tumba

deep valley

tumba noun "deep valley" (Letters:308; SA:tum and TUB gives tumbo "valley, deep valley"); apparently an extended form *tumbalë in tumbalemorna "deepvalleyblack" or (according to SA:tum) "black deep valley", also tumbaletaurëa "deepvalleyforested"; see Taurelilómëa-tumbalemorna...

tumba

adjective. deep valley, [ᴹQ.] deep, lowlying; [Q.] deep valley

The adjective ᴹQ. tumba “deep, lowlying” appeared in rough (and ultimately rejected) notes on irregular verbs from the Quenya Verbal System of the late 1940s as a derivative of ᴹ√TUB “fall low, go down” (PE22/127). In a 1961 letter to Rhona Beare tumba was glossed “deep valley” as an element in the Entish phrase Q. Taurelilómëa-tumbalemorna Tumbaletaurëa Lómëanor “Forestmanyshadowed-deepvalleyblack Deepvalleyforested Gloomyland” (Let/308; LotR/467), but I think this is only an approximate translation, and the word is better understood as adjectival in sense: “✱like a deep valley”. As further evidence of this, in notes from the late 1960s the form tumba was changed to a more typical noun form Q. tumbo in the name Q. i Tumbo Tarmacorto “the Vale of the High Mountain Circle” (NM/351).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d treat this word as an adjective only, and use Q. tumbo for the noun.

Changes

• Tumba → Tumbo ✧ NM/351

Element in

• Q. tumbalë “depth, deep valley”
• Q. Tumbaletaurëa “Deepvalleyforested” ✧ Let/308

Variations

• Tumba ✧ NM/355 (Tumba)

imbë

dell, deep vale

imbë (2) noun "dell, deep vale" (VT45:18), "wide ravine (between high mountain sides)" (PE17:92)

imlad

noun. deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides, gap, gully, deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides, gap, gully, [N.] dell, glen

A common Sindarin word for “valley”, an elaboration of the more ancient element †im of similar meaning which fell out of use due to its conflicts with other words like the reflexive pronoun im (VT47/14). S. imlad was more or less the equivalent of Telerin imbe meaning “a gap, gully; low, narrow tract between high walls”; in Telerin the ancient element ✶imbi survived. More specifically S. imlad referred to a “narrow valley with steep sides but a flat habitable bottom” (RC/234, 482).

Conceptual Development: N. imlad “dell, deep vale” was mentioned in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√IMBE, alongside its shorter form N. imm of the same meaning (Ety/IMBE). N. im(b)lad was also mentioned in rough notes on irregular verbs from the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s with the gloss {“ravine” >>} “glen”, more accurately a “glen with a long bottom, much longer than its width, that still has much habitable ground” (PE22/127).

Cognates

• Q. imbilat “*deep valley” ✧ NM/355
• T. imbe “gap, gully; low/narrow tract between high walls” ✧ VT47/14

Derivations

• ✶imbi-lătă ✧ PE17/087

Element in

• S. Imlad Morgul “Morgul Vale” ✧ LotRI/Morgul Vale; RC/482; SA/lad
• ᴺS. imladren “vale like, of the vale”
• S. Imladris “Rivendell, (lit.) Deep Dale of the Cleft” ✧ PE17/087; SA/lad; VT47/14

Elements

Word	Gloss
im	“valley, valley; [N.] dell, deep vale”
lad	“plain, valley, plain, valley; [G.] a level, a flat; fair dealing”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶imbi-lătă > imlad	[imbilata] > [imbilat] > [imbilad] > [imblad] > [imlad]	✧ PE17/087

Variations

• Imlad ✧ LotRI/Morgul Vale; RC/482

im

noun. dell, deep vale

This word only survived in compounds (due to the clash with im.1 )

imlad

glen

imlad (deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides), pl. imlaid

imlad

glen

(deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides), pl. imlaid

lhain

thin

(lean, meager), lenited ?thlain or ?lain (the lenition product of lh is uncertain), pl. lîn. Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” thlein, corresponding to archaic Sindarin ✱lhein, later ✱lhain.

tûm

deep valley

(under or among hills) tûm, tum- (i dûm, o thûm, construct tum), pl. tuim (i thuim)

tûm

deep valley

(under or among hills) tûm, tum- (i dûm, o thûm, construct tum), pl. tuim (i thuim). or

im

dell

im (deep vale), no distinct pl. form (though the pl. article in will mark the word as pl. when definite). The word typically occurs, not by itself, but in compounds like imlad, imloth, imrath, imrad (VT45:18, VT47:19)

im

dell

(deep vale), no distinct pl. form (though the pl. article in will mark the word as pl. when definite). The word typically occurs, not by itself, but in compounds like imlad, imloth, imrath, imrad (VT45:18, VT47:19)

nind

thin

1) nind (slender, fragile); no distinct pl. form. 2) *lhain (lean, meager), lenited ?thlain or ?lain (the lenition product of lh is uncertain), pl. lîn. Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” thlein*, corresponding to archaic Sindarin lhein**, later *lhain.

nind

thin

(slender, fragile); no distinct pl. form.

imlad

noun. dell, deep vale, glen

Changes

• im(b)lad → im(b)lad “ravine” ✧ PE22/127

Cognates

• ᴹQ. latimbe “glen” ✧ PE22/127

Element in

• N. Imlad Morghul “Vale of Morghul”
• N. Imlad-Ringlo “Ringlo Vale” ✧ WR/287
• N. Imladris(t) “Rivendell” ✧ PE22/127
• N. Imlad Morthond “Blackroot Vale” ✧ WR/287

Variations

• im(b)lad ✧ PE22/127 (im(b)lad); PE22/127 (im(b)lad)
• Imlad ✧ WR/287

im

noun. dell, deep vale

This word only survived in compounds (due to the clash with im.1 )

imb

noun. dell, deep vale

This word only survived in compounds (due to the clash with im.1 )

imm

noun. dell, deep vale

This word only survived in compounds (due to the clash with im.1 )

imm

noun. dell, deep vale

Cognates

• ᴹQ. imbe “dell, deep vale, ravine, glen” ✧ EtyAC/IMBE

Derivations

• ᴹ√IMBE “dell, deep vale” ✧ EtyAC/IMBE
  • ᴹ√MĪ/IMI “in, inside”

Element in

• N. imlad “dell, deep vale, glen” ✧ EtyAC/IMBE

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√IMBE > im(b) > imm	[imbe] > [imb] > [imb] > [imm] > [im]	✧ EtyAC/IMBE