8.66 Acorn
- ᴹQ. ferna n. “mast, beechnuts”
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A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “mast, beechnuts” under the root ᴹ√PHER(EN) “beech” (Ety/BERETH). Most likely the gloss “mast” refers to the fallen nuts or acorns used in ancient times to feed pigs, which was one of the senses of the Old English word “mæst”. The mast of a ship would instead be tyulma (PE21/80; Ety/TYUL).
- N. breth n. “mast, *fallen nuts or acorns”
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A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “mast” (EtyAC/NEL) related to Ilk. breth “beech-mast”, both derived from the root ᴹ√BERETH “beech” (Ety/BERETH). This word may be the same in both Noldorin and Ilkorin given N. Brethil and N. Brethorn (Ety/NEL; EtyAC/NEL). While breth conceivably could refer to the mast of a ship, it more likely refers to the fallen nuts and acorns of beech, oak and chestnut trees used in ancient times to feed pigs, so “*fallen nuts or acorns”, one of the senses of the Old English word “mæst”.
Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. delmos “beech nuts, mast” likewise related to G. deldron “beech” (GL/30); the second element in this Gnomish word might be G. môs “food”. G. delmos also appeared (unglossed) in the Gnomish Lexicon Slip (PE13/112).
- G. nocha n. “acorn”
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A noun appearing as G. nocha “an acorn” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/61). It had no obvious Qenya cognate, so its derivation is unclear.
Neo-Sindarin: Since there are no later words for “acorn”, I would adapt this word as ᴺS. noch “acorn” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin.
8.67 Vine
- ᴱQ. etl n. “ivy”
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A word appearing as ᴱQ. etl “ivy” in the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s derived from the early root ᴱ√ETE “cling together” (QL/36). In the Qenya Lexicon it had an alternate form etil.
Neo-Quenya: In Tolkien’s later writing, √ET meant “out(side)”, but I think this ivy word can still be based on this root in the sense of “*a thing clinging to the outside”; I would thus use ᴺQ. etil “ivy” for purposes of Neo-Quenya.
- ᴱQ. liantasse n. “vine”
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A word appearing as ᴱQ. liantasse “vine” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, an elaboration of ᴱQ. liante “tendril” under the early root ᴱ√LI+ya “unite many as one” (QL/53).
Neo-Quenya: The later root ᴹ√SLIG was the basis for words like ᴹQ. liante “spider” and ᴹQ. lia “fine thread, spider filament”, so I think ᴺQ. liantassë “vine” can be salvaged as a derivative of this root, perhaps originally meaning “*an entwining”. This word was used for “vine” in Helge Fauskanger’s Neo-Quenya New Testament (NQNT).
- ᴹQ. uile n. “long trailing plant”
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A noun under the root ᴹ√UY in The Etymologies of the 1930s that Tolkien said was a “long trailing plant, especially seaweed”, though he did give a separate word ᴹQ. earuile for “seaweed” (Ety/UY).
- G. ethl(in) n. “ivy”
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A noun appearing as G. ethl(in) “ivy” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s derived from primitive ᴱ✶etḷ-, where tl became thl in Gnomish of the 1910s (GL/33).
Neo-Sindarin: There is no sign of tl > thl in later Sindarin, so I would adapt this word as ᴺS. edol “ivy” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin.
8.68 Tobacco
- Q. alanessë n. “nicotiana, pipeweed, *tobacco”
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A Quenya word appearing in notes on Words, Phrases and Passages in the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s as alenesse or alanesse “nicotiana, pipeweed [*tobacco]”, assembled from ala- “plant, grow” and (primitive?) ✶nes- “sweet smelling” (PE17/100). I prefer alanesse as it is more compatible with the etymology Tolkien gave for S. galenas “pipeweed”.
- G. fuglathrod n. “(smoking) pipe”
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A noun in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “a pipe”, a combination of G. fuglas “tobacco” and G. rod “tube” (GL/36).
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin I would update this word to ᴺS. galenathrod “(smoking) pipe” using the later word galenas for “tobacco”.
- S. galenas n. “pipeweed, nicotiana, *tobacco”
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The Sindarin word for “pipeweed [*tobacco]” (LotR/869). In notes on Words, Phrases and Passages in the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien gave it the gloss “nicotiana” and said its original form was galanes, assembled from [g]ala- “plant, grow” and (primitive?) ✶nes- “sweet smelling”, with a Quenya cognate Q. alanessë (PE17/100).
Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. fuglas “tobacco” (with variants fuglos, fauglas), a combination of G. fug- “smoulder” and G. lass “leaf” (GL/36). Some remnant of this earlier form might be seen in N. fuilas, the first word Tolkien gave for pipeweed in Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s (WR/38). Tolkien revised this to N. marlas and then N. romloth before settling on N. galenas (WR/38).