#Nando (1) pl. Nandor noun name of the Green-elves (Laiquendi). The primitive word ¤ndandō, whence Quenya Nando, implied "one who goes back on his word or decision", since the Nandor left the March from Cuiviénen to Aman. Adj. Nandorin. (WJ:412, VT48:32)
Quenya
Nando
valley, wide valley
Nando
one who goes back on his word or decision
nan(do)
noun. (wide) valley, vale, (wide) valley, vale; [ᴹQ.] water-mead, watered plain; [ᴱQ.] woodland
A common Quenya word for “vale” or “valley”, cognate of S. nan(d) and derivative of the root √NAD (Ety/NAD; NM/351). In one place, Tolkien indicated this word was used more specifically for wide valleys (PE17/80). A narrow valley might be better described with a word like Q. imbe “deep valley”, ᴹQ. cirisse “cleft” or ᴹQ. yáwe “ravine”.
This word appears as nan(d) in numerous compounds (Let/308, UT/253, RC/384). The independent form of this word is more difficult to determine. It variously appeared as nanda (Ety/NAD, PE17/80), nando (PE17/28, 80) and nandë within the compound Laurenandë (UT/253). This entry uses nando because it looks more noun-like than nanda while avoiding conflict with [ᴹQ.] nande (ñande) “harp”, but any of these forms could be correct.
Conceptual Development: The earliest appearance of this word was as ᴱQ. nan (nand-) “woodland” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s from the early root ᴱ√NAŘA [NAÐA] (QL/64), but its use in actual names in this period indicates the actual meaning was “land”, such as ᴱQ. Hisinan “Land of Twilight” (QL/40) and ᴱQ. Tasarinan “Land of Willows” (LT2/140). It appeared as ᴹQ. nanda “water-mead, watered plain” in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√NAD (Ety/NAD), but this meaning also seems to be an aberration since it still appeared in ᴹQ. Tasarinan “Land of Willows” in this period (LR/261; TI/417). In later writings, the various nand- variants were regularly glossed “valley”, as reflected in the new gloss for Q. Tasarinan as “Willow-vale” (RC/384).
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d limit this word to nando “valley”, ignoring its earlier meanings and alternate forms. For “water mead[ow]”, I’d restore the Early Qenya word ᴱQ. nendo instead.
Cognates
- S. nan(d) “vale, valley, vale, valley, [ᴱN.] dale; [N.] wide grassland; [G.] field acre” ✧ NM/351
Derivations
- √NAD “hollow (of structures or natural features more or less concave with rising sides)” ✧ NM/351
Element in
- Q. Laurelindórenan “(Land of the) Valley of Singing Gold” ✧ Let/308; NM/351; PE17/080; UT/253
- Q. Laurenandë “Valley of Gold” ✧ UT/253
- Q. Nand’ Ondoluncava “Stonewain Valley” ✧ PE17/028
- Q. Nan-tasarion “Vale of Willow[s]” ✧ PE17/080
- Q. Noirinan “Valley of Tombs” ✧ UT/166
- Q. Ondoluncanan(do) “Stonewain Valley” ✧ PE17/028
- Q. Tasarinan “Willow-vale” ✧ RC/384
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √NAD > -nan [-nando] > [-nand] > [-nan] ✧ NM/351 Variations
- nan ✧ Let/308; RC/384
- -nan ✧ NM/351
- nando ✧ PE17/080
- nanda ✧ PE17/080
- nandë ✧ UT/253 (nandë)
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
nalda
valley
nalda adj. "valley" (used as an adjective), also "lowly" (LT1:261, QL:66)$
nando (2) "valley, wide valley", variant of nandë #1, q.v. (PE17:80)