po

root. ‽

poko

root. tuck (away)

The root ᴱ√POKO appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with the gloss “tuck (away)” and a single derivative: ᴱQ. poko “bag” (QL/75). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing, but I think it is worth retaining for purposes of Neo-Eldarin.

pot-i

root. *back, behind, after

The root ᴱ√POT-I appeared (unglossed) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with various derivatives having to do with the “back” or “rear” (QL/75). Many of its Gnomish equivalents began with b-, which would typically indicate the true form of the root was ᴱ√BOT-I, given that initial b- > p- in Early Qenya. In this case, though, Tolkien specifically said that the Gnomish forms like G. bont “back(wards)” were the result of “atonic development” via the loss of an initial vowel (GL/23), and there were in fact Gnomish forms beginning with p- such as G. pont “the back, reverse or far side” (GL/64).

In the Early Noldorin of the 1920s, Tolkien gave the root as {boto >>} ✱bot- (PE13/139), possibly indicating a conceptual shift despite the continued presence of Qenya derivatives beginning with p-. However, ᴹQ. opto “back” from the 1940s points to ✱ᴹ√POT (PE22/50). This root was likely the conceptual precursor to various later directional roots like √OPO or √APA.

pol-i

root. ‽

polo

root. have stength

poyo

root. *clean

mḷkḷ

root. possess

nele

root. point

ulu

root. pour, flow fast

oyo

root. *poor

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. oika “poor”, ᴱQ. oise “poverty” and ᴱQ. oito- “lack” (QL/71). In later writings √OY usually referred to “eternity”.

yaya

root. *steel, possession

A root implied by the primitive form {ᴱ✶ı̯aksĕ >>} ᴱ✶ı̯aisa in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s that was the basis for derivatives like G. gais/ᴱQ. yaisa “steel” and similar words (GL/37); in the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon, the word was ᴱQ. Y̯akse “steel”, consistent with the deleted form in GL (QL/105). In the Early Qenya Grammar and English-Qenya Dictionary of the 1920s, the Qenya word was ᴱQ. akse “steel” (PE14/48, 81; PE15/77). I think it is worth positing a Neo-Root √GAK “steel” to salvage these early words.

eke

root. *point

kolo

root. *point

kṛkṛ

root. *point, bend

mḷðḷ

root. crush, pound

mlřl

root. crush, pound

ƕen+u Reconstructed

root. *poison

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s given as ᴱ√HEN+U with derivatives having to do with poison (QL/40). Many of the Qenya derivatives begin with f, such as ᴱQ. heno “venom, poison” beside feno and ᴱQ. fent “serpent”, versus ᴱQ. henuva “venomous, poisonous”. Thus I think the true root may have been ᴱ√ǶEN+U or it at least had such a variant, since [[eq|initial and intervocalic ƕ [xʷ] became f]] in Early Qenya. Its Gnomish cognates likewise mostly began with f, such as G. fem “venom” and G. fenog “venomous” (GL/34). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing.

wala Reconstructed

root. fortune, happiness; *power

boðo

root. *gate, door

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s that was the basis for Early Qenya words for “gate” and “door” (QL/75). It was first given as (rejected) ᴱ√PONO but this was changed to ᴱ√BOÐO (with b- > p- as it did in Early Qenya) whereupon Tolkien gave its Gnomish equivalent as Bon. However, there are no words in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon beginning with bon- that have any similar meaning, indicating Tolkien probably abandoned this root very early.

tołᵂo

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in The Qenya Phonology of the 1910s illustrating a hypothetical series of ancient lateral approximants, with derived roots like ᴱ√TOLO and ᴱ√TOẆO [with ẇ = ɣʷ] (PE12/16). The former appeared in the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon as the basis for island words (QL/94), but the latter appeared nowhere else in Early Qenya writings.

piqi

root. *bitter

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. píqa “bitter” and ᴱQ. piqis(se) “grief” (QL/74). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. pigwa “bitter” and G. piglin “urine” (GL/64). Later words for “bitter” were derived from the root ᴹ√SAG.

ru’u

root. ‽

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, probably actually ✱ᴱ√RUƷU, with derivatives like ᴱQ. rú “dwelling, village, hamlet”, ᴱQ. rue “rest, stillness, remaining, steadfastness”, and ᴱQ. ruin “peace” (QL/80). There were a number of likely-related words in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. rô “enduring, long suffering; quiet, gentle, docile”, G. rû “dwelling, house”, and G. rûtha- “dwell, remain”, though Tolkien seems to have rejected the Gnomish forms beginning with rô- (GL/66). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing, but I think it is worth positing a Neo-Root ᴺ√RUH “✱still” to preserve some of these early words.

siŋi

root. ‽

The root ᴱ√SIŊI appeared unglossed in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives ᴱQ. singe “salt” and (adjective) ᴱQ. singwa “salt” (QL/83). It had similar derivatives the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon: G. sing and singrin “salt”, noun and adjective (GL/67). I think it is worth positing a Neo-Root ᴺ√SIÑGI to salvage these early words.

sṣtyṣ

root. ‽

The unglossed root ᴱ√SṢT͡YṢ appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. sastya “sore, galled” and ᴱQ. sist (sisty-) “ulcer, sore” (QL/86). The latter word was also mentioned as siste in “ulcer, boil” as a derivative of ᴱ✶sṣtē (PE12/14), and the primitive form was given as sistyi, though Tolkien did say it was indicative of ancient syllabic ṣ (PE12/3). However, in the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s it seems primitive ᴱ✶sṣt- = “✱hiss” (PE13/163); see the entry on ᴹ√SUS “hiss” for discussion.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin I think it is worth positing a Neo-Root ᴺ√SISTI to salvage some of these early words.

vḷkḷ

root. ‽

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. valkane “torture” and ᴱQ. vilkin “bitter, evil”, serving as the basis for ᴱQ. Valkarauke, the Qenya name of Balrogs (QL/100). In later writings the initial element of this name was derived from √BAL “(divine) power”.

nene

root. flow

aya(la) Speculative

root. lake

lepse

?. [unglossed]

lopse

?. [unglossed]

teled-

noun. [unglossed]

toẇo

root. [unglossed]

-yǝ

suffix. [unglossed]

gwaṙa

root. rub

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “rub” (QL/103). There are no signs of it in Tolkien’s later writing.

gwori

root. ‽

hama

root. ‽

manga

root. lacking

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “lacking”, with derivatives ᴱQ. mange “lack, want, shortage” and ᴱQ. manka “few” (QL/59). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing, and it may have been replaced by √PEN “lack” in the 1950s and 60s.

nulu

root. ‽

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s marked by Tolkien with a “?” having a single derivative ᴱQ. NÛLE “lead” (QL/68). There are no signs of this root elsewhere in Tolkien’s later writing, and even in the early period he generally used ᴱQ. kanu for “metallic lead” (LT1/100; QL/44).

olo

root. tip

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “tip”, with derivatives like ᴱQ. óleme “elbow” and ᴱQ. ole “three” (QL/69). It seems to have served as the basis for ᴱ√LOHO, an early root for various flower words (QL/55). There are no signs that ᴱ√OLO was used for “tip” in Tolkien’s later writings (except perhaps in √OLOB “branch”), and ᴱ√LOHO evolved into √LOT(H) “flower”.

oso

root. ‽

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. oksa “joint” and ᴱQ. oswe “hip” (QL/71). In Tolkien’s later writings “joint” words seem to be based on √LIM “link, join” as in Q. málimë/S. molif “wrist, (lit.) hand-link” (VT47/6), but ᴱQ. oswe “hip” may be salvaged as a derivative of ᴹ√OS “round, about” referring instead to a rotating joint rather than a link.

saw̯a

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/82), which may have reemerged as √SAWA “disgusting, foul, vile” in notes from the 1950s (PE17/172, 183).

sivi

root. [unglossed]

Unglossed roots in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with variants ᴱ√SIVI and ᴱ√SIWI and a single unglossed derivative ᴱQ. sivilda (QL/84). It is difficult to guess what Tolkien intended for these forms to mean, though they conceivably reemerged as the later roots ᴹ√SIW “excite, egg on, urge” (Ety/SIW) or √SIB “rest, quiet” (VT44/35).

siði

root. flow

siři

root. flow

sē

root. ‽

tiw̯i

root. thick

tum(b)u

root. ‽

tḷkḷ

root. [unglossed]

yn̄t

adjective. large

bē Reconstructed

root. ‽

ʒono Reconstructed

root. hard