Q. nanquer- v. (basic-verb) “*to turn back” (Category: to Turn Around)
A rejected verb in drafts of the Ambidexters Sentence from 1969, appearing in its past tense form nanquerne (VT49/20). It is not translated, but it seems to be a combination of nan- “back” and quer- “turn”, so likely means “to turn back”. This fits the context of the sentence: the speaker turned back to face west.
Neo-Quenya: Tolkien likely rejected this word because he wanted to use different phrasing, not because of a problem with the word itself. I would use ᴺQ. nanquer- for “to turn back, turn around” for purposes of Neo-Quenya. For example, Helge Fauskanger used this word in his Neo-Quenya New Testament (NQNT).
References ✧ VT49/20
Inflections
nanquerne | past | “*turned back” | ✧ VT49/20 |
Elements
nan- | “back (again)” |
quer- | “to turn” |