rip

root. *strip, stripe, rim

ris

root. cut, cleave, cut; [ᴹ√] slash, rip; cleave

This root first appeared as ᴹ√RIS “slash, rip” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the derivative N. risto “rend, rip” (Ety/RIS¹). Tolkien then created a new entry for ᴹ√RIS without deleting the prior entry, with derivatives like ᴹQ. rista/N. rhest “a cut” and ᴹQ. rista-/N. rhista- “cut” (Ety/RIS²); this seems to reflect a conceptual shift of “slash, rip” >> “cut”. Indeed, the root √RIS reappeared in Tolkien’s later writings with the gloss “cut” (PE17/87). Christopher Tolkien gave this root the gloss “cleave” in the Silmarillion Appendix (SA/ris).

ndak

root. hew, slay, slay; hew

This root and similar ones were the basis for “slay” words for much of Tolkien’s life. The root first appeared in the Early Qenya Phonology of the 1920s as ᴱ√dag- with numerous etymological variants, including ᴱQ. taila/ᴱN. dail “axe (blade)” < dagla, ᴱQ. tanga-/ᴱT. danga- “to beat” < tang-, and ᴱQ. nahta-/ᴱN. dag- “to slay” (PE14/65-66); these last two words for “slay” appeared regularly in Tolkien’s writings thereafter. The root reappeared as ᴹ√NDAK “slay” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with similar Noldorin derivatives (Ety/NDAK), apparently a strengthened form of ᴹ√DAK “slay” (EtyAC/DAK).

The root was given as ᴹ√NDAG “slay” in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948 (PE22/102, 115), but unglossed ᴹ√NDAK appeared in the same document (PE22/112), and verb ᴹQ. nak- was sometimes glossed “kill” as well (PE22/120). The root appeared as √NDAK “hew, slay” in the Outline of Phonology from the 1950s (OP2: PE19/91) and again as √NDAK “hew” in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 (LVS: PE22/156). This introduction of the sense “hew” in the 1950s and 60s may be a partial restoration of the senses of the 1920s root ᴱ√dag-, which meant more that just “slay”. If so, √NDAK may be compared with √MAK which had a similar variety of meanings (“cleave, sword, slay, fight, forge”); see that entry for details.

sar

root. score, incise; write, score, incise; [extended sense] write; [ᴹ√] *stone

ᴹ√SAR appeared as unglossed root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. sar “(small) stone” and N. sarn “stone as a material” (Ety/SAR). Tolkien use of both these words in later writings in names like Q. Elessar “Elfstone” (LotR/375) and S. Sarn Athrad “Ford of Stones” (S/92) indicates the ongoing validity of this meaning, though in later writings S. sarn also = “pebble, small stone” (RC/327; VT42/11).

However, in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60, Tolkien gave a different meaning for this root as √SAR “score, incise”, from which it developed the extended sense “write” and became the basis for the name of the first alphabet of the Elves, the Q. sarati (WJ/396). This use ᴱQ. sar- as “write” dates back to Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/133). Despite the difference in meaning, I think two root could still be essentially the same, with √SAR = “stone” as a noun and √SAR = “score (stone)” as a verb, and from there eventually developing the sense “write” to serve as the basis for sarati. In one place in the Quendi and Eldar Tolkien revised √SAR >> √SYAR, perhaps indicating he considered making √SYAR an etymological variant of √SAR (WJ/419 note #24).

syar

root. score, incise; write

nyath

root. *scratch

rip-

verb. to scratch

A neologism for “to scratch” created by Boris Shapiro and Petri Tikka in PPQ (PPQ) from the early 2000s, based on the root ᴹ√SRIP. I would use attested [ᴱQ.] nyas- “to scratch” instead.

rimpë

noun. scratch

A neologism for “scratch” created by Boris Shapiro and Petri Tikka in PPQ (PPQ) from the early 2000s, based on the root ᴹ√SRIP of the same meaning. I would use attested but earlier [ᴱQ.] nyas “scratch” instead.

#nac-

verb. hew, cut

#nac- ("k") vb. "hew, cut" (nacin "I hew, cut", VT49:24) or "bite" (NAK); compare nahta #2.

cirissë

slash, gash

cirissë ("k")noun "slash, gash" (KIRIS; the glosses "cleft" and maybe ?"crevasse" occurred in deleted material, VT45:23)

pelecta-

verb. hew

pelecta- ("k")vb. "hew" (this "Qenya" word may be adapted to LotR-style Quenya as *pelehta-)(LT2:346)

hyasta-

verb. to hack through

A neologism for “to hack through” coined by Boris Shapiro in PPQ (PPQ) from the early 2000s, inspired by N. hasta- of the same meaning. I prefer to use [ᴱQ.] hyasta- for “to rush, rustle”, and for the sense “hack” I would just use attested [ᴹQ.] hyar- “clear”, perhaps in a frequentative form like hahyarra- “to hack, (orig.) to cleave repeatedly”.

nyas-

verb. to scratch

rotta-

verb. to bore (a hole or tunnel)

A neologism coined by Tamas Ferencz in the VQP (VQP) based on the root ᴹ√ROT “bore, tunnel”.

salca-

verb. to mow, scythe, mow down

sar-

verb. to mark (i.e. by incision), notch, score; (by later extension) †to write [on]

sara-

verb. to saw [wood]

rista-

verb. to rend, rip

rhista-

verb. to rend, rip

thrib-

verb. to scratch

A verb in The Etymologies of the 1930s appearing in its Noldorin-style infinitive form N. thribi “to scratch” derived from the root ᴹ√SRIP of the same meaning (Ety/SRIP).

Neo-Sindarin: I would adapt this verb as ᴺS. rhib- “to scratch” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, as suggested in HSD (HSD), since primitive *sr* became voiceless *rh* in Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s.

draf-

verb. to hew

had-

verb. to hurl, to hurl, *fling; [G.] throw, aim at

A verb in The Etymologies of the 1930s appearing in its Noldorin-style infinitive form hedi “hurl” under the root ᴹ√KHAT of similar meaning, with past forms hant and hennin [“I hurled”] (Ety/KHAT).

Conceptual Development: There was the verb G. hada “throw at, [with dative?] aim at” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s with past form {hanti- >>} hanthi (GL/48), clearly based on the early root ᴱ√HATA “hurl, fling” (QL/39). Before the gloss “aim at” Tolkien wrote “c. dat.”, which I think means “with dative”, but it is not clear how this construction would work. The Gnomish Lexicon also had a similar verb G. {hanta- >>} hantha- “fling, hurl, aim at; direct” based on hant “hither” (GL/48).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would just use had- with the meanings “to hurl, fling, throw”, and I would ignore the 1910s gloss “aim at”, using ᴺS. meitha- instead for “aim”.

hasta-

verb. to hack through

hasta-

verb. to hack through, to hack through, *cleave

A verb appearing in its Noldorin-style infinitive form hasto “hack through” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√SYAD “shear through, cleave”, apparently related to N. hast “axe-stroke” (Ety/SYAD). Tolkien indicated the basic verb from the root SYAD was “in N lost owing to coalescence with KHAD” (see N. hadh- “sit”), so it seems the causative or formative verb form ✱syad-tā̆ is the only verb that survived in the Noldorin branch. For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would thus use hasta- for “✱cleave” as well.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had (archaic) G. †hanna- “mow, cleave” based on the early root ᴱ√χ̑ṇđ [HYAŘA = HYAÐA] (GL/48), a root that was elsewhere glossed “plough through” (QL/41). Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s had ᴱN. daila- “to cleave” based on ᴱN. dail “axe-blade” derived from primitive ᴱ✶daglé (PE13/141).

thrib-

verb. to scratch

rista-

verb. to rend, rip

rista-

verb. to cut; to rend, rip

*rhib

scratch

*rhib- (?i thrîb or ?i rîb the lenition product of rh- is uncertain; pl. ”those who scratch” ?i ribir).

criss

slash

criss (i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, cleft), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss)

delu

fell

1. delu (hateful, deadly), lenited dhelu; analogical pl. dely. Archaic delw (the only attested form). 2) goeol (terrible, dire), lenited oeol; pl. goeoel. Archaic *goeaul.

drava

hew

drava- (i dhrava, in dravar), pa.t. †dramp, later apparently dravant; passive participle drammen (VT45:8)

rhib-

verb. to scratch

criss

slash

(i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, cleft), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss)

crista-

verb. to slash, cut, slice

delu

fell

(hateful, deadly), lenited dhelu; analogical pl. dely. Archaic delw (the only attested form).

drava

hew

(i dhrava, in dravar), pa.t. †dramp, later apparently dravant; passive participle drammen (VT45:8)

goeol

fell

(terrible, dire), lenited ’oeol; pl. goeoel. Archaic ✱goeaul.

rhib

scratch

(?i thrîb or ?i rîb – *the lenition product of rh- is uncertain*;  pl. ”those who scratch” ?i ribir).

rhib-

verb. to scratch

salcha-

verb. to scythe or mow

thar-

verb. to saw (up)

felek

root. hew rock