Ipsin

fine thread

Ipsin noun "fine thread" (PE17:17)

ipsin

noun. fine thread

A word for “fine thread” derived from the root √SPIN- in notes from the mid-1960s (PE17/17).

Cognates

• S. esbin “thin thread, tress” ✧ PE17/017

Derivations

• √SPIN(ID) “fine thread, filament; hair” ✧ PE17/017

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√SPIN- > ipsin	[ispin] > [ipsin]	✧ PE17/017

findë

hair

findë (1) noun "hair" (especially of the head) (PM:340), "a tress or plait of hair" (PM:345), "tress, braid of hair, lock of hair" (SPIN)

finë

hair

finë (1) (stem *fini-, given the primitive form ¤phini) noun "a hair" _(PM:340, PE17:17) or "larch" (SPIN)_

loxë

hair

loxë (1) ("ks")noun "hair" (LOK). In later sources Tolkien uses findë, findessë, findilë for "hair", leaving the conceptual status of loxë uncertain.

finca

clever

finca adj. "clever" (in petty ways) (PE17:119). A distinct form finca is also mentioned as the cognate of Sindarin fineg, but neither form is clearly glossed. The word-group under consideration has to do with hair(PE17:17).

finya

adjective. clever

Derivations

• √PHIN “clever, skillful; neat, fine, delicate; skill, dexterity, clever, skillful; neat, fine, delicate; skill, dexterity, [ᴹ√] nimbleness” ✧ PE17/017

Element in

• ᴺQ. finyalë “cleverness”
• Q. leptafinya “clever-fingered” ✧ PE17/017

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√PHIN- > finya	[pʰinja] > [ɸinja] > [finja]	✧ PE17/017

lia

fine thread, spider filament

lia noun "fine thread, spider filament" (SLIG).

laws

noun. hair ringlet

find

hair

(construct fin), no distinct pl. form, coll. pl. finnath.

fîn

hair

1) (a single hair) fîn (construct fin), no distinct pl. form. (PM:362), 2) (lock of hair, tress) find (construct fin), no distinct pl. form, coll. pl. finnath.

fîn

hair

(construct fin), no distinct pl. form. (PM:362)

fast

shaggy hair

(pl. faist if there is a pl.).

lhê

fine thread

*lhê (?i thlê or ?i lê the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (spider filament), pl. lhî (?i lî). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” thlê.

lhê

fine thread

*lhê (?i thlê or ?i lê the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (spider filament), pl. lhî (?i lî). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” thlê. -THREAD, see MIST.

maen

clever

maen (lenited vaen; no distinct pl. form) (skilled) (noun):

maen

clever

(lenited vaen; no distinct pl. form) (skilled)

phin

root. hair

phin

root. clever, skillful; neat, fine, delicate; skill, dexterity, clever, skillful; neat, fine, delicate; skill, dexterity, [ᴹ√] nimbleness

This root has a long history in Tolkien’s Elvish languages, always having to do with clever and skillful things in association with the name Q. Finwë. It first appeared as unglossed ᴱ√FINI in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. finie “cunning” and ᴱQ. finwa “acute, sagacious” (QL/38). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. fim “clever; right hand”, G. fimlios “skillfulness”, and G. finthi “idea, notion” (GL/35). It reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “nimbleness, skill” and derivatives like ON. phinde “skill” and ON. phinya “skillful” (Ety/PHIN).

The root appeared a number of times in Tolkien’s later writings, as √PHIN- “skilful, neat, clever (especially applied to hands and fingers)” (PE17/17), √PHĪ/PHINI “skill, dexterity” (PE17/119), and √PHĬN “clever, fine, delicate” (PE17/119). In both The Etymologies and in later writings Tolkien made a point that this root was distinct from √SPIN from which various “hair” words were derived (Ety/PHIN; PE17/17), though in one place Tolkien gave that root also as √PHIN- (PM/340).

Derivatives

• Q. finca “clever (in petty ways), clever (in petty ways), *tricky” ✧ PE17/119
• Q. finda “fine and delicately made” ✧ PE17/181
• Q. fínë “dexterity” ✧ PE17/119
• ᴺQ. finië “cunning”
• Q. finta- “to make, finish off, decorate a thing with delicate work; to show skill” ✧ PE17/017; PE17/119
• Q. fintalë “trick” ✧ PE17/119
• Q. finwa “clever, fine, delicate; dexterous, ️dexterous, clever; fine, delicate; [ᴱQ.] acute, sagacious” ✧ PE17/119; PE17/181
• Q. finya “clever” ✧ PE17/017
• Q. finya- “to do/make a thing (with fine work)” ✧ PE17/181
• ᴺS. finc “trick”
• ᴺS. finna- “to trick, deceive, cheat, take in”

Element in

• Q. Findis ✧ PE17/119
• Q. Finwë ✧ PE17/017

Variations

• PHIN- ✧ PE17/017
• PHĪ ✧ PE17/119; PE17/181
• PHINĪ ✧ PE17/119; PE17/181
• PHIN ✧ PE17/151; PE17/181
• PHĬN ✧ PE17/181

spin(id)

root. fine thread, filament; hair

Tolkien had Elvish “hair” words that began with fin- for most of his life, but the details of their derivation evolved. The earliest form of this root was unglossed ᴱ√FIÐI [FIÐI] in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. findl “lock of hair” and ᴱQ. firin “ray of sun” (QL/38). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. fiðra “collective hair” and {findel >>} G. finn “a lock of hair” (GL/35), the latter an element in the name G. Glorfindel “Golden Hair”, a name that retained this form and meaning for all of Tolkien’s life.

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had unglossed ᴹ√SPIN with derivatives like ᴹQ. finde “tress, braid of hair” and N. finnel “(braided) hair” (Ety/SPIN). He made a point that this root was distinct from ᴹ√PHIN “nimbleness, skill” (Ety/PHIN), a distinction he reemphasized in later writings as well (PE17/17, 119). The additional form ᴹQ. fine “larch” (a species of tree with needle-like leaves) indicates the 1930s root was not limited exclusively to “hair” (Ety/SPIN). The root √SPIN appeared a number of times in Tolkien’s later writings, variously glossed “single hair, filament” >> “fine thread, filament” (PE17/17), “lock, tress of human/elvish hair” as extended √SPIN-ID (PE17/119), or “single hair” (PE17/185). However, in The Shibboleth of Feanor from 1968 Tolkien gave the root as √PHIN “hair” (PM/340).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would ignore this 1968 change of √SPIN >> √PHIN. Furthermore, I would assume √SPIN referred to a single hair or other kind of filament, and extended √SPINID referred to a tress of hair.

Derivatives

• ✶phini- “a single hair”
  • S. fîn “(single) hair, filament” ✧ PM/362
• ✶phinik ✧ PE17/017
  • Q. finca “[unglossed]” ✧ PE17/017
  • S. fing “lock of hair” ✧ PE17/017
• ✶spindē “tress, braid of hair” ✧ PE17/017
  • S. find “tress; single hair, tress, [ON.] lock of hair; [ᴱN.] hair (in general); [S.] single hair” ✧ PE17/017
• ✶phindē “tress”
  • S. find “tress; single hair, tress, [ON.] lock of hair; [ᴱN.] hair (in general); [S.] single hair” ✧ PM/362
• ✶spini- “thin thread” ✧ PE17/017
  • S. esbin “thin thread, tress” ✧ PE17/017
• Q. findë “hair (especially of the head), tress or plait of hair, hair (especially of the head); tress or plait of hair, [ᴹQ.] braid of hair” ✧ PE17/119; PM/340
• Q. finë “(single) hair, filament” ✧ PE17/017; PE17/017; PM/340
• Q. ipsin “fine thread” ✧ PE17/017
• S. esbin “thin thread, tress” ✧ PE17/119
• ᴺS. fidhras “collective hair, *all hair on the body”
• S. fîn “(single) hair, filament” ✧ PE17/017

Element in

• ✶spindilā “head of hair” ✧ PE17/017; PE17/017; PE17/017; PE17/119
• Q. Finwë ✧ PM/340

Variations

• SPIN- ✧ PE17/017; PE17/017
• SPIN-ID ✧ PE17/119
• SPĬN ✧ PE17/185
• SPIN ✧ PE17/185
• fin- ✧ PM/340
• PHIN ✧ PM/340

findel

noun. (braided) hair

finnel

noun. (braided) hair

lhaws

noun. hair ringlet

fast

noun. shaggy hair