√AYA(N) root. “blessed; treat with awe/reverence”
The root √AYA and its extended form √AYAN were associated with “holy” and “blessed” things all the way back in Tolkien’s earliest conception of the languages. It appeared as ᴱ√AY̯A “honour, revere” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. Ainu/Aini “god/goddess” and adjectives ᴱQ. aina or ᴱQ. aira “holy” (QL/34). Gnomish equivalents appeared in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. ain “god” and adjectives aistog “holy” or †air(in) (GL/18).
The Etymologies of the 1930s gave this root as ᴹ√AYAN with very similar derivatives ᴹQ. Ainu, Aini and aina (Ety/AYAN), except Ainu/Aini was translated “holy one, angelic spirit (m./f.)” reflecting Tolkien’s evolving conception of his Legendarium. In this period there was an unaugmented variant ᴹ√YAN with the derivatives ᴹQ. yána/N. iaun “holy place” (Ety/YAN). It is not clear whether the short form √AYA was valid in this period; there is nothing like aira “holy”, for example.
The root √AYA and √AYA-N reappeared in etymological notes from the late 1950s, variously glossed “blessed” or “treat with awe/reverence” (PE17/147, 149). The (re)appearance Q. airë “holy, holiness”, Q. aira “holy”, and S. aer “holy” in later writing beside Ainu/Aini further support the reintroduction of the short form of this root.
Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, the continued use of the root √AYA in Tolkien’s later writing might be used to justify the restoration of a number of religious words derived from the early root ᴱ√AYA in the 1910s.
References ✧ PE17/27, 145-146, 149; VT43/14
Glosses
Variations
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Inflections
AYA-N | extension | “treat with awe/reverence” | ✧ PE17/149 |
aya-n | extension | “treat with awe/reverence” | ✧ VT43/14 |
Derivatives
ᴹ√(A)YAN root. “*holy”
References ✧ Ety/AYAN, YAN; EtyAC/YAN
Variations
Changes
Inflections
AYAN | augmentation | ✧ Ety/AYAN |
ÁYAN | augmentation | ✧ Ety/YAN |
Derivatives
ᴱ√AYA¹ root. “honour, revere”
References ✧ GL/18; QL/34
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Derivatives