rub
Primitive elvish
rub
root. burst asunder
run
root. rub, grind, smooth, polish, rub, grind, smooth, polish; [ᴹ√] flat of hand or sole of foot
Quenya
psar
verb. rub
psar-
verb. to rub, to rub, [ᴹQ.] fret
A verb for “rub” mentioned in the second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ2) from around 1950 (PE18/94). It is also mentioned in the Quenya Verbal System of 1948 as the basis for the frequentative verb ᴹQ. sapsarra- “keep on rubbing, fray away” (PE22/113) and in the proverbial phrase ᴹQ. ksaráre psare súle “longing frets the spirit” (PE22/119). The rare initial combination ps- survived up until Classical Quenya, and probably retained this form in tengwar spelling, but was likely pronounced upsar- in Tarquesta (PE19/36, 79).
Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. ’warin “rubs” under the early root {ᴱ√WAṘA >>} ᴱ√GWAṘA of the same meaning (QL/103).
serciril
noun. ruby, (lit.) blood-glitter
Quendya
psar-
verb. rub
Sindarin
run-
verb. to rub, grind
A neologism coined by Paul Strack in 2020 specifically for Eldamo based on the root √RUN of similar meaning (PE17/89). This very hypothetical verb is one of the few situations in which basic verb might have the vowel u, since normally in Sindarin a short u became o, but it is preserved before nasals as with trunc “great stake” or mund “bull”.
gratha-
verb. to rub, scratch, fray
glaew
salve
glaew (i **laew), no distinct form in pl, but with article in glaew**
glaew
salve
(i ’laew), no distinct form in pl, but with article in glaew
Noldorin
glaew
noun. salve
glaiw
noun. salve
Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!
Early Primitive Elvish
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.
oẏo
root. salve, rub, oil
A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “salve, rub, oil”, with derivatives like ᴱQ. oine “unguent” and ᴱQ. oiwa “glossy” (QL/71). The Ẏ probably represented an ancient palatal spirant [ç] or [ʝ] (PE12/15-16). In later writings √OY usually referred to “eternity”, whereas the root for “ointment” became ᴹ√(G)LIB.
ruvu
root. burst asunder
A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “burst asunder” with the derivative ᴱQ. rúvina “burst” (QL/81). G. ruf- “tear” from the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon is probably related (GL/66). There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing, but I think ᴺ√RUB “burst asunder” is worth retaining as a Neo-Root.
Gnomish
gratha-
verb. to rub, scratch, fray
A verb appearing as G. gratha- “rub, scratch, fray” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/42), probably based on the early root ᴱ√GWAṘA “rub” (QL/103).
Neo-Sindarin: Since it conflicts with no later verbs, I retain ᴺS. gratha- “to rub, scratch, fray” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin. I assume it is a late invention unrelated to √RATH “climb”, comparable to Q. psar- “rub” which was another late innovation in the Quenya language branch.
Early Quenya
wara-
verb. to rub
Qenya
psar-
verb. to rub, fret
Westron
razar
noun. a kind of small red apple
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.