ciris

cleft, crack

ciris _("k")_noun "cleft, crack" (LT2:337 - obsoleted by cirissë?)

sanca

cleft, split

sanca (þ) ("k") noun? (or adj, or both?) "cleft, split" (STAK)

hyatsë

cleft, gash

hyatsë noun "cleft, gash" (SYAD), apparently changed by Tolkien from hyassë (VT46:16)

falqua

cleft, mountain pass, ravine

falqua ("q") noun "cleft, mountain pass, ravine" (LT2:341)

yáwë

ravine, cleft, gulf

yáwë noun "ravine, cleft, gulf" (YAG; according to VT46:22, the last gloss should perhaps be read as "gully" instead)

riss

adjective. cleft

_ adj. _cleft, cloven, separate. Q. rista, risse, rinse. >> Imladris

riss

noun. ravine

riss

noun/adjective. cleft, cloven, separate; cleft

Cognates

• Q. rissë “?cleft, ravine” ✧ PE17/087

Derivations

• ✶rinsa “cleft, cloven, separate” ✧ PE17/087
  • √RIS “cut, cleave, cut, cleave; [ᴹ√] slash, rip” ✧ PE17/087

Element in

• S. Imladris “Rivendell, (lit.) Deep Dale of the Cleft” ✧ PE17/087

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶rinsa > riss	[rinse] > [risse] > [riss]	✧ PE17/087

criss

noun. cleft, cleft, [N.] cut, slash, [G.] gash; [N.] pass, [G.] gully, ravine

A word for a “cleft, cut, slash” (PE21/81; Ety/KIRIS) derived from √KIRIS, a blend of the roots √KIR and √RIS (PE17/87).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to G. criss “cleft, gash, gully” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s where it was probably already a derivative of the early root ᴱ√KIRISI as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (GL/27; LT2A/Cris Ilbranteloth). In the Name-list to The Fall of Gondolin Tolkien gave cris with the definition “a cleft, ravine, or narrow way of waters with high walls” (PE15/21), and in this period it typically appeared in this shorter form within names like G. Cris Ilbranteloth or G. Cris Thorn.

N. criss appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “cleft, cut, slash” under the root ᴹ√KIRIS “cut” (Ety/KIRIS). It also appeared under the root ᴹ√KIR with the gloss “cleft, pass”, but this instance was deleted (EtyAC/KIR). S. criss “cleft” was mentioned in passing in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure (EVS2) from the early 1950s as derived from primitive ✶kirissi (PE21/80-81), and it was mentioned as a blending of roots in notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s as described above (PE17/87). Its use in names diminished over time, however, the only remnant in the final version of The Silmarillion being S. Crissaegrim (S/121).

Neo-Sindarin: In The Etymologies of the 1930s it seems this word was principally used as for a “cleft, cut, slash” independent of geography. I would assume the same is true for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, since criss is used only in a single geographic name in Tolkien’s later writings; S. cirith was use more broadly in geographic features. I would also assume it was a larger and more violent cut (a “gash” or “slash”) compared to S. rest for simple cuts.

Derivations

• √KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”
• ✶kirissi “cleft” ✧ PE21/80
  • √KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”

Element in

• S. Crissaegrim “*Cleft Mountain Peaks”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶kirissi > criss	[kiríssi] > [kirísse] > [krisse] > [kriss]	✧ PE21/80

cirith

noun. cleft, high climbing pass, narrow passage cut through earth or rock, ravine, defile

falch

noun. deep cleft, ravine

thanc

adjective. cleft, split, forked

falch

cleft

(ravine[?]), pl. felch

thanc

cleft

(adj.) thanc (forked, split), pl. thainc

thanc

cleft

(forked, split), pl. thainc

riss

ravine

(construct ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh riss)****

criss

cleft

(i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss), 4) iaw (gulf, ravine), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”

ress

ravine

(construct res), pl. riss (idh riss)

rist

cleft

(noun) 1) rist (-ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh rist). Note: a homophone means ”cleaver, cutter”, 2) cirith (i girith, o chirith) (cutting, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith), 3) cîl (i gîl, o chîl) (pass between hills, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. A homophone means ”renewal”. 4) criss (i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss), 4) iaw (gulf, ravine), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”, 5) rest (ravine, cut), pl. rist (idh rist), 6) (deep cleft) falch (ravine[?]), pl. felch

rist

cleft

(-ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh rist). Note: a homophone means ”cleaver, cutter”

rest

cleft

(ravine, cut), pl. rist (idh rist)

rest

ravine

(cleft, cut), pl. rist (idh rist)

cirith

cleft

(i girith, o chirith) (cutting, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith)

falch

ravine

(deep cleft), pl. felch

iaw

ravine

1) iaw (cleft, gulf), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”. 2) ress (construct res), pl. riss (idh riss), 3) rest (cleft, cut), pl. rist (idh rist), 4) riss (construct ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh riss)

iaw

ravine

(cleft, gulf), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”.

cîl

cleft

(i gîl, o chîl) (pass between hills, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. A homophone means ”renewal”.

kirissi

noun. cleft

Derivations

• √KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”

Derivatives

• S. criss “cleft, cleft, [N.] cut, slash, [G.] gash; [N.] pass, [G.] gully, ravine” ✧ PE21/80

criss

noun. cleft, cut, slash

rhis

noun. ravine

rhis

noun. ravine

Derivations

• ᴹ✶risse- “a ravine” ✧ Ety/RIS²
  • ᴹ√RIS “slash, rip” ✧ Ety/RIS²

Element in

• N. Imladris(t) “Rivendell” ✧ Ety/RIS²

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶risse- > rhis	[risse] > [riss] > [r̥iss]	✧ Ety/RIS²
ᴹ✶risse- > rhess	[rissa] > [ressa] > [ress] > [r̥ess]	✧ Ety/RIS²

Variations

• rhess ✧ Ety/RIS²

rhess

noun. ravine

rhess

noun. ravine

iau

noun. ravine, cleft, gulf

cîl

noun. cleft, pass between hills, gorge

thanc

adjective. cleft, split, forked