᴹ√NAK > naeth [nakta] > [naktʰa] > [naxθa] > [naiθa] > [naiθ] > [naeθ] ✧ Ety/NAK
naeth
noun. biting
naeth
noun. woe (gets sense of gnashing teeth in grief)
nag-
verb. to bite
Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!
Qenya
nahta
noun. bite
A noun for “a bite” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√NAK of the same meaning (Ety/NAK).
Derivations
- ᴹ√NAK “bite” ✧ Ety/NAK
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ᴹ√NAK > nahta [nakta] > [naxta] ✧ Ety/NAK Variations
- nahta ✧ Ety/NAK
Middle Primitive Elvish
nak
root. bite
Derivatives
- ᴹ✶ankā “jaw, row of teeth” ✧ Ety/NAK
- ᴹ✶nakma “jaw” ✧ Ety/NAK
- ᴹ✶nakse “tooth” ✧ EtyAC/NAK
- N. naes “tooth” ✧ EtyAC/NAK
- ᴹ✶nakt- “biting”
- N. naeth “biting, gnashing of teeth” ✧ Ety/NAY
- ᴹQ. anka “jaw, row of teeth” ✧ Ety/ÁNAK
- ᴹQ. nahta “bite” ✧ Ety/NAK
- ᴹQ. nak- “to bite” ✧ Ety/NAK
- N. anc “jaw, row of teeth” ✧ Ety/ÁLAK; Ety/ÁNAK
- N. naeth “biting, gnashing of teeth” ✧ Ety/NAK
- N. nag- “to bite, to bite; [G.] to chew, gnaw” ✧ Ety/NAK
- N. nagol “tooth”
Variations
- ANK ✧ EtyAC/NAK
nakt-
noun. biting
Derivations
- ᴹ√NAK “bite”
Derivatives
- N. naeth “biting, gnashing of teeth” ✧ Ety/NAY
Gnomish
nactha-
verb. bite
Derivations
- ᴱ√NAKA “bite”
Element in
- G. nacthanaith “incisor (tooth)” ✧ GL/59
nanc
noun. bite
A noun appearing as G. nanc “a bite” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/59), clearly based on the early root ᴱ√NAKA “bite” (QL/64).
Neo-Sindarin: Since ᴹ√NAK “bite” appeared in Tolkien’s later writings, I’d retain the noun ᴺS. nanc “bite” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin.
Derivations
- ᴱ√NAKA “bite”
necha
noun. woe
Derivations
Element in
- G. a nech(a) “alas, o, woe” ✧ GL/59
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ᴱ√nı̯eχe· > necha [njexā] > [nexā] > [nexa] ✧ GL/59
Early Primitive Elvish
naka
root. bite
Derivatives
nı̯ēr
noun. grief
Derivations
Derivatives
- G. nîr “grief, sorrow” ✧ GL/60; LT1A/Mornië
Variations
- nı̯ēr- ✧ GL/60
- niēr- ✧ LT1A/Mornië
Early Quenya
nyére
noun. grief
Cognates
- G. nîr “grief, sorrow” ✧ GL/60; LT1A/Mornië
Derivations
Element in
- Eq. Mornie “Black Grief” ✧ LT1A/Mornië
Variations
- nyēre ✧ GL/60
- nyérë ✧ LT1A/Mornië
piqis(se)
noun. grief
Derivations
- ᴱ√PIQI “*bitter” ✧ QL/074
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ᴱ√PIQI > piqis [pikʷiss] > [pikʷis] ✧ QL/074 Variations
- piqis ✧ QL/074
- piqisse ✧ QL/074
nahta (2) noun "a bite" (NAK)