S. fend n. “door” (Category: Door, Gate)
A word appearing as fend “door” in notes on the Common Eldarin Article (CEA) from 1969 (PE23/136). In notes from December 1959 (D59), Tolkien gave it as fen “door” derived from the root √PHEN, with a Quenya equivalent as fenna indicating a primitive form of *phennā (PE17/181). In The Lord of the Rings proper, it was an element in the name Fen Hollen “Closed Door” (LotR/826; RC/550); perhaps fen is a reduced pseudo-prefixal form of fenn/fend.
Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had N. fenn “threshold” derived from ON. phenda under the root ᴹ√PHEN (Ety/PHEN). In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s it appeared as fenn in Fenn Forn(en) and similar variants, all earlier names for Fen Hollen (WR/341).
Neo-Sindarin: I don’t think the senses “door” and “threshold” are likely to coexist, and for purposes of Neo-Sindarin I would limit fend to “door”.
References ✧ PE17/45, 98, 181; PE23/136; RC/550
Glosses
Variations
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| √PHEN > fen | [pʰenna] > [ɸenna] > [fenna] > [fenn] | ✧ PE17/181 |
N. fenn n. “threshold, door” (Category: Door, Gate)
References ✧ Ety/PHEN; WR/341
Glosses
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ON. phenda > fend > fenn | [ɸenda] > [fenda] > [fend] > [fenn] | ✧ Ety/PHEN |