Eldamo : Noldorin : ath-

N. ath- pref. “on both sides, across” (Category: Across, Athwart)

⚠️N. ath-, pref. “on both sides, across” (Category: Across, Athwart): S. thar “across, athwart, over”

A prefix for “on both sides, across” in The Etymologies of the 1930s based the root ᴹ√AT(AT) “again, back” having to do with the number “two” (Ety/AT(AT)).

Conceptual Development: The root ᴹ√YAT “join” had deleted preposition N. iath “across” (EtyAC/YAT). In Tolkien’s later writings, prefixal “across” was generally thar or athra- based on the root √THAR (PE17/14), while S. ath- was used for “easy” (PE17/148).

References ✧ Ety/AT(AT), RAT

Glosses

“on both sides, across” ✧ Ety/AT(AT)

Element In

N. athan “beyond”
N. athrad “ford, crossing” ✧ Ety/AT(AT)
N. athrada- “to cross, traverse” ✧ Ety/RAT (ath-rado)
S. Ethring “*Across Cold”

Derivations

< ᴹ√AT “back, again, twice; two” ✧ Ety/RAT (AT(AT))
< ᴹ√ATTA “two” ✧ Ety/AT(AT)
- < ATTA, probably related ✧ Ety/AT(AT)

Phonetic Developments

ᴹ√AT(AT) > ath-

[att-] > [attʰ-] > [aθθ-] > [aθ-]

✧ Ety/RAT

N. iath prep. “across”

See S. thar for discussion.

Reference ✧ EtyAC/YAT ✧ “across”

Element In

N. iathrad “crossing, ford” ✧ EtyAC/YAT (iathrad)

Derivations

< ᴹ✶yatta “across” ✧ EtyAC/YAT (yatta)
- < ᴹ√YAT “join” ✧ Ety/YAT

Phonetic Developments

ᴹ✶yatta > iath

[jatta] > [jattʰa] > [jaθθa] > [jaθθ] > [jaθ]

✧ EtyAC/YAT