nalda

valley

nalda adj. "valley" (used as an adjective), also "lowly" (LT1:261, QL:66)$

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

nal

dale, dell

nal, nallë noun "dale, dell" (LT1:261)

nan

noun. valley, vale

imbë

dell, deep vale

imbë (2) noun "dell, deep vale" (VT45:18), "wide ravine (between high mountain sides)" (PE17:92)

Nando

valley, wide valley

nando (2) "valley, wide valley", variant of nandë #1, q.v. (PE17:80)

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)

nan

vale

_ n. _vale. >> nand, Nanduhirion

nand

vale

_ n. _vale. >> nan, Nanduhirion

im

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).

Derivations

• ✶imbi “between” ✧ VT47/14
  • √MI/IMI “in, within, [ᴹ√] inside” ✧ PE17/092; VT47/11; VT47/30

Element in

• S. imlad “deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides, gap, gully, deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides, gap, gully, [N.] dell, glen” ✧ VT47/14
• S. Imloth Melui “Lovely or Sweet Flower-valley” ✧ VT42/18
• S. imrad “path or pass between mountains or trackless forest, *(lit.) valley path” ✧ VT47/14
• S. imrath “long narrow valley with road or watercourse running through it lengthwise, *(lit.) valley course”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶imbi > imm > im	[imbi] > [imbe] > [imb] > [imm] > [imm] > [im]	✧ VT47/14

Variations

• im ✧ VT42/18; VT47/14

nan(d)

noun. vale, valley, vale, valley, [ᴱN.] dale; [N.] wide grassland; [G.] field acre

A word for “valley” or “vale” appearing as an element in many names, mostly referring to wide valleys as opposed to imlad for narrow valleys. As an element in compounds or before another word in names it generally took the form nan as in Mornan “Dark Valley” and Nan Dungortheb “Valley of Dreadful Death”. As an independent word it had the form nand: “In Sindarin this gave nand which as other words ending in nd remained in stressed monosyllables but > nann > nan in compounds” (NM/351). It was a derivative of the root √NAD (NM/351; Ety/NAD).

Conceptual Development: The first appearance of this word was as G. nand or nann “a field acre” where it was probably a derivative of the early root ᴱ√NAŘA [NAÐA] as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (GL/59; LT1A/Nandini). Its use in early names like G. Nan Dumgorthin “Land of the Dark Idols” (LT2/35) and G. Nan Tathrin “Land of Willows” (GL/67; LT2A/Nantathrin) indicates the actual meaning was closer to “land”. The word reappeared as ᴱN. nann or nand “dale” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/150), consistent with the new gloss “Valley of Willows” for ᴱN. Nan Tathrin in Silmarillion drafts from the late 1920s (SM/35).

The word N. nand or nann “wide grassland” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√NAD (Ety/NAD), and the word nan(d) “valley” or “vale” was mentioned a number of times in Tolkien’s later notes (PE17/37, 83; RC/269). In notes from the late 1960s it was derived from primitived ✶nandē based on the root √NAD meaning “hollow of structures or natural features more or less concave with rising sides”. In these notes Tolkien said this word was:

> ... originally used only of not very large areas the sides of which were part of their own configuration. Vales or valleys of great extent, plains at the feet of mountains, etc. had other names. As also had the very steep-sided valleys in the mountains such as Rivendell (NM/351).

This note confirms that imlad was the proper word for a steep and narrow valley, but the notion that nand was not used for “valleys of great extent” contradicts its 1930s gloss “wide grassland” (Ety/NAD), as well as its use in names like Nan Dungortheb which were the extensive plains south of Ered Gorgoroth, or in the name Nan-tathren which had no particular boundaries.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would ignore Tolkien’s late 1960s notion that this word was not used for large valleys, and apply it to wide valleys and even extensive grasslands between or below mountains, using imlad for narrow valleys and tum for deep (and round) valleys surrounded on all sides.

Cognates

• Q. nan(do) “(wide) valley, vale, (wide) valley, vale; [ᴹQ.] water-mead, watered plain; [ᴱQ.] woodland” ✧ NM/351

Derivations

• √NAD “hollow (of structures or natural features more or less concave with rising sides)” ✧ NM/351

Element in

• S. Glornan “Valley of Gold(en Light)”
• S. Mornan “Dark Valley”
• S. Nan Curunír “Valley of Saruman”
• S. Nanduhirion “Dimrill Dale, (lit.) Vale of (the Region of) Dim Streams” ✧ PE17/037; RC/269; SA/sîr
• S. Nan Dungortheb “Valley of Dreadful Death” ✧ SA/nan(d)
• S. Nan Elmoth “*Valley of Starry Dusk” ✧ SA/nan(d)
• S. Nan Gondresgion “Stonewain Valley”
• S. Nan Laur “Valley of Gold(en Light)” ✧ UT/253
• S. Nan-tathren “Land of Willows, (lit.) Willow-vale” ✧ SA/nan(d)

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NAD > nand	[nando] > [nand]	✧ NM/351
√NAD > nann > nan	[-nando] > [-nand] > [-nann] > [-nan]	✧ NM/351

Variations

• nand ✧ NM/351
• nan ✧ NM/351
• Nan ✧ UT/253

tum

noun. valley, vale, (deep) valley, vale; [ᴱN.] flat vale

A word for a valley or vale derived from primitive ✶tumbu, specifically meaning a deep valley surrounded on all sides as described by Tolkien in notes from the late 1960s: “Those [valleys] such as the valley of Gondolin which were more or less circular, but deeply concave, and had high mountains at the rim were called ✱tumbu (NM/351)”. Its most notable use was in the name Tumladen for the hidden valley where Nargothrond lay (S/115).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, where Tolkien had {tum >>} G. tûm “valley” (GL/71), probably a derivative of the early root ᴱ√TUM(B)U as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Tombo; QL/95). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s Tolkien had ᴱN. tumb or tum “flat vale” (PE13/154), and in The Etymologies of the 1930s there was N. tum “deep valley under or among hills” from the root ᴹ√TUB (Ety/TUB). The most complete description of this word in Tolkien’s later writings was in notes on Galadriel and Celeborn from the late 1960s, with the meaning given above (NM/351). In this late 1960s note the primitive form was given as ✶tumbu, which is the same primitive form Tolkien gave in The Etymologies (Ety/TUB).

Cognates

• Q. tumbo “deep vale, valley, deep vale, valley, [ᴱQ.] dale” ✧ SA/tum; NM/351

Derivations

• ✶tumbu “deep vale” ✧ NM/351
  • ᴹ√TUB “to fall low[?], go down (below normal ground level), (esp.) to go down (sink, dive) into water”

Element in

• S. Carn Dûm “?Red Valley”
• S. Tum Gondregain “Stonewain Valley” ✧ NM/363
• S. Tumhalad ✧ SA/tum
• S. Tumladen “Wide Valley, flat valley with steep sides” ✧ NM/351; SA/tum
• S. Tum Orchorod “Vale of the High Mountain Circle” ✧ NM/351

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶tumbu > Tum	[tumbu] > [tumbo] > [tumbo] > [tumb] > [tumm] > [tumm] > [tum]	✧ NM/351

Variations

• Tum ✧ NM/351; NM/363

lad

noun. plain, valley

im

noun. dell, deep vale

This word only survived in compounds (due to the clash with im.1 )

talath

noun. flat lands, plain, vale

A word appearing as an element in the names S. Talath Dirnen “Guarded Plain” (S/168) and S. Talath Rhúnen “East Vale” (S/124). Christopher Tolkien gave this word the glosses “flat lands, plain” in The Silmarillion appendix (SA/talath).

Possible Etymology: This word was probably connected to the root √TAL “foot” in some way, which had other elaborations referring to flatness, such as √TALAM “a flat space” (PE17/52). Perhaps it was based on ✱√TALATH. In notes from 1964 (PE17/150; see below) Tolkien also considered giving the root √TALAT the sense “ground (bottom)”, so primitive ✱talatte is another possibility, though elsewhere √TALAT was usually a triconsonantal root unrelated to √TAL.

Conceptual Development: In earlier writings, this word was dalath. The first appearance of this earlier word was as ᴱN. dalath “vale” in the ᴱN. Nebrachar poem from around 1930 (MC/217). It appeared as N. dalath “flat surface, plane, plain” in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√DAL “flat” (Ety/DAL). In the contemporaneous Silmarillion drafts the name “Guarded Plain” appeared as N. Dalath Dirnen (LR/299). In Silmarillion drafts from the 1950s and 60s, this name was revised to S. Talath Dirnen (WJ/140).

Tolkien was vacillating on this issue as late as 1964, where in some etymological notes on the name Daleth Dirnen (DD) he first wrote: “DAL-, bottom, ground, (in Quenya > LAD-). Alter dalath to dalad, low lying / flat ground” but then above this wrote “X Dalath Dirnen. dalath won’t do = ‘plain’. {alter to talad. no that = slip, fall} TALAT = ground (bottom). hence TALAT- fall down” (PE17/150). Here he seems to have rejected dalath, but did not quite finish the transformation to talath, first considering talad as an alternative but rejected it because should mean “slip, fall” instead. He eventually settled on talath though, as indicated by the Silmarillion revisions mentioned above.

Derivations

• √TAL “foot; *flat; [ᴱ√] support”

Element in

• S. Talath Dirnen “Guarded Plain” ✧ S/168; SA/talath
• S. Talath Rhúnen “East Vale” ✧ SA/talath

Variations

• talad ✧ PE17/150 (talad)
• Talath ✧ S/168

imloth

noun. flower-valley, flowery vale

This word only occurs in the place name Imloth Melui, a vale where roses grew

imlad

noun. deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides (but a flat habitable bottom)

imrad

noun. a path or pass (between mountains, hills or trackless forest)

tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills

imrath

noun. long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise

im

vale

(deep vale) im (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

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)***

imrath

valley

(long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise) imrath (pl. imraith)

lâd

valley

(lowland, plain), construct lad, pl. laid

nand

valley

1) 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).

nand

valley

(construct nan) (wide grassland, land at the foot of hills with many streams), pl. naind, coll. pl. **nannath **(VT45:36)

talath

dal

Dirnen or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the Silmarillion.

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.*

laden

plain

(adjective) laden (flat, wide, open, cleared), pl. ledin (suggested Sindarin forms for ”Noldorin” lhaden pl. lhedin, LR:368 s.v. LAT)

laden

plain

(flat,  wide, open, cleared), pl. ledin (suggested Sindarin forms for ”Noldorin” lhaden pl. lhedin, LR:368 s.v. LAT)

imloth

flowering valley

(pl. imlyth) (VT42:18).

talath

plain

(noun) 1) talath (i dalath, o thalath) (flat surface, plane, flatlands, [wide] valley), pl. telaith (i thelaith). Tolkien changed this word from ”Noldorin” dalath_, LR:353 s.v.

talath

plain

(i dalath, o thalath) (flat surface, plane, flatlands, [wide] valley), pl. telaith (i thelaith). *Tolkien changed this word from ”Noldorin” dalath, LR:353 s.v. DAL. Compare the Talath Dirnen or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the *Silmarillion.

im

dell

im (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

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)

lâd

plain

(valley, lowland), construct lad, pl. laid

nand

noun. valley

Isolated from Lindórinand, Lórinand (q.v. for reference). While this word is not given in the Etymologies, it is clearly derived from the stem NAD (LR:374) and hence a close cognate of the similar Doriathrin word nand "field, valley". The Quenya cognate nanda (meaning "water-mead, watered plain") indicates a primitive form *nandâ; as in most cases, the final -â is lost in Nandorin.

duban

noun. valley

palad

noun. plain

Derivations

• √PAL “wide, broad, extended, wide, broad, extended; [ᴹ√] wide (open); [ᴱ√] flatness”

Derivatives

• ᴹQ. palar “flat field, ‘wang’, plain, plain, flat field, ‘wang’”

im

noun. dell, deep vale

This word only survived in compounds (due to the clash with im.1 )

imb

noun. dell, deep vale

This word only survived in compounds (due to the clash with im.1 )

imm

noun. dell, deep vale

This word only survived in compounds (due to the clash with im.1 )

lhad

noun. plain

Derivations

• ᴹ√LAT “lie open; be extended, stretch, be situated (of an area)”

Element in

• N. Palath-ledin “Gladden Fields” ✧ TI/114
• N. Dagorlad “Battle Plain”
• N. imlad “dell, deep vale, glen” ✧ EtyAC/IMBE
• N. lhaden “flat (and wide); open, cleared, flat (and wide); open, cleared; [ᴱN.] smooth”
• N. Lithlad “Plain of Ash”
• N. Lanhail “Plain-wise”

imlad

noun. deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides (but a flat habitable bottom)

tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills