8.41 Crop, Harvest
- ᴱQ. silkesse n. “harvest [product], *produce”
-
A noun appearing as ᴱQ. silkesse “harvest” 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+wē for “grass” words (Ety/SALÁK), so I think this Early Qenya word can be updated to ᴺQ. salcessë “harvest”. I would assume this word refers to the product of a harvest = “*produce”, as opposed to yávië which is the time or act of harvesting.
- ᴱQ. yausta n. “crop”
-
A word appearing as ᴱQ. yausta “crop” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√ẎAVA having to do with fruit (QL/105).
Neo-Quenya: Since ᴹ√YAB “fruit” survived in Tolkien’s later writings, I think ᴺQ. yausta “crop” can be retained for purposes of Neo-Quenya.
- ᴱQ. yava- v. “to bear (fruit), *yield, bring forth, produce”
-
A verb appearing in the form ᴱQ. yavin “bears fruit” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√ẎAVA having to do with fruit (QL/105).
Neo-Quenya: Since ᴹ√YAB “fruit” survived in Tolkien’s later writings, I think ᴺQ. yava- “to bear (fruit), *yield, bring forth, produce” can be retained for purposes of Neo-Quenya.
- Q. yávië n. “autumn, harvest [time or act]”
-
A word translated “autumn, harvest” in The Lord of the Rings appendices (LotR/1111), clearly based on yávë “fruit”. This word referred to the third out of six “official” Elvish seasons in the Calendar of Imladris (LotR/1107), but could also be used more causally for the autumn time of the year (LotR/1111). Given its second gloss “harvest”, I think it can also refer to the time or act of harvesting of crops. However, for the harvest itself (the produce) I would instead use [ᴺQ.] salcessë.
Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. Yāvan “(Autumn), Harvest” based on ᴱQ. yāva “fruit, produce” (QL/105). The English-Qenya Dictionary of the 1920s also had ᴱQ. yávan “autumn, harvest”, but in that document the word was deleted (QL/69).
- G. gaust n. “crop, *yield, produce; ⚠️corn”
-
A noun appearing as G. gaust “corn, crop (espec. of cereal)” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s based on the early root ᴱ√ı̯aƀa [YAɃA] (GL/38), since in Gnomish of the 1910s an initial y usually became g (HPG/§2.1).
Neo-Sindarin: Since the root ᴹ√YAB survived in Tolkien’s later writing, I would salvage this Gnomish noun as ᴺS. iaust to better fit later phonology. Furthermore, I would use it only in the sense “crop, *yield, produce”, where for “corn [= cereal grain]” I would use N. iau “corn” from The Etymologies (Ety/YAB).
- G. gav- v. “to produce, yield, bear fruit”
-
A verb appearing as G. gav- “produce, yield, bear fruit” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s based on the early root ᴱ√ı̯aƀa [YAɃA] (GL/38), since in Gnomish of the 1910s an initial y usually became g (HPG/§2.1).
Neo-Sindarin: Since the root ᴹ√YAB survived in Tolkien’s later writing, I would salvage this Gnomish verb as ᴺS. iav- “to produce, yield, bear fruit” to better fit later phonology.
8.42 Grain (generic, British Corn) [AV_GG]
- N. iau n. “corn, *cereal crop”
-
A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “corn” derived from the root ᴹ√YAB “fruit” (Ety/YAB). It had the rather unusual plural form iui, which seems to be the result of au becoming ui via i-intrusion in Noldorin of the 1930s and 40s (PE22/40): yābī > ı̯auvi > ı̯uiw(i) > iui. In Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s the result was instead oe, so the Sindarin plural of this word would likely be *ioew. As for the gloss “corn”, it was probably intended to have its British meaning as a general term for any cereal crop like wheat or oats.
8.43 Wheat
- G. bloss n. “wheat”
-
A noun appearing as G. bloss “wheat” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s derived from ᴱ√mol- (GL/23), probably a variant of the early root ᴱ√MULU “grind fine” which had derivatives like ᴱQ. mulma “fine flour” (QL/63). If this derivation is correct, perhaps the original sense of bloss is something like “*grain to be ground/turned into flour”. The primitive form was probably *m’lossǝ where the initial ml became bl.
Neo-Sindarin: The root √MUL is still connected to flour words in Tolkien’s later writings, notably in Q. mulë “meal” in notes from 1968. Thus I think this Gnomish word can be salvaged as ᴺS. bloss “wheat”, but as a direct derivative of √MUL since short u generally became o in Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s.
8.45 Rye
- G. losbas n. “ryebread”
-
A noun appearing as G. losbas “ryebread” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, a combination of G. losc “rye” and G. bast “bread” (GL/54).
Neo-Sindarin: Since I retain ᴺS. losc “rye” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin and S. bas(t) “bread” reappears in Tolkien’s later writing, I would retain ᴺS. losbas “ryebread” as well.
- G. losc n. “rye”
-
A noun appearing as G. losc or losg “rye” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/54).
Neo-Sindarin: Although the derivation of this Gnomish word is unclear, it doesn’t conflict with any later words, so I think it can be salvaged as ᴺS. losc “rye” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin.