parmahenta-

verb. *to read

Elements

Word	Gloss
parma	“book, writing, composition, written document of some size, book, writing, composition, written document of some size; [ᴱQ.] skin, bark; parchment”
henta-	“to eye, examine, read, scan”

Variations

• parmahenta ✧ PE17/077

cenda-

watch

cenda- vb. "watch" (not "guard", but observe to gain information), also used = "read". Cenda = also noun "reading", as in sanwecenda "thought-inspection, thought-reading". (VT41:5, PE17:156)

cenda-

verb. to watch (intensively), observe (for some time); to read

Derivations

• √KEN “see, perceive, note, see, perceive, note, [ᴹ√] look at, observe, direct gaze” ✧ PE17/156; VT41/05

Element in

• Q. cendelë “face, face, *visage”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√ken > kenda-	[kenda-]	✧ VT41/05

Variations

• kenda- ✧ PE17/156; VT41/05

henta-

verb. to eye, examine, read, scan

Cognates

• ᴺS. henna- “to read”

Element in

• Q. ethenta- “to read aloud” ✧ PE17/077
• Q. henta parma “to read a book” ✧ PE17/156
• Q. hentië “reading” ✧ PE17/077
• Q. parmahenta- “*to read”

Elements

Word	Gloss
hen	“eye”
-ta	“causative verb suffix”

Variations

• hen-ta ✧ PE17/077
• henta ✧ PE17/077; PE17/114

tengwa-

to read written matter

tengwa- (2) vb. "to read written matter", called a "weak verb"; aorist [teng]wa "reads", present tense [teng]wëa "is reading", past tense [teng]wane "read", perfect e[teng]wië "has read", the latter without lengthening of the stem-vowel (not **eténgwië) because there is a consonant cluster following (VT49:55). Gerund or "verbal noun" tengwië, also attested with a pronominal suffix + genitive: tengwiesto "of your (dual) reading" (VT49:47, 48, 52, 54)

hen

eye

hen (hend-, as in pl. hendi) noun "eye" (KHEN-D-E); possibly dual #hendu in hendumaica, q.v. Noun henfanwa "eye-screen, veil upon eyes" (PE17:176), adj. henulca "evileyed" (SD:68; cf. ulca).

hen

noun. eye

The Quenya word for “eye”, derived from the root √KHEN for eye-words (PE17/187; Ety/KHEN-D-E) and with stem-form hend- given its dual hendu (WJ/337).

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared as ᴱQ. hen in The Qenya Phonology of the 1910s, derived from primitive ᴱ✶þχe-ndǝ and appearing beside ᴱQ. sé “eye, pupil” < ᴱ✶þeχē (PE12/21). Hen (hend-) “eye” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon though it was marked “†” for archaic (QL/40), and ᴱQ. hend- also appeared in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon as the cognate of G. hen “eye” (GL/48). ᴱQ. hen appeared regularly in documents from the 1920s (PE13/147; PE14/43, 76; PE16/136), although in the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s ᴱQ. sinda was given as the cognate of ᴱN. hen(n) “eye” (PE13/122). The form ᴱQ. sinda seems to have been a transient idea.

A lengthy declension of ᴹQ. hen “eye” appeared in documents from the early 1930s (PE21/52) and in The Etymologies of the 1930s it was based on a new the root ᴹ√KHEN-D-E “eye” (Ety/KHEN-D-E). In both these documents, inflected forms indicate a stem form of hend-. Thus this word and its stem were quite stable in Tolkien’s mind, though he did alter its root from early ᴱ√SEHE [ÞEHE] to later √KHEN.

Cognates

• S. hen(d) “eye”

Derivations

• √KHEN “base of eye-words, base of eye-words; [ᴹ√] look at, see, observe, direct gaze”

Element in

• Q. alahen “eyeless”
• ᴺQ. hencalcat “eye-glasses, spectacles”
• ᴺQ. hendelë “window”
• ᴺQ. hendelúpea cecet “peafowl, (lit.) eye-plumed pheasant”
• Q. hendumaica “sharp-eye[d]” ✧ WJ/337
• Q. henfanwa “eye-screen, veil upon eyes”
• Q. henta- “to eye, examine, read, scan”
• ᴺQ. hentópa “eyelid”

tir-

watch, watch over, guard, heed

tir- vb. "watch, watch over, guard, heed", 1st pers. aorist tirin "I watch", pa.t. tirnë (TIR), imperative tira (VT47:31) or á tirë (PE17:94), future tense tiruva "shall heed" in Markirya (also MC:213, 214); also in CO with pronominal endings: tiruvantes "they will guard it" (tir-uva-nte-s "guard-will-they-it"). The stem also occurs in palantíri (q.v.), Tirion place-name "Great Watchtower", a city of the Elves (SA:tir; in MR:176 the translation is "Watchful City")

tiris

watch, vigil

tiris (tiriss-), also tirissë, noun "watch, vigil" (LT1:258, QL:93)

hend

noun. eye

hen(d)

noun. eye

The Sindarin word for “eye”, most notably in the name Amon Hen “Hill of the Eye” (LotR/400), derived from the root √KHEN that was the basis for eye-words (PE17/187). Given the words henneth “window” (LotR/674) and Lachend “Flame-eyed” (WJ/384), it is possible that the independent word for “eye” is hend, but note also maecheneb “sharp-eye” which has no double-n (WJ/337).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to G. hen “eye” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/48), cognate to ᴱQ. hend- and so probably similarly derived from primitive ᴱ✶þχe-ndǝ (PE12/21). In the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s, ᴱN. hen(n) “eye” was paired with ᴱQ. sinda (PE13/122), but in Early Noldorin Word-lists from the same period, ᴱN. henn was again cognate with ᴱQ. hen (hend-), both from primitive ᴱ✶ske-ndá. In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was N. {hent, henn >>} hên “eye” from the root ᴹ√KHEN-D-E “eye” (Ety/KHEN-D-E). Thus this word was well established in Tolkien’s mind, but had several variations in its form and derivation.

Cognates

• Q. hen “eye”

Derivations

• √KHEN “base of eye-words, base of eye-words; [ᴹ√] look at, see, observe, direct gaze”

Element in

• S. Amon Hen “Hill of Sight, (lit.) Hill of the Eye” ✧ PE17/077
• S. Emyn Hen Dúnadan “Hills of the Eye of the Dúnadan” ✧ PM/186 (Emyn Hen Dúnadan*)
• S. Finellach “?Flame of Hair and Eye”
• ᴺS. hendelu “brow”
• S. henneth “window”
• S. Lachend “Flame-eyed”
• S. maecheneb “sharp-eye[d]” ✧ WJ/337
• ᴺS. orchen “dandelion, (lit.) day-eye”

Variations

• Hen ✧ PE17/077; PM/186 (Hen)
• hen ✧ WJ/337 (hen)

hen

noun. eye

henn

noun. eye

heneb

adjective. of eye, eyed, having eyes

tirith

watch

{1st ĭ}_n._watch, ward, guard. >> tíria, Minas Tirith

tirith

noun. watch, guard (abstract noun), vigilance

henna-

verb. to read

Cognates

• Q. henta- “to eye, examine, read, scan”

Derivations

• √KHEN “base of eye-words, base of eye-words; [ᴹ√] look at, see, observe, direct gaze”

hend

eye

hend (i chend, construct hen), pl. hind (i chind), dual hent ”pair of eyes” (VT45:22), coll. pl. hennath. Adj.

hend

eye

(i chend, construct hen), pl. hind (i chind), dual hent ”pair of eyes” (VT45:22), coll. pl. hennath. Adj.

heneb

eyed

(lenited chebeb, pl. henib). Isolated from maecheneb ”sharp-eyed” (lenited vaecheneb; pl. maechenib) (WJ:337)

tiria

watch

1) tiria- (guard, gaze, look toward) (i diria, i thiriar). 2)

tiria

watch

(guard, gaze, look toward) (i diria, i thiriar).

tir-

watch

(cited in the form tiri, a ”Noldorin” infinitive in -i) (i dîr, i thirir) (guard, gaze, look at, look towards). The imperative tiro and passive participle [t]irnen are attested, the latter in lenited form dirnen.

tirith

watch, watching

(i dirith, o thirith) (guard, guarding, vigilance), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thirith)

tiria-

verb. to watch, to gaze, look at

hên

noun. eye

hên

noun. eye

Changes

• hent/henn → hên “eye” ✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E

Cognates

• ᴹQ. hen “eye” ✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E

Derivations

• ᴹ√KHEN(DE) “eye; look at, see, observe, direct gaze” ✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E

Element in

• N. Amon Hen

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√KHEN-D-E > hent/henn	[kʰende] > [xende] > [xend] > [hend] > [henn]	✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E
ᴹ√KHEN-D-E > hint/hinn	[kʰendi] > [xendi] > [xindi] > [xend] > [hend] > [henn]	✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E
ᴹ√KHEN-D-E > hên	[kʰen] > [xen] > [xēn] > [hēn]	✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E
ᴹ√KHEN-D-E > hîn	[kʰeni] > [xeni] > [xini] > [xīn] > [hīn]	✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E

Variations

• hent/henn ✧ Ety/KHEN-D-E (hent/henn)

hent

noun. the two eyes (referring to one person's eyes)

tir-

verb. to watch, to gaze, look at

tirith

noun. watch, guard (abstract noun), vigilance