4.33 Hand Q. camba n. “(cupped) hand, hollow of the hand” A word for “hand” in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s, based on the root √KAB “hold, contain, retain” (VT47/7-8). Tolkien said that it “referred to the whole hand, but as flexed, with fingers
Select Elvish Words
Studies on selected elvish words to sort out their semantics.
Select Elvish Words 4.30-4.32: Shoulder, Arm, Elbow
4.30 Shoulder ᴱQ. almo n. “shoulder, ⚠️back” The word ᴱQ. almo or aldamo “back, shoulders” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√ALA² “spread”, and the longer form was an element in the name ᴱQ. Aikaldamor “Broad Back” (QL/29). This pair of words (along with
Select Elvish Words 4.28-4.29: Neck, Throat
4.28 Neck Q. axë n. “neck [vertebrae], *(upper) spine; rock ridge” A word for “neck” appearing in notes written around 1967 as akse with (archaic) variant akas, derived from the root √AKAS “neck, ridge” (PE17/92). Tolkien specified that it was “referring properly only to the vertebrae (the bony part of
Select Elvish Words 4.25-4.27: Lip, Tongue, Tooth
4.25 Lip Q. pempë n. “lip” A word for “lip” appearing only in its plural form pempi in 1964 notes on the parts of the mouth, where it was related to Q. pé “the closed mouth” (PE17/126). In 1968 notes on monosyllabic nouns, Tolkien said the primitive ✶pē “lip” was
Select Elvish Words 4.24: Mouth
4.24 Mouth Q. anto n. “mouth [as a thing for eating]; ⚠️[ᴱQ.] jaw” The basic Quenya word for “mouth”, appearing as the name of tengwa #13 (4) in The Lord of the Rings Appendix E (LotR/1123). It is likely derived from the root √MAT “eat” from primitive *amtō, and hence
Select Elvish Words 4.23: Nose
4.23 Nose ᴱQ. mem n. “beak, ⚠️nose” A word in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “nose, beak” derived from the early root ᴱ√MEME (QL/61). Neo-Quenya: In later writings, Tolkien used ᴹQ. nengwe for “nose”, but I think it might be worth retaining ᴺQ. mem for “beak”. There are
Select Elvish Words 4.21-4.22: Eye, Ear
4.21 Eye Q. alahen n. “eyeless” An adjective for “eyeless” appearing in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 as a combination of Q. al(a)- “not” and Q. hen “eye”, so perhaps more literally “*not eyed” (PE22/153). This use of al(a)- to mean “-less, without” was a normal but
Select Elvish Words 4.205-4.209: Forehead, Brow, Jaw, Cheek, Chin
4.205 Forehead ᴱQ. kandóla n. “crown of head” A word appearing as ᴱQ. kandóla “crown of head” in a list of body-parts from the 1920s, an elaboration of ᴱQ. nóla which likewise could mean “crown of head” (PE14/117), but elsewhere generally meant “head” or “hill” (QL/67). The initial element of
Select Elvish Words 4.20-4.204: Head, Skull, Face
4.20 Head Q. cas n. “head, [ᴱQ.] top, ⚠️summit” This is the Quenya word for “head”, with a stem form of car- because medial s generally became z and then r, but the s was preserved when final. This word can refer to the head of people and animals, as
Select Elvish Words 4.17-4.19: Horn, Tail, Back
4.17 Horn (animal) ᴹQ. hyalma n. “conch, shell, horn of Ulmo” A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “shell, conch, horn of Ulmo” derived from primitive ᴹ✶syalmā under the root ᴹ√SYAL (Ety/SYAL). In this document hyalma was given as the name of tengwa #33 (9), and it appeared