ᴹQ. lia¹ adj. “(not) a few, several” (Category: Much, Many)
An adjectival form of li(n)-, translated “(not) a few, several” and appearing in Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from 1948 (PE23/106). Tolkien said “this is rare, since this notion is expressed by the ‘long plural’ in –li: Eldali, Elves, some Elves, several Elves”. In drafts Tolkien said it could also mean “lines (straight or string)” (PE23/106 note #80), probably an allusion to ᴹQ. lia² “fine thread, spider filament” from The Etymologies (Ety/SLIG).
References ✧ PE23/106
Glosses
Related
Elements
| li(n)- | “many” |
ᴱQ. lia(r) adj. “many” (Category: Much, Many)
Reference ✧ QL/53 ✧ “many”
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴱ√LĪ > lia(r) | [liar] | ✧ QL/53 |