4.56 to Spit ᴹQ. piuta- v. “to spit” An apparent verb in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√PIW “spit” and so probably of the same meaning (Ety/PIW). Conceptual Development: The earliest verb for “spit” was ᴱQ. retye- from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the
Select Elvish Words
Studies on selected elvish words to sort out their semantics.
Select Elvish Words 4.52-4.54: Yawn, Cough, Sneeze
4.52 to Gape, Yawn Q. hac- v. “to yawn” A verb implied by the active participle hákala “yawning” from the Markirya poem of the 1960s (MC/222). The verb form is often assumed to be háca-, but if this adjective is in fact a present active participle (= “is currently yawning”),
Select Elvish Words 4.51: to Breathe; Breath
4.51 to Breathe; Breath Q. foa n. “breath, puff of breath” A word appearing as fā in 1968 notes on primitive monosyllables as a derivative of ✶phā “breath, puff of breath” (VT47/35). Tolkien said this word survived in Quenya, but in a later sentence he wrote Q. fawa, foa, perhaps
4.47-4.492: Womb, Egg, Penis
4.47 Womb Q. móna n. “*womb” A word for “womb” in Quenya prayers of the 1950s; the editors of the prayers suggested it is probably connected to √MŌ “labour” (VT43/31). Conceptual Development: Earlier versions of the prayers had carva instead, possibly connected to √KAR “make” (VT43/31). In notes on Elvish
Select Elvish Words 4.44-4.46: Heart, Liver, Belly
4.44 Heart Q. hón (hom-) n. “heart (physical organ)” The word for the “heart” as a physical organ, as opposed to more metaphorical words like Q. órë and Q. indo. Its stem form was hom- in Tolkien’s later writings (NM/176, PE19/97). Conceptual Development: The base word for “heart” was quite
Select Elvish Words 4.40-4.41: Front of Chest, Breast of Woman
4.40 Front of Chest ᴹQ. ambor n. “breast, *chest” The word ᴹQ. ambor “breast” appeared in the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, derived from ᴹ✶amƀus (PE21/33). This word shows the Early Qenya sound change whereby final [s] became [r]; in Tolkien’s later writings this change applied mainly to
Select Elvish Words 4.39-4.393: Nail, Claw, Wing, Feather
4.39 Nail, Claw Q. nappa n. “claw, talon” A noun for “claw, talon” appearing rough notes on Elvish Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s based on the root √NAP “grasp, seize quickly” (VT47/20). In the margin Tolkien wrote a variant form namma with the same glosses, and the
Select Elvish Words 4.37-4.38: Foot, Toe
4.37 Foot Q. runya n. “slot, footprint” A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “slot, footprint” derived from the root ᴹ√RUN “flat of hand or sole of foot” (Ety/RUN). Q. tál n. “foot; [ᴹQ.] bottom, [ᴱQ.] lowest part” The Quenya word for “foot” derived from the root √TAL
Select Elvish Words 4.35-4.36: Leg, Knee
4.35 Leg Q. attalya n. and adj. “biped, *(lit.) two-footed” A noun or adjective meaning “two-legged”, attested only in its (noun) plural form attalyar (WJ/389). It is a combination of atta “two” and tál “foot”, with the adjective suffix -ya¹. Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon from the 1910s, there
Select Elvish Words 4.34-4.342: Finger, Thumb (Sindarin)
4.34 Finger S. leber n. “finger” The Sindarin word for “finger”, derived from primitive ✶leper and based on the root √LEP “pick up” (VT47/10; VT48/5). Conceptual Development: Tolkien used various Elvish words for “finger” over his life, but most were based on the root √LEP. The Gnomish Grammar and Gnomish