√RAN “wander, stray, meander, go on an uncertain course, go aside from a course (commanded or self-chosen); err” This root first appeared as ᴹ√RAN “wander, stray” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. ranya-/N. rhenia- “to stray”, ᴹQ. ránen/N. rhaun “errant”, and ᴹQ. Rana/N. Rhân as names
Paul Strack
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: RA-RAM
√RĀ/ARA “noble, high, royal” An invertible root meaning “noble”, itself an extension of √AR (PE17/147). Given its widespread use, Tolkien did not define this root until quite late. Its first clear mention was in Notes on Names (NN) and Quenya Notes (QN), both from 1957. In NN, Tolkien introduced invertible
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: QIÐI-QOÐO
ᴱ√QIÐI “*stir, spin” An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s given as √QIŘI [QIÐI] having derivatives like ᴱQ. qiri- “stir (make spin)”, ᴱQ. qindl “a spindle, top”, and ᴱQ. qirme “cream” (QL/77), the last probably from its production via stirring. It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: POL-PUT
√POL “can, have physical power and ability; large, big (strong); [ᴹ√] physically strong, [ᴱ√] have stength; [√] pound up, break up small, reduce to powder” This root was connected to Elvish words for strength and physical ability for most of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√POLO “have stength” in
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: PIK-PIW
ᴹ√PIK “*tiny” Tolkien used a variety of roots for Elvish words for “small”. One early root was ᴱ√PIKI with variants ᴱ√PINI and ᴱ√PĪ from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, unglossed but with derivatives like ᴱQ. pínea “small” and ᴱQ. pinqe “slender, thin” (QL/73). It also had derivatives in the
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: PHELEK-PHUY
√PHELEK or ᴹ√PHELEG “*cave” An unglossed root with variants √PHELEK and √PHELES appearing in the margins for Notes on Names (NN) from 1957, as part of an exploration of the name S. Felagund (in this note given as Felegund or Felegond) and serving as the basis for the words Q.
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: PHA-PHAY
√PHĀ/APHA “before of time” A root appearing in a list of roots for spatial and temporal directions from 1969, with an unglossed (primitive?) derivative ✶afar and the Quenya form fai with variant afea, apparently meaning “before” in the phrase Eru fai, sî, euva “*Eru (was) before, (is) now, will be
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: PED-PERES
√PED “slope, slant down” This root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as unglossed ᴹ√PEN with extended form ᴹ√PÉNED from which the main words in its entry were derived: ᴹQ. penda “sloping down, inclined”, ᴹQ. pende “slope, downslope, declivity” and N. penn “declivity” (Ety/PEN). The last of these
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: PA-PATH
√PĀ/APA “touch; after, behind of place” This root and ones like it were used for various spacial and temporal relationships during Tolkien’s life. Perhaps the earliest iteration in this chain of developments was the root ᴱ√PE “at, by” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, with derivatives like ᴱQ. penasta
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: OM-OY
√OM “of resonant sounds” This root was the basis for the Quenya word for “voice”: Q. óma. The earliest derivation of this word was from the root ᴱ√OHO² “cry” along with ᴱQ. ohta- “shout” (QL/69); the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon likewise has derivatives like G. ûm “voice” and G. uptha- “shout”