pitya

adjective. petty, little

A word for “petty” appearing in the name Quenya name Pitya-naucor “Petty-dwarves” from the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 (WJ/389). In The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968, it was used for “little” in the name Pityafinwë “Little Finwë” whose short name was Pityo (PM/353). In this document, the long name was revised to Nityafinwë, but the short name remained unchanged. In a word in a list of “large & small” roots from around 1968, Tolkien had pitya beside related words pikina and pinke, all following pia “little” which was derived from √PEYE (PE17/115). The words pikina, pinke were clearly derived from a different root ᴹ√PIK (Ety/PIK). The same is almost certainly true of pitya as well, with primitive ✱pik-yā becoming pitya because ky became ty in (Ancient) Quenya.

Conceptual Development: There are a couple of earlier “small” words beginning with p. The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. pīnea “small” under the early root ᴱ√PIKI or ᴱ√PINI (QL/73). The first version of the Oilima Markirya poem had ᴱQ. pinilya “small” in the phrase pinilya wilwarindon “small like a butterfly” (MC/220).

pitya

little

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

pitya-naucor

collective name. Petty-dwarves

Quenya name of the “Petty-dwarves” (S. Nogoth Niben) (WJ/389). It is a compound of the pitya “little” and the plural of nauco “Dwarf”. It also appeared as Pikinaukor, containing the root ᴹ√PIK “small” from which pitya is derived.

Pitya-naucor

petty-dwarves

Pitya-naucor pl. noun "Petty-dwarves" (sg. #Pitya-nauco, cf. nauco) Also Picinaucor (WJ:389)

nitya

adjective. little

A word appearing only as an element in the name of Nityafinwë (PM/365). It was probably derived √NIK “small”, with ✱nikya becoming nitya because ky became ty in (Ancient) Quenya.

Conceptual Development: There seem to be earlier iterations of this word that began with m instead of n. The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. minwa “small” under the early root ᴱ√MINI (QL/61). The Early Qenya Grammar had ᴱQ. mitya “little” (PE14/48, 80), while the contemporaneous English-Qenya Dictionary had ᴱQ. mitya “little (in quantity)” (PE15/74). The Etymologies of the 1930s had ᴹQ. mitsa or minte under the root ᴹ√MIT “small”, but this entry was deleted (EtyAC/MIT).

pia

little

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

pia

adjective. little

A list of “large & small” words from around 1968 had pia “little” derived from √PEYE (PE17/115), probably from primitive ✱peya with eya > ia. This was followed by words pikina, pinke, and pitya, all probably derived from a different root ᴹ√PIK (Ety/PIK).

Neo-Quenya: I think the root √PEY was probably a transient idea, quickly reverted back to √PIK. For purposes of Neo-Quenya I prefer other words over pia “little”.

Picinaucor

petty-dwarves

Picinaucor ("k") pl. noun "Petty-dwarves" (sg. #Picinauco, cf. nauco). Also Pitya-naucor (WJ:389). A distinct term nuxo is listed in PE17:45.

nuxo

petty dwarf

nuxo noun "Petty dwarf" (PE17:45; the spellings "nukso" and "nuxo" both occur in the source). Elsewhere the Petty-dwarves are called Picinaucor or Pitya-naucor, q.v.

picina

adjective. little

A word appearing as pikina or pinke following the word pia “little” in a list of “large & small” words from 1968 (PE17/115). It is probably derived from the root ᴹ√PIK (Ety/PIK).

pincë

adjective. little

titta

little, tiny

titta adj. "little, tiny" (TIT)

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. pic- “lessen, dwindle” (MC/223). A variant root √PEY appeared in a list of roots having to do with “large and small” from the late 1960s 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.

niben

petty

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

tithen

little

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

niben

adjective. petty, petty, *small and weak

A word for “petty”, most notable as an element in Nogoth Niben “Petty Dwarf” (WJ/388). In notes from the late 1960s, Tolkien said this word was the play name of the littlest finger (VT48/6). Some notes on roots having to do with “small” had the root √NIP “small, usually with connotation of weakness”, which Patrick Wynne suggested was the likely basis for niben (VT48/18). Thus this word means both small as well as weak or inferior.

niben-nog

noun. Petty dwarf

_ n. _Petty dwarf. [PE17:46] >> cadhad, noged, nogon, nogoth

noged

Petty dwarf

pl1. nœgid _ n. _Petty dwarf. [PE17:46] >> cadhad, nogon, nogoth

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

A word appearing only in its mutated form bîn in the name S. Cûl Bîn “Little Load” (RC/536).

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. pinig “tiny, little” (GL/64), likely based on the early root ᴱ√PINI or √PIKI having to do with small thinks (QL/73). The Etymologies of the 1930s had N. pigen “tiny” under the root ᴹ√PIK (Ety/PIK).

niben

petty

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

nogotheg

petty-dwarf

(”dwarflet”), pl. negethig for archaic nögethig (WJ:388).

tithen

adjective. little, tiny