nō

root. become, be born

no(wo)

root. ahead, in front; after of time, tomorrow

A root given as ᴱ√NŌ in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with extended variants ᴱ√NOWO and ᴱ√NONO (both marked by Tolkien with a “?”) and glossed “ahead, in front; after of time, tomorrow” (QL/66). It was contrasted with ᴱ√DYE(NE) of the opposite meaning. It had derivatives like ᴱQ. nuo “tomorrow” and ᴱQ. nó “after (only of time)”. The latter appeared regularly in Tolkien’s later writings, but he kept vacillating on whether it meant “after” or “before”: see the entry on Q. nó for further discussion. For example, the word ✶nō “behind” appeared in a set of primitive monosyllabic forms from the late 1960s, but that list was marked through. As for the other branch of the Elvish languages, ᴱ√NŌ “after” had several derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/61) but no obviously related forms in later Noldorin or Sindarin.

yo(no) Reconstructed

root. YO(NO)

ū

root. not

vo(no) Reconstructed

root. son

maþa

root. dusk

This root was given as ᴱ√MASA¹ “dusk” in its main entry in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, but its Gnomish form math- indicates the true root was ᴱ√MAÞA (QL/59). This was clarified in a list of roots at the end of the M-section in the Qenya Lexicon (QL/63) and its representation as maþ- in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/59). Its most notable use in the legendarium was in the name G. Umboth-muilin “Pools (muil-plural) of Twilight (umboth)”, where G. umboth or umbath “nightfall” was derived from a strengthened form of the root, ᴱ√mbaþ- (GL/75). However, in later writings this name was reconceived as Ilk. Umboth Muilin “Veiled (muilin) Pool (umboth)”, with the first element umboth meaning “large pool” (Ety/MBOTH, MUY). The name was ultimately replaced with S. Aelin-uial (S/114), by which point the early root ᴱ√MAÞA was long abandoned.

ū

root. under

The root ᴱ√Ū⁽¹⁾ “under” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as a reduced form of {ᴱ√UGU >>} ᴱ√UƷU, with derivatives like ᴱQ. ū “beneath” and ᴱQ. umbe “dale, dell” (QL/96-97). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. um⁽⁾ “lowlying” and G. umbel “a dell” (GL/74). Tolkien noted that ᴱ√Ū also meant “not”, and contrasted ᴱ√Ū¹ “under” with ᴱ√NŪ (ᴱ√NUHU) of similar meaning (QL/68, 96). Indeed, in Tolkien’s later writings, √NŪ/UNU was the usual basis for “under” words, and ᴱ√Ū¹ “under” seems to have been abandoned.

kulu

root. gold

kulū

noun. gold

ī

root. be