√KWA “complete, full, whole, all, every; [ᴹ√] something” A root, frequently but not universally suffixal, indicating completion or fullness. The first appearance of this root was ᴹ√KWA “something” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, serving as the basis for ᴹQ. il-qa “everything, *all-thing” (EtyAC/KWA). √KWA reappeared in the Quendi and
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: KOM-KUY
√KOM “gather, collect” A root Tolkien invented to explain S. mae govannen “well met”, serving as the basis for the verb S. covad(a)- “bring together, make meet” (PE17/16, 157-158). Tolkien gave this root as both √KOB and √KOM, but some of its Quenya derivatives can only be derived from √KOM:
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: KIL-KOL
√KIL “choose, select; [ᴹ√] divide; [ᴱ√] edge” This root has a long history in Tolkien’s writing, but it evolved in meaning over Tolkien’s life. The earliest form of this root was ᴱ√KILI “edge” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, with derivatives like ᴱQ. kíla/G. cilm “edge, rim” and ᴱQ.
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: KHOL-KHYEL(ES)
√KHOL “crow, cry aloud” A root appearing in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s with the gloss “crow, cry aloud”, serving as the basis for primitive words for male and female chickens (PE21/82). It may be an later iteration of the early root ᴱ√HO(HO) “shout, scream” from the
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: KHEL-KHITH
√KHEL “ice, [ᴹ√] freeze” This root was the basis for “ice” words all the way back in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where ᴱ√HELE appeared with variant ᴱ√HḶKḶ as the basis for words like ᴱQ. helke “ice”, ᴱQ. helka “ice-cold”, ᴱQ. halkin “frozen” ᴱQ. hilk- “freeze” (QL/39). The root
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: KHAB-KHAY
√KHAB “heap up, pile up” A root glossed “heap up, pile up” appearing in revisions written sometime after 1959 in the Outline of Phonology (OP2), where it replaced √KHAG “pile up” (PE19/91 and note #110, pp. 91-92). One notable derivative of √KHAB was S. haudh “funeral mound”, as opposed to
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: KE-KEW
√KE/EKE “may (be); have chance, opportunity or permission; it is open” This root appeared in various notes from the late 1960s as the basis for the particle of uncertainty Q. cé. This particle meant “if” or “maybe” in various contexts, but in notes from 1969 √KE was given the sense
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: KAŊA-KAY
ᴱ√KAŊA “weave, twine” A root appearing in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as ᴱ√KANGA “weave” with various derivatives of similar meaning (QL/45), but the actual root probably had medial Ŋ as with ᴱ√KAŊA “twine” appearing later in that same document (QL/98). There are a number of probably-related forms in
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: KĀ-KAN
√KĀ after (later than) of time” A root appearing in notes from the late 1960s glossed “after (later than) of time”, appearing in variants √KĀ and √KATA (PE22/147), the latter perhaps being KA + TA. Although the root itself did not appear until very late in Tolkien’s writing, there are
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: I-IT
ᴹ√I¹ “that (deictic particle); [ᴱ√] here it is, root of relatives” A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “that (deictic particle)” (Ety/I¹). A similar root appeared in the Qenya and Gnomish Lexicons of the 1910s glossed “here it is” (QL/41) and “root of relatives” (GL/50). Given Tolkien’s long