√YAN¹ “wide, extensive, large, vast, huge; extend” A root Tolkien introduced in the late 1950s to serve as the basis for various “land” suffixes in Sindarin. The most detailed explanation appeared in a set of documents labeled “Changes affecting Silmarillion nomenclature”: The endings -ion, -ien, -ian(d) in place names. These
Elvish Roots
The ancient roots of Tolkien’s languages analyzed by Paul Strack.
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: YA-YAL
√YA “[ᴹ√] there, over there; (of time) back, ago” √YA was demonstrative and relative pronominal root with particular reference to the past for much of Tolkien’s life. Its first appearance was as ᴱ√YA “demonstrative pointing back” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with variants ᴱ√DYA, ᴱ√YE, ᴱ√DYE, appearing above
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: WIG-WOR
ᴹ√WIG “*foam” The Elvish words for “foam” were establish very early, retaining forms similar to Q. wingë and S. gwing throughout Tolkien’s life. The earliest basis for these words were the (unglossed) roots ᴱ√GWIŊI and ᴱ√GWIGI in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives ᴱQ. winge (QL/104) and G.
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: WE-WEN(ED)
ᴱ√WE “dual” A primitive “dual” element mentioned in notes on numbers from the late 1960s, contributing to the forms of primitive ✶enekwe “six” and ✶yun(e)kwe “twelve” in the Quenya branch of Elvish, as well as the ancient 1st person inclusive pronoun ✶ñwe (VT48/10). It was probably related to the ancient
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: WĀ-WAY
ᴱ√WĀ “blow; noise of wind, echoic representation of sound of wind” This and similar roots were the basis for “wind” words for much of Tolkien’s life, especially in Sindarin and its precursors. Its first appearance was unglossed ᴱ√GWĀ in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. ’wā
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: UÑG-UY
√UÑG “spider” This root and ones like it were tied to spider words for much of Tolkien’s life, most notably in the name S. Ungoliant and its precursors. The earliest iteration of this root was unglossed ᴱ√GUŊU in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. ungwe/G. gung
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: Ū-UMU
√Ū “denial of fact, privation, negative element, [ᴱ√] not” A negative root first mentioned as ᴱ√Ū² “not” in Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with various derivatives in Qenya and Gnomish (QL/96, 98; GL/73). In The Etymologies of the 1930s it became {ᴹ√ƷŪ >>} ᴹ√GŪ or ᴹ√MŪ “no, not”, and in
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: TUN-TYUL
ᴹ√TUN “*tall; mound” An unglossed root in The Etymologies of the mid-1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. tunda/N. tonn “tall” and ᴹQ. tundo/N. tunn “hill, mound”; its most notable use was as the basis for the name ᴹQ. Túna (Ety/TUN), which continued to appear in later writings as the name of
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: TUAKK-TUMPU
ᴱ√TUAKK “*axe” The root ᴱ√TUAKK appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as the basis for ᴱQ. tuakka “axe” (QL/95). The majority of axe words from this period seem to be derived from an unattested root *ᴱ√PELEK, including ᴱQ. pelekko/G. peleg “axe” and ᴱQ. pelekta-/G. pelectha- “hew” (QL/73; GL/64).
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: TOK-TOW
√TOK “non-resonant sounds” The roots √TOK and √NOK appeared in a list of sound roots from 1959-60 as root for “non-resonant sounds”, but with no derivatives (PE17/138). They are similar to earlier roots, such as ᴱ√OTO “knock” from the the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like the verb