Quenya 

úpa

dumb

úpa adj. "dumb" (i.e. unable to speak) (PE17:126)

úpa

adjective. dumb [unable to speak]

A word for “dumb” in notes probably dating to the early 1960s derived from ✶ūopa (PE17/126), a combination ōpa “mouth (as a speaking apparatus)” with the negative prefix ū-, so perhaps originally meaning something like “✱without a working mouth”. Note that this word means “dumb” only as in “unable to speak”, not as in “stupid”.

Derivations

  • ✶ūopa “dumb” ✧ PE17/126
    • √OP “(opening of) mouth” ✧ PE17/126

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
ú-“no, not, un-, in-; hard, difficult, bad, uneasy; hardly, with difficulty, ‘badly’”
ópa“mouth (opening of which the lips are the edges)”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
✶ūopa > ūpa[ūopa] > [ūpa]✧ PE17/126

Variations

  • ūpa ✧ PE17/126

úpahtëa

speechless

úpahtëa adj. "speechless" (synonym of úpa, q.v.) (PE17:126)

úpahtëa

adjective. speechless

A word for “speechless”, a negated adjectival form of pahta “speech” (PE17/126).

Elements

WordGloss
ú-“no, not, un-, in-; hard, difficult, bad, uneasy; hardly, with difficulty, ‘badly’”
pahta“speech”
-a“adjectival suffix”

Variations

  • úpahtea ✧ PE17/126

Primitive elvish

ūopa

adjective. dumb

Derivations

  • √OP “(opening of) mouth” ✧ PE17/126

Derivatives

  • Q. úpa “dumb [unable to speak]” ✧ PE17/126
Primitive elvish [PE17/126] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Early Noldorin

orlham

adjective. dumb

A word appearing in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s, first given as uvlam “dumb” in the (untranslated) phrase maint uvlam o ballam “✱better dumb than evil-tongued”, which was then revised to maint orlham o vallam, although uvlam as an independent word was allowed to stand (PE13/138). The revision clearly relates to Tolkien’s decision to change the negative prefix from ᴱN. um- to ᴱN. ur-/or- in this document (PE13/155). The second element of uvlam/orlham is ᴱN. lham(b) “tongue” (PE13/148).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would update this word to ᴺS. úlam “dumb, unable to speak, (lit.) untongued” using the later negative prefix ú-.

Changes

  • uvlam → orlham ✧ PE13/138

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
ur-“privative prefix, without, -less”
lham(b)“tongue”

Variations

  • uvlam ✧ PE13/138; PE13/138 (uvlam)
Early Noldorin [PE13/138] Group: Eldamo. Published by