Eldamo : Quenya : axë

Q. axë n. “neck (vertebrae), rock ridge” (Category: Neck)

Q. axë, n. “neck [vertebrae], *(upper) spine; rock ridge” (Category: Neck): ᴹQ. yat¹ “neck; [ᴱQ.] isthmus”

A word for “neck” appearing in notes written around 1967 as akse with (archaic) variant akas, derived from the root √AKAS “neck, ridge” (PE17/92). Tolkien specified that it was “referring properly only to the vertebrae (the bony part of the neck not including throat)”, so a more accurate translation might be “*(upper) spine”. This word could also apply to rock ridges. In an earlier version of this note Tolkien gave the form Q. axo “neck” (PE17/146), but that conflicts with Q. axo “bone” from the Markirya poem (MC/222-223).

References ✧ PE17/92, 146; RC/537

Glosses

“neck” ✧ PE17/146 (axo); RC/537 (axo); PE17/92 (†akas)
“neck, rock ridge” ✧ PE17/92 (akse)

Variations

†akas ✧ PE17/92
akse ✧ PE17/92
axo ✧ PE17/146; RC/537

axë “neck (vertebrae), rock ridge” vs. lango “neck”
axë “neck (vertebrae), rock ridge” for a land formation might be preferable to ᴹQ. yatta “narrow neck, isthmus”
lango “neck” vs. axë “neck (vertebrae), rock ridge”

Inflections

aksi

plural

✧ PE17/92

Element In

ᴺQ. !parmaxë “spine (of a book)”

Cognates

S. ach¹ “neck” ✧ PE17/92
S. achad “rock ridge, neck (geographically)” ✧ PE17/146; RC/537

Derivations

< √AKAS “neck, ridge” ✧ PE17/92; PE17/146

Phonetic Developments

√AKAS > †akas	[akas]	✧ PE17/92
√AKAS > axo	[akso]	✧ PE17/146