√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
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: NAP-NAY
√NAP “take (hold), pick up, grasp, seize quickly (with fingers)” A root appearing in notes from the late 1960s on hands and fingers variously glossed as “grasp, seize quickly (with fingers)” (VT47/20), “take hold” (VT47/28) or “take, pick up” (VT47/29). It seems Tolkien introduced this root as part of his
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: NĀ-NAM
√NĀ “be (the same as another), exist” Tolkien used this root as the basis for Elvish “to be” verbs for much of his life. ᴱ√NĀ “be, exist” first appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like the verb ᴱQ. ná- “to be” and ᴱQ. nasta “existence, being,
Eldamo v0.7.9
I’ve released Eldamo v0.7.9 which collects the discussion of Elvish roots A through M. https://eldamo.org/
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: MṆGṆ-MUY
ᴱ√MṆGṆ “*butter” An unglossed root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives ᴱQ. mange “grease” and ᴱQ. manya “butter” (QL/62). G. mang “butter” from the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon is also almost certainly related (GL/56). In Qenya Word-lists from the 1920s Tolkien gave ᴱQ. mingwe “butter” (PE16/141). For purposes
Select Primitive Elvish Roots: MI-MIW
√MI/IMI “in, within, [ᴹ√] inside” This invertible root had the basic sense “in(side)” for all of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√IMI² “in, into” and ᴱ√MĪ² in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. imi “in, inside” and ᴱQ. mitta- “enter” (QL/42, 61). Deleted Gnomish forms