11.14 to Grasp, Seize, Take Hold of ᴱQ. mahte v. “hold, grip, *grasp; power [over], possession” A word appearing as ᴱQ. makte “hold, grip, power, possession” in the Qenya Lexicon under the early root ᴱ√MAHA “grasp” (QL/57). It had a stem form maksi-, the result of the sound change whereby
Paul Strack
Select Elvish Words 11.13: to Take
11.13 to Take ᴱQ. lep- v. “to take [with fingers], *pick, pluck” A verb appearing in Qenya Verb Forms from the 1910s as ᴱQ. lep- “take” (PE14/28), clearly based on the early root ᴱ√LEPE having to do with fingers (QL/53). Neo-Quenya: This root was still the basis for finger-words in
Select Elvish Words 11.11-11.12 to Have; to Own
11.11 to Have Q. harya- v. “to have, *hold, [ᴹQ.] possess” A verb in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “possess” under the root ᴹ√ƷAR “have, hold” (Ety/ƷAR). There was another variant arya- “to possess” under the entry for ᴹ√GAR, but this was deleted (EtyAC/GAR). The verb harya- reappeared in
Select Elvish Words 10.82-10.83: Sailor, Boat
10.82 Sailor Q. ciryamo n. “mariner” A word for a “mariner” in the title Indis i·Ciryamo “The Mariner’s Wife” (UT/8), a combination of cirya “ship” with the agental suffix -mo. Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. veniel “mariner” as an elaboration of ᴱQ. vene “small boat”
Select Elvish Words 10.81: Ship
10.81 Ship Q. cirya n. “(sharp-prowed) ship, ⚠️[ᴹQ.] boat; [Q.] swift gliding” Cirya has been the Quenya word for “ship” for much of Tolkien’s life, and is very well-attested with this meaning. ᴱQ. kirya “ship” first appeared in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s (PE14/46, 79) and in the
Select Elvish Words 10.75-10.78: Cart, Wheel, Axle, Yoke
10.75 Cart, Wagon, Carriage Q. lunca n. “heavy transport wain” A word for a “heavy transport wain” in notes from the late 1960s with variant forms lunka and luqa, both derived from primitive ✶lukma [“*drag-thing”] based on the root √LUK “haul, drag” (PE17/28). The form lunka [lunca] shows metathesis of
Select Elvish Words 10.73-10.74: Street, Bridge
10.73 Street ᴹQ. malle n. “street, (made or stone) road” A word for “street” appearing in Tolkien’s writings of the 1910s-40s. ᴱQ. malle “street” first appeared [albiet marked with “?”] in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√MALA¹ “crush, squeeze, pulp” (QL/58), and in early names
Select Elvish Words 10.72: Path
10.72 Path Q. men n. “way, *direction; [ᴹQ.] place, spot [in compounds only]” A noun or word element, most notably appearing in the four cardinal directions formen, hyarmen, númen, and rómen, which Christopher Tolkien translated as “way” in The Silmarillion appendix (SA/men). This is consistent with the later meaning of
Select Elvish Words 10.71: Road
10.71 Road ᴱQ. aldeon n. “avenue (of trees)” A word appearing as ᴱQ. aldeon (aldeond-) “avenue of trees” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s based on ᴱQ. alda “tree” (QL/29). In the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa it was simply glossed “avenue”. Neo-Quenya: Since alda “tree” remains
Select Elvish Words 10.66-10.67: to Ride; to Push, Shove
10.66 to Ride ᴱQ. lehesta v. “ride, riding, raid” A noun appearing as ᴱQ. lehesta “riding, raid” in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s (PE14/45, 75). In the contemporaneous English-Qenya Dictionary, it was lehesta or lehtasta “ride” based on the verb ᴱQ. lehe or lehta “ride” (PE16/132). Neo-Quenya: For