ul

root. pour (out), flow, pour (out), flow, [ᴱ√] flow fast

This root was used for “pour, flow” for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√ULU⁽⁾ “pour, flow fast” with derivatives like ᴱQ. Ulmo and ᴱQ. ulto- “pour” (QL/97). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. ulin “liquid” and G. ultha- “pour out” (GL/74), but rejected forms like G. gul- “ooze, trickle” and G. gulta- “pour out” indicate Tolkien considered making the root be ✱ᴱ√ƷULU (GL/43). In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root was ᴹ√ULU “pour, flow” with derivatives like ᴹQ. ulunde “flood”, ᴹQ. ulya- “pour”, N. eil- “it is raining”, and N. oll “torrent, mountain-stream” (Ety/ULU). The root √UL(U) appeared a number of times in Tolkien’s later writings with glosses like “flow” (PE17/168), “pour” (PE22/133), and “pour out” (WJ/400). It may have been connected to ᴹ√LU “time” (PE17/168); see that entry for discussion.

Derivatives

• ✶ul- “to pour” ✧ PE22/133
• Q. lúmë “time, period of time, hour” ✧ PE17/168
• ᴺQ. minul(da) “ingot”
• Q. ul- “to rain”
• Q. ulo “rain”
• ᴺS. minol “ingot”
• ᴺS. ol- “to pour”
• ᴺS. olla- “to ooze, *trickle”
• ᴺS. ylin “liquid”

Element in

• ᴺQ. ulma “flagon, *pitcher”
• Q. Ulmo “Pourer”
• ᴺS. olf “jar, flagon, *pitcher”

Variations

• ULU ✧ PE17/168; PE17/188