pí

noun. small insect, fly, small insect, fly, *mite, gnat; [ᴱQ.] speck, spot, dot, mote

A noun for a “small insect, fly” appearing in notes from 1968 as an example of a primitive monosyllabic noun that survived in modern Quenya (VT47/35). Its primitive form was originally glossed “small bird”. I think it might apply to other tiny insects like mites or gnats, based on its conceptual precursors. Likely it is related to the root √PI(N) for tiny things.

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s Tolkien had ᴱQ. pī “speck, spot, dot, mote” and ᴱQ. pin or pink “a little thing, mite”, the latter also serving as a diminutive ending, all under the early roots ᴱ√PINI, ᴱ√PIKI, or ᴱ√PĪ (QL/73). It is unclear whether or not ᴱQ. pin(k) “mite” could refer to an insect or only a tiny thing. In the Declension of Nouns of the early 1930s, Tolkien had ᴹQ. mí “fly” (PE21/40).

pí

small insect, fly

pí noun "small insect, fly" (VT47:35)

pir-

spin, turn

pir- "spin, turn" (apparently intransitive). Actually cited in the form piri-, perhaps with the connecting vowel of the aorist included. "Qenya" pa.t. pírë. (QL:74)

píca-

lessen, dwindle, waning

píca- (2) ("k") vb. "lessen, dwindle, waning"; participle pícala "waning" (with locative ending: pícalassë) in Markirya

pícë

upon

pícë ("k") prep.? "upon" (???) (MC:214; this is "Qenya")

pia

little

pia adj. "little" (PE17:115); variants picina ("k"), pincë ("k"), pitya

pinilya

small

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

pitya

little

#pitya adj. "little" in Pityafinwë, Pitya-naucor

pic-

verb. to lessen, dwindle, wane

pia

adjective. little

picina

adjective. little

pincë

adjective. little

pímótar

noun. ant, (lit.) insect-worker

A neologism for a “ant” coined by Ellanto on 2023-05-29 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) as a combination of pí “small insect” and [ᴺQ.] mótar(o) “worker”, hence literally “insect-worker”.

píta-

verb. to reduce, decrease

apa

on

apa (2) prep. denoting "on" with reference to contact of surfaces, especially vertical surface (in the sense in which a picture hangs on a wall). Apa is said to have this meaning in various Tolkien manuscripts (VT44:26), but apa is also used for "after" (see apa #1 above), and the two were probably never meant to coexist in a single variant of Quenya. The clash may be avoided by consistently using the variants pá, pa (q.v.) mentioned by Tolkien in the sense of apa #2. Another variant gives apa, pá "on (above but touching)" (VT49:18).

pá

on

pá, pa (1) prep. "on" with reference to contact of surfaces, especially vertical surface (in the sense in which a picture hangs on a wall); also used = "touching, as regards, concerning" (VT44:26). Another variant gives pá (and apa) with the meaning "on (above but touching)". (2) Variants of apa "after" (VT44:36), which preposition is in one source also ascribed the first meaning here discussed. For Neo-Quenya purposes, pá and pa may be used for "on" or "concerning", whereas apa is used for "after" (see entries for apa #1 and #2), or pa may also be seen as a shorter form of apa "after", as in the phrase yéni pa yéni *"years upon years" (VT44:36)

quihta-

verb. to shoot

quirmë

noun. cream

-lma

suffix. our (inclusive)

-lva

suffix. our (inclusive)

-lwa

suffix. our (inclusive)

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)

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)

nitya

adjective. little

níca

small

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

sára

bitter

sára (1) adj. "bitter" (SAG)

titta

little, tiny

titta adj. "little, tiny" (TIT)

tixe

noun. dot

tixë

dot, tiny mark, point

tixë ("ks")noun "dot, tiny mark, point" (TIK)

sáralë

noun. bitterness

pī

noun. small insect, fly

pi(n) Reconstructed

root. little

Tolkien used a variety of roots for Elvish words for “small”. One early root was ᴱ√PIKI with variants ᴱ√PINI and ᴱ√PĪ from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, unglossed but with derivatives like ᴱQ. pínea “small” and ᴱQ. pinqe “slender, thin” (QL/73). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. pinig “tiny, little” and G. pibin “small berry, haw” (GL/64).

The root reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as unglossed {ᴹ√PEK >>} ᴹ√PIK with derivatives like N. pigen “tiny” and N. peg “small spot, dot” (Ety/PIK; EtyAC/PIK). Further evidence for this root can be seen in later words like Q. piki- or pitya “petty” (WJ/389) and Q. pik- “lessen, dwindle” (MC/223). A variant root √PEY appeared in a list of roots having to do with large and small, with a single derivative Q. pia “little” [< ✱peya], but it was immediately followed by the forms pikina, pinke, pitya which point back to √PIK (PE/117).

Further evidence of early forms ᴱ√PINI and ᴱ√PĪ can also be seen in Tolkien’s later writings. There is S. ✱pîn “little” in S. Cûl Bîn “Little Load” (RC/536), ✶pī {“small bird” >>} “small insect” (VT47/35), and T. pinke “little-one, baby” (VT48/6), though the last of these might be from √PIK. In any case it seems Tolkien continued to use all of √PI, √PIK and √PIN to form words for little things into the late 1960s.

In The Shibboleth of Fëanor from the late 1960s, Tolkien changed pitya to Q. nitya in the name Q. Nityafinwë “Little Finwë” (PM/353, 365 note #59), which may indicate a replacement of √PIK by √NIK, another root used regularly in Tolkien’s later writings for “small”. But I believe √PIK and √NIK may coexist with slightly different meanings: “tiny” vs. “small”; see the entry on √NIK for further discussion.

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

pîn

adjective. little

Similar words occur in Gnomish (pinig "tiny, little", PE/11:64) and in Qenya (pinea "small" etc., PE/12:73)

pîn

adjective. little

píeg

noun. mosquito

A neologism coined by Hialmr in 2018-04-22 on the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), as a combination of ✶pī “small insect” and [N.] êg “thorn”.

pítha-

verb. to shoot

pîr

noun. cream

pîn

pronoun. our (inclusive)

tachol

brooch

tachol (i dachol, o thachol) (pin), analogical pl. techyl (i thechyl)

tachol

brooch

(i dachol, o thachol) (pin), analogical pl. techyl (i thechyl)

pêg

dot

pêg (i bêg, construct peg) (small spot), pl. pîg (i phîg)

tithen

little

1) tithen (lenited dithen, pl. tithin) (tiny), 2) pîn (lenited bîn; no distinct pl. form) (RC:536).

pêg

small spot

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

pêg

small spot

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

pêg

dot

(i bêg, construct peg) (small spot), pl. pîg (i phîg)

am

upon

(prep.) am (probably followed by soft mutation)

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)

or

on

(prep.) 1) or (above), with article erin ”on the” (followed by ”mixed mutation” according to David Salos reconstructions). Erin represents archaic örin. 2)

po

on

po (lenited bo) (VT44:23)

saer

bitter

saer (lenited haer; no distinct pl. form).

sâd

spot

sâd (-had; i hâd, o sâd, construct sad) (place, limited area naturally or artificially defined), pl. said (i said) (UT:314, VT42:20)

bo

preposition. on

cidinn

adjective. small

_ adj. _small. Q. cinta.

cinnog

adjective. small

_ adj. _small. Q. cinta.

erin

preposition. on the

niben

adjective. small, petty

niben

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

nimp

adjective. small and frail

aew

small bird

. No distinct pl. form.

am

upon

(probably followed by soft mutation)

glâd

small forest

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

gwîn

pronoun. our (inclusive)

helch

bitterly cold

(lenited chelch; pl. hilch)

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

niben

small

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

nimp

small

no distinct pl. form (VT48:18)

or

on

(above), with article erin ”on the” (followed by ”mixed mutation” according to David Salo’s reconstructions). Erin represents archaic örin.

po

on

(lenited bo) (VT44:23)

saer

bitter

(lenited haer; no distinct pl. form).

sâd

spot

(-had; i hâd, o sâd, construct sad) (place, limited area naturally or artificially defined), pl. said (i said) (UT:314, VT42:20)

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.

mithren

adjective. small

mîw

adjective. small, tiny, frail

peg

noun. small spot, dot

saer

adjective. bitter

saer

adjective. bitter

tithen

adjective. little, tiny

aya

preposition. upon

-nud Reconstructed

preposition. on

A preposition attested only in the phrase “on us” in the Lament of Akallabêth, changing through the drafts as nēnum >> nēnu >> nēnud (SD/247, 312). Most authors identify -nud as the prepositional element (AAD/20, LGtAG, NBA/14), perhaps related to Q. nu “under”. If so, it may be a derivative of the Elvish roots √NŪ/UNU “under” or √NDU “down”, with a semantic shift to the meaning “on”.