√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
Elvish Roots
The ancient roots of Tolkien’s languages analyzed by Paul Strack.
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”
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: OHO-OLOS
ᴱ√OHO¹ “*egg” An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives ᴱQ. ohte “egg” and ᴱQ. oi “bird, hen”; Tolkien speculated it was in fact the same root as ᴱ√OHO² “cry” (QL/69). G. och “egg” from the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon is clearly related (GL/62), and probably also
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: NŪ-ÑYEL
√NŪ/UNU “down, under; go down, sink” This root and ones like it were used for Elvish words for “under” and “(going) down” for much of Tolkien’s life. Probably the first appearance of this root was ᴱ√NUHU “bow, bend down, stoop, sink” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with variant
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: NŌ-NOWO
√NŌ/ONO “beget, give birth to; be born; [ᴱ√] become” This root was associated with Elvish words for “birth” for most of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√NŌ “become, be born” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. nosta- “give birth to; cause” and ᴱQ. nosse
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: NĪ-NITH
√NĪ/INI “[ᴹ√] female” A root associated with feminity, most often used in its extended variant √NIS. The root first appeared as invertible ᴹ√NĪ¹/INI “female, woman” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. inya/N. inw “female” and ᴹQ. inimeite “*feminine” (Ety/INI, NĪ¹). Invertible √INI “female” was also mentioned
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: Ñ(G)AL-ÑGYAL(AM)
√Ñ(G)AL “gleam, sheen, shine (by reflection)” A root Tolkien introduced in a late note of unclear date to provide a new explanation for the name of Galadriel and Gil-Galad (PE17/59-60). The second element of N. Gil-galad was originally N. calad “light” (Ety/GIL, KAL), and the name of N. Galadriel was
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: NE-NEY
√NE “scent” A root glossed “scent” appearing in notes on the words and phrases in The Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, serving in its extended form nes- “sweet smelling” as the basis for Q. alanessë and S. galanes > galenas “tobacco” = “*sweet smelling
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: NDIL-NDUR
√N(D)IL “to love (as a friend or equal), be devoted to; [ᴹ√] love, devotion; friend” This root for friendship and devotion first appeared as ᴹ√NIL or strengthened ᴹ√NDIL “friend” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with a number of Quenya derivatives of similar meaning, the most significant being the suffixes
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: NDAB-NDEW
√NDAB/NDEB “endeavor, try, seek opportunity” This is one of various roots that Tolkien considered for “try”. It first appeared as √NDEB in notes from around 1967, but Tolkien noted that this was “too obviously = endeavor”, and followed this with a new root √RIK “strive”, though √NDEB was not explicitly