Q. nápo n. “thumb, (lit.) picker” (Category: Thumb)
A word for “thumb” in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from 1968 (VT47/10; VT48/5). In rough drafts of these notes it was glossed “picker” as a derivative of √NAP “pick up” (VT47/29). Its (fossilized?) dual form nápat was used to refer to the “thumb and index [finger] as a pair” (VT48/5). Presumably the ordinary dual for a pair of thumbs was *nápot or *nápu (I personally prefer *nápu as a bit more distinctive).
Conceptual Development: In rough drafts of these notes, Tolkien explored several alternate words for “thumb”: Q. tolle, Q. toltil, {(tal)tolle >>} (lep)tolle and tolpe (< *tol-lepe), all based on the root √TOL “stick up” (VT47/26-28). In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s it was ᴱQ. tyúte “thumb” from the early root ᴱ√TYU whose derivatives had to do with “thick” things (QL/50).
References ✧ VT47/10, 29; VT48/5
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| nápat | dual | ✧ VT48/5 |
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| √NAP > nāpo | [nāpo] | ✧ VT47/29 |
| ✶napata > nápat | [nāpata] > [nāpat] | ✧ VT48/5 |
Q. tollë² n. “thumb” (Category: Thumb)
References ✧ VT47/26-27
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| √TOL > tolle | [tolle] | ✧ VT47/26 |
Q. tolpë n. “thumb” (Category: Thumb)
References ✧ VT47/26, 28
Glosses
Changes
Elements
| √TOL | “stick up or out, stand up (out and above neighboring things), raise the head” | ✧ VT47/28 |
| ✶lepe | “finger” | ✧ VT47/28 |
Cognates
ᴱQ. tyúte (tyúsi-) n. “thumb” (Category: Thumb)
References ✧ QL/50, 93
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| tyūsi- | stem | ✧ QL/50 |
| tyūti- | stem | ✧ QL/93 |
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴱ√TYU > tyūte | [tʲūti] > [tʲūte] | ✧ QL/50 |