S. maetha- v. “to handle, wield, use, manage, treat, deal with” (Category: to Use)
A verb whose original sense seems to be “handle”, based on the root √MAH or √MAƷ for “hand”. It was variously glossed “to handle” (PE17/69), “to handle, treat, manage” (PE17/161), “use, wield” (PE17/162), and “handle, wield, manage, deal with” (VT47/6). It thus seems to be usable for both “handle, wield, use” a concrete physical item and “handle, manage, deal with” an abstract process or situation.
Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s Tolkien had G. maitha- “rule, govern, wield control, hold” (GL/56), probably based on the early root ᴱ√MAHA “grasp” that was the basis for “hand” words in the 1910s (QL/57). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s, ᴱN. maitha- came to mean “to ravish”, cognate to ᴱQ. mapta- and thus based on ᴱ√MAPA “seize” (PE13/149, 163). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. maetha- was glossed “to fight” under the root ᴹ√MAK “sword; fight with sword” (Ety/MAK), itself a later iteration of G. mactha- “slay, kill” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s based on the early root ᴱ√MAKA “slay” (GL/55).
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would use maetha- for both “handle” and “fight” as a blending of √MAH and √MAK.
References ✧ PE17/69, 161-162; VT47/6
Glosses
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| √MAG > maetha- | [magta-] > [makta-] > [maktʰa-] > [maxθa-] > [maiθa-] > [maeθa-] | ✧ PE17/161 |
| ✶maʒtā > maχtā > maetha | [maɣtā] > [maxtā] > [maxta] > [maxtʰa] > [maxθa] > [maiθa] > [maeθa] | ✧ VT47/6 |
ᴱN. maitha- v. “to ravish” (Category: Rape, Violation)
References ✧ PE13/149, 163
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| mathaint | aorist | ✧ PE13/163 |
| mebaint | aorist | ✧ PE13/163: aor. |
| mabant | passive-participle | ✧ PE13/163: pp. |
| maithaf | past | ✧ PE13/163: imperfect |
| mebaint | past | ✧ PE13/149 |
Elements
| maith | “ravishment; seizure” | ✧ PE13/163 |
Cognates
Derivations
G. maitha- v. “to rule, govern, wield control, hold” (Category: to Rule, Govern)
Reference ✧ GL/56 ✧ maitha “rule, govern, wield control, hold”
Derivations