Eldamo : Primitive Elvish : RIS

√RIS root. “cut, cleave”

√RIS root. “cut; [ᴹ√] slash, rip; ⚠️cleave”

This root first appeared as ᴹ√RIS “slash, rip” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the derivative N. risto “rend, rip” (Ety/RIS¹). Tolkien then created a new entry for ᴹ√RIS without deleting the prior entry, with derivatives like ᴹQ. rista/N. rhest “a cut” and ᴹQ. rista-/N. rhista- “cut” (Ety/RIS²); this seems to reflect a conceptual shift of “slash, rip” >> “cut”. Indeed, the root √RIS reappeared in Tolkien’s later writings with the gloss “cut” (PE17/87). Christopher Tolkien gave this root the gloss “cleave” in the Silmarillion Appendix (SA/ris).

References ✧ PE17/87, 182; SA/ris

Glosses

“cleave” ✧ SA/ris
“cut” ✧ PE17/87; PE17/182

Derivatives

⇒ √KIRIS “cleave” ✧ SA/ris
- > ᴺS. ^crisg “sharp [edged]”
- > ᴺS. crista- “to slash, cut, slice”
- > ✶kirissi “cleft”
  - > S. criss “cleft” ✧ PE21/81
    - ⇒ [see above]
- > S. criss “cleft”
  - ⇒ [see above]
- ⇒ S. Crissaegrim “*Cleft Mountain Peaks” ✧ SA/ris
- > S. crist “cleaver”
  - ⇒ [see above]
> ✶rinsa “cleft, cloven, separate” ✧ PE17/87
- > ᴺS. !ress² “cleft, cloven, separate”
- > S. riss “cleft; cleft, cloven, separate” ✧ PE17/87
  - ⇒ S. Imladris “Rivendell, (lit.) Deep Dale of the Cleft” ✧ PE17/87
> #✶rista “*cut”
- ⇒ ✶hekla-rista “Eglarest” ✧ WJ/365
  - > S. Eglarest “*Forsaken Cut” ✧ WJ/365
- > S. #rest “*cut” ✧ WJ/365
  - ⇒ S. Eglarest “*Forsaken Cut” ✧ WJ/365
> Q. rista- “*to cut” ✧ PE17/87
⇒ S. Angrist “Iron-cleaver” ✧ SA/ris
⇒ S. criss “cleft” ✧ PE17/87
- ⇒ S. Crissaegrim “*Cleft Mountain Peaks”
> S. crist “cleaver” ✧ SA/ris
- ⇒ S. Angrist “Iron-cleaver”
- ⇒ S. Orcrist “Orc-cleaver” ✧ SA/ris
⇒ S. Imladris “Rivendell, (lit.) Deep Dale of the Cleft” ✧ SA/ris

ᴹ√RIS root. “slash, rip”

See √RIS for discussion.

References ✧ Ety/KIRIS, RIS¹, RIS²; EtyAC/KIR

Glosses

“slash, rip” ✧ Ety/RIS¹

KIRÍS blended with RIS ✧ EtyAC/KIR

Derivatives

> Ilk. rest “cut” ✧ Ety/RIS²
- ⇒ Ilk. Eglorest ✧ Ety/RIS²
⇒ ᴹ√KIRIS “cut” ✧ Ety/KIRIS; Ety/RIS²
- > ᴹQ. kirisse “slash, gash” ✧ Ety/KIRIS; EtyAC/KIR
- > N. criss “cleft, cut, slash; pass” ✧ Ety/KIRIS; EtyAC/KIR
  - ⇒ 4 compounds
- > N. crist “cleaver, sword” ✧ Ety/KIRIS
  - ⇒ N. Angrist “Iron-cleaver”
  - ⇒ N. Orchrist
> ᴹ✶risse- “a ravine” ✧ Ety/RIS²
- > N. rhis “ravine” ✧ Ety/RIS²; Ety/RIS²
  - ⇒ N. Imladris(t) “Rivendell” ✧ Ety/RIS²
> ᴹ✶rista- “cut” ✧ Ety/RIS²
- > ᴹQ. rista- “to cut” ✧ Ety/RIS²
- > N. rhista- “to cut” ✧ Ety/RIS²
> ᴹQ. rista “cut” ✧ Ety/RIS²
- ⇒ ᴹQ. Latimberista “Rivendell”
- ⇒ ᴺQ. !hórista “citation, quotation, (lit.) something cut out”
⇒ N. Orchrist ✧ Ety/RIS¹
> N. rhest “cut” ✧ Ety/RIS²
> ON. rista- “rend, rip” ✧ Ety/RIS¹
- > N. rista- “to rend, rip” ✧ Ety/RIS¹

?ᴱ√FAKA root. “cut”

A hypothetical early root to explain words in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s such as G. fag- “cut” and G. fanc “cut” (GL/33). It might be related to ᴱ√FḶKḶ “cleave, hew”. There are no signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing.

FḶKḶ “cleave, hew”

Derivatives

> G. fag- “to cut”
- ⇒ G. fagin “cut” ✧ GL/33
> G. fanc “cut”