S. #bas(t) [mb-] n. “bread” (Category: Bread)
This was the word for “bread” in Sindarin and its conceptual precursors for much of Tolkien’s life, derived from the equally long-lived root √MBAS “bake”. The word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s where G. bast “bread” was derived from the early root ᴱ√M(B)ASA “cook, bake” (GL/22). ᴱN. bast “bread” reappeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/138) and appeared again as N. bast “bread” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√MBAS “knead” (Ety/MBAS).
It appeared without a final t in the Sindarin version of the Lord’s Prayer from the 1950s: anno ammen sír i mbas ilaurui vín “give us this day our daily bread” (VT44/21). However the t was restored in the phrase penim vast “we have no bread” from around 1959 (PE17/144). The late vacillations on the presence and absence of t are likely connected to Tolkien challenges with the derivation of lembas; see that entry for discussion. Likewise, the mutated forms mbas vs. vast indicate some late uncertainty on whether the primitive form began with mb- or b-.
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume the normal form was bast “bread” from ancient mbasta, so that lenited forms show mb-.
References ✧ PE17/144; VT44/27
Inflections
| mbas | soft-mutation; mb-mutation | “*bread” | ✧ VT44/27 |
| vast | soft-mutation; b-mutation | “bread” | ✧ PE17/144 |
Element In
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Derivations
N. bast [mb-] n. “bread” (Category: Bread)
References ✧ Ety/KOR, MBAS
Glosses
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ√MBAS > bast | [mbasta] > [basta] > [bast] | ✧ Ety/MBAS |
ᴱN. bast [mb-] n. “bread” (Category: Bread)
References ✧ PE13/138, 155-156
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| bastath | plural | “loaves” | ✧ PE13/138 |
| #mast | soft-mutation; mb-mutation | “bread” | ✧ PE13/156 |
Element In
Derivations
G. bast [mb-] n. “bread” (Category: Bread)
References ✧ GG/8; GL/22, 51
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| i·mbast | soft-mutation; mb-mutation | ✧ GG/8 |
Element In
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Derivations