Q. #únehta n. “*atom” (Category: Bit, Small Thing)
A word given only in its plural form {únexi >>} únehtar as term for “the smallest quantities possible” (NM/250 note #1; NM/265 note #6). It appeared in a discussion distinguishing the platonic ideal of IRON and GOLD from the tiny components making up such matter. As suggested by Carl Hostetter, it seems to be based on a negated form of the root √NEK “divide”, so more literally “*indivisible [thing]”. As such, it is probably the Elvish word for “*atom”, whose original meaning in ancient Greek was similar.
References ✧ NM/250, 265
Changes
Inflections
| únehtar | plural | “the smallest quantities possible” | ✧ NM/250 |
| únexi | plural | “the smallest quantities possible” | ✧ NM/265 |
Elements
| ú- | “no, not, un-, in-; hard, difficult, bad, uneasy; hardly, with difficulty, ‘badly’” |
| nehta- | “to deprive” |