Q. findë n. “hair (especially of the head), tress or plait of hair” (Category: Hair)
A word mentioned by Tolkien in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968 with glosses “hair, especially of the head” (PM/340) and “hair — a tress or plait of hair” (PM/345). The word finde also appeared in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 with the gloss “tress, lock” alongside a long form Q. findelë of the same meaning (PE17/119). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, it was ᴹQ. finde “tress, braid of hair” under the root ᴹ√SPIN (Ety/SPIN). The root was likewise √SPIN(ID) in the 1957 Notes on Names, but in the 1968 Shibboleth Tolkien used the root form √PHIN.
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use findë as a general word for hair (though primarily used for head-hair), also able to refer to a tress, plait or braid of hair, though the word Q. findelë is more specific to that sense. An entire head of hair would be Q. findessë (PM/345), while a single hair would be Q. finë (PE17/17; PM/340). Despite Tolkien’s 1968 change of √SPIN >> √PHIN, I would assume a root form of √SPIN(ID) “hair”, since elsewhere √PHIN usually meant “skill(ful)” (PE17/17, 119, 181; Ety/PHIN).
References ✧ PE17/119; PM/340, 345
Glosses
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| √SPIN-ID > findë | [spinde] > [ɸinde] > [finde] | ✧ PE17/119 |
| √PHIN > findë | [spinde] > [ɸinde] > [finde] | ✧ PM/340 |
ᴹQ. finde n. “tress, braid of hair” (Category: Hair (other))
Reference ✧ Ety/SPIN ✧ “tress, braid of hair”
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ✶spindē > finde | [spinde] > [ɸinde] > [finde] | ✧ Ety/SPIN |