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).
Sindarin
imrath
noun. long narrow valley with road or watercourse running through it lengthwise, *(lit.) valley course
imrath
noun. long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise
imrath gondraich
place name. Stonewain Valley
imrad
noun. a path or pass (between mountains, hills or trackless forest)
imrath
narrow valley
(long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise) imrath (pl. imraith),
imrath
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)
nand
valley
- 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).
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
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
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 Archaic
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).
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:
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 gondresgion
place name. Stonewain Valley
tum
noun. deep valley, under or among hills
tum gondregain
place name. Stonewain Valley
agor
narrow
(analogical pl. egyr). In archaic S agr.
imlad
narrow valley with steep sides
(glen, deep valley), 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
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.
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.