Q. -sta¹ suf. “land, *part” (Category: Other Collective Words)
A collective suffix appearing in words like quentasta “historical account” = “any particular arrangement (by some author) of a series of records or evidences” (VT39/16). In 1998 Carl Hostetter suggested it was connected to the Sindarin class plural suffix -ath (VT39/20 note #27), a suggestion that was confirmed by the 2013 publication of Primitive Quendian Structure (written by Tolkien in 1936), which had -tta, -sta being Quenya suffixes for “close grouping” connected to the Ilkorin and Noldorin class plural -ath, both vaguely related to duals (PE21/57).
However, the root √SAT also meant “space, place; divide, mark off” (VT42/19) or “divide, apportion”, and as such -sta sometimes meant “part” as in fraction words like nel(d)esta “one third”, or in names of the regions within Númenor such as Orrostar “Eastlands” or Forostar “Northlands” (UT/165), more literally “*East-parts” and “*North-parts”. Compare also asta “month” = “year-part” (LotR/1108; VT48/11). That means the suffix -sta sometimes means “collection” and sometimes means “division”, depending on context.
Conceptual Development: Fraction words in the 1920s used ᴱQ. -sto or -nto (PE14/51, 84).
References ✧ UT/165; VT39/16, 20; VT42/30
Variations
Related
Inflections
| -star | plural | “lands” | ✧ UT/165; UT/165; UT/165; UT/165 |
Element In
Derivations
ᴹQ. -sta¹ suf. “close grouping” (Category: Other Collective Words)
References ✧ PE18/35; PE21/57
Glosses
Variations
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ✶-stā > -esta | [-estā] > [-esta] | ✧ PE18/35 |
ᴱQ. *-sto suf. “fraction suffix” (Category: Fraction, Division)
References ✧ PE14/84
Related
Element In
ᴱQ. #-nto suf. “fraction suffix” (Category: Affix)
References ✧ PE14/51, 85
Related
Element In