Eldamo : Quenya : má

Q. má n. “hand” (Category: Hand)

Q. má, n. “hand” (Category: Hand): ᴱQ. †mactë¹ “hand”

The most common Quenya word for “hand”, which Tolkien usually derived from a root √MAH or √MAƷ “hand; handle, wield”. The weak consonant h or ʒ in the root was lost very early, so that primitive ✶mā was one of a rare set of ancient monosyllabic nouns ending in a vowel. Tolkien said that of the various hand words, má was “the oldest (probably) and the one that retained a general and unspecialized sense - referring to the entire hand (including wrist) in any attitude or function” (VT47/6).

As a part of the body, má “hand” was usually referred to in the singular (má) or dual (mát). This was true when referring to the hands of groups of people as well. For example, to say that “the Elves raised their hands”, you would say either i Eldar ortaner mánta (singular, one hand each) or i Eldar ortaner mántat (dual, both hands each), with the possessive suffix -nta “their”.

The plural form már “hands” (or archaic †mai) was almost never used, in part because it conflicted with Q. már “dwelling”. The singular form was also used in general statements and proverbs: “hand is cleverer than foot” má anfinya epe tál (ná). A collection of otherwise unrelated hands would likely use the partitive-plural form: máli “some hands”, which in this case could also serve as the general plural (VT47/12 Note 2). See the discussions on PE17/161 and VT47/6 for more information.

This word is also unusual in that it retains its long vowel before consonant clusters in inflected forms such as mánta “their hand” (PE17/161) or márya “his/her hand” (PE17/69). As Tolkien described it:

Lá is usually shortened to la before 2 consonants, according to the usual Q. procedure, but the long vowel can be retained, especially for additional emphasis, as in other cases where pronominal affixes follow a long vowel, as in márya “his hand” (PE22/160).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to ᴱQ. mā “hand” from Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, derived from the early root ᴱ√MAHA “grasp” (QL/57). ᴹQ. má “hand” also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√MAƷ “hand” (Ety/MAƷ). Tolkien mentioned this word with great frequency, usually derived from √MAH or √MAƷ (as noted above) though he sometimes considered deriving it from √MAG instead.

References ✧ LotR/377; PE17/69-70, 130, 135, 161-162; PE19/100, 102, 106; PE22/160; PE23/144; RGEO/58-59; VT39/9, 11; VT47/3, 6, 12, 18-19; VT49/10

Glosses

“hand” ✧ PE17/69 (mā); PE17/70; PE17/161 (mā); PE17/162; PE19/102 (mâ); PE19/106 (mã); VT39/9 (mā); VT39/11 (mā); VT47/6; VT47/6; VT47/19; VT47/19; PE19/100 (má)
“hand, the entire hand including wrist in any attitude or function” ✧ PE23/144

Variations

má ✧ PE17/70; PE17/162; PE23/144; VT47/6; VT47/6; VT47/19; VT47/19; VT49/10; PE19/100 (má)
mā ✧ PE17/69; PE17/161; VT39/9; VT39/11; VT47/18; VT47/18
mâ ✧ PE19/102
mã ✧ PE19/106

**mai “hands” was not used because it clashed with mai “well” ✧ VT47/6
**már “hands” was not used because it clashed with már “dwelling” ✧ VT47/6
maqua “hand (colloquial)” colloquially often replaced má “hand” ✧ VT47/6

Inflections

mánta	3rd-pl-poss	“their hand, their hands (one each)”	✧ PE17/161
má-rya-t	3rd-pl-poss dual; colloquial-possessive	“*their two hands”	✧ PE17/130
mántat	3rd-pl-poss dual	“their hands (each both)”	✧ PE17/161
mánte	3rd-pl-poss plural; irregular		✧ PE17/161
márya	3rd-sg-poss	“his hand”	✧ PE22/160
mā-rya	3rd-sg-poss	“her hand”	✧ PE17/69
má-rya-t	3rd-sg-poss dual	“her two hands”	✧ PE17/130; PE17/135
má-ya-t	3rd-sg-poss dual; colloquial-possessive	“her two hands”	✧ PE17/130
máryat	3rd-sg-poss dual	“her hands”	✧ LotR/377
máryat	3rd-sg-poss dual	“her two hands”	✧ PE17/69
mā-rya-t	3rd-sg-poss dual	“hands-her-two”	✧ RGEO/59
mārya-t	3rd-sg-poss dual	“her (two) hands”	✧ PE17/69
mā́ryat	3rd-sg-poss dual	“her hands”	✧ RGEO/58
mán	dative		✧ PE17/161
main	dative plural		✧ PE17/161
mát	dual		✧ PE17/161: dual nominative
mát	dual	“a pair of hand”	✧ VT47/6
máo	genitive		✧ PE17/161
máron	genitive plural		✧ PE17/161
mainen	instrumental plural	“by hand”	✧ PE17/161
máli	partitive-plural	“hands”	✧ VT47/3
máli	partitive-plural		✧ VT47/6; VT47/12
**mai	plural	“hands”	✧ VT47/6
már	plural		✧ PE17/161
**már	plural	“hands”	✧ VT47/6

Element In

ᴺQ. !máfastië “hand-pleasure, writing for pleasure of hand and eye”
ᴺQ. !mandanië “struggle, wrestling, (lit.) hand-resistance”
ᴺQ. mapalin “plane tree [Platinus], sycamore, (lit.) hand-flat”
ᴺQ. ^mavaina “maple, (lit.) hand-clad”
Q. forma “right-hand” ✧ VT47/6
Q. hyarma “left hand” ✧ VT47/6
Q. Lungumá “Heavyhand” ✧ PE23/144; VT47/19
Q. maitë “handy, skillful; having a hand, handed; shapely” ✧ PE17/162 (~maite); VT47/6
Q. mátengwië “language of the hands”
Q. an sí Tintallë Varda Oiolossëo ve fanyar máryat Elentári ortanë “for now the Kindler, Varda, the Queen of the Stars from Mount Everwhite has uplifted her hands like clouds” ✧ LotR/377; RGEO/58
Q. an sí Varda, Tintallë, Elentári ortanë máryat Oiolossëo ve fanyar “for now Varda, Star-kindler, Star-queen [has] lifted up her (two) hands from Mount Everwhite like (white) clouds” ✧ RGEO/59
Q. mahtanë yúyo má véla “*wielded both hands alike” ✧ VT49/6
Q. málimë “wrist, (lit.) hand-link” ✧ VT47/6

Cognates

S. †maw “hand” ✧ PE17/162 (†maw); VT47/6 (†maw); VT47/18
T. †má¹ “hand” ✧ VT47/6 (†mā); VT47/18 (māga)

Derivations

< ✶mā “hand” ✧ PE19/102 (māh); VT47/6
- < †✶maha “hand, the manager” ✧ PE19/74 (mā̆ha); PE19/102; VT47/6 (maʒa); VT47/7 (maʒa); VT47/35 (maʒa)
  - < maʒa, perhaps ✧ VT47/35
  - < √MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state” ✧ VT47/18
  - < √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use” ✧ VT47/18 (maʒ); VT47/18 (maʒ)
- < √MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state” ✧ VT47/18
- < √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use” ✧ PE21/70
< †✶maha “hand, the manager” ✧ PE19/106 (māʒ); VT47/18 (māʒ(ă))
- < √MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state” ✧ VT47/18
- < √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use” ✧ VT47/18 (maʒ); VT47/18 (maʒ)
< √MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state” ✧ PE17/161; VT47/18
< √MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use” ✧ PE17/69 (MAƷ); PE17/162 (MAƷ); PE19/100 (MAƷ); PE23/144 (MAƷA); VT39/11 (maha); VT47/19 (MAƷA)

Phonetic Developments

√MAƷ > mā	[maɣa] > [mā]	✧ PE17/69
√MAG > mā	[maga] > [maɣa] > [mā]	✧ PE17/161
√MAƷ > má	[mā]	✧ PE17/162
√MAƷ > má	[maɣa] > [mā]	✧ PE19/100
✶māh > mâ	[māh] > [mā]	✧ PE19/102
✶māʒ > mã	[māɣ] > [mā]	✧ PE19/106
√maha > mā	[maha] > [mā]	✧ VT39/11
✶mā > má	[mā]	✧ VT47/6
✶māʒ(ă) > mā	[māɣa] > [mā]	✧ VT47/18
√mag > mā	[māga] > [māɣa] > [mā]	✧ VT47/18
√MAƷA > má	[maɣa] > [mā]	✧ VT47/19

ᴹQ. má¹ n. “hand” (Category: Hand)

See Q. má for discussion.

References ✧ Ety/MAƷ; EtyAC/MAƷ; LR/72; PE18/35; PE21/40; PE22/21

Glosses

“hand” ✧ Ety/MAƷ (mā); PE18/35 (mā); PE21/40 (mā); PE22/21 (mā); EtyAC/MAƷ (mā)

Variations

mā ✧ Ety/MAƷ; PE18/35; PE21/40; PE22/21; EtyAC/MAƷ (mā)

Inflections

mallo	ablative		✧ PE21/40
málo	ablative		✧ PE21/40
mallut	ablative dual		✧ PE21/40
mā	accusative		✧ PE21/40
†maut	accusative dual		✧ PE21/40
māt	accusative dual		✧ PE21/40
†mai	accusative plural		✧ PE21/40
mahta	allative		✧ PE21/40
mahtau	allative dual; assimilated		✧ PE21/40
mahtan	allative plural		✧ PE21/40
mannar	allative plural	“into the hands”	✧ LR/72
mantan	allative plural		✧ PE21/40
†maïntan	allative plural		✧ PE21/40
málintan	allative plural		✧ PE21/40
mān	dative		✧ PE21/40
mau	dative dual		✧ PE21/40
†mair	dative plural		✧ PE21/40
mā	genitive		✧ PE21/40
mahta	genitive dual		✧ PE21/40
†mauhta	genitive dual		✧ PE21/40
†maion	genitive plural		✧ PE21/40
mainen	instrumental		✧ PE21/40
†mangwen	instrumental		✧ PE21/40
mánen	instrumental		✧ PE21/40
†mangwet	instrumental dual		✧ PE21/40
maumet	instrumental dual		✧ PE21/40
†mainen	instrumental plural		✧ PE21/40
makse	locative		✧ PE21/40
makset	locative dual; assimilated		✧ PE21/40
mant	nominative dual		✧ PE21/40
†main	nominative plural		✧ PE21/40; PE21/40
maksin	nominative plural		✧ PE21/40
málin	nominative plural		✧ PE21/40
†maia	possessive		✧ PE21/40
máva	possessive		✧ PE21/40
†makson	similative		✧ PE21/40
mánon	similative		✧ PE21/40

Element In

ᴹQ. Lunguma “Heavy Hand”
ᴹQ. maite “handy, skilled”
ᴹQ. ar antaróta mannar Valion: númessier “and he gave it into the hands of the Lords: they are in the West” ✧ LR/72

Cognates

ON. mō “hand” ✧ Ety/MAƷ

Derivations

< ᴹ✶māʒ “hand” ✧ Ety/MAƷ; PE18/35 (mā)
- < ᴹ✶māʒ “hand” ✧ PE18/35 (mā̆ʒ)
- < ᴹ√MAƷ “hand” ✧ Ety/MAƷ
< ᴹ✶magā “hand” ✧ EtyAC/MAƷ (magā)
- < ᴹ√MAG “use, handle” ✧ EtyAC/MAƷ (MAG)

Phonetic Developments

ᴹ✶māʒ > mā	[māɣ] > [mā]	✧ Ety/MAƷ
ᴹ✶magā > mā	[magā] > [maɣā] > [mā]	✧ EtyAC/MAƷ
ᴹ✶mā > mā	[mā]	✧ PE18/35

ᴱQ. má n. “hand” (Category: Hand)

See Q. má for discussion.

References ✧ GL/55; LT2A/Ermabwed; PE14/52, 76, 117; PE15/73; PE16/137; QL/57; VT40/8

Glosses

“hand” ✧ GL/55 (mâ); LT2A/Ermabwed (mā); PE14/76; PE14/117; PE16/137 (mā); QL/57 (mā)

Variations

Inflections

maqi	dual		✧ PE14/52; PE14/76; PE14/117
maqi	dual	“pair of hands”	✧ QL/57
maqit	dual		✧ PE14/52
măqi	dual		✧ PE15/73
máli	plural		✧ PE14/76; PE14/117
māli	plural		✧ PE15/73

Element In

ᴱQ. maite² “maple”
ᴱQ. Makarnea “Red-handed”
ᴱQ. malenka “left handed” ✧ QL/57
ᴱQ. mapalin “plane [tree], sycamore” ✧ QL/57
ᴱQ. marikta “wrist” ✧ QL/57
ᴱQ. mavoite “having hands” ✧ LT2A/Ermabwed; QL/57
ᴱQ. torwa pior má tarasse “*the dark-brown fruit in the hand of the hawthorns” ✧ VT40/8

Cognates

G. mô “hand”
G. ma “with instrument or by agent” ✧ GL/55

Derivations

< ᴱ√MAHA “grasp” ✧ LT2A/Ermabwed; QL/57
- < maha < MAHA ✧ QL/57

Phonetic Developments

ᴱ√MAHA > maha > mā

[maxa] > [maxǝ] > [max] > [maɣ] > [mā]

✧ QL/57