Select Elvish Words: 12.56 Small, Little

12.56 Small, Little

⚠️Q. cinta adj. “small”

A word for “small” in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 derived from the root √KIT or √KIN (PE17/157).

Neo-Quenya: This word is fairly obscure, so I would used other words for “small” for purposes of Neo-Quenya, such as níca.

Q. -incë suf. “diminutive ending”

The most common Quenya diminutive suffix as seen in words like Atarinkë “Little Father” (PM/353), lepinke “little finger” (VT47/26; VT48/5), or luminke “a little while” (CPT/1296). It is used to indicate little things, but it is also used to form affectionate words like hérinkë “*little lady” (UT/195). With adjectives it means “a little, somewhat, -ish” as in luininkĭ “bluish” (VT48/18). It is clearly based on the primitive diminutive suffix ✶-i(n)ki which also produced Sindarin diminutive S. -eg/-ig.

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had suffixes ᴱQ. -īne, -inēa under the early root ᴱ√INI “small” (QL/42), but also “dim[inutive] endings” ᴱQ. -pi, pit, -pin, -pinke under the early root ᴱ√PIK or ᴱ√PINI (QL/73). The Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s had diminutive ᴱQ. -(i)tsa with adverbial variant -ste(n) (PE14/47, 80), while the typescript version also had diminutive prefixes ᴱQ. mi(e)-, miki-, mike- and ᴱQ. itsi-, itse- (PE41/81). The last of these was often used as a suffix in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s in words like ᴱQ. inwilitse “little fairy” (QL/42) and ᴱQ. miqilitse “little or tender kiss” (QL/61). The Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s also had suffixes for “less intense”, including -íne and -ínea as mentioned above, but also ᴱQ. -(w)inte or -linte, (PE14/49, 81), with variants -inya, -(w)inta, -(l)inta appearing only in the typescript version (PE14/81).

ᴹQ. míwa adj. “small, tiny, frail”

A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s appearing beside N. mîw “small, tiny, frail” under the root ᴹ√MIW² (EtyAC/MIW²). The language is not marked, but it is probably Quenya with a meaning similar to its Noldorin equivalent.

Q. níca adj. “small”

A word appearing in a note from 1968 along side a (primitive?) variant ✶ninkĭ, both derived from the root √NIK “small” and so probably of similar meaning (VT47/26; VT48/18).

ᴹQ. -(n)ikka suf. “small”

A suffix used in Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from 1948 to form correlatives for smallness in quantity or amount, such as ᴹQ. manikka “how small, *how little” and ᴹQ. tanikka “*that small, that little” (PE23/108). Tolkien specified that it was “only used in interrogatives and demonstratives”. It was probably related to diminutive ✶-i(n)ki and the root √-NIK “small”.

Q. nípa adj. “small (usually with connotation of weakness)”

A word appearing in a note from 1968 along side a (primitive?) variant ✶nimpĭ, both derived from the root √NIP meaning “small” but usually with connotation of weakness (VVT48/18).

Q. nitya adj. “little”

A word appearing only as an element in the name of Nityafinwë (PM/365). It was probably derived √NIK “small”, with *nikya becoming nitya because ky became ty in (Ancient) Quenya.

Conceptual Development: There seem to be earlier iterations of this word that began with m instead of n. The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. minwa “small” under the early root ᴱ√MINI (QL/61). The Early Qenya Grammar had ᴱQ. mitya “little” (PE14/48, 80), while the contemporaneous English-Qenya Dictionary had ᴱQ. mitya “little (in quantity)” (PE15/74). The Etymologies of the 1930s had ᴹQ. mitsa or minte under the root ᴹ√MIT “small”, but this entry was deleted (EtyAC/MIT).

⚠️Q. pia adj. “little”

A list of “large & small” words from around 1968 had pia “little” derived from √PEYE (PE17/115), probably from primitive *peya with eya > ia. This was followed by words pikina, pinke, and pitya, all probably derived from a different root ᴹ√PIK (Ety/PIK).

Neo-Quenya: I think the root √PEY was probably a transient idea, quickly reverted back to √PIK. For purposes of Neo-Quenya I prefer other words over pia “little”.

Q. picina adj. “little”

A word appearing as pikina or pinke following the word pia “little” in a list of “large & small” words from 1968 (PE17/115). It is probably derived from the root ᴹ√PIK (Ety/PIK).

Q. pitya adj. “petty, little”

A word for “petty” appearing in the name Quenya name Pitya-naucor “Petty-dwarves” from the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 (WJ/389). In The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968, it was used for “little” in the name Pityafinwë “Little Finwë” whose short name was Pityo (PM/353). In this document, the long name was revised to Nityafinwë, but the short name remained unchanged. In a word in a list of “large & small” roots from around 1968, Tolkien had pitya beside related words pikina and pinke, all following pia “little” which was derived from √PEYE (PE17/115). The words pikina, pinke were clearly derived from a different root ᴹ√PIK (Ety/PIK). The same is almost certainly true of pitya as well, with primitive *pik-yā becoming pitya because ky became ty in (Ancient) Quenya.

Conceptual Development: There are a couple of earlier “small” words beginning with p. The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. pīnea “small” under the early root ᴱ√PIKI or ᴱ√PINI (QL/73). The first version of the Oilima Markirya poem had ᴱQ. pinilya “small” in the phrase pinilya wilwarindon “small like a butterfly” (MC/220).

ᴹQ. titta adj. “tiny, little”

A word for “little, tiny” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√TIT (Ety/TIT). Ealry Qenya word-lists of the 1920s had ᴱQ. titta “tiny” (PE16/145).

S. -eg/-ig suf. “diminutive/singular ending”

This is the usual Sindarin diminutive suffix, appearing as either -eg or -ig (VT42/30 note #42). The -ig form is derived from the early primitive diminutive ✶-iki (VT47/14 note #21). The -eg variant is derived from ✶-ikā (PE23/136) where the e is the result of a-affection. Based on the example N. {lhaweg >>} lhewig “ear” from The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/LAS²; EtyAC/LAS²), it seems the -ig variant would cause internal i-affection. The -ig variant seems to be favored after the vowels e, i while -eg is favored after other vowels.

The normal function of this suffix is to produce affectionate or diminutive word forms, such as affectionate honeg “little brother” and nethig “little sister”, or diminished Nogotheg “Dwarflet” and lebig “little finger”. However, -eg is sometimes used to produce singular forms from normally plural words, such as lotheg “single flower” from loth “inflorescence” (VT42/18) or gwanunig “single twin” from gwanūn “pair of twins” (WJ/367). See the entry on unusual plurals for more on singular suffixes.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Grammar of the 1910s had superlative diminutive G. {-inca >} -inci vs. regular diminitive G. -inthir (GL/16), while the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon had “dim[inutive] suffix” G. -chi or -chin(t) (GL/25). The suffixes -eg/-ig emerged in The Etymologies of the 1930s as noted above (Ety/LAS², PHILIK).

N. mîw adj. “small, tiny, frail”

A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “small, tiny, frail” under the root ᴹ√MIW² (EtyAC/MIW²).

Conceptual Development: A possible precursor is G. migin “little” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/57). The Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s has ᴱN. mig, tidig, or migligen meaning “little (of amount)”, the last of these combined with ᴱN. ligen “small” (PE13/125).

S. niben adj. “petty, *small and weak”

A word for “petty”, most notable as an element in Nogoth Niben “Petty Dwarf” (WJ/388). In notes from the late 1960s, Tolkien said this word was the play name of the littlest finger (VT48/6). Some notes on roots having to do with “small” had the root √NIP “small, usually with connotation of weakness”, which Patrick Wynne suggested was the likely basis for niben (VT48/18). Thus this word means both small as well as weak or inferior.

N. pigen adj. “tiny”

An adjective in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from ON. pikina “tiny” under the root ᴹ√PIK (Ety/PIK).

S. pîn adj. “little”

A word appearing only in its mutated form bîn in the name S. Cûl Bîn “Little Load” (RC/536).

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. pinig “tiny, little” (GL/64), likely based on the early root ᴱ√PINI or √PIKI having to do with small thinks (QL/73). The Etymologies of the 1930s had N. pigen “tiny” under the root ᴹ√PIK (Ety/PIK).

N. tithen adj. “little, tiny”

An adjective appearing as tithen “little, tiny” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√TIT (Ety/PIK). In notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1930s and 1940s, Tolkien had mutated dithen in awae-dithen “little awae” (PE22/31; PE23/52). In drafts of The Lord of the Rings from the 1940s, Tolkien had the name S. Caradras dilthen “Little Redway” (RS/462 note #4).

Conceptual Development: In the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s, Tolkien had ᴱN. ligen “small” as well as ᴱN. tidig “little (of amount)” (PE13/125). Early Noldorin word-lists of this same period has ᴱN. lhigin “small” and ᴱN. lhigen “few, little” (PE13/149).