aica

sharp

aica (1) ("k") adj. "sharp" _(AYAK) or "fell, terrible, dire" (PM:347; according to PM:363 seldom applied to evil things)_. In Aicanáro, q.v.

ecya

sharp

#ecya adj. "sharp" in Ecyanáro ("k") "Sharp Flame", masc. name, Sindarin Aegnor(VT41:14, 19). The Quenya form of Aegnor is elsewhere given as Aicanáro instead.

nerca

sharp, angular

nerca adj. "sharp, angular" (PE17:55), variant nexa (reading uncertain).

nerca

adjective. sharp, angular

nexa

sharp, angular

nexa adj. "sharp, angular" (PE17:55; the editor indicates that the reading is uncertain, so the variant nerca may be preferred.)

nexa

adjective. sharp, angular

Changes

• nerta → nerca ✧ PE17/055
• nerca → nerca ✧ PE17/055

Cognates

• S. negen “sharp, angular” ✧ PE17/055

Derivations

• √NEK “narrow, narrow; *angular, sharp” ✧ PE17/055

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NEK > nerca	[nerka]	✧ PE17/055
√NEK > nexa	[neksa]	✧ PE17/055

Variations

• nerca ✧ PE17/055; PE17/055 (nerca)
• nerta ✧ PE17/055 (nerta)

maica

sharp, piercing

maica (1) ("k")adj. "sharp, piercing" (SA:maeg), cf. hendumaica and the noun maica below.

maica

adjective. sharp, piercing

Cognates

• S. maeg “sharp, piercing, piercing, sharp, *penetrating” ✧ SA/maeg

Derivations

• ✶maikā “sharp, penetrating, going deep in”
  • √MIK “pierce” ✧ WJ/337

Element in

• Q. hendumaica “sharp-eye[d]”
• ᴺQ. maicata- “to sharpen”

Variations

• maica- ✧ PE18/093
• maika ✧ SA/maeg

arca

narrow

arca (1) adj. "narrow" (AK)

náha

narrow

náha adj. "narrow" (PE17:166)

náha

adjective. narrow, narrow, *thin

Derivations

• √NAKH “narrow, thin” ✧ PE17/166

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NAKH > nāha	[nākʰa] > [naxa] > [naha]	✧ PE17/166

Variations

• nāha ✧ PE17/166

virya

fresh

virya (1) adj. "fresh" (VT46:22)

laica

keen, sharp, acute, piercing

laica (2) ("k")adj."keen, sharp, acute, piercing" _(LAIK, LT2:337 in the Etymologies as printed in LR, the final vowel is misread as -_e instead of -a, VT45:25). Possibly obsoleted by #1 above. Compare aica #1.

céva

fresh, new

céva ("k")adj. "fresh, new" (VT48:7, 8)

eccoia

adjective. thorny

Elements

Word	Gloss
ekko	“spine, thorn, point”

cirila

adjective. cutting

Elements

Word	Gloss
cir-	“to cut, to cut, [ᴱQ.] cleave; *to sail”

térala

adjective. piercing

Elements

Word	Gloss
ter-	“to pierce”

aeg

adjective. sharp, sharp, [N.] pointed, piercing

Element in

• S. aeglir “line of peaks, line of peaks, [N.] range of mountain peaks; [ᴱN.] peak, mountain top”
• S. Aeglos “Snow-point”
• S. aeglos “icicle, (lit.) snow-point; snowthorn (a plant)”
• S. Aegnor “Fell Fire, Sharp Flame” ✧ SA/nár
• S. Crissaegrim “*Cleft Mountain Peaks”
• S. Ecthelion “?One with Sharp Will”
• S. Egalmoth “Pointed Helm-crest”

Variations

• Aeg ✧ SA/nár (Aeg)

negen

sharp

_ adj. _sharp, angular. Q. nerca, nexe. >> negn

negn

sharp

_ adj. _sharp, angular. Q. nerca, nexe. >> negen

megor

adjective. sharp-pointed

negen

adjective. sharp, angular

Cognates

• Q. nexa “sharp, angular” ✧ PE17/055

Derivations

• √NEK “narrow, narrow; *angular, sharp” ✧ PE17/055

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NEK > neg(e)n	[nekina] > [nekena] > [neken] > [negen]	✧ PE17/055

Variations

• neg(e)n ✧ PE17/055

maeg

adjective. sharp, piercing, piercing, sharp, *penetrating

Cognates

• Q. maica “sharp, piercing” ✧ SA/maeg

Derivations

• ✶maikā “sharp, penetrating, going deep in” ✧ WJ/337
  • √MIK “pierce” ✧ WJ/337

Element in

• S. maecheneb “sharp-eye[d]” ✧ WJ/337
• S. Maeglin “Sharp Glance” ✧ SA/maeg
• ᴺS. maegra- “to sharpen”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶maikā > maeg	[maikā] > [maika] > [maik] > [maig] > [maeg]	✧ WJ/337

laeg

adjective. keen, sharp, acute

laeb

adjective. fresh

laew

adjective. fresh

_ adj. _fresh.

laew

adjective. fresh

Derivations

• √LAY “*be alive, flourish, [ᴱ√] be alive, flourish” ✧ PE17/159

Element in

• ᴺS. laeweth “freshness”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√LAY > laew	[laiwa] > [laiw] > [laew]	✧ PE17/159

laeg

adjective. "viridis", fresh and green

Seldom used (replaced by calen )

cîw

adjective. fresh, new

maeg

adjective. sharp, piercing, penetrating, going deep in something

aeg

sharp

1) aeg (pointed, piercing). No distinct pl. form. Note: aeg is also used as noun "point, peak, thorn". 2) aig (no distinct pl. form). 3) laeg (keen, acute). No distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fresh, green”. 4) maeg (lenited vaeg; no distinct pl. form) (penetrating, going deep in). (WJ:337)

aeg

sharp

(pointed, piercing). No distinct pl. form. Note: aeg is also used as noun "point, peak, thorn".

aig

sharp

(no distinct pl. form).

laeg

sharp

(keen, acute). No distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fresh, green”.

maeg

sharp

(lenited vaeg; no distinct pl. form) (penetrating, going deep in). (WJ:337)

maecheneb

sharp-eyed

(lenited vaecheneb; pl. maechenib)

nass

sharp end

(point, angle, corner), construct nas, pl. nais** **

egnas

sharp point

(peak; literally "thorn-point"), pl. egnais, coll. pl. egnassaith.

till

sharp horn

(i** dill, o thill, construct til; also -dil, -thil at the end of compounds)  (tine, point, sharp-pointed peak), no distinct pl. form except with article (i** thill). Archaic †tild.

megor

sharp-pointed

(lenited vegor, analogical pl. megyr); cited in archaic form megr (WJ:337)

agor

narrow

agor (analogical pl. egyr). In archaic S agr.

agor

narrow

(analogical pl. egyr). In archaic S agr.

laeg

adjective. keen, sharp, acute

till

sharp-pointed peak

(i** dill, o thill, construct til; also -dil, -thil at the end of compounds)  (tine, point, sharp horn), no distinct pl. form except with article (i** thill). Archaic †tild.

cîw

fresh

1) cîw (lenited gîw; no distinct pl. form) (new), 2) laeb (no distinct pl. form). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” lhoeb (LR:368 s.v. LÁYAK) 3) laeg (green), no distinct pl. form. (Note: a homophone means ”keen, sharp, acute”.) In the Woodland dialect lêg, whence leg- in the name Legolas ”Greenleaf” (Lettters:282, 386).

eitha

prick with a sharp point

(stab, treat with scorn; insult) (i eitha, in eithar)

lond

narrow path

(harbour, haven, pass, strait), pl. lynd, coll. pl. lonnath (as in the name Lonnath Ernin, WR:294).

aeg

piercing

(adj.) aeg (pointed, sharp). No distinct pl. form. Note: aeg is also used as noun "point, peak, thorn".

aeg

piercing

(pointed, sharp). No distinct pl. form. Note: aeg is also used as noun "point, peak, thorn".

eitheb

adjective. thorny, *(orig.) full of points; sharp

Elements

Word	Gloss
aith	“spear-point, [ᴱN.] spear, thorn”
-eb	“adjective suffix”

imrath

narrow valley

(pl. imraith)

laeg

keen

laeg (sharp, acute). No distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fresh, green”.

laeg

keen

(sharp, acute). No distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fresh, green”.

imlad

narrow valley with steep sides

(glen, deep valley), pl. imlaid.

cirith

cutting

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

cirith

cutting

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

nek

root. narrow, narrow; *angular, sharp

A root appearing in notes on words and phrases from The Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, serving mainly as the basis for S. naith “angle” (PE17/55). It was also mentioned in a discussion of the death of Isildur at the Gladden Fields, again as the basis for S. naith among other words, where the root √NEK was glossed “narrow” (UT/281-2, note #16). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. naith was derived from ᴹ√SNAS or ᴹ√SNAT, but the precise derivation was unclear, and in any cases seems to have been replaced by Tolkien with a more straightforward derivation from √NEK.

The root √NEK also appeared in Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957 with the gloss “deprive”, serving among other things as the basis for S. neithan “one deprived” (PE17/167), which was the name adopted by Túrin after he became an outlaw (S/200). The root appeared again in notes on Elvish numbers from the late 1960s glossed as either “divide, part, separate” (VT47/16) or “divide, separate” (VT48/9), where it served as the basis for √ENEK “six” as the dividing point between the lower and upper set of numbers in the Elvish duodecimal system.

It is not clear whether Tolkien intended all these various meanings for the root √NEK to be connected. For purposes of analysis, I’ve split √NEK “narrow” from √NEK “separate; deprive”, but conceivably the sense “narrow” could be a semantic extension of “separate” or vice-versa.

Derivatives

• ✶nektē “angle” ✧ PE17/055
  • Q. nehtë “spearhead, gore, wedge, narrow prominitory; angle” ✧ PE17/055; PE17/055
  • S. naith “spearhead, gore, wedge, narrow prominitory; angle” ✧ PE17/055; PE17/055
• Q. necel “thorn” ✧ PE17/055
• Q. nehtë “spearhead, gore, wedge, narrow prominitory; angle” ✧ UT/282
• Q. nexa “sharp, angular” ✧ PE17/055
• S. naith “spearhead, gore, wedge, narrow prominitory; angle” ✧ UT/282
• S. negen “sharp, angular” ✧ PE17/055

Variations

• NEK ✧ PE17/055; PE17/167
• nek ✧ UT/282

maikā

adjective. sharp, penetrating, going deep in

Derivations

• √MIK “pierce” ✧ WJ/337

Derivatives

• Q. maica “sharp, piercing”
• S. maeg “sharp, piercing, piercing, sharp, *penetrating” ✧ WJ/337

Element in

• Q. hendumaica “sharp-eye[d]” ✧ WJ/337
• S. Maeglin “Sharp Glance” ✧ WJ/337

Variations

• maikā ✧ WJ/337

gwen

root. fresh, *green, fair, unblemished, beautiful

@@@ might still be valid for Quenya derivations in the Etymologies

Element in

• ᴺQ. wenwa “lime (fruit)”

agr

adjective. narrow

agor

adjective. narrow

agor

adjective. narrow

Cognates

• ᴹQ. arka “narrow” ✧ Ety/AK

Derivations

• ᴹ✶akrā “narrow” ✧ Ety/AK
  • ᴹ√AK “narrow, confined” ✧ Ety/AK

Element in

• S. Aglon “Narrow Pass”
• N. Aglon “defile, pass between high walls” ✧ Ety/AK

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶akrā > agr > agor	[akrā] > [akra] > [akr] > [agr] > [agor]	✧ Ety/AK

lhaeg

adjective. keen, sharp, acute

lhaeg

adjective. keen, sharp, acute

Cognates

• ᴹQ. laika “keen, sharp, acute” ✧ Ety/LAIK; Ety/LAIK

Derivations

• ᴹ√LAIK “keen, sharp, acute” ✧ Ety/LAIK
• On. laika “keen” ✧ EtyAC/LAIK
  • ᴹ✶laikā “keen, sharp, acute”
  • ᴹ√LAIK “keen, sharp, acute” ✧ Ety/LÁYAK
  • ᴹ√LAIK “keen, sharp, acute” ✧ Ety/LAIK

Element in

• N. Lhathleg “sharp-ears” ✧ Ety/LAS²

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√LAIK > lhaeg	[laika] > [laik] > [l̥aik] > [l̥aig] > [l̥aeg]	✧ Ety/LAIK
On. laika > lhoeg	[laika] > [laik] > [l̥aik] > [l̥aig] > [l̥oeg]	✧ EtyAC/LAIK

Variations

• lhoeg ✧ EtyAC/LAIK

lhoeg

adjective. keen, sharp, acute

lhaeb

adjective. fresh

lhoeb

adjective. fresh

lhoeb

adjective. fresh

Changes

• lhaeb → lhoeb ✧ Ety/LÁYAK

Cognates

• ᴹQ. laiqa “green” ✧ Ety/LÁYAK

Derivations

• ᴹ✶laikwā “fresh” ✧ Ety/LÁYAK
  • ᴹ√LAYAK “*fresh, green” ✧ Ety/LAIK; Ety/LÁYAK

Element in

• N. Lhoebelidh “Green-elves” ✧ Ety/LÁYAK; EtyAC/LÁYAK (Lhebenidh/Lhebelidh)

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶laı̯k-wā > lhoeb	[laikwa] > [laipa] > [laip] > [l̥aip] > [l̥aib] > [l̥oeb]	✧ Ety/LÁYAK
ᴹ✶laı̯k-wā > lhaeb	[laikwa] > [laipa] > [laip] > [l̥aip] > [l̥aib] > [l̥aeb]	✧ Ety/LÁYAK

Variations

• lhaeb ✧ EtyAC/LÁYAK (lhaeb)

oeg

adjective. sharp, pointed, piercing

Cognates

• ᴹQ. aika “sharp” ✧ Ety/AYAK

Derivations

• ᴹ√AYAK “sharp, pointed” ✧ Ety/AYAK

Element in

• N. oegas “mountain peak” ✧ Ety/AYAK
• N. oeglir “range of mountain peaks” ✧ Ety/AYAK
• N. Crisaegrim

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√AYAK > oeg	[ajka] > [aika] > [aik] > [aig] > [oeg]	✧ Ety/AYAK

lhoeg

adjective. keen