11.24 to Save, Preserve, Keep Safe
- ᴱQ. alatya- v. “to ward off, shield [against], ⚠️protect”
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A verb appearing as ᴱQ. alatya- in the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s, derived from primitive ᴱ✶alakya- and cognate to ᴱN. elaig- “to shield, ward off, protect” (PE13/158). It is followed by two forms altíne and alantye which Tolkien seems to indicate are aor[ist], but actually appear to be weak and half-strong past forms respectively. It also had a past participle alantya, equivalent to G. alanc.
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would retain ᴺQ. alatya- in the limited sense “to ward off, shield [against]” (always an active defense). For “protect” (including passive defense) I would use the later verb [ᴹQ.] varya-. Perhaps alatya- is derived from √ALAK “rushing” with *alakyā- originally having the sense “cause to rush (away)”. Given this, I would use a weak past *alatyane “warded off” for this verb, and make the thing defended against the direct object with the thing defended in the dative: alatyanelme orcor i oston “we warded off orcs from the city = we shielded the city from orcs”.
- Q. cauma n. “protection, shelter; shield”
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A noun formed as an instrumental of the root √KAW “shelter”, thus used “for any protection or shelter natural or otherwise, sc. against sun, or rain, or wind — or against darts. It was often used = shield” (PE17/108).
- ᴱQ. tarqa- v. “to dry, preserve; to pickle”
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A verb appearing as ᴱQ. tarqa- “dry, preserve; pickle” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√TṚQṚ (QL/94). The verb tarq- was also mentioned (without gloss) in a list of Quenya verb forms from this same period (PE14/28).
Neo-Quenya: I would retain ᴺQ. tarqua- “dry, preserve; pickle” for purposes of Neo-Quenya based on a Neo-Root ᴺ√TARKWA, as there are no better alternatives in Tolkien’s later writings.
- ᴹQ. varna adj. “safe, protected, secure”
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An adjective in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “safe, protected, secure” under the root ᴹ√BAR “uplift, save, rescue” (Ety/BAR).
- ᴹQ. varnasse n. “security”
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A word for “security” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, an abstract noun based on ᴹQ. varna “safe, protected, secure” under the root ᴹ√BAR “uplift, save, rescue” (Ety/BAR). There were also nouns ᴹQ. varne >> varile “protection”, both deleted (Ety/BAR; EtyAC/BAR).
- ᴹQ. varya- v. “to protect”
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A verb for “to protect” in The Etymologies based on the root ᴹ√BAR “uplift, save, rescue” (Ety/BAR).
- N. beria- n. “to protect”
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A verb appearing in its [Noldorin] infinitive form berio “to protect” in The Etymologies under on the root ᴹ√BAR “uplift, save, rescue” (Ety/BAR).
- N. gartha- n. “to defend, ⚠️keep”
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There was a deleted verb N. gartho “defend, keep” in The Etymologies of the 1930s based on the root ᴹ√GARAT, an extension of ᴹ√GAR “keep, maintain, defend” (EtyAC/GAR).
Neo-Sindarin: I think it is worth restoring ᴺS. gartha- “to defend” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, but for “keep” I would use better known S. heb-.
Conceptual Development: This verb had other meanings in Tolkien’s earlier writings. In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s it was G. gartha- “admire, have affection or respect for” based on the early root ᴱ√gṛþ- (GL/42). The Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s had ᴱN. gartha- “to set, put in position, appoint” (PE13/161), perhaps related to the early root ᴱ√ƷARA “spread, wide places” given the noun ᴱN. garth “place” from the same page in this document.
- G. osta- v. “to surround with walls, build up; to fortify, protect; [orig.] to surround”
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A verb appearing as G. osta- “to surround with walls, build up; fortify, protect; surround” in the Gnomish Lexicon (GL/63), based on the early root ᴱ√OSO as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT2A/Belegost; QL/s71).
Neo-Sindarin: Since ᴹ√OS “round, about” appears in Tolkien’s later writings, I would retain ᴺS. osta- for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, originally with the sense “to surround”, later more specifically “surround with walls” and by extension “fortify, protect”, probably due to the influence ost “(fortified) town”.