niben-nog

proper name. Petty Dwarf

A Sindarin term for a Petty Dwarf (PE17/46), a variation on the better known Nogoth Niben, a combination of niben “petty” and a suffixal form -nog of naug “dwarf”, because [[s|[au] became [o] in polysyllables]] in Sindarin. This term was first published in its plural forms Nibin-noeg (UT/100) and Nibin-nogrim “Petty-dwarves” (UT/148). Tolkien considered numerous variations on the singular form of this name (WJ/187, note #26).

niben

adjective. petty, petty, *small

niben

adjective. small, petty

niben

adjective. little finger (Elvish play-name used by and taught to children)

niben-nog

noun. Petty dwarf

_ n. _Petty dwarf. [PE17:46] >> cadhad, noged, nogon, nogoth

nogoth niben

proper name. Petty Dwarf

A Sindarin term for a Petty Dwarf (WJ/388), first published in its plural forms Noegyth Nibin “Petty-dwarves” (S/204). This name is a combination of Nogoth “Dwarf” and niben “petty” (WJ/388).

Niben-naug

petty-dwarf

*Niben-naug, -nog; pl. Nibin-noeg, coll. pl. Nibin-nogrim (UT:148)

Niben-naug

petty-dwarf

1) *Niben-naug, -nog; pl. Nibin-noeg, coll. pl. Nibin-nogrim (UT:148), 2) Nogoth niben, pl. Negyth nibin (archaic pl. ”Noegyth nibin” = Nögyth nibin, WJ:388, 408). Also called nogotheg (”dwarflet”), pl. negethig for archaic nögethig (WJ:388).

niben

petty

niben (small), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger (VT48:6).

niben

small

(petty), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger. (VT48:6) 

niben

petty

(small), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger (VT48:6).

niben-naug

petty-dwarf

nog; pl. Nibin-noeg, coll. pl. *Nibin-nogrim** (UT:148)*

mîw

small

1) mîw (tiny, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form, 2) niben (petty), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger. (VT48:6) 3) SMALL (and frail) nimp, no distinct pl. form (VT48:18)

cadhad

noun. dwarf

cidinn

adjective. small

_ adj. _small. Q. cinta.

cinnog

adjective. small

_ adj. _small. Q. cinta.

hadhod

noun. Dwarf

nimp

adjective. small and frail

noegin

noun. Petty Dwarf

This entry includes several experimental Sindarin names for Petty Dwarves from later writings (PE17/45-6, WJ/187). They all have the initial element naug “dwarf” or older variant N. Nawag, and various diminutives as final elements.

noged

Petty dwarf

pl1. nœgid _ n. _Petty dwarf. [PE17:46] >> cadhad, nogon, nogoth

aew

small bird

. No distinct pl. form.

glâd

small forest

(i ’lâd, construct glad) (wood), pl. glaid (in glaid).

hadhod

dwarf

(i chadhod, o chadhod), pl. hedhyd (i chedhyd), coll. pl. hadhodrim (WJ:388). This was a word borrowed from Dwarvish Khazâd.

hûb

small landlocked bay

(i chûb, o chûb, construct hub) (harbour, haven), pl. huib (i chuib).

mîw

small

(tiny, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form

naug

dwarf

(in compounds -nog), pl. #noeg, coll. pl. naugrim, nogrim. (WJ:388, 408, 413; VT45:13). In ”Noldorin” the pl. was nuig, but the Sindarin pl. form noeg is attested in Nibin-noeg ”Petty-dwarves” (WJ:187, 420). Note: naug is also used as an adj. ”dwarfed, stunted”. This word for ”dwarf” also appears in a diminutive form: naugol (in compounds naugla-), coll. pl. nauglath. 2)

nimp

small

no distinct pl. form (VT48:18)

nogoth

dwarf

(pl. negyth; coll. pl. nogothrim). Archaic pl. ”noegyth” = nögyth (WJ:388, 408) 3) norn (pl. nyrn, coll. pl. nornwaith). From the adj. norn ”twisted, knotted, crabbed, hard”. (MR:93, WJ:205) 4) #Gonhir (i ’Onhir), literally ”Master of Stone”, no distinct pl. form except with article (i Ngonhir = i Ñonhir, maybe primarily used as a coll. pl. Gonhirrim  (WJ:205, there spelt ”Gonnhirrim”) The coll. pl. Dornhoth ("Thrawn folk") (WJ:388, 408) also refers to the Dwarves.

nogotheg

petty-dwarf

(”dwarflet”), pl. negethig for archaic nögethig (WJ:388).

nîf

front

nîf (construct nif) (face). No distinct pl. form.

nîf

front

(construct nif) (face). No distinct pl. form.

pêg

small spot

(i** bêg, construct peg) (dot), pl. pîg (i** phîg) 

tinu

small star

(i** dinu, o thinu; also -din at the end of compounds) (spark), analogical pl. tiny (i** thiny). Archaic tinw, so the coll. pl. is likely  tinwath.

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 √PĪ 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.

nimpĭ

adjective. small

ninkĭ

adjective. small

nîf

noun. front, face

mithren

adjective. small

mîw

adjective. small, tiny, frail

naug

noun. Dwarf

nawag

noun. Dwarf

nîf

noun. front, face

khuzd

noun. Dwarf

casar

noun. Dwarf

cinta

small

cinta adj. "small" (PE17:157)

cinta

adjective. small

inya

small

inya (2) adj. "small" (LT1:256; this "Qenya" word may be obsoleted by # 1 above)

mintë

small

mintë adj. "small" (VT45:35)

mitsa

small

mitsa adj. "small" (VT45:35) Another synonym from the same source, mitra, looks unusual for a Quenya word (because of the medial cluster tr)

nauco

noun. dwarf

naucon

noun. Dwarf

nincë

small

*nincë (ninci*-) ("k")adj. "small". The form is given as "ninki" with the last vowel marked as short; this is probably the etymological form that would underlie Quenya nincë. The word is said to mean "small" with "good senses"; contrast nípa**, *nimpë. (VT48:18)

nitya

small

#nitya adj. "small" (VT48:15, PM:365)

norno

noun. Dwarf

A word for a Dwarf (WJ/388), a personalized form of the adjective norna “stiff, tough” (WJ/413), patterned after S. dorn.

nuxo

petty dwarf

nuxo noun "Petty dwarf" (PE17:45; the spellings "nukso" and "nuxo" both occur in the source). Elsewhere the Petty-dwarves are called Picinaucor or Pitya-naucor, q.v.

nuxo

noun. Petty dwarf

níca

small

níca ("k")adj. "small". The word is said to mean "small" with "good senses"; contrast nípa, *nimpë. (VT47:26, VT48:18)

pinilya

small

pinilya adj. "small" (MC:220; this is "Qenya")

hyámen

noun. front

pentë

noun. front