pel

root. fence, border, edge; bound, limit; go round, encircle, fence, border, edge; bound, limit; go round, encircle; [ᴹ√] revolve on fixed point

This root was connected to fences, encirclement and rotation for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as two distinct roots in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s. The first was ᴱ√PELE “fence in” with derivatives like ᴱQ. pelin “fenced in, pent”, ᴱQ. pelto “hedge, hedged field”, and ᴱQ. pelle “town” (QL/73). It had some clear derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. pel “village”, G. pelu- “fence, enclose”, and G. pless “hedge, fence” (GL/64). The second root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s was unglossed ᴱ√PELE with derivatives like ᴱQ. pelko “leg”, ᴱQ. pelte- “run”, and ᴱQ. peltas “pivot” (QL/73), but the “leg” word in the Gnomish Lexicon was unrelated: G. bactha “a leg” (GL/21).

Indeed, in Quenya the “leg” word was also shifted to a new root by The Etymologies of the 1930s: ᴹ√TELEK > ᴹQ. telko “leg” (Ety/TÉLEK). As for the root ᴹ√PEL, it was given the gloss “revolve on fixed point” in The Etymologies and seems to be a blending of 1910s ᴱ√PELE and ᴱ√PELE, with derivatives like ᴹQ. pel- “go round, revolve, return” and ᴹQ. peltas/N. pelthaes “pivot” (Ety/PEL) but also ᴹQ. peler/N. pêl “fenced field” and ᴹQ. opele/N. gobel “walled house or village, town” by way of extended root ᴹ√PEL(ES) (Ety/PEL(ES)).

The root √PEL appeared a number of times in Tolkien’s later writings with glosses like “edge, bound, fence, limit” (PE17/65), “fence, border” (PE17/90) and “go round, encircle” (SA/pel). Tolkien declared that:

> The basic sense should not be “revolve”; but “edge, bound, fence, limit”. Thus [S.] pelennor = fenced land; ephel, Sindarin < eppel < et­pel = “outer wall or fence”; [Q.] peltakse- (peltas) should mean a fence of fixed stakes etc., or a “pale” and fencing stakes; and pelma a border, fringe, edge, limiting device (PE17/65).

Tolkien reassigned the sense “revolve” to the root √KWER. The most notable derivative of the new sense “boundary” for √PEL was Q. pella “beyond”, more literally “beyond the boundary” (PE17/65, 80); this word was likely Tolkien’s motivation for removing the sense “revolve” from √PEL.

et-pel

noun. outer fence

tad

root. enclosure

peler

fenced field

peler noun "fenced field" (Old English tún) (PEL(ES) )

pelë

noun. revolution

hahta

noun. fence

fence, hedge

panda

enclosure

panda noun "enclosure" (PAD)

yonwa

fence, border, boundary

yonwa noun "fence, border, boundary" (PE17:43)

pêl

fence, fenced field

(i bêl, construct pel) (enclosure, garth), pl. peli (i pheli), the latter forms reflecting the stem pele- (root PEL(ES), LR:380)

pêl

garth

pêl (i bêl, construct pel) (fence, fenced field, enclosure), pl. peli (i pheli), the latter forms reflecting the stem pele- (root __, LR:380)

pêl

garth

(i bêl, construct pel) (fence, fenced field, enclosure), pl. peli (i pheli), the latter forms reflecting the stem pele- (root PEL(ES), LR:380)

pêl

enclosure

pêl (i bêl, construct pel) (fence, fenced field, garth), pl. peli (i pheli), the latter forms reflecting the stem pele- (root __, LR:380).

pêl

enclosure

(i bêl, construct pel) (fence, fenced field, garth), pl. peli (i pheli), the latter forms reflecting the stem pele- (root PEL(ES), LR:380).

cail

noun. fence or palisade of spikes and sharp stakes

cerin

noun. circular enclosure

cerin

noun. mound

ephel

noun. outer fence, encircling fence

iath

noun. fence

iath

noun. fence

iâth

noun. fence

iâth

noun. fence

cail

fence

(i gail, o chail) (palisade); no distinct pl. form except with article (i chail).

cerin

circular enclosure

(i gerin, o cherin) (circular raised mound), no distinct pl. form except with article (i cherin).

ephel

fence

(pl. ephil)

ephel

outer fence

(encircling fence) ephel (pl. ephil)

ephel

outer fence

(pl. ephil)

iâd

noun. fence

iâth

fence

(noun) 1) iâth (construct iath, pl. iaith) (WJ:370, 378), also ?iâd (construct iad), pl. iaid. 2) lest (girdle, boundary), pl. list, 3) (outer/encircling fence) ephel (pl. ephil), 4) (with spikes and sharp stakes) cail (i gail, o chail) (palisade); no distinct pl. form except with article (i chail).

iâth

fence

(construct iath, pl. iaith) (WJ:370, 378), also ?iâd (construct iad), pl. iaid.

lest

fence

(girdle, boundary), pl. list

thangail

shield fence

(shield wall). No distinct pl. form? (UT:281)

thora

fence

(verb) *thora- (the curious form ”thoro-” occurs in the primary source, LR:393 s.v. THUR). The passive participle thoren ”fenced, guarded, hidden” is cited (pl. thorin).

thora

fence

(the curious form ”thoro-” occurs in the primary source, LR:393 s.v. THUR). The passive participle thoren ”fenced, guarded, hidden” is cited (pl. thorin).

ephel

noun. outer fence

pêl

noun. fenced field

cerin

noun. circular enclosure

cerin

noun. mound

ephel

noun. outer fence, encircling fence

thora-

verb. to fence

hacta, hatta

noun. fence

fence, hedge