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Select Elvish Words 8.32-8.33: to Reap; Sickle

8.32 to Mow, Reap

ᴱQ. silki- v. “to mow, scythe, mow down”

A verb appearing as ᴱQ. silki- “mow, scythe, mow down” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√SḶKḶ¹ that was also the basis for “grass” words (QL/84).

Conceptual Development: The Etymologies of the 1930s updated this root to ᴹ√SALAK+ for “grass” words (Ety/SALÁK), so I think this Early Qenya word can be updated to ᴺQ. salca- “to mow, scythe, mow down”.

ᴱQ. silkima adj. “ready for cutting, *harvestable”

An adjective appearing as ᴱQ. silkima “ready for cutting” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√SḶKḶ¹ that was also the basis for “grass” words (QL/84).

Conceptual Development: The Etymologies of the 1930s updated this root to ᴹ√SALAK+ for “grass” words (Ety/SALÁK), so I think this Early Qenya word can be updated to ᴺQ. silcima “ready for cutting, *harvestable”.

N. critha- v. “to reap”

A verb in The Etymologies of the 1930s appearing in its [Noldorin] infinitive form N. critho “reap” and derived from primitive ᴹ✶k’rikta- under the root ᴹ√KIRIK (Ety/KIRIK).

G. salca- v. “to scythe or mow”

A verb appearing as G. salca- “to scythe or mow” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/66), clearly a cognate to ᴱQ. silki- “mow, scythe, mow down” in the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon under the early root ᴱ√SḶKḶ¹ also having to do with “grass” words (QL/84).

Conceptual Development: The Etymologies of the 1930s updated the basis for “grass” words to ᴹ√SALAK+ (Ety/SALÁK), so I think this Gnomish verb can be salvaged for purposes of Neo-Sindarin. However, in Sindarin phonology it would become ᴺS. salcha- “to scythe or mow”.

8.33 Scythe, Sickle

Q. circa n. “sickle”

A word for “sickle” in the name Q. Valacirca “Sickle of the Valar”, which is the Quenya name for the constellation of the Great Bear (S/48; MR/166). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, ᴹQ. kirka “sickle” was derived from the root ᴹ√KIRIK (Ety/KIRIK).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s Tolkien had ᴱQ. kalka “sickle” derived from the early root ᴱ√KḶKḶ “gather, collect, reap” (QL/47; PME/47). This corresponds to the earliest Qenya name of the constellation of the Great Bear: ᴱQ. Telpea Kalka “*Silvern Sickle” (QL/47; PME/47).

ᴱQ. salka n. “scythe”

A word in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s appearing as ᴱQ. salca “scythe” under the early root ᴱ√SḶKḶ¹ that was also the basis for “grass” words (QL/84).

Neo-Quenya: Since ᴹ√SALAK+ was still the basis for “grass” words in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/SALÁK), I think ᴺQ. salca “scythe” can be salvaged for purposes of Neo-Quenya.

N. cerch n. “sickle”

A noun for “sickle” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√KIRIK (Ety/KIRIK).

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