pol

root. can, have physical power and ability; large, big (strong); pound up, break up small, reduce to powder, can, have physical power and ability; large, big (strong); [ᴹ√] physically strong, [ᴱ√] have stength; [√] pound up, break up small, reduce to powder

This root was connected to Elvish words for strength and physical ability for most of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√POLO “have stength” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. poldor “physical strength” and ᴱQ. polka “pig”, though the latter was marked by Tolkien with a “?” (QL/75). There were also derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. polm “strength (physical)” and G. polod “power, might, authority” (GL/64). The root ᴹ√POL reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “physically strong”, extended form ᴹ√POLOD and derivatives like ᴹQ. polda “strong, burly” and ᴹQ. poldore as an element in the name ᴹQ. Poldórea (Ety/POL); this name was variously glossed “Strong One” (SM/79) or “Valiant” (LR/206), though in the later sense it was eventually replaced by Q. Astaldo (S/28).

√POL appeared in a list of roots from around 1959-60 with a minor shift in meaning:

> √pol can, have physical power and ability [as in] “I can jump that”. polin quete means I can speak (because mouth and tongue are free)” (VT41/6).

In another note around this time but probably later (and thus maybe in the early 1960s), Tolkien wrote:

> √POL. This cannot refer to strength. (Too obvious a reminiscence of [Latin] pollens); also it does not account for poli- “meal”, grist. √POL- should have senses “pound up”, break up small, reduced to powder etc. Poldórea, as adjective applied to Tulkas, should be derived from the Elvish nickname of Tulkas (not being derived from Valarin), Poldor, Poldorno: “breaker up of the hard/tough”, √DOR- “hard, tough” (PE17/181).

The mention of poli- “meal” seems to be a reference to a different early root ᴱ√POL-I from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. pole “oats, grain; flour” and ᴱQ. polu “kernel” (QL/75), whereas in The Etymologies of the 1930s the word for “flour, meal” was ᴹQ. pore derived from ᴹ√POR (Ety/POR). This shift in sense to “pound up” seems to be motivated by the similarity of √POL “strength” to Latin “pollens” (able, strong).

However, in another later-still note Tolkien wrote the phrase Q. á rike empollie that seems to mean “try harder” (PE17/167), likely a rough contemporary of other notes from around 1967 exploring the same phrase (PE17/94). This later use of empollie seems to be connected to physical effort, and thus is in line with the 1959-60 note with √POL “can, have physical power and ability” mentioned above.

Finally in a note from around 1968, Tolkien wrote:

> Q. pol, large, big (strong). polda, big. DELETE pole “meal”! Make it mule (PE17/115).

This is explanation appears in a set of notes having to do with “large and small”, probably from around 1968, the date given for an apparently related root-list with similar information (VT47/26 note #26). It seems to firmly discard the connection of √POL to “pound, meal” and restored its connection to “strength” along with a new connection to “largeness”.

Assuming this analysis is correct, the conceptual evolution seems to be:

• 1910s: ᴱ√POLO “have stength”; ᴱ√POL-I “✱grain, flour”.

• 1930s: ᴹ√POL(OD) “physically strong”; ᴹ√POR “✱flour, meal”.

• 1959-60: √POL “can, have physical power and ability”.

• early 1960s: √POL “pound up” > ✶poli “meal”.

• late 1960s: √POL “large, big (strong)” vs. Q. mulë “meal”.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin I think it is best to assume √POL has to do with “physical ability” and its extended form √POLOD with “strength”. I think it better to assume the connection of the root to √POL “meal, flour” was abandoned, and use ✱√MUL and possibly ᴹ√POR for that purpose instead.

pollō

noun. ram

poli

noun. meal

run

root. rub, grind, smooth, polish, rub, grind, smooth, polish; [ᴹ√] flat of hand or sole of foot

A root appearing in an undated note from around 1968 as part of an explanation for the tree-name S. lebethron, given as {√RON >>} √RUN “rub, grind, smooth, polish”, with a derivatives Q. runda “smooth, polished” and [deleted] ron “smoothed by polishing”, probably Sindarin (PE17/89).

The Etymologies of the 1930s instead had the root ᴹ√RUN “flat of hand or sole of foot” with derivatives like ᴹQ. runya/N. rhein “footprint”, and also as the basis for the final element of ᴹQ. tallune/N. tellen “sole of foot” (Ety/RUN). It’s conceivable the two iterations of the root are related based on the “smoothness” of the hand or foot.

stal

root. strong

The unglossed root ᴹ√STALAG appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like N. thala “stalwart, steady, firm” and N. thalion “hero, dauntless man” (Ety/STÁLAG), the latter a sobriquet of Húrin typically translated as “Steadfast” in the narratives themselves (S/199). Similar forms appeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists from the 1920s derived from the primitive form ᴱ✶stalga (PE13/153).

The root √STAL “strong” was mentioned in passing as the basis for the adjective Q. astalda in a rejected page associated with roots having to do with “large & small” words, probably from the late 1960s (PE17/115; VT47/26 note #26). The name Q. Astaldo “Valiant” appeared as a sobriquet of Tulkas in later versions of The Silmarillion (S/28), replacing the earlier name Q. Poldórëa of similar meaning (MR/146, 149; LR/206). For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume √STAL (and its derivatives) means “✱valiant” rather than “strong”.

khaw

root. big

pathnā

adjective. smooth

pū

noun. ‽

skā

noun. ‽

skū

noun. ‽

taw

root. wood

Tolkien used a similar set of words for “forest” starting with the earliest versions of Elvish, but their derivation evolved somewhat over time. The earliest related root was ᴱ√TAVA “beam” with variant ᴱ√TAFA (the latter marked by Tolkien with a “?” and with no obvious derivatives) from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as the basis for words like ᴱQ. taule “great tree”, ᴱQ. tauno “forest” and ᴱQ. tavar “dale-sprite” (QL/90). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. tavros/G. taur “forest” and G. tavor “wood fay” (GL/69).

ᴱQ. taure “forest” did not appear as an independent word until drafts of the Oilima Markirya from around 1930 (PE16/62; MC/213). Thereafter Tolkien mostly stuck with Q. taurë and N./S. taur for “forest”. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave the root ᴹ√TAWAR “wood, forest” (Ety/TÁWAR), though in one place it was ᴹ√TAR (EtyAC/TUR). In notes associated with the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 Tolkien gave √TAWA “wood”, and in notes on “large & small” roots from 1968 Tolkien had √TAW “wood” (PE17/115).

tawinā

adjective. wood

¤kurwē

noun. power, ability

sisti

root. ‽