lára

flat

lára (1) adj. "flat" (DAL, VT45:25)

Nando

valley, wide valley

nando (2) "valley, wide valley", variant of nandë #1, q.v. (PE17:80)

nalda

valley

nalda adj. "valley" (used as an adjective), also "lowly" (LT1:261, QL:66)$

nandë

valley

nandë (1) noun "valley" in Laurenandë (UT:253), elided nand in the name Nand Ondoluncava (k") "Stonewain Valley" (PE17:28). Possibly the complete word is here meant to be the variant nando (PE17:80), as suggested by the alternative form Ondoluncanan(do) ("k") "Stonewain Valley". Also nan, nand- noun "valley" (Letters:308); Nan-Tasarion "Vale of Willows" (LotR2:III ch. 4) (Note that this and the next nandë would be spelt differently in Tengwar writing, and originally they were also pronounced differently, since nandë "harp" was ñandë in First Age Quenya.)

nandë

noun. valley

tál

noun. foot, foot; [ᴹQ.] bottom, [ᴱQ.] lowest part

The Quenya word for “foot” derived from the root √TAL of similar meaning (PE19/103; VT49/17; Ety/TAL). Given its Sindarin cognate S. tâl (not ✱✱taul) its ancient stem form must have had a short vowel, with the long vowel in the uninflected form the result of the subjective noun case which lengthened the base vowel of monosyllables (PE21/76). Q. tál could also refer to the bottom of things (PE21/21, 76) analogous to English “foot of the mountain” and similar phrases.

Conceptual Development: The earliest iteration of this word was ᴱQ. tala “foot” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√TALA “support” (QL/88), a form also appearing in the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/88). In the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s it became ᴱQ. tál with plural tăli indicating an ancient short vowel (PE14/43, 76). In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, ᴹQ. tāl had inflected forms with tal-, again indicating a short vowel in the stem (PE21/21), and likewise with the (1930s-style) genitive form talen in The Etymologies written around 1937 (Ety/TAL). Most of its later appearances also imply a short vowel in the stem, the main exception being the plural form táli in the 1950s version of the Nieninquë “poem”.

Cognates

• S. tâl “foot; [lower] end”

Derivations

• ✶tāl “foot”
  • √TAL “foot; *flat; [ᴱ√] support”

Element in

• Q. attalya “biped, *(lit.) two-footed”
• ᴺQ. cantalya “four-legged, quadruped, (lit.) four-footed”
• Q. táli lantalasselingië “*with feet like the music of falling leaves” ✧ PE16/096
• ᴺQ. tallimë “ankle, (lit.) foot-link”
• Q. taltil “toe, *(lit.) foot-tip”
• Q. taltol “big toe”
• Q. Tyeleptalëa “Silver-footed”

Variations

• tal ✧ PE19/103
• tāl ✧ VT43/16; VT49/17

taldëa

adjective. bottom

@@@ Discord 2022-05-23 < taldajā

Elements

Word	Gloss
tal(da)	“to the bottom”

Talath Dirnen

dal

_. Compare the Talath Dirnen_ or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the _Silmarillion. FLAT OF THE HAND, see .

Talath Dirnen

dal

_. Compare the Talath Dirnen_ or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the _Silmarillion.

Talath Dirnen

dal

_. Compare the Talath Dirnen_ or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the _Silmarillion. 2) lâd (valley, lowland), construct lad, pl. laid

Talath Dirnen

dal

. Compare the _Talath Dirnen_ or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the _Silmarillion.

talath

dal

Dirnen or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the Silmarillion.

tâl

noun. foot; [lower] end

The Sindarin word for “foot”, derived from the root √TAL of similar meaning (SA/celeb; Ety/TAL). As an element in compounds, it could also refer to the “end” of something, especially the lower end, as in Ramdal “Wall’s End” (S/122; Ety/TAL). This word probably may be used metaphorically for the “foot” of things like mountains and pedestals.

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to G. tâl (tald-) “foot” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/68), clearly based on the early root ᴱ√TALA “support” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT2A/Talceleb). Tolkien experimented with some variant forms like ᴱN. tail or taul in documents from the 1920s (PE13/123, 153), but N. tâl “foot” was restored in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√TAL “foot” (Ety/TAL) and Tolkien seems to have stuck with that form thereafter.

Cognates

• Q. tál “foot, foot; [ᴹQ.] bottom, [ᴱQ.] lowest part”

Derivations

• Os. tal
  • ✶tāl “foot”
  • √TAL “foot; *flat; [ᴱ√] support”

Element in

• S. Celebrindal “Silverfoot” ✧ SA/celeb; SA/tal
• S. Labadal “Hopafoot”
• S. Ramdal “Wall’s End” ✧ SA/tal
• S. tad-dal “two-legged, two-legged, *biped”
• ᴺS. tallif “ankle”
• S. talraph “stirrup” ✧ UT/313
• ᴺS. talvad “footpath”

Variations

• tal ✧ SA/celeb; SA/tal

laden

flat

1) laden (plain, wide, open, cleared), pl. ledin (for ”N” lhaden pl. lhedin, LR:368 s.v. LAT), 2) *talu (lenited dalu, analogical pl. tely). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” dalw (LR:353 s.v. DAL; notice how dalath from the same root was changed to talath in Sindarin).

talath

flat surface

(i dalath, o thalath) (plane, flatlands, plain, [wide] valley), pl. telaith (i thelaith). Tolkien changed this word from ”Noldorin” dalath, LR:353 s.v. DAL. Compare the Talath Dirnen or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the Silmarillion.

talu

flat

(lenited dalu, analogical pl. tely). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” dalw (LR:353 s.v. DAL; notice how dalath from the same root was changed to talath in Sindarin).

tâl

foot

(body-part and unit of measure) tâl (i dâl [LR:298], o thâl), also -dal in compounds; pl. tail (i thail). In LR:390 s.v.

tâl

foot

(i dâl [LR:298], o thâl), also -dal in compounds; pl. tail (i thail). In LR:390 s.v.

talath

wide valley

(i** dalath, o thalath) (flat surface, plane, flatlands, plain), pl. telaith (i** thelaith). *Tolkien changed this word from ”Noldorin” dalath, LR:353 s.v.*

im

noun. valley, valley; [N.] dell, deep vale

An archaic element meaning “valley” that survived only in compounds, a derivation of ✶imbi “between” (VT47/14). The basic sense “valley” was transferred to its more elaborate form imlad as in Imladris “Rivendell”, and †im “valley” fell out of use due to its conflicted with other words like the reflexive pronoun im.

Conceptual Development: N. imm “dell, deep vale” was mentioned in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√IMBE, alongside its elaboration N. imlad of the same meaning (Ety/IMBE).

Derivations

• ✶imbi “between” ✧ VT47/14
  • √MI/IMI “in, within, [ᴹ√] inside” ✧ PE17/092; VT47/11; VT47/30

Element in

• S. imlad “deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides, gap, gully, deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides, gap, gully, [N.] dell, glen” ✧ VT47/14
• S. Imloth Melui “Lovely or Sweet Flower-valley” ✧ VT42/18
• S. imrad “path or pass between mountains or trackless forest, *(lit.) valley path” ✧ VT47/14
• S. imrath “long narrow valley with road or watercourse running through it lengthwise, *(lit.) valley course”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶imbi > imm > im	[imbi] > [imbe] > [imb] > [imm] > [imm] > [im]	✧ VT47/14

Variations

• im ✧ VT42/18; VT47/14

imlad

noun. deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides (but a flat habitable bottom)

imloth

noun. flower-valley, flowery vale

This word only occurs in the place name Imloth Melui, a vale where roses grew

imrad

noun. a path or pass (between mountains, hills or trackless forest)

imrath

noun. long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise

talu

adjective. flat

tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills

imloth

flowering valley

(pl. imlyth) (VT42:18).

imrath

valley

(long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise) imrath (pl. imraith)

laden

flat

(plain, wide, open, cleared), pl. ledin (for ”N” lhaden pl. lhedin, LR:368 s.v. LAT)

lâd

valley

(lowland, plain), construct lad, pl. laid

nand

valley

1) nand (construct nan) (wide grassland, land at the foot of hills with many streams), pl. naind, coll. pl. nannath (VT45:36), 2) lâd (lowland, plain), construct lad, pl. laid, 3) (long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise) imrath (pl. imraith).

nand

valley

(construct nan) (wide grassland, land at the foot of hills with many streams), pl. naind, coll. pl. **nannath **(VT45:36)

pôd

foot

(of animal) pôd (i bôd, o phôd, construct pod), pl. pŷd (i phŷd).

pôd

foot

(i bôd, o phôd, construct pod), pl. p**ŷd (i ph**ŷd).

sarnas

cairn

sarnas (i harnas, o sarnas) (pile of stones), pl. sernais (i sernais)

sarnas

cairn

(i harnas, o sarnas) (pile of stones), pl. sernais (i sernais)

talu

adjective. flat

Derivations

• √TAL “foot; *flat; [ᴱ√] support”

telluin

sole of the foot

(i delluin, o thelluin), pl. tellyn (i thellyn). *Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” telloein, tellen (LR:384 s.v. *

nand

noun. valley

Isolated from Lindórinand, Lórinand (q.v. for reference). While this word is not given in the Etymologies, it is clearly derived from the stem NAD (LR:374) and hence a close cognate of the similar Doriathrin word nand "field, valley". The Quenya cognate nanda (meaning "water-mead, watered plain") indicates a primitive form *nandâ; as in most cases, the final -â is lost in Nandorin.

duban

noun. valley

dal

root. bottom, ground, bottom, ground; [ᴹ√] flat

This root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√DAL with the gloss “flat” and various derivatives of similar meaning (Ety/DAL). It reappeared again in later notes as √DAL “bottom, ground” written in the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/150). In both places, it had a variant form √LAD of similar meaning.

One notable derivative from the 1930s was N. dalath “plain” which appeared in the name N. Dalath Dirnen “Guarded Plain” in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/299). But in the second note mentioned above, Tolkien said “X Dalath Dirnen. dalath won't do = plain ... TALAT = ground (bottom), hence TALAT = fall down” (PE17/150). Indeed, in later Silmarillion drafts, Tolkien changes this name to S. Talath Dirnen (WJ/140). This may mean that Tolkien ultimately rejected this root, but the variant √LAD probably survived: see that entry for details.

Derivatives

• ✶dalath “deep valley or valley enclosed with woods”
• S. dalath “plain, low lying/flat ground, plain, low lying/flat ground; [N.] flat surface, plane; [ᴱN.] vale” ✧ PE17/150

lad

root. bottom, ground, [ᴹ√] lie flat, be flat; [√] bottom, ground

This root and ones like it were used as that basis for “wide” adjectives throughout Tolkien’s life. The earliest iteration of this root was unglossed ᴱ√LAŘA [LAÐA] in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. landa “wide, broad” and ᴱQ. lar “region, place” (QL/51). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon there was G. land “broad” (GL/52). In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root became ᴹ√LAD with derivatives like ᴹQ. landa/N. lhann “wide” (Ety/LAD); in this document it was related to both ᴹ√DAL “flat” and ᴹ√LAT “lie open”.

The root was mentioned in the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s with the gloss “lie flat, be flat”, distinct from the root ᴹ√LAT glossed “be extended, stretch, be situated (of an area)” (PE22/126). √LAD was mentioned again as Quenya-only variant of √DAL “bottom, ground” in a list of roots from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/150). However, it clearly survived in Sindarin as an element in the names Landroval “Broad Winged” (LotR/948; PE17/63) and Lothlann “Wide and Empty” (S/123), not to mention úlan(n) “not broad, narrow” (PE17/144).

One tricky thing about this root was that Tolkien seems to have abandoned √DAL on which it was originally based, given the change of S. dalath “plain” to S. talath “plain”. However, I think it is likely that √LAD survived, perhaps as a variant of √LAT.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume √LAT refers to openness, where √LAD refers to flat or wide things.

Derivatives

• S. land “wide, broad, wide, broad; [N.] open space, level”

tāl

noun. foot

Derivations

• √TAL “foot; *flat; [ᴱ√] support”

Derivatives

• Q. tál “foot, foot; [ᴹQ.] bottom, [ᴱQ.] lowest part”
• Os. tal
  • S. tâl “foot; [lower] end”

Variations

• tal ✧ PE21/75

dalw

adjective. flat

Cognates

• ᴹQ. lára “flat” ✧ Ety/DAL

Derivations

• ᴹ√DAL “flat” ✧ Ety/DAL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√DAL > dalw	[dalwa] > [dalw] > [dalu]	✧ Ety/DAL

dalw

adjective. flat

sarnas

noun. cairn

A noun for “cairn” (a memorial made of a pile of stones) inx the name N. Sarnas Fingolfin “Cairn of Fingolfin” from a list of names associated with Silmarillion drafts of the 1930s (LR/406). It is an elaboration of N. sarn “stone”.

Conceptual Development: An earlier word G. dal “cairn” appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s near the words G. dalech “(upright) stone” and G. daltha- “to erect, set up” (GL/29), so perhaps based on ᴱ√TALA (or ✱DALA) “support” (QL/88).

Element in

• N. Sarnas Fingolfin “Cairn of Fingolfin” ✧ LR/406

Elements

Word	Gloss
sarn	“stone as a material”
-as	“abstract noun”

Variations

• Sarnas ✧ LR/406

imlad

noun. deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides (but a flat habitable bottom)

pôd

noun. animal's foot

sarnas

noun. cairn, pile of stones

tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills

tâl

noun. foot