12.85 Hole
- ᴹQ. assa n. “hole, perforation, opening, mouth”
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A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “hole, perforation, opening, mouth” derived from primitive ᴹ✶gassā under the root ᴹ√GAS “yawn, gape” (Ety/GAS). The word assa “hole” was a more ancient name of tengwa #31 [, = ss] in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from around the same period (PE22/21); the normal name of this tengwa is essë “name”.
Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. apsa “hole, opening” under the early root ᴱ√AFA “open, begin” (QL/29).
- ᴹQ. latta n. “hole, pit”
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A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “hole, pit” derived from primitive ᴹ✶dattā under the root ᴹ√DAT “fall down” (Ety/DAT). This word reappeared with the same derivation in the ink version of this entry, with the gloss “pit” (EtyAC/DAT).
- Q. samna n. “(delved) hole, pit; [ᴱQ.] grave”
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This word had a fairly lengthy history in Tolkien’s writings. The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. sat (sapt-) “pit” under the early root ᴱ√SAPA “dig, excavate” (QL/82). Drafts of the first version of Oilima Markirya had ᴱQ. sapsa or sapta “pit, grave” (PE16/75), appearing in its allative form sapsanta “into the grave” in its final version (MC/221). The Declension of Nouns (DN) from the early 1930s had ᴹQ. sat (sap-) “pit” (PE21/19, 24).
The Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the 1950s had {✶sapmā >>} ✶sapnā > samna “delved hole, pit”, but the section where it appeared was rejected when Tolkien revised the phonetic development of pn (PE19/85-86 note #79). In the new system, the result would once again be Q. *sapta, but Tolkien did not include this example in the revised sections.
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use ᴺQ. sapta “(delved) hole, pit”, with the additional meaning “grave” from the 1920s, but would assume it was derived from *saptā to avoid questions about its phonetic development.
- ᴹQ. terra n. “fine pierced hole”
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A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “fine pierced hole” derived from primitive ᴹ✶ters- base on the root ᴹ√TERES (EtyAC/TERES).
- N. dath n. “hole, pit; steep fall, abyss”
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A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “hole, pit” derived from primitive ᴹ✶dattā under the root ᴹ√DAT “fall down” (Ety/DAT). In the later ink version of this entry, dath was glossed “steep fall, abyss” (EtyAC/DAT).
- N. gas n. “hole, gap”
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A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “hole, gap” derived from primitive ᴹ✶gassā under the root ᴹ√GAS “yawn, gape” (Ety/GAS). Based on context, I think this word refers mainly to a hole or gap between things rather than a hole inside of something.
- N. tess n. “fine pierced hole”
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A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “fine pierced hole” derived from primitive ᴹ✶ters- base on the root ᴹ√TERES (EtyAC/TERES).