12.41 Right (vs. Left)
- Q. for- pref. “right-hand, north”
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A prefix meaning either “right-hand” or “north”, depending on context (PE17/18). It is derived from the root ᴹ√PHOR.
- Q. forma n. “right-hand”
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A word for “right-hand” in notes from the late 1960s (VT47/6), a combination of for- “right” and má “hand”. It may also mean “right-hand side” based on S. forvo.
- Q. formaitë adj. “righthanded; ⚠️[ᴹQ.] dexterous”
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A word for “righthanded” (VT49/11; Ety/PHOR), a combination of for- “right” and maitë “handed”. In The Etymologies of the 1930s it also meant “dexterous” (Ety/PHOR), but this was before Tolkien decided Elves where ambidextrous and equally skilled with both hands.
- ᴹQ. forte (forti-) adj. “right or north”
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A word meaning either “right” or “north” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶phoroti under the root ᴹ√PHOR “right-hand” (Ety/PHOR).
- ᴹQ. forya adj. “right [hand], dexter”
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An adjective for “right (dexter)” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√PHOR “right-hand” (Ety/PHOR). This word also appeared in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1940s, where Tolkien said that it was the right that had “sinister” associations in Quenya rather than the left (PE22/51), no doubt because north was considered the right-hand direction and this was where Melkor resided as discussed years later in the notes associated with the Ambidexters Sentence from 1969 (VT49/6-8).
Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had an untranslated word ᴱQ. pōya under the early root ᴱ√PO that basis for “north” words in the 1910s (QL/74).
- S. forvo n. “right hand, right side”
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A word for “the right hand, the right side” in notes from the late 1960s (VT47/6), a combination of for- “north; right” and †maw “hand”.
Conceptual Development: The Etymologies of the 1930s had forgam “righthanded” as a combination of ᴹ√PHOR “right-hand” and N. cam “hand” (Ety/PHOR).
- S. fuir adj. “[N.] right (hand); ⚠️north”
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A word appearing in the name Eryn Fuir “North Wood” in notes from the late 1960s that were ultimately struck through (VT42/20). David Salo suggested it was likely derived from *phorya (GS/255). If so, it would be a later version of N. fœir >> feir “right (hand)” from The Etymologies of the 1930s, which was the equivalent of ᴹQ. forya under the root ᴹ√PHOR of similar meaning (Ety/PHOR).
These differences in between the Noldorin and Sindarin forms were due to varying phonetic developments in the 1930s vs. the 1950s-60s; see the entry on how œi became ui in Sindarin for more details.
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would use ᴺS. fuir in its 1930s sense “right (hand)”, since we have plenty of other words for “north”.