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Q. n. “hand” (Category: Hand)

Q. , n. “hand” (Category: Hand)
ᴱQ. †mactë¹ “hand”

The most common Quenya word for “hand”, which Tolkien usually derived from a root √MAH or √MAƷ “hand; handle, wield”. The weak consonant h or ʒ in the root was lost very early, so that primitive ✶ was one of a rare set of ancient monosyllabic nouns ending in a vowel. Tolkien said that of the various hand words, was “the oldest (probably) and the one that retained a general and unspecialized sense — referring to the entire hand (including wrist) in any attitude or function” (VT47/6).

As a part of the body, “hand” was usually referred to in the singular () or dual (mát). This was true when referring to the hands of groups of people as well. For example, to say that “the Elves raised their hands”, you would say either i Eldar ortaner mánta (singular, one hand each) or i Eldar ortaner mántat (dual, both hands each), with the possessive suffix -nta “their”.

The plural form már “hands” (or archaic †mai) was almost never used, in part because it conflicted with Q. már “dwelling”. The singular form was also used in general statements and proverbs: “hand is cleverer than foot” má anfinya epe tál (ná). A collection of otherwise unrelated hands would likely use the partitive-plural form: máli “some hands”, which in this case could also serve as the general plural (VT47/12 Note 2). See the discussions on PE17/161 and VT47/6 for more information.

This word is also unusual in that it retains its long vowel before consonant clusters in inflected forms such as mánta “their hand” (PE17/161) or márya “his/her hand” (PE17/69). As Tolkien described it:

is usually shortened to la before 2 consonants, according to the usual Q. procedure, but the long vowel can be retained, especially for additional emphasis, as in other cases where pronominal affixes follow a long vowel, as in márya “his hand” (PE22/160).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to ᴱQ. “hand” from Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, derived from the early root ᴱ√MAHA “grasp” (QL/57). ᴹQ. “hand” also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√MAƷ “hand” (Ety/MAƷ). Tolkien mentioned this word with great frequency, usually derived from √MAH or √MAƷ (as noted above) though he sometimes considered deriving it from √MAG instead.

References ✧ LotR/377; PE17/69-70, 130, 135, 161-162; PE19/100, 102, 106; PE22/160; RGEO/58-59; VT39/9, 11; VT47/3, 6, 12, 18-19; VT49/10

Glosses

Variations

Related

Inflections

mánta 3rd-pl-poss “their hand, their hands (one each)” ✧ PE17/161
má-rya-t 3rd-pl-poss dual; colloquial-possessive “*their two hands” ✧ PE17/130
mántat 3rd-pl-poss dual “their hands (each both)” ✧ PE17/161
mánte 3rd-pl-poss plural; irregular   ✧ PE17/161
márya 3rd-sg-poss “his hand” ✧ PE22/160
mā-rya 3rd-sg-poss “her hand” ✧ PE17/69
má-rya-t 3rd-sg-poss dual “her two hands” ✧ PE17/130; PE17/135
má-ya-t 3rd-sg-poss dual; colloquial-possessive “her two hands” ✧ PE17/130
máryat 3rd-sg-poss dual “her hands” ✧ LotR/377
máryat 3rd-sg-poss dual “her two hands” ✧ PE17/69
mā-rya-t 3rd-sg-poss dual “hands-her-two” ✧ RGEO/59
mārya-t 3rd-sg-poss dual “her (two) hands” ✧ PE17/69
mā́ryat 3rd-sg-poss dual “her hands” ✧ RGEO/58
mán dative   ✧ PE17/161
main dative plural   ✧ PE17/161
mát dual   ✧ PE17/161: dual nominative
mát dual “a pair of hand” ✧ VT47/6
máo genitive   ✧ PE17/161
máron genitive plural   ✧ PE17/161
mainen instrumental plural “by hand” ✧ PE17/161
máli partitive-plural “hands” ✧ VT47/3
máli partitive-plural   ✧ VT47/6; VT47/12
**mai plural “hands” ✧ VT47/6
már plural   ✧ PE17/161
**már plural “hands” ✧ VT47/6

Element In

Cognates

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

MAƷ > [maɣa] > [mā] ✧ PE17/69
MAG > [maga] > [maɣa] > [mā] ✧ PE17/161
MAƷ > [mā] ✧ PE17/162
MAƷ > [maɣa] > [mā] ✧ PE19/100
māh > [māh] > [mā] ✧ PE19/102
māʒ > [māɣ] > [mā] ✧ PE19/106
maha > [maha] > [mā] ✧ VT39/11
> [mā] ✧ VT47/6
māʒ(ă) > [māɣa] > [mā] ✧ VT47/18
mag > [māga] > [māɣa] > [mā] ✧ VT47/18
MAƷA > [maɣa] > [mā] ✧ VT47/19

ᴹQ. má¹ n. “hand” (Category: Hand)

See Q. for discussion.

References ✧ Ety/MAƷ; EtyAC/MAƷ; LR/72; PE18/35; PE21/40; PE22/21

Glosses

Variations

Inflections

mallo ablative   ✧ PE21/40
málo ablative   ✧ PE21/40
mallut ablative dual   ✧ PE21/40
accusative   ✧ PE21/40
maut accusative dual   ✧ PE21/40
māt accusative dual   ✧ PE21/40
mai accusative plural   ✧ PE21/40
mahta allative   ✧ PE21/40
mahtau allative dual; assimilated   ✧ PE21/40
mahtan allative plural   ✧ PE21/40
mannar allative plural “into the hands” ✧ LR/72
mantan allative plural   ✧ PE21/40
maïntan allative plural   ✧ PE21/40
málintan allative plural   ✧ PE21/40
mān dative   ✧ PE21/40
mau dative dual   ✧ PE21/40
mair dative plural   ✧ PE21/40
genitive   ✧ PE21/40
mahta genitive dual   ✧ PE21/40
mauhta genitive dual   ✧ PE21/40
maion genitive plural   ✧ PE21/40
mainen instrumental   ✧ PE21/40
mangwen instrumental   ✧ PE21/40
mánen instrumental   ✧ PE21/40
mangwet instrumental dual   ✧ PE21/40
maumet instrumental dual   ✧ PE21/40
mainen instrumental plural   ✧ PE21/40
makse locative   ✧ PE21/40
makset locative dual; assimilated   ✧ PE21/40
mant nominative dual   ✧ PE21/40
main nominative plural   ✧ PE21/40; PE21/40
maksin nominative plural   ✧ PE21/40
málin nominative plural   ✧ PE21/40
maia possessive   ✧ PE21/40
máva possessive   ✧ PE21/40
makson similative   ✧ PE21/40
mánon similative   ✧ PE21/40

Element In

Cognates

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

ᴹ✶māʒ > [māɣ] > [mā] ✧ Ety/MAƷ
ᴹ✶magā > [magā] > [maɣā] > [mā] ✧ EtyAC/MAƷ
ᴹ✶ > [mā] ✧ PE18/35

ᴱQ. n. “hand” (Category: Hand)

See Q. for discussion.

References ✧ GL/55; LT2A/Ermabwed; PE14/52, 76, 117; PE15/73; PE16/137; QL/57; VT40/8

Glosses

Variations

Inflections

maqi dual   ✧ PE14/52; PE14/76; PE14/117
maqi dual “pair of hands” ✧ QL/57
maqit dual   ✧ PE14/52
măqi dual   ✧ PE15/73
máli plural   ✧ PE14/76; PE14/117
māli plural   ✧ PE15/73

Element In

Cognates

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

ᴱ√MAHA > maha > [maxa] > [maxǝ] > [max] > [maɣ] > [mā] ✧ QL/57