S. lass n. “leaf” (Category: Leaf)
The basic Sindarin word for “leaf”, derived from the root √LAS¹ (PE17/62, 153; PE22/166). It appeared as both lass and las, but I believe the latter is the suffixal form, the result of the Sindarin sound change whereby final ss shortened in polysyllables (LotR/1115). Its plural form was lais, which is of interest because normally consonant clusters prevent i-intrusion; compare nern and resg the plurals of narn and rasg. I am of the opinion that the ss was a particular “weak” cluster and allowed intrusion anyway; see the entry on Sindarin plural nouns for further discussion.
Conceptual Development: G. lass “a leaf” appeared all the way back in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, but there Tolkien said it was sometimes used for “petal” = G. tethlas (GL/52). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s it became ᴱN. lhas “leaf” (PE13/148) and N. lhass “leaf” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶lassē under the root ᴹ√LAS¹ (Ety/LAS¹). These 1920s-30s forms were due to the Noldorin sound change whereby initial l was unvoiced to lh. Tolkien abandoned this sound change in Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s, so that lass “leaf” was restored.
References ✧ Let/282; PE17/49, 62, 97; PE22/166; RC/760
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| lais | plural | ✧ PE17/62 | |
| lais | plural | “leaves” | ✧ PE17/97 |
Element In
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Derivations
N. lhass n. “leaf” (Category: Leaf)
References ✧ Ety/LAS¹; PM/135
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| lais | soft-mutation plural | ✧ PM/135 |
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ✶lassē > lhass | [lassē] > [lasse] > [lass] > [l̥ass] | ✧ Ety/LAS¹ |
G. lass n. “leaf; petal” (Category: Leaf)
References ✧ GL/27, 30, 36, 42, 52, 55, 68; LT1A/Gar Lossion
Glosses
Variations
Related
Inflections
| lassion | genitive plural | ✧ GL/30 |
| #las | suffix | ✧ GL/27; GL/36; GL/42; GL/68 |
Element In
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Derivations