imrad

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

imrad

noun. path or pass between mountains or trackless forest, *(lit.) valley path

A noun appearing in notes from the late 1960s for “a path or pass between mountains, hills or trackless forest”, a combination of (archaic) S. †im “valley” and S. râd “path” (VT47/14). It is probably the clearest Sindarin word for a mountain pass.

Elements

Word	Gloss
im	“valley, valley; [N.] dell, deep vale”
râd	“path, pass, path, pass, [N.] track”

imlad

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

imrath

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

im

noun. dell, deep vale

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

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

nand

vale

_ n. _vale. >> nan, Nanduhirion

imloth

noun. flower-valley, flowery vale

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

nan

vale

_ n. _vale. >> nand, Nanduhirion

tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills

lond

noun. narrow path or strait

lond

noun. entrance to harbour, land-locked haven

lonn

noun. narrow path or strait

lonn

noun. entrance to harbour, land-locked haven

imrad

path

(between mountains, hills or through trackless forest) imrad (pass), pl. imraid.

imrad

path

(pass), pl. imraid.

imrad

pass

(path), pl. imraid.

imlad

deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides

(glen), pl. imlaid;

imrath

valley

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

râd

path

râd (track), construct rad, pl. raid (idh raidh).

râd

path

(track), construct rad, pl. raid (idh raidh).

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)

im

deep vale

(dell), 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

vale

(deep vale) im (dell), 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

vale

(dell), 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)***

maeg

going deep in

(lenited vaeg; no distinct pl. form) (sharp, penetrating). (WJ:337);

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)

pada

walk

(i bada, i phadar)

bâd

pathway

(i vâd, construct bad) (beaten track), pl. baid (i maid).

lâd

valley

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

cirith

pass

(noun) 1) cirith (i girith, o chirith) (cleft, cutting), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith), 2) lond (harbour, haven, strait; narrow path), pl. lynd, coll. pl. lonnath (as in the name Lonnath Ernin, WR:294). 3) (pass between mountains, hills or through trackless forest) imrad (path), pl. imraid.

cirith

pass

(i girith, o chirith) (cleft, cutting), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith)

imloth

flowering valley

(pl. imlyth) (VT42:18).

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.*

talath

dal

Dirnen or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the Silmarillion.

fû Speculative

noun. path

Element in

• S. Fui ’Ngorthrim “Paths of the Dead” ✧ RC/526

lond

pass

(harbour, haven, strait; narrow path), pl. lynd, coll. pl. lonnath (as in the name Lonnath Ernin, WR:294).

tofn

deep

tofn (lenited dofn; pl. tyfn) (low, low-lying), also nûr (pl. nuir). Note: homophones of the latter mean ”sad” and ”race”.

tofn

deep

(lenited dofn; pl. tyfn) (low, low-lying), also nûr (pl. nuir). Note: homophones of the latter mean ”sad” and ”race”.

angol

deep lore

(magic), pl. engyl. Note: a homophone means "stench".

cîl

pass between hills

(i gîl, o chîl) (cleft, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. . A homophone means ”renewal”.

falch

deep cleft

(ravine[?]), pl. felch;

tûm

deep valley

tum- (i** dûm, o thûm, construct tum), pl. t**uim (i** thuim**)

aglonn

pass between high walls

(defile), pl. eglynn;