wa-

prefix. together

wai

wind, weave

wai (what the primitive element ¤wei "wind, weave" became in Quenya; therefore confused with the stem WAY "enfold") (WEY)

wá

wind

wá (actually spelt wâ) noun "wind" (LT1:266). Cf. wáya-.

vaiwa

wind

vaiwa noun "wind" (WĀ/WAWA/WAIWA)

wailë

wind

wailë noun "wind", later form vailë, q.v. (PE17:189)

waiwa

wind

waiwa noun "wind" (WĀ/WAWA/WAIWA)

wáya-

blow

wáya- "blow" (PE17:34, cf. wanwa), perhaps altered to váva (q.v.; the wording of the source is unclear)

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)

au-

prefix. away (from)

Cognates

• T. au- “away” ✧ WJ/365

Derivations

• √WĀ/AWA “away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago, away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago; [ᴹ√] forth, out” ✧ PE17/024; VT49/24
• ✶awa- “away” ✧ WJ/365
  • √WĀ/AWA “away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago, away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago; [ᴹ√] forth, out” ✧ PE17/143; WJ/365

Element in

• ᴺQ. aucelië “sewer, (lit.) away-flowing”
• Q. aucir- “to cut off (and get rid of or lose a portion)” ✧ WJ/365
• ᴺQ. auhanta “refuse, trash, garbage, (lit.) thing thrown away”
• ᴺQ. aulerya- “to rid, free somebody of something”
• ᴺQ. aumanca- “to sell, (lit.) trade away”
• ᴺQ. aumapando “abductor, (lit.) away-seizer”
• ᴺQ. aumenta- “to dismiss, divorce, (lit.) away-send”
• ᴺQ. aupenya “complete, without lack”
• ᴺQ. aupsar- “to wipe away”
• ᴺQ. auquer- “to reject, (lit.) turn away”
• ᴺQ. ausatië “especially, (lit.) setting aside”
• ᴺQ. autulya- “to deport, (lit.) bring away”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶au/awa > au-	[au-]	✧ WJ/365

Variations

• au ✧ VT49/24; WJ/368
• o ✧ VT49/24

vëa

wind

vëa (4) noun "wind" (PE17:189)

vëa

noun. wind

súru

wind

súru noun "wind" (MC:213, 216, 220; this is "Qenya"; Tolkien's later Quenya has súrë)

súrë

wind

súrë noun "wind", stem súri- because of primitive form sūrǐ- (PE17:62),hence the instrumental form súrinen "in the wind" or more literally "by the wind" (Nam, RGEO:66,Markirya, J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator p. 197); Súrion masc.name, "Wind-son" (Appendix A). Early "Qenya" has súru (MC:213, 216, 220). See also súriquessë.

vailë

wind

vailë noun "wind" (PE17:189)

vailë

noun. wind, [strong] wind, *gale

An obscure word for “wind” in notes from December 1959 (D59) derived from the root √WAYA and appearing in various forms: vëa, vaiwe, and vaile, the last of these with an adjectival form vailima “windy” (P17/189). A similar set of Quenya derivatives of √WAY appeared in notes from 1957, but there most of the forms were rejected: {vaiwe, view-, vaive, víw}, along with unrejected váva (PE17/33-34). Tolkien considered all these as possible cognates of S. gwae “wind”.

Conceptual Development: Precursors include ᴱQ. ’wā “wind” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√GWĀ (QL/102), ᴱQ. vá or vanwe “wind” from Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1930s (PE16/142) and ᴹQ. vaiwa “wind” from The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√WAIWA (Ety/WĀ). Thus the Quenya forms were much less stable than their Sindarin equivalent and its precursor, which were simply G. gwâ “wind” (GL/43; PE13/146) >> N./S. gwae(w) “wind” (Ety/WĀ; NM/237; PE17/33-34, 189).

Neo-Quenya: Of the various forms, I prefer Q. vailë since (a) it is later, (b) has an adjectival form and (c) has a possible direct cognate S. gwael “✱wind”, also from around the same time. Q. súrë is the usual word for “wind” and is thus preferable for most uses, but I think vailë might be used for a strong wind or gale, since elsewere in Quenya derivatives of √WĀ seem to be tied to stronger winds: hwarwa “violent wind”, vangwë “storm” (NM/237).

Changes

• waiwe → vaiwe ✧ PE17/189

Cognates

• S. gwae “wind” ✧ PE17/189

Derivations

• √WAY “blow (of wind), be disturbed” ✧ PE17/189
• ✶waiwa(y) “*wind” ✧ PE17/189
  • √WAY “blow (of wind), be disturbed” ✧ PE17/033; PE17/189
• ✶waile “*wind” ✧ PE17/189
  • √WAY “blow (of wind), be disturbed” ✧ PE17/189

Element in

• Q. vailima “windy” ✧ PE17/189

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√WAYA > vëa	[waja] > [wea] > [βea] > [vea]	✧ PE17/189
✶waiwa(y) > vaiwe	[waiwai] > [βaiwai] > [vaiwai] > [vaiwe]	✧ PE17/189
✶waile > vaile	[waile] > [βaile] > [vaile]	✧ PE17/189

Variations

• vëa ✧ PE17/189
• vaiwe ✧ PE17/189
• vaile ✧ PE17/189
• waiwe ✧ PE17/189 (waiwe)

vaiwë

wind

vaiwë noun "wind" (PE17:189)

vaiwë

noun. wind

vangwë

blow

vangwë noun "blow" (PE17:34), i.e. a blast of wind

váva

blow

váva vb.? "blow" (the wording used in the source is unclear, but wā-ya is said to mean "blow", and after discussing Sindarin forms Tolkien instructs himself to "alter Quenya", introducing a new primitive form ¤wā-wā with váva- as the Quenya outcome. Possibly this still means "blow" as a verb referring to wind.) PE17:34

váva

noun. *wind

Cognates

• S. gwae “wind” ✧ PE17/033

Derivations

• ✶waiwa(y) “*wind” ✧ PE17/033
  • √WAY “blow (of wind), be disturbed” ✧ PE17/033; PE17/189
• ✶wāwā “*blow” ✧ PE17/033; PE17/034
  • √WĀ “blow; noise of wind, echoic representation of sound of wind” ✧ PE17/034

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶waiwe > vaiwe	[waile] > [βaile] > [vaile]	✧ PE17/033
✶wā-wā > váva	[wāwā] > [βāβā] > [βāβa] > [vāva]	✧ PE17/033
✶wā-wā > váva	[wāwā] > [βāβā] > [βāβa] > [vāva]	✧ PE17/034

Variations

• vaiwe ✧ PE17/033 (vaiwe)
• view- ✧ PE17/033 (view-)
• vávo ✧ PE17/033 (vávo)
• wā- ✧ PE17/033 (wā-)
• vaive ✧ PE17/033 (vaive)
• víw ✧ PE17/033 (víw)
• wa ✧ PE17/033 (wa)

o-

prefix. together

Cognates

• S. go- “together, co-, com-” ✧ PE17/016; PE17/191; PE17/191; WJ/367
• T. vo- “together” ✧ WJ/367

Derivations

• √WO “together” ✧ PE17/191; WJ/367
• ✶wō “together” ✧ PE19/106
  • √WO “together” ✧ WJ/361

Element in

• ᴺQ. ocantië “pattern”
• ᴺQ. ocar- “to cooperate, work together, participate”
• ᴺQ. ocaraitië “program, a set of activities”
• ᴺQ. ofelmë “sympathy, compassion, pity, *(lit.) together-feeling”
• ᴺQ. ohérë “government”
• Q. ohlon “diphthong” ✧ VT48/29
• Q. oholima “confidential”
• Q. ólama “consonant”
• Q. olass(i)ë “foliage, collection of leaves”
• Q. olië “company, people together”
• ᴺQ. ólië “society, (lit.) together-people”
• ᴺQ. ólëo “society, (lit.) together-people”
• ᴺQ. olindë “harmony”
• ᴺQ. olirië “concert”
• Q. olos “inflorescence, mass of flowers (on one plant), inflorescence, mass of flowers”
• Q. olótë “bloom, the flowers collectively of a single plant”
• Q. ombari “company, dwellers together”
• Q. omen- “to move to a common point, meet, to meet, move to a common point, *(lit.) move together” ✧ PE17/013
• Q. omentië “meeting (of pathways), (lit.) coming together of journey-path, meeting or junction of the directions of two people” ✧ PE17/013; PE17/013; WJ/367
• ᴺQ. omírë “jewelry (collectively)”
• ᴺQ. omolmë “company, business, enterprise, firm”
• Q. onóna “twin-born; one of a pair of twins” ✧ WJ/367
• Q. onot- “to count up, reckon, [ᴹQ.] to count up, reckon”
• Q. onótië “*reckoning”
• ᴺQ. orendë “(nuclear) family”
• ᴺQ. ori “grain, seed”
• ᴺQ. ósana- “to counsel, think together”
• Q. ósanwë “communication of thought, interchange of thought; (lit.) thinking together (dual)”
• ᴺQ. ósat- “to share”
• Q. ostimë “blend”
• ᴺQ. otarmië “colonnade”
• ᴺQ. otolmië “keyboard”
• ᴺQ. ovëa “(con)similar, alike”
• Q. ovéa “(con)similar, alike”
• ᴺQ. ovesta “contract, compact, treaty”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√WO/WONO > ŏ-´	[wo-] > [o-]	✧ PE17/191
✶gwo > wa-	[gwo-] > [gwa-] > [ɣwa-] > [wa-]	✧ PE19/106
✶gwo > o-	[gwo-] > [ɣwo-] > [ɣo-] > [o-]	✧ PE19/106
√WO > ó-	[wo-] > [o-]	✧ WJ/367

Variations

• ŏ-´ ✧ PE17/191 (ŏ-´)
• wa- ✧ PE19/106
• ó ✧ PE22/168 (ó)
• ŏ ✧ VT48/29
• ó- ✧ WJ/367; WJ/367

uo

together

[uo adv. "together" (PE17:191)]

uo

adverb. together

Element in

• ᴺQ. uomë “community”

uo

adverb. together

Derivations

• ✶ówō “together” ✧ PE17/191
  • √WO “together” ✧ PE17/191

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶ówō > uo	[owō] > [uo]	✧ PE17/191

go-

prefix. *away

A hypothetical element in the name Gódhel, a late Sindarin replacement for Ódhel “Elf who left for Aman”, but Tolkien said “it seems most probable that it took g- from the old clan-name Golodh, pl. Goelydh, which it practically replaced” (WJ/364). Thus ✱go- “away” < ✶wā- is probably a false etymology.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would use gwa- as the prefix for “away”, as in gwahae “✱far away”.

Derivations

• ✶wā- “*away” ✧ WJ/364

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶wā > gwǭ > go	[wā-] > [wǭ-] > [gwǭ-] > [gwau-] > [gwo-] > [go-]	✧ WJ/364

Variations

• go ✧ WJ/364

gwa-

prefix. together (only in old compounds, the living form is go-)

gwae

wind

_ n. _wind. Tolkien also notes "WAKH in wagme > gwaew, gwae" (PE17:34). Q. vea. >> gwaew

gwae

noun. wind

The normal Sindarin word for “wind”, usually appearing as gwae but sometimes as gwaew, most frequently derived from √WAY “blow” but also a bewildering variety of other roots (NM/237; PE17/33-34, 189); see the entry for √WĀ for further discussion.

Conceptual Development: The earliest form of this word was G. gwâ “wind” from both Gnomish Grammar and Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s (GG/14; GL/43). The form ᴱN. gwá “wind” reappeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists from the 1920s (MC/217), but in the Nebrachar poem from circa 1930 the form was gwaew “wind” (MC/217). It was N. gwaew “wind” in The Etymologies of the 1930s from the root ᴹ√WAIWA (Ety/WĀ), and appeared a number of times in later writings as both gwae and (more rarely) gwaew, as noted above.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I prefer using only gwae for “wind”, reserving gwaew for “storm”.

Cognates

• Q. vailë “wind, [strong] wind, *gale” ✧ PE17/189
• Q. váva “*wind” ✧ PE17/033

Derivations

• ✶wāya “blow” ✧ NM/237; PE17/034
  • √WĀ “blow; noise of wind, echoic representation of sound of wind” ✧ NM/237
  • √WAY “blow (of wind), be disturbed” ✧ PE17/034
• √WAY “blow (of wind), be disturbed” ✧ PE17/033; PE17/034; PE17/189
• ✶waiwa(y) “*wind” ✧ PE17/033
  • √WAY “blow (of wind), be disturbed” ✧ PE17/033; PE17/189

Element in

• ᴺS. gwaeren “windy”
• S. gwaeren “windy”
• S. Gwaeron “March, *Windy-one”
• S. Gwaihir “Windlord” ✧ PE17/034

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶wā-yo > gwoe > gwae	[wājo] > [wǭjo] > [wǭio] > [woio] > [gwoio] > [gwoi] > [gwoe] > [gwae]	✧ NM/237
√WAYA > gwae	[wajā] > [waja] > [waia] > [gwaia] > [gwai] > [gwae]	✧ PE17/033
✶waiwe > gwae(w)	[waiwe] > [gwaiwe] > [gwaiw] > [gwaew]	✧ PE17/033
√WIW > gwae(w)	[waiwe] > [gwaiwe] > [gwaiw] > [gwaew]	✧ PE17/034
✶wāyā > gwoe > gwae	[wājā] > [wāja] > [wǭja] > [wǭia] > [woia] > [gwoia] > [gwoi] > [gwoe] > [gwae]	✧ PE17/034
√WAYA > Gwae	[wajā] > [waja] > [waia] > [gwaia] > [gwai] > [gwae]	✧ PE17/189

Variations

• gwaew ✧ PE17/033 (gwaew)
• gwae(w) ✧ PE17/033 (gwae(w)); PE17/034
• Gwae ✧ PE17/189

gwaew

wind

_ n. _wind. Tolkien also notes "WAKH in wagme > gwaew, gwae" (PE17:34). >> gwae

sûl

noun. wind

sûl

noun. wind, [strong] wind, *gust

A noun for “wind” appearing in names like Amon Sûl, derived from the root √SŪ “blow, move with audible sound (of air)” (NM/237; PE17/124).

Conceptual Development: A precursor to this word is G. saul “great wind” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/67), derived from the early root ᴱ√SUHYU “air, breath, exhale, puff” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Súlimo; QL/86).

Neo-Sindarin: Given its connection to the sound of wind, I think sûl would be used mostly for strong or noisy wind, including (but not limited to) gusts of wind, as opposed to more ordinary (and less noisy) gwae “wind”. This notion is supported by its Gnomish precursor G. saul “great wind”.

Cognates

• Q. súrë “wind, breeze” ✧ PE17/124

Derivations

• ✶sūli “wind”
• √SŪ “blow, move with audible sound (of air)” ✧ NM/237; PE17/124

Element in

• S. Amon Sûl “Weathertop, (lit.) Hill of the Wind” ✧ SA/sûl

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√sū > sûl	[sūl] > [sūle] > [sūl]	✧ NM/237
√SŪ > sūl	[sūli] > [sūle] > [sūl]	✧ PE17/124

Variations

• sūl ✧ PE17/015; PE17/124

go

together

(prefix) go-, gwa- (+ lenition) (co-, com-).

go

together

gwa- (+ lenition) (co-, com-).

go-

together

_pref. _together. Q. o-.

godref

through together

(AI:92)

gwaew

wind

1) gwaew (i **waew) (storm), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaew), 2) sûl (i hûl), pl. suil (i suil**). Note: a homophone means ”goblet”.

gwaew

wind

(i ’waew) (storm), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaew)

gwaeren

windy

(lenited ’waeren; pl. gwaerin)

dram

blow

dram (i dhram) (heavy stroke), pl. draim (in draim);

dram

blow

(i dhram) (heavy stroke), pl. draim (in draim);

sûl

wind

(i hûl), pl. suil (i suil). Note: a homophone means ”goblet”.

drambor

blow with fist

(i dhrambor) (clenched fist), pl. dramboer (in dramboer). Archaic ✱drambaur (dram + paur).

vo-

prefix. together

Cognates

• Q. o- “together” ✧ WJ/367

Derivations

• √WO “together” ✧ WJ/367

Variations

• vō/vo- ✧ WJ/367

bawab

noun. wind

The noun for “wind”, attested only in the plural (bawîb) and subjective plural (bawîba) forms (SD/247, SD/312). Its plural form indicates that it is a strong-noun (Strong I), so its final vowel must be short, but in theory it could be any of a, i or u, each of which would be replaced by long î in plural nouns. Nouns with identical vowels are more common, however, so ✱bawab is the most likely singular form, though as Helge Fauskanger points out (AL/Adûnaic) the normal form could also be the weak noun ✱bawâb with a poetic strong plural (SD/435).

Element in

• Ad. bawîba dulgî “winds (were) black” ✧ SD/247; SD/312

wā

root. blow; noise of wind, echoic representation of sound of wind

This and similar roots were the basis for “wind” words for much of Tolkien’s life, especially in Sindarin and its precursors. Its first appearance was unglossed ᴱ√GWĀ in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. ’wā “wind” and ᴱQ. ’wanwavoite “windy”, where presumably the ’ indicated the lost initial g; there were also two erased variants of the root ᴱ√WĀ and ᴱ√WA’A (WAƷA?) (QL/102). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon it had derivatives like G. gwâ “wind” and G. gwavwed “windy” (GL/43).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave the root as ᴹ√WĀ “blow” with extended variants ᴹ√WAIWA and ᴹ√WAWA and derivatives like ᴹQ. vaiwa/N. gwaew “wind” (Ety/WĀ). ᴹQ. ván/N. gwaun < ᴹ√WĀ-N also seem to be related (Ety/WA-N; EtyAC/WA-N), perhaps based on the noise the goose makes. The root √WĀ appeared a number of times in Tolkien’s later writings with glosses like “blow” (PE17/33), “[used?] of noise of wind” (PE17/34), “echoic representation of sound of wind” (NM/237), and in the variant form √WAY “blow, or be disturbed” (PE17/33) or √WAY “blow (as of wind)” (PE17/154, 189). √WAY was its most common variant form, but it had many others such as √WAW, √WIW, √SWA, √SWAW and √SWAR.

Derivatives

• ✶wagmē “storm” ✧ NM/237
  • Q. vangwë “storm; blow, storm, *gale; blow” ✧ NM/237; PE17/034
  • S. gwaew “storm; blow” ✧ NM/237; PE17/034
• ✶wāya “blow” ✧ NM/237
  • S. gwae “wind” ✧ NM/237; PE17/034
• ✶wāwā “*blow” ✧ PE17/034
  • Q. váva “*wind” ✧ PE17/033; PE17/034
• Q. váya- “to blow” ✧ PE17/034
• S. hwaewar “breeze[?]” ✧ PE17/034

Element in

• √SWĀ “echoic representation of sound of wind” ✧ NM/237; PE17/034
• √WAY “blow (of wind), be disturbed”

Variations

• wā ✧ NM/237
• wa-wa ✧ NM/237

wā-

prefix. *away

Theoretical initial element in ancient wādelo “those who departed Middle-earth”, but according to Tolkien this was a false etymology (WJ/364).

Derivatives

• S. go- “*away” ✧ WJ/364

Element in

• ✶wādelo ✧ WJ/364

Variations

• wā ✧ WJ/364

wāya

verb. blow

Changes

• wā-ya → wā-wā “blow” ✧ PE17/034

Derivations

• √WĀ “blow; noise of wind, echoic representation of sound of wind” ✧ NM/237
• √WAY “blow (of wind), be disturbed” ✧ PE17/034

Derivatives

• S. gwae “wind” ✧ NM/237; PE17/034

Variations

• wā-yo ✧ NM/237
• wā-ya ✧ PE17/034
• wāyā ✧ PE17/034

waile

noun. *wind

Derivations

• √WAY “blow (of wind), be disturbed” ✧ PE17/189

Derivatives

• Q. vailë “wind, [strong] wind, *gale” ✧ PE17/189

wo

root. together

This root was the basis for the prefix Q. o- and S. go- “together”. In the 1910s Gnomish Lexicon, G. go- (unaccented) or gwa- “together” was derived from primitive ᴱ✶ŋu̯a and the Qenya form was ᴱQ. ma- (GL/40-41). In the 1920s the Early Noldorin form was still ᴱN. go- or gwa- but the Qenya form was ᴱQ. va- (PE13/162), probably from primitive ✱wa-. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave the root as ᴹ√WŌ̆ “together” with derivatives ᴹQ. o- and N. go- or stressed gwa- (Ety/WŌ; EtyAC/WŌ).

In The Etymologies Tolkien explained the go-/gwa- variation in Noldorin as the result of the sound change whereby stressed wŏ became wa in Common Eldarin (Ety/WŌ); Tolkien gave a similar explanation for Sindarin in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (WJ/367). Despite stressed wŏ > wa being an ancient change, the wa variant did not survive in Quenya. Tolkien explained the sound change whereby wo became o in Quenya several times: in the Outline of Phonetic Development (OP1) from the 1930s, in the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the early 1950s, and in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (PE19/53, 106; WJ/367). The root √WO itself also appeared several times in Tolkien’s later writings (PE17/16, 191; WJ/361), in one place with the variant √WONO (PE17/191).

Derivatives

• ✶ówō “together” ✧ PE17/191
  • Q. uo “together” ✧ PE17/191
• ✶wō “together” ✧ WJ/361
  • Q. o- “together” ✧ PE19/106
  • S. go- “together, co-, com-” ✧ WJ/368
  • ᴺS. gu “(together) with”
• Q. o- “together” ✧ PE17/191; WJ/367
• S. go- “together, co-, com-” ✧ PE17/016; PE17/191; WJ/367
• T. vo- “together” ✧ WJ/367

Element in

• ᴺ✶. womātē “*community, (lit.) eating-together”
• ᴺQ. ólav- “to compromise”
• ᴺQ. ómen “crossroads”
• ᴺS. goven “crossroads”

Variations

• WĂ/WO ✧ PE17/016
• WO/WONO ✧ PE17/191 (WO/WONO)

wō

prefix. together

Derivations

• √WO “together” ✧ WJ/361

Derivatives

• Q. o- “together” ✧ PE19/106
• S. go- “together, co-, com-” ✧ WJ/368
• ᴺS. gu “(together) with”

Variations

• gwo ✧ PE19/106
• wo- ✧ WJ/367
• wo ✧ WJ/368

waiwa(y)

noun. *wind

Derivations

• √WAY “blow (of wind), be disturbed” ✧ PE17/033; PE17/189

Derivatives

• Q. vailë “wind, [strong] wind, *gale” ✧ PE17/189
• Q. váva “*wind” ✧ PE17/033
• S. gwae “wind” ✧ PE17/033

Variations

• waiwe ✧ PE17/033 (waiwe)

wiw

root. blow

wā/awa

root. away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago, away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago; [ᴹ√] forth, out

This invertible root and ones like it were the basis for “away” words for much of Tolkien’s life. The earliest iteration was ᴱ√AVA “go away, depart, leave” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. au “away from” and ᴱQ. avanwa “going, passing, nearly gone” (QL/33). This early root remanifested as ᴹ√AB “go away, depart, leave” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, but the gloss of that root was revised to “refuse, deny” (Ety/AB). As a replacement, Tolkien introduced ᴹ√AWA “away, forth; out” with derivatives like ᴹQ. ava “outside”; Tolkien also considered deriving a privative prefix ᴹQ. ava- from this root (Ety/AWA).

The root √AWA was mentioned many times in Tolkien’s later writings, along with its inverted variant √WĀ, usually with the sense “away (from)” or a verbal sense “go (away), depart, pass away”. Its most detailed description appeared in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60, where Tolkien said:

> The element ✱AWA ... referred to movement away, viewed from the point of view of the thing, person, or place left. As a prefix it had probably already developed in CE the form ✱au-. The form ✱awa was originally an independent adverbial form, but appears to have been also used as a prefix (as an intensive form of ✱awa-, ✱au-). The form ✱wā- was probably originally used as a verbal stem, and possibly also in composition with verbal stems (WJ/361).

In this same document Tolkien said of Sindarin that:

> The only normal derivative [of √AWA] is the preposition o, the usual word for “from, of”. None of the forms of the element ✱awa are found as a prefix in S, probably because they became like or the same as the products of ✱wō, ✱wo (WJ/366).

Indeed, most of the attested derivatives of this root are in Quenya, but there are a couple in Sindarin, such as the aforementioned S. o from AWA, as well S. gwanwen “departed” (WJ/378) and the verb S. gwae- “go”, probably only in the limited sense “depart” (PE17/148), both from WĀ.

In late notes from 1969 Tolkien gave the root √AWA the sense “before or ago (of time)” (PE22/167 note #117; PE22/168), but I suspect this was a transient idea.

Derivatives

• ✶au- “away” ✧ WJ/361
• ✶awa- “away” ✧ PE17/143; WJ/365
  • Q. au- “away (from)” ✧ WJ/365
  • Q. ú “without, destitute of” ✧ PE17/144
  • T. au- “away” ✧ WJ/365
• ✶awā “away” ✧ WJ/361; WJ/365
  • Q. öa “away (of movement)” ✧ WJ/366
  • T. au “away” ✧ WJ/366
• ✶ăwă “from” ✧ PE17/148
  • Q. o “from” ✧ PE17/148
  • S. o “from, of” ✧ PE17/148
• ✶awta-
  • Q. auta- “to go (away), depart, leave; to disappear, be lost, pass away” ✧ PE17/063; WJ/366; WJ/366
• ✶wanwa “gone, taken away, lost, departed” ✧ PE17/143
  • Q. vanwa “gone, lost, departed, vanished, past, over, no longer to be had, passed away, dead, gone, lost, departed, vanished, past, over, no longer to be had, passed away, dead, [ᴹQ.] gone for good; [ᴱQ.] on the road” ✧ PE17/143; PE22/137
• Q. au- “away (from)” ✧ PE17/024; VT49/24
• Q. au “away, off, not here (of position)” ✧ PE17/143; PE17/148
• Q. auta “ago” ✧ PE22/168
• Q. auta- “to go (away), depart, leave; to disappear, be lost, pass away” ✧ PE17/063; PE17/063; PE17/148; WJ/365
• Q. autas “a former occur[rence]” ✧ PE22/168
• Q. ava “*outer, [ᴹQ.] outside, beyond; outer, exterior”
• Q. öa “away (of movement)” ✧ PE17/024
• Q. öar “away from” ✧ WJ/364
• Q. va “(away) from, (away) from, [ᴹQ.] away, [ᴱQ.] gone forth; with” ✧ VT49/24
  • ᴹQ. va “away”
• S. gwae- “to go, depart” ✧ PE17/148
• ᴺS. gwanwas “the past, past days, olden times”
• S. gwanwen “departed, departed, *gone, lost [to time], past”
• S. o “from, of” ✧ PE17/024; WJ/366
• T. auta- “to go, depart, pass away” ✧ WJ/365

Element in

• ᴺQ. avatup- “to uncover, expose”

Variations

• awa ✧ PE17/024; PE22/168 (awa); PE22/168; VT49/24; WJ/366
• AWA ✧ PE17/063; PE17/063; PE17/148; PE22/167; WJ/361; WJ/364; WJ/365; WJ/368
• AWA/WĀ ✧ PE17/143; PE17/148; PE17/148
• WĀ ✧ PE17/189
• awa/wā ✧ VT42/32
• wā- ✧ WJ/361
• wā ✧ WJ/366

sū

noun. wind

Derivations

• √SŪ “blow, move with audible sound (of air)”

Derivatives

• Q. sú “sound of wind, sound of wind, [ᴱQ.] noise of wind” ✧ VT47/12; VT47/35

Element in

• ✶sūli “wind” ✧ VT47/35
• ✶sūri “wind” ✧ VT47/35

sūli

noun. wind

Derivatives

• S. sûl “wind, [strong] wind, *gust”

Elements

Word	Gloss
SŪ	“blow, move with audible sound (of air)”

sūri

noun. wind

Derivations

• √SUR “noise of wind, noise of wind; [ᴱ√] to blow” ✧ NM/237

Derivatives

• Q. súrë “wind, breeze” ✧ NM/237

Variations

• sūr(i) ✧ VT47/35

ówō

adverb. together

Derivations

• √WO “together” ✧ PE17/191

Derivatives

• Q. uo “together” ✧ PE17/191

gwa-

prefix. *away

Cognates

• ᴹQ. va “away”

Derivations

• ᴹ√AWA “away, forth; out”

Element in

• ᴺS. gwachae “far away”
• S. gwahae “*far away”
• N. gwahae “*far away” ✧ EtyAC/KHAYA

Variations

• gwa- ✧ EtyAC/KHAYA (gwa-)

gwa-

prefix. together (only in old compounds, the living form is go-)

gwa-

prefix. together

gwaew

noun. wind

gwaew

noun. wind

Cognates

• ᴹQ. vaiwa “wind” ✧ Ety/WĀ

Derivations

• ᴹ√WAIWA “blow” ✧ Ety/WĀ
  • ᴹ√WĀ “blow” ✧ Ety/WĀ

Element in

• N. Gwaeron “March, *Windy-one”
• N. Gwaihir “Windlord”
• N. Gwaewar “Windlord”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√WAIWA > gwaew	[waiwa] > [gwaiwa] > [gwaiw] > [gwaew]	✧ Ety/WĀ

go-

prefix. together

go-

prefix. together

Cognates

• ᴹQ. o- “together” ✧ Ety/WŌ

Derivations

• ᴹ√WO “together” ✧ Ety/KWET; Ety/NAT
• ᴹ✶wō̆- “together” ✧ Ety/WŌ
  • ᴹ√WO “together” ✧ Ety/WŌ

Element in

• N. gobel “walled house or village, town”
• N. gobennas “history” ✧ Ety/KWET
• N. godrebh “abreast; *together-through”
• N. gwaloth “blossom, collection of flowers”
• N. gonathra- “to entangle, enmesh” ✧ Ety/NAT
• N. gonod- “to count (up)” ✧ Ety/WŌ
• N. govad- “to meet”
• N. gowest “contract, compact, treaty” ✧ Ety/WŌ
• N. gwanod “tale, number, number, tale”
• N. gwanur “kinsman, kinswoman” ✧ Ety/WŌ
• N. gwastar “hummock” ✧ Ety/WŌ

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√WŌ̆ > go-	[wo-] > [gwo-] > [go-]	✧ Ety/NAT
ᴹ✶wō/wŏ > gwa-	[wó-] > [wá-] > [gwá-]	✧ Ety/WŌ

Variations

• go ✧ Ety/KWET
• gwa- ✧ Ety/WŌ (gwa-)