At least, The Etymologies in volume 5 of The History of Middle-earth expressly derive Nessa's name from a root word meaning 'young'. However, the essay Quendi and Eldar in volume 11, written long afterward, offers a different explanation. That source describes conjectures among the loremasters of the Elves that the name in fact came from a feminine form of the Elvish root ner, 'man, male'. That combination was said to imply 'she that has manlike valour or strength'.
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