9.49 Hammer
- ᴹQ. namba n. “hammer”
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A noun for “a hammer” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√NDAM “hammer, beat” (Ety/NDAM). Tolkien wrote an l/ above this word, possibly indicating a variant form lamba (EtyAC/NDAM). This variant is consistent with the alternate form of the root: ᴹ√DAM (EtyAC/NDAM). I would stick to namba “hammer” for purposes of Neo-Quenya.
Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. artan (artam-) or tartan “hammer” (QL/32), the second variant also appearing with a stem form tartam- under the early root ᴱ√TARA(MA) “to batter, thud, beat” (QL/89). Other early “hammer” words include ᴱQ. petl “hammer” under the early root ᴱ√PETE (QL/73) and ᴱQ. tonga “a great hammer” under the early root ᴱ√TOŊO “to hammer” (QL/94).
- ᴹQ. namba- v. “to hammer”
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A verb for “to hammer” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√NDAM “hammer, beat” (Ety/NDAM).
- N. dam [nd-] n. “hammer”
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A noun for “a hammer” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√NDAM “hammer, beat”, most notably an element in the name N. Damrod “hammer of copper” (Ety/NDAM). In later writings this name became Amrod, but I would keep dam “hammer” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin. See S. dring for other “hammer” words.
- N. damma- v. “to hammer”
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A verb for “to hammer” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√NDAM “hammer, beat” (Ety/NDAM).
- S. dring n. “hammer, *beater”
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A noun for “hammer” appearing only as an element in the name Glamdring “Foe-hammer” (PE17/84). The Etymologies of the 1930s had this name under the root ᴹ√DRING “beat, strike” (Ety/DRING). Given that the orcs called Glamdring “Beater”, this might also be an alternate translation of dring.
Conceptual Development: The Etymologies of the 1930s also had N. dam “a hammer” under the root ᴹ√NDAM “hammer, beat” (Ety/NDAM). The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. odrum or adrum “hammer” (GL/62), probably based on the early root ᴱ√D(A)RAM “to batter, thud, beat” from the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon (QL/89).
9.50 Nail, Peg
- ᴱQ. tanka n. “fastening, rivet”
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A noun appearing as ᴱQ. tanka “fastening, rivet” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s written under the adjective ᴱQ. tanka “firm, fixed, fast, steady”, both based on the early root ᴱ√TAKA “fix, fasten” (QL/88).
Neo-Quenya: The root √TAK and adjective tanca survive in Tolkien’s later writing, so I think the noun ᴺQ. tanca “fastening, rivet” can also be retained for purposes of Neo-Quenya, perhaps as a nominalized form of the adjective.
- ᴹQ. takse n. “nail”
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A noun for “nail” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶taksē under the root ᴹ√TAK “fix, make fast” (Ety/TAK).
Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. tas (taks-) “nail” under the early root ᴱ√TAKA “fix, fasten” (QL/88), while the English-Qenya Dictionary of the 1920s had takse “nail” (PE15/75).
- N. taes n. “nail”
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A noun for “nail” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶taksē under the root ᴹ√TAK “fix, make fast” (Ety/TAK). Here the k became spirantal before s [taχs(e)] and then vocalized to i to produce the diphthong ai [tais], which then developed into ae [taes].
Neo-Sindarin: These Noldorin developments of the 1930s are different from the spirantal developments of Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s. It seems that ancient ks became ch in Sindarin: compare S. ach “neck” from primitive ✶aks (PE17/92). If you update this “nail” word to fit these developments it should become ᴺS. *tach. However, I prefer to retain the 1930s form taes and assume it was a dialectical variant.
- N. taew n. “holder, socket, hasp, clasp, staple”
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A noun for “holder, socket, hasp, clasp, staple” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶takmā “thing for fixing” under the root ᴹ√TAK “fix, make fast” (Ety/TAK). Here it seems the k vocalized to i to produce the diphthong ai, which then became ae, while the post-vocalic m softened to v and then became w as it often did at the end of words: *takma > taima > taem(a) > taev > taew. The Sindarin developments would have been similar.
Based on its long list of glosses, it seems taew could be used of fasteners in general, both movable like a hasp or clasp, as well as fixed like a staple or socket, as opposed to its Quenya cognate ᴹQ. tangwa which could be used only if a movable “hasp, clasp”.