ᴹ√WAY root. “enfold”
A root glossed “enfold” appearing in the Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/WAY). In one place it was given the form ᴹ√VAY instead.
Conceptual Development: A similar root ᴱ√VAẎA appears in the Qenya Lexicon from the 1910s, glossed “enfold, wind about” (QL/100, GL/21). Here the initial primitive sound was the voiced spirant [β], a sound not found in later versions of Primitive Elvish: it produced initial [v] in Early Qenya and [b] in Gnomish. Some remnants of this can be found in a deleted note in the Etymologies, indicating that ᴹ√BAY was confused with ᴹ√WAY in Quenya (EtyAC/WAY), but Tolkien seems to have abandoned ᴹ√BAY.
Neo-Eldarin: In addition to words having to do with “enfolding”, the Early Primitive root ᴱ√VAẎA had various derived nouns and verbs related to “clothing”. In the Etymologies, the Noldorin words for “clothing” seem to have moved to a new root, ᴹ√KHAP “enfold”, but this root had no Quenya derivatives at this stage. This leaves the roots ᴱ√VAẎA and ᴹ√WAY as the best available basis for clothing words in Quenya. The Early Qenya derivatives of ᴱ√VAẎA related to “clothing” can be reconceived as derivatives of ᴹ√WAY with little-to-no modification.
The Gnomish derivatives of ᴱ√VAẎA, however, are probably best abandoned or revised, since the later roots changed to make it difficult produce their initial [b].
References ✧ Ety/GEY, LEP, ULU, WAY, WEY
Glosses
Variations
Related
Changes
Derivatives
ᴱ√VAẎA root. “enfold, wind about”
References ✧ GL/21; LT1A/Vai; QL/100
Glosses
Variations
Derivatives