niquë

snow

niquë (2) ("q")noun "snow" (NIK-W)

niquë

it is cold, it freezes; it snows or freezes

niquë (1) vb. "it is cold, it freezes; it snows or freezes" (WJ:417, PE17:168), 3rd sg. of nicu-, q.v.

niquë

noun. cold, cold; [ᴹQ.] snow

Derivations

• √NIK(W) “(also of) snow, ice, snow, ice; *white” ✧ PE17/168

Element in

• Q. taniquelassë “*high-white-leaf”
• Q. Taniquetil “High White Peak” ✧ PE17/168; PE17/168

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NIK > nī̆que	[nikwe]	✧ PE17/168

Variations

• nī̆que ✧ PE17/168
• nique ✧ WJ/417

niqu-

verb. to be chill, cold, freeze (of weather), snow

A verb in the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 glossed “be chill, cold (of weather)” (WJ/417). It also appeared in some etymological notes from around 1959 as a derivative of the root √NIK(W) and with the glosses “to snow, it is chill, it freezes” (PE17/168). In this 1959 note Tolkien gave several inflected forms making it clear nicu- was an impersonal verb: nīqua “it is freezing”, nicune “it snowed, froze”.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d mostly use nicu- as an impersonal verb for cold weather: nique “it is cold, it is freezing”. For the freezing of water or similar substances, I’d use ᴺQ. hel-. For “to snow” I’d use ᴺQ. hris-, a modernization of archaic †hriz-.

Derivations

• √NIK(W) “(also of) snow, ice, snow, ice; *white” ✧ PE17/168

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NIK > niku-	[nikw-]	✧ PE17/168

Variations

• niku- ✧ PE17/168; WJ/417

nicu-

be chill, cold (of weather); to snow, it is cold, it freezes

nicu- ("k")vb. "be chill, cold (of weather); to snow, it is cold, it freezes" (WJ:417, PE17:168): 3rd sg. aorist niquë (q.v.) "it snows or freezes", present níqua "it is freezing", pa.t. nicunë "it snowed, froze" (PE17:168)

fáwë

snow

fáwë vb. "snow" (GL:35; rather lossë in Tolkien's later Quenya)

hriz-

verb. to snow

In notes written around 1959, Tolkien experimented with various roots for impersonal “snow” verbs, first giving the aorist form of a derived verb Q. hrisya “it snows” < hriþya from the root √SRITH, then the present tense form of a basic verb Q. hríza “it is snowing” from the root √SRIS (PE17/168).

Neo-Quenya: The basic verb form †hriz- is likely archaic, since z usually became r in Quenya’s phonetic development. In this case, though, I suspect the medial z dissimilated back to s after the hr, since Quenya disliked repeated r’s (PE19/73-74). This occurred, for example, with the verb ras- “stick out” < †raz- < √RAS.

Thus, I would use modern Quenya hrise “[it] snows”, hrinse “[it] snowed”, ihrísie “[it] has snowed”. Since this is an impersonal verbs, no explicit subject is required.

Derivations

• √SRIS “snow” ✧ PE17/168

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√SRIS > hríza	[srīsa] > [r̥īsa] > [r̥īza]	✧ PE17/168

lossë

snow

lossë (1) noun "snow" or adj. "snow-white" (SA:los, MC:213, VT42:18); losselië noun"white people" (MC:216, PE16:96)

nicu-

verb. to be chill, cold, freeze (of weather), snow

olos

snow, fallen snow

†olos (2) noun "snow, fallen snow" (prob. oloss-, cf. the longer form olossë below; this form should be preferred since olos also = "dream, vision") (GOLOS)

olossë

snow, fallen snow

†olossë noun "snow, fallen snow" (GOLÓS, LOT[H])

ringa

cold

ringa adj. "cold" (Markirya); the Etymologies gives ringë (RINGI), but it seems that ringa is to be preferred (cf. Ringarë below). Yá hrívë tenë, ringa ná "when winter comes, it is cold" (VT49:23). According to VT46:11, Tolkien originally used the form ringa in Etym as well; later he would restore it. - In early "Qenya", ringa is glossed "damp, cold, chilly" (LT1:265)

ringa

adjective. cold, cold, [ᴱQ.] chilly; damp

Cognates

• S. ring “cold, chill, cold, chill, [G.] cool”

Derivations

• ✶ringā
  • √RINGI “cold”

Element in

• Q. Ringarë “December, *Coldness”
• Q. ringa súmaryassë “in her cold bosom” ✧ MC/222
• Q. yá hríve menë, ringa ná “when winter comes/arrives/is with us, it is cold” ✧ VT49/23 (yá hríve tene, ringa ná)

ringë

cold

ringë adj. "cold", also ringa (which form is to be preferred; cf. Ringarë in LotR). In the Etymologies as printed in LR, ringë is also given as a noun "cold pool or lake (in mountains)", but according to VT46:11 this noun should read ringwë. (RINGI)

yelwa

cold

yelwa (2) adj. "cold" (LT1:260 this "Qenya" word is apparently obsoleted by # 1 above. In LotR-style Quenya, the regular term for "cold" seems to be ringa.)

hris-

verb. to snow

gloss

adjective. snow-white, dazzling-white

los

snow

{ŏ}_ n. _snow. Q. losse. >> glos, glosui, loss, Loss(h)oth

loss

noun. snow (especially fallen or long-lying snow)

loss

noun. snow

_ n. _snow. Q. losse. >> glos, glosui, los, Loss(h)oth

ring

adjective. cold

glosta-

verb. to snow

A neologism for “to snow” coined by Fiona Jallings, based on the root √(G)LOS “snow, whiteness”.

Derivations

• √(G)LOS “snow, whiteness”

helch

bitterly cold

(lenited chelch; pl. hilch);

loss

snow

(fallen snow) loss (construct los; pl. lyss if there is a pl.) (RGEO:61-62, Letters:278, VT42:18) (Note: homophones mean ”flower” [more commonly loth] and ”wilderness”.).

rim

cold pool/lake

; no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rim), coll. pl. rimmath. Note: a homophone means ”crowd, great number, host”.

ring

cold

(adj.) ring (no distinct pl. form),

ring

cold

(no distinct pl. form)

ringi

root. cold

Tolkien used very similar forms for Elvish words for “cold” for all of his life. The earliest iteration of this root was unglossed ᴱ√RIŊI in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. rin (ring-) “dew” and ᴱQ. ringa “damp, cold, chilly” (QL/80). The root had similar derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. rî “coolness, cool” and G. ring “cool, cold” (GL/65). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave the root {ᴹ√RINGĀ >>} ᴹ√RINGI “cold” with derivatives like ᴹQ. ringe/N. rhing “cold” (Ety/RINGI; EtyAC/RINGI). Primitive forms ✶riñgi “chill” and ✶riñgā appeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s (PE21/80), and Christopher Tolkien mentioned √ring as the basis for cold words in the Silmarillion Appendix (SA/ring).

Derivatives

• ✶ringā
  • Q. ringa “cold, cold, [ᴱQ.] chilly; damp”
• ✶ringi “chill”
• Q. Ringarë “December, *Coldness” ✧ SA/ring
• Q. Ringil ✧ SA/ring
• S. ring “cold, chill, cold, chill, [G.] cool” ✧ SA/ring

Variations

• ring ✧ SA/ring

gloss

adjective. snow-white, dazzling-white

helch

noun. bitter cold

rhing

adjective. cold

rhing

adjective. cold

Changes

• rheng → rhing ✧ Ety/RINGI

Cognates

• ᴹQ. ringe “cold, cold, *chill” ✧ Ety/RINGI

Derivations

• On. ringe “cold” ✧ Ety/RINGI; EtyAC/RINGI
  • ᴹ√RINGI “cold” ✧ Ety/RINGI; EtyAC/RINGI

Element in

• N. Himring “Ever-cold”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. ringe > rhing	[riŋge] > [riŋg] > [r̥iŋg] > [r̥iŋ]	✧ Ety/RINGI
On. ringa > rheng	[riŋga] > [reŋga] > [reŋg] > [r̥eŋg] > [r̥eŋ]	✧ EtyAC/RINGI

Variations

• rheng ✧ EtyAC/RINGI (rheng)