S. enedh n. “centre, middle” (Category: Middle)
The usual Sindarin/Noldorin word for “middle” is enedh derived from the root √ENED (UT/264; VT48/25; Ety/ÉNED). This is complicated by the fact that Tolkien wrote Enedwaith “Middle-region” on The Lord of the Rings map (LotR/1089; Let/224). It is my opinion that this use of d for dh originally reflected Tolkien’s normal representation of this letter Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s, for example 1940s N. Caradras and N. Fanuidol vs. later S. Caradhras and S. Fanuidhol.
Unlike those other representations of dh, Tolkien never corrected Enedwaith in the published texts, and in notes from the late 1960s he considered revising the “middle” to ened derived from √HENET (VT41/16). In other notes from this period he said Enedhwaith was misspelt ened (VT42/20), so I think ened < √HENET was likely a transient idea.
In compounds enedh is generally used as an adjective, such a lebenedh “middle finger” and Lond Daer Enedh “Great Middle Haven”. In The Etymologies this word was glossed “middle, centre” (Ety/ÉNED) and “core, centre” (Ety/NÉD), which makes me think it was a noun.
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would treat enedh as a noun when used independently, and use [ᴺS.] enaidh as the adjective for “central, middle”.
References ✧ UT/264; VT41/16; VT48/25
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| √HENET > ente > ened | [ɣenet] > [enet] > [ened] | ✧ VT41/16 |
| √ened/l > eneð | [ened] > [eneð] | ✧ VT48/25 |