imrath

noun. long narrow valley with road or watercourse running through it lengthwise, *(lit.) valley course

An element in the Sindarin name Imrath Gondraich for “Stonewain Valley”, described in Tolkien’s Nomenclature of the Lord of the Rings as “a long narrow valley with road or water course running [?]lengthwise” (RC/558). Its literal meaning is im + rath = “✱valley course” and probably refers as much to the river or road running through the valley as the valley itself.

imrath

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

imrath gondraich

place name. Stonewain Valley

A Sindarin name for the Stonewain Valley, written as Imrath Gondraich by Christoper Tolkien in the index of the Unfinished Tales (UTI/Stonewain Valley), and as Imrath Gondraith by Hammond and Scull based on Tolkien’s “Unfinished Index” of The Lord of the Rings (RC/558). The first word is imrath “valley with a road” (RC/558), and the initial element of the second word is clearly gond “stone”, so the final element raich/raith may be a plural of “wain”. This is perhaps from a variant (✱rach/rath) of the other attested Sindarin word for “wagon” rasg, which appeared as a plural in the other name for the Stonewain Valley: Nan Gondresgion (PE17/28).

imrad

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

imrath

valley

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

imrath

narrow valley

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

imrath

narrow valley

(pl. imraith)

imrath

valley

(pl. imraith)

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

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)

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).

rant

watercourse

rant (water-channel, stream; lode, vein), pl. raint (idh raint), coll. pl. rannath. Cf. also the word imrath (pl. imraith), referring to a long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise.

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

(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)***

rant

watercourse

(water-channel, stream; lode, vein), pl. raint (idh raint), coll. pl. rannath. Cf. also the word imrath (pl. imraith), referring to a long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise.

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).

im

noun. dell, deep vale

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

agor

narrow

agor (analogical pl. egyr). In archaic S agr.

mên

road

mên (i vên, construct men, in compounds -ven) (way), pl. mîn (i mîn). Cf. also:

tofn

deep

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

bâd

noun. road, road, [N.] beaten track, pathway, [ᴱN.] way, [G.] path

This word appeared in its mutated form vâd “road” in notes from 1969 (PE23/136). The Etymologies of the 1930s had bâd “beaten track, pathway” derived from ON. bata < ᴹ✶batā̆ under the root ᴹ√BAT “tread” (Ety/BAT).

Conceptual Development: A deleted noun G. {bad “way, path”} appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, apparently replaced by bad “building, outhouse, shed”; a similar word bad- “travel” was mentioned but not deleted (GL/21). The word bad also appeared (undeleted) in the name G. Bad Uthwen or Uswen “Way of Escape” in contemporaneous narratives and name lists of the 1910s (LT2/203; PE13/102; PE15/21). In this early period it was likely derived from the early root ᴱ√VAHA having to do with departure and travel (QL/99).

ᴱN. bad “way” reappeared in the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s (PE13/120) and Early Noldorin Word-lists from the same period (PE13/137, 160). A possible later variant can be seen in S. pâd “road, track” mentioned in an explanation of the name Tharbad (PE17/34); see that entry for discussion.

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

nan

vale

_ n. _vale. >> nand, Nanduhirion

nand

vale

_ n. _vale. >> nan, Nanduhirion

nan gondresgion

place name. Stonewain Valley

Another Sindarin name for the Stonewain Valley (PE17/28), apparently a combination of nan(d) “valley”, gond “stone”, the plural of rasg “wagon” and the suffix -ion “-land”.

tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills

tum gondregain

place name. Stonewain Valley

agor

narrow

(analogical pl. egyr). In archaic S agr.

angol

deep lore

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

falch

deep cleft

(ravine[?]), pl. felch;

imlad

narrow valley with steep sides

(glen, deep valley), pl. imlaid.

imlad

deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides

(glen), pl. imlaid;

imloth

flowering valley

(pl. imlyth) (VT42:18).

lond

narrow path

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

lâd

valley

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

maeg

going deep in

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

mên

road

(i vên, construct men, in compounds -ven) (way), pl. mîn (i mîn). Cf. also:

nand

valley

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

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.

tofn

deep

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

tûm

deep valley

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

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 )

agor

adjective. narrow

agor

adjective. narrow

agr

adjective. narrow

imlad

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

nûr

adjective. deep

nûr

adjective. deep

tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills

duban

noun. valley

nek

root. narrow, narrow; *angular, sharp

A root appearing in notes on words and phrases from The Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, serving mainly as the basis for S. naith “angle” (PE17/55). It was also mentioned in a discussion of the death of Isildur at the Gladden Fields, again as the basis for S. naith among other words, where the root √NEK was glossed “narrow” (UT/281-2, note #16). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. naith was derived from ᴹ√SNAS or ᴹ√SNAT, but the precise derivation was unclear, and in any cases seems to have been replaced by Tolkien with a more straightforward derivation from √NEK.

The root √NEK also appeared in Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957 with the gloss “deprive”, serving among other things as the basis for S. neithan “one deprived” (PE17/167), which was the name adopted by Túrin after he became an outlaw (S/200). The root appeared again in notes on Elvish numbers from the late 1960s glossed as either “divide, part, separate” (VT47/16) or “divide, separate” (VT48/9), where it served as the basis for √ENEK “six” as the dividing point between the lower and upper set of numbers in the Elvish duodecimal system.

It is not clear whether Tolkien intended all these various meanings for the root √NEK to be connected. For purposes of analysis, I’ve split √NEK “narrow” from √NEK “separate; deprive”, but conceivably the sense “narrow” could be a semantic extension of “separate” or vice-versa.

Nando

valley, wide valley

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

arca

narrow

arca (1) adj. "narrow" (AK)

imbë

dell, deep vale

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

lún

deep

lún adj.??? a word of obscure meaning, perhaps "deep" as used of water (VT48:28)

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

nand’ ondoluncava

place name. Stonewain Valley

A Quenya name of the hidden Stonewain Valley in the Druadan Forest (LotR/833, PE17/28). It is a compound of the elided form nand’ of nan(do) “valley” and the possessive form of ondolunca “stonewain”.

náha

narrow

náha adj. "narrow" (PE17:166)

náha

adjective. narrow, narrow, *thin

núra

deep

núra adj. "deep" (NŪ)

ondoluncanan(do)

place name. Stonewain Valley

A Quenya name of the hidden Stonewain Valley in the Druadan Forest appearing in Tolkien’s Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (WPP) from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/28). It is a compound of ondolunca “stonewain” and nan(do) “valley”. A “qu” was placed above this form, indicating a variant form Ondolunquanan(do), as suggested by Christopher Gilson (PE17/28), though I think Ondoluquanan(do) is more likely given the variant for luqua of lunca.

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.