Quenya 

lumba

gloomy

lumba (2) adj. "gloomy" (PE17:72)

lumba

adjective. gloomy

A word for “gloomy” appearing in some Notes on Galadriel’s Song (NGS) from the late 1950s or early 1960s, an adjective form of lumbo “gloom” (PE17/72).

Elements

WordGloss
lumbo“cloud; gloom, dark, shade, cloud, [ᴱQ.] dark lowering cloud; [Q.] gloom, dark, shade”

lómëa

gloomy

#lómëa adj. "gloomy"; see Taurelilómëa-tumbalemorna...

lemba

adjective. sad

Derivations

  • ᴹ√DEM “sad, gloomy”
Quenya Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

Sindarin 

nûr

adjective. sad

For an earlier discussion, see Klockzo, 4th volume, p. 160 §147: The meaning of Núrnen long remained highly hypothetical. The current definition is based on Christopher Tolkien's index to UT and on the unfinished index of names published in RC. The Gnomish Lexicon listed nur- (nauri) "growl, grumble", nurn "plaint, lament, a complaint" and nurna- "bewail, lament, complain of" (PE/11:61). Likewise, the Qenyaqetsa included a root NURU- with several derivatives with similar meanings (PE/12:68). See also Q. nurrula "mumbling" (from nurru- "murmur, grumble") in the final version of the poem The Last Ark (MC/222-23). Patrick Wynne therefore noted: S. *nûr in Núrnen "Sad Water" is apparently "sad" in the sense "bewailing, lamenting, complaining, grumbling", no doubt a reference to the general mood of the hapless laborers in "the great slave-worked fields" beside the lake. (See Lambengolmor/856-860)

Sindarin [Núrnen UT/458, RC/457] Group: SINDICT. Published by

naer

adjective. sad, lamentable

Sindarin [Ety/375, X/OE] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dem

gloomy

1) dem (sad), lenited dhem, pl. dhim; 2) dofn (lenited dhofn; pl. dyfn), 3) duvui (lenited dhuvui, no distinct pl. form)

dem

gloomy

(sad), lenited dhem, pl. dhim

dem

sad

1) dem (gloomy), lenited dhem, pl. dhim; 2) naer (dreadful, lamentable, woeful); no distinct pl. form. 3) nûr (pl. nuir). Note: homophones mean ”deep” and ”race”.

dem

sad

(gloomy), lenited dhem, pl. dhim

dem

adjective. sad, gloomy

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶dimbā “sad, gloomy”
    • ᴹ√DEM “sad, gloomy” ✧ EtyAC/DEM

Element in

naer

sad

(dreadful, lamentable, woeful); no distinct pl. form.

nûr

sad

(pl. nuir). Note: homophones mean ”deep” and ”race”.

dofn

gloomy

(lenited dhofn; pl. dyfn)

dovn

adjective. gloomy

Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/adaptations. Published by

duvui

gloomy

(lenited dhuvui, no distinct pl. form)

Primitive elvish

dim Reconstructed

root. sad, gloomy

Derivatives

  • ᴺQ. nimbë “gloom, sadness”

Noldorin 

dem

adjective. sad, gloomy

No language indication in the Etymologies, but Noldorin from context and phonological evidence

Noldorin [Ety/354] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dem

adjective. sad, gloomy

dofn

adjective. gloomy

Noldorin [Ety/355] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dofn

adjective. gloomy

A word given as N. dofn “gloomy” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with variant dufui, both derivatives from the root ᴹ√DUB “loom, hang over oppressively (of clouds)” (Ety/DUB; EtyAC/DUB). The form dofn is the cognate of ᴹQ. lumna “lying heavy, oppressive” and shows a-affection, whereas dufui seems to be a Noldorin invention using the adjective suffix -ui, and thus preserves its primitive stem-vowel u.

Neo-Sindarin: For Neo-Sindarin, I’d write both forms as ᴺS. dovn and duvui to better reflect their pronunciation.

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. lumna “lying heavy, burdensome, oppressive, ominous” ✧ Ety/DUB

Derivations

  • ᴹ√DUB “lie, lie heavy, loom, hang over oppressively (of clouds)” ✧ Ety/DUB

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√DUB > dofn[dubna] > [dumna] > [domna] > [domn] > [dovn]✧ Ety/DUB
ᴹ√DUB > dufui[dubui] > [duvui]✧ Ety/DUB

Variations

  • dufui ✧ EtyAC/DUB
Noldorin [Ety/DUB; EtyAC/DUB] Group: Eldamo. Published by

noer

adjective. sad, lamentable

Noldorin [Ety/375, X/OE] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dufui

adjective. gloomy


Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Doriathrin

dem

adjective. sad, gloomy

An adjective meaning “sad, gloomy” from the primitive form ᴹ✶dimbā (Ety/DEM). A related form dimb “sad” appears as an element in the Ilkorin name Dimbar. This form dimb is likely either a stem form or a more primitive form.

Possible Etymology: There is no language marker for the word dem in The Etymologies (Ety/DEM). David Salo (GS/248) and Didier Willis (HSD/dem) both suggested that it is Noldorin, based on (1) the fact that the element dimb is explicitly marked as an Ilkorin word for “sad” and (2) the phonological evidence, in that primitive ᴹ✶dimbā would develop into Noldorin dem.

However, the key phonological changes producing dem from primitive ✶dimbā also occurred in Ilkorin: [[ilk|short [i], [u] became [e], [o] preceding final [a]]] and [[ilk|final [mb] became [m]]]. I believe that dem is in fact an Ilkorin word, and that the element Ilk. dimb “sad” appearing earlier in the entry is a stem form, as noted above.

Conceptual Development: The root form of this word in The Etymologies was first written ᴹ√DIM, rejected and replaced by ᴹ√DEM (EtyAC/DEM). As pointed out by Helge Fauskanger, the primitive forms could only be derived from the root ᴹ√DIM (AL-Ilkorin/dem), so it seems that Tolkien reverted the change of ᴹ√DIM >> ᴹ√DEM. An earlier form demb “gloomy, sad” of this adjective (EtyAC/DEM) likely reflects this vacillation.

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶dimbā “sad, gloomy” ✧ Ety/DEM
    • ᴹ√DEM “sad, gloomy” ✧ EtyAC/DEM
  • ᴹ√DEM “sad, gloomy” ✧ Ety/DEM

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶dimbā > dem[dimbā] > [dimba] > [demba] > [demb] > [dem]✧ Ety/DEM
ᴹ√DEM > demb[dembā] > [demba] > [demb]✧ Ety/DEM

Variations

  • demb ✧ EtyAC/DEM
Doriathrin [Ety/DEM; EtyAC/DEM] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

dem

root. sad, gloomy

An Ilkorin-only root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “sad, gloomy” (Ety/DEM). It was first given as √DIM, which Tolkien rejected and replaced by √DEM (EtyAC/DEM), but given the Ilkorin name Dimbar in both The Etymologies and contemporaneous Silmarillion drafts (LR/261), Tolkien likely reversed himself and restored √DIM. In later iterations of The Silmarillion, it is likely that S. Dimbar became a Sindarin name.

Changes

  • DIMDEM ✧ Ety/DEM

Derivatives

  • ᴹ✶dimbā “sad, gloomy” ✧ EtyAC/DEM
    • ᴺS. dem “sad, gloomy”
    • Ilk. dem “sad, gloomy” ✧ Ety/DEM
  • ᴹ✶dimbē “gloom, sadness” ✧ EtyAC/DEM; Ety/DEM
    • ᴺS. dim “gloom, sadness”
    • Ilk. dim “gloom, sadness” ✧ Ety/DEM; EtyAC/DEM
  • ᴺQ. lemba “sad”
  • Ilk. dem “sad, gloomy” ✧ Ety/DEM

Variations

  • DIM ✧ EtyAC/DEM (DIM)
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/DEM; EtyAC/DEM] Group: Eldamo. Published by

dimbā

adjective. sad, gloomy

Derivations

  • ᴹ√DEM “sad, gloomy” ✧ EtyAC/DEM

Derivatives

  • ᴺS. dem “sad, gloomy”
  • Ilk. dem “sad, gloomy” ✧ Ety/DEM
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/DEM] Group: Eldamo. Published by