ramba

wall

ramba noun "wall" (RAM, SA, VT46:10)

ramba

noun. wall

A word for “wall” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from ᴹ✶rambā under the root ᴹ√RAB (Ety/RAMBĀ; EtyAC/RAMBĀ). The root form did not appear in The Etymologies as published in The Lost Road (LR/382), but Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne noted the actual root in their Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies (VT46/10). The word ramba appeared as an element in some later names as well, such as Eärambar “Walls of Eä” in Silmarillion revisions of the 1950s (MR/63).

Cognates

• S. ram “wall” ✧ SA/ram

Derivations

• ᴹ√RAB “*wall”

Element in

• Q. Eärambar “Walls of Eä”

rammas

noun. (great) wall

rammas

noun. great wall

A word for a “great wall” in the name Rammas Echor “Great Wall of the Outer Circle” (LotR/750; RC/512), an elaboration of S. ram “wall”. N. ram(m)as also appeared in earlier names for Rammas Echor from Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s (WR/288).

Element in

• S. Rammas Echor “Great Wall of the Outer Circle” ✧ RC/512

Elements

Word	Gloss
ram	“wall”
-as	“abstract noun”

Variations

• Rammas ✧ RC/512

lammas

noun. account of tongues

ram

noun. wall

ram

noun. wall

The Sindarin word for “wall”, an element in several names such as Andram “Long Wall” and Ramdal “Wall’s End” (S/122).

Conceptual Development: The word was N. rham “wall” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where it was derived from ᴹ✶rambā under the root ᴹ√RAB (Ety/RAMBĀ; EtyAC/RAMBĀ). The root form did not appear in The Etymologies as published in The Lost Road (LR/382), but Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne noted the actual root in their Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies (VT46/10). The rh in the 1930s Noldorin form was because initial r was unvoiced in Noldorin, something that was not the case in later Sindarin.

The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. bant “wall” appearing between G. bada- “build” and G. bad “building”, so perhaps derived from an early root ✱ᴱ√BATA (GL/21).

Cognates

• Q. ramba “wall” ✧ SA/ram

Derivations

• ᴹ√RAB “*wall”

Element in

• S. Andram “Long Wall” ✧ SA/ram
• S. Ramdal “Wall’s End” ✧ SA/ram
• S. rammas “great wall”
• S. Rammas Echor “Great Wall of the Outer Circle” ✧ SA/ram

lâf

verb. (he) licks

dagorath

noun. all the battles

galadhad

noun. the Two Trees of Valinor

anfangrim

noun. the Longbeards (a tribe of Dwarves)

drúwaith

noun. the wilderness of the Drû-men (q.v.)

falathrim

noun. people of the Falas

rochirrim

noun. horse-lords, the people of Rohan

tôl

verb. (he) comes

According to WJ/301, the expression tôl acharn "vengeance comes" was later changed to tûl acharn by Tolkien

anglennatha

verb. (he) will approach

lôd

verb. (he) floats

avo

verb. don't!

Used as a negative adverb before an imperative: avo garo "don't do it!". Sometimes used as prefix: avgaro

avon

verb. I won't

noro

verb. run! ride!

Untranslated in LotR, but written nora-lim and rendered as "ride on" in RS/196 (not a literal translation) and later translated as "run swift" in RC/195. A verb nor- is attested in the old Gnomish lexicon, PE/11:61, with the meaning "to run, roll"

ónen

noun. I gave

Written onen in some editions of LotR. In the Qenyaqetsa, Qenya anta- is marked as having an irregular past tense áne. Assuming the same sound-shifts as observed in other words, this would indeed lead to onen in Sindarin, see PE/12:31 and TT/14:48-49

Lossoth

noun. the Snowmen

pêd

verb. (he) says

cuio

verb. live!

rammas

wall

pl. remmais (idh remmais), coll. pl. rammassath.

ram

wall

1) ram, pl. raim (idh raim), coll. pl. rammath; 2) rammas, pl. remmais (idh remmais), coll. pl. rammassath.

ram

wall

pl. raim (idh raim), coll. pl. rammath

thangail

shield wall

(shield wall). No distinct pl. form? (UT:281)

aglonn

pass between high walls

(defile), pl. eglynn.

lhammas

noun. account of tongues

rham

noun. wall

rham

noun. wall

Cognates

• ᴹQ. ramba “wall” ✧ Ety/RAMBĀ

Derivations

• ᴹ✶rambā “wall” ✧ Ety/RAMBĀ
  • ᴹ√RAB “*wall” ✧ EtyAC/RAMBĀ

Element in

• N. Andram “Long Wall” ✧ Ety/RAMBĀ
• N. Othram “City Wall” ✧ WR/288
• N. Rhamdal “Wall’s End”
• N. ram(m)as “*great wall”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶rambā > rhamb > rham	[rambā] > [ramba] > [ramb] > [r̥amb] > [r̥amb] > [r̥amm] > [r̥am]	✧ Ety/RAMBĀ

rhamb

noun. wall

thia

verb. it appears

blâb

verb. (he) flaps, beats

The Etymologies seem to list this word as a noun, but it is clearly the third person singular of the verb

lhâf

verb. (he) licks

osgar

verb. (he) cuts, amputates

tôl

verb. (he) comes

According to WJ/301, the expression tôl acharn "vengeance comes" was later changed to tûl acharn by Tolkien

lhôd

verb. (he) floats

sôg

verb. (he) drinks

orthor

verb. (he) masters, conquers

síla

verb. (he) shines white

tôg

verb. (he) leads, brings