4.332 Hand (other) Q. ataformaitë adj. “ambidextrous” A word for “ambidextrous” in the so-called Ambidexters Sentence written in 1968, replacing various alternate forms like at(t)aformor and attaformaitë (VT49/6-8). As pointed out by Patrick Wynne, this word is a combination of at(a)- “double” and formaitë “right handed”, analogous to the Latin
Select Elvish Words 4.33: Hand
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 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