ne

root. *in

A rejected root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with a strengthened form ✱ndē̆ serving as the basis for the prefix in N. nestag- “insert”, possibly related to ᴹ√NED “middle” (EtyAC/NĒ̆). The strengthened form may have been replaced by the root ᴹ√(N)DI “in” (EtyAC/NDI), but in later writing ✶ndī was given the meaning “beneath, not touching, under” (PE17/95). Despite the rejection of the root, the verb N. nestag- “insert” remained unmodified under the root ᴹ√STAK (Ety/STAK), and there is further evidence for the ne- prefix in the verb N. neledh- “enter” appearing on the 1936 draft of Thror’s Map from this same time period (TAI/150).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is worth retaining this (Noldorin and Sindarin-only?) prefix ne- “in”.

nē

adverb. was; then, ago

nĕ

suffix. ?genitive

negdē

noun. negdē

ned

root. NED

ner

root. NER

neñ

root. *nose

An unglossed root in The Etymologies of the 1930s appearing as both independent ᴹ√NEÑ (EtyAC/NEÑ-WI) and extended ᴹ√NEÑ-WI (Ety/NEÑ-WI), with derivatives like ᴹQ. nengwe/N. nem “nose” (Ety/NEÑ-WI). Similar forms meaning “nasal” appear in the first version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa from this same time period (TQ1: PE18/30, 46). This root is probably an updated version of primitive ᴹ✶nengǝ “beak, nose” in the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s (PE21/26), and ᴱQ. nen (neng-) “nostril” from the 1920s is probably also related (PE14/72; PE15/75; PE16/113).

neñwi

noun. nose

neg

root. *honey

neter

root. nine

ney

root. tear

Tolkien used similar forms throughout his life for Elvish words connected to “tears”, the most enduring being Q. Nienna “Lady of Pity and Mourning” and S. nirnaeth as in Nirnaeth Arnoediad “[Battle of] Tears Unnumbered”. The first manifestation of this root was as ᴱ√NYE(NE) “bleat” and ᴱ√NYEHE “weep” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, though Tolkien considered moving all the derivatives of ᴱ√NYE(NE) to ᴱ√NYEHE (QL/68). Nonetheless it seems the distinction survived in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon which had both nı̯e and nı̯eχe as primitive forms (GL/59-60). Early derivatives include ᴱQ. nyé “bleat” and ᴱQ. nyéni “she-goat” along with ᴱQ. nyére/G. nîr “grief” and ᴱQ. nie/G. nîn “tear”, the last of these appearing in G. Nínin-Udathriol, the earliest name of S. Nirnaeth Arnoediad.

The root reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√NEI̯ “tear” (Ety/NEI), though Tolkien considered and rejected alternate roots ᴹ√NEÑ (EtyAC/NEI) and ᴹ√NEI̯(ET) “moist” (NEI̯(ET)), the latter becoming the primitive word ᴹ✶neiti > ᴹQ. níte “moist, dewy” and N. nîd “damp, wet; tearful”. Other derivatives include ᴹQ. nie “tear”/N. nîn “tear” (same as the forms from the 1910s) as well as N. nírnaeth “lamentation” (Ety/NEI). Tolkien’s continued use of Q. Nienna (S/28) and S. nirnaeth (S/192) in later versions of the Silmarillion indicate this root’s ongoing validity.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think some of the Quenya nye- forms from the 1910s might be salvaged as abnormal vocalization from n(e)ye- < √NEY.

neinē

noun. tear

neiti

adjective. moist, dewy

nengǝ

noun. beak, nose

neiniel-

adjective. tearful

nel

root. three

neled

root. three

nen

root. *water

nendā

adjective. watery, wet

nenle

noun. brook

neth

root. young

nethrā

adjective. young

neñrē

noun. tear, weeping

nelek

root. tooth

nem-

verb. to seem

nē̆n

noun. water

ene

root. ?genitive

A root mentioned in Primitive Quendian Structure: Final Consonants from 1936 as the basis for the 1930s genitive suffix ᴹQ. -n. In later writings, the Quenya genitive suffix became Q. -o, and the dative suffix -n was given a new etymology from √NA/ANA, so likely ᴹ√ENE fell out of Tolkien’s favor for this particular use.

(e)ned

root. centre, middle

enek

root. six

win

root. new, fresh, young

yakta-

noun. neck

mauy-

verb. need (impersonal)

ugu

root. negative stems

umu

root. negative stems

wir

root. new, fresh, young

yak

root. *neck

An unglossed root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. yat/N. iaeth “neck” (Ety/YAK). It might also be the basis for later Sindarin S. iach “ford” as in S. Arossiach “Ford(s) of Aros” (S/121, WJ/338).

glisi

noun. honey

la-

prefix. no, not, negative prefix

lis

root. honey

thā

adverb. then, next

bereth

root. beech

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s serving principally as the basis for N. brethil “beech” (Ety/BERÉTH). In the notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s Tolkien instead connected brethil to the root √BARATH and S. bereth “queen”, where it had the true meaning of “princess” (PE17/23). But that could be a later association rather that a genuine etymology, and doesn’t necessarily invalidate ᴹ√BERETH (especially given the other phonological issues with S. bereth < √BARATH).

glindi

root. pale blue

A rejected root in The Etymologies of the 1930s for “pale blue” used in an abandoned explanation of N. Eredlindon as “Blue Mountains” (Ety/GLINDI; EtyAC/GLINDI). Later this name was S. Ered Lindon “Mountains of Lindon” (Ety/LIN²; S/123).

lop

root. horse, horse; [ᴱ√] *run (of animals), gallop, lope

This root was the basis for horse words starting with the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where it appeared unglossed as ᴱ√LOPO (QL/56). It was compared to the root ᴱ√LOQO, and these roots include the verbs ᴱQ. lopo- “gallop, run (of animals)” and ᴱQ. loqo- “run (of human beings)”, so I think it is likely those were the meanings of the roots as well (QL/56). In the Qenya Lexicon, ᴱ√LOPO had the derivatives ᴱQ. lōpa “horse or mare” and ᴱQ. lopsi “mare” (QL/56), but elsewhere in that document there was the word ᴱQ. lapatte “rabbit” < ᴱ✶lopatte, so I think that word is related as well, though Tolkien did mark the primitive form with a “?” (QL/51). The probably-related word ᴹQ. lopo “rabbit” appeared in a discussion of nouns from the early 1930s (PE21/31).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root ᴹ√LOP was glossed “horse”, and its derivatives ᴹQ. olombo and N. lobor had only that sense (EtyAC/LOP), but horse words were usually derived from ᴹ√ROK from the 1930s and later. The word Q. lopoldi “rabbits” appeared in some 1965 notes on Númenor, so It seems likely √LOP remained valid in some form. Another possibly related late word is S. ✱laba- “hop” as in S. Labadal “Hopafoot” (UT/60).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is worth retaining ᴹ√LOP with a verbal sense “✱gallop, lope”. In this way, it can remain the basis for rabbit words based on their loping run. The horse words from this root might be specialized for heavier loping horses like destriers, since ᴹQ. rokko was said to refer more specifically to a “swift horse” (EtyAC/ROK).

skil

root. [unglossed]

A root mentioned in passing in as a variant of ᴹ√KIL “divide” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, but it had no derivatives and appeared nowhere else (Ety/KIL).

thel(es)

root. sister

Tolkien gave this root in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√THEL and extended form ᴹ√THELES with the gloss “sister” and derivatives like ᴹQ. seler and N. thêl of the same meaning, both derived from the extended root as made clear by the Noldorin plural thelei < ON. thelehi (Ety/THEL). Hints of the roots continued use appear in the 1959 term Q. meletheldi “love-sisters” for close female friends (NM/20). In notes from the late 1960s, Tolkien gave Q. nésa and S. nethel as the words for “sister”, both from the root √NETH. Nevertheless, I think it is worth retaining ᴹ√THEL(ES) to represent more abstract notions of “sisterhood” for the purposes of Neo-Eldarin, for “metaphorical sister”s as opposed to Q. nésa/S. nethel for sisters by blood.

ndē̆-

prefix. in, inside

lugni

adjective. blue

wen-

noun. girl

nēthē

noun. youth

(n)der

root. adult male, man; bridegroom

akrā

adjective. narrow

dēr

noun. man

lin

root. pool

mizdā

adjective. wet

mī/imi

root. in, inside

nayak

root. pain

ndeuna

adjective. second

ndeuro

noun. follower, successor

nidwō

noun. bolster, cushion

not-

verb. to count

pher(en)

root. beech

win(i)d

root. pale blue

A rejected with roots with derivatives having to do with “blue-grey” and “fading” (Ety/WIN), perhaps replacing another rejected root ᴹ√GWINDI (EtyAC/GWINDI).

(n)dak

root. slay

(n)di

root. in

al

prefix. without

auluta-

verb. [unglossed]

bad-

verb. to judge

bay

root. [unglossed]

belē

noun. strength

dak

root. slay

der

root. adult male, man

edenā

adjective. first

eʒ-

verb. to be

imi

root. in

iw

root. [unglossed], [ᴱ√] *fish

kalrondō

noun. hero

kaltwa

?. [unglossed]

kelun

noun. river

khlip

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in a rejected paragraph from the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s (PE22/112 note #78).

khōn

noun. heart

kil

root. divide

kwentā

noun. tale

kōmā

noun. [unglossed]

laikwā

adjective. fresh

lī

noun. number

maiga

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root appearing in the first version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa from the 1930s (TQ1) to illustrate certain patterns of root formation (PE18/66). It may have serving as the basis for ᴹQ. Maia, though this word was given different derivations later.

maita-

verb. to feed

matna

noun. food

met

root. end

metta

noun. end

nakse

noun. tooth

nis

root. woman

nī

noun. woman

nībe

noun. front, face

nī̆s

noun. woman

phan

root. [unglossed]

A deleted root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with no glosses or derivatives and no clear function (EtyAC/PHAN).

pheren

noun. beech-tree

settā

adjective. first

sir

root. flow

stin

root. [unglossed]

stā

root. [unglossed]

A deleted root reference in The Etymologies apparently serving as the basis for the verbal action suffix ᴹ✶-stā “-ing” in ᴹ✶khau̯-stā “rest-ing” (Ety/KHAW; EtyAC/KHAW). See the entry on ✶-stā for further discussion.

ta

root. that

tekla

noun. pen

torōmā

noun. [unglossed]

tū

adjective. strength

uruk

root. [unglossed]

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with no glosses or derivatives and no clear function (EtyAC/URUK).

us

root. [unglossed]

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with no glosses or derivatives and no clear function (EtyAC/US).

wegtē

noun. manhood

weirē

feminine name. Weaver

windı̯ā

adjective. pale blue

yē

root. to be

ñgolda

adjective. wise

ē

root. to be

ī

root. to be