imlad

noun. imlad

n. >> Imladris

imlad

noun. deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides, gap, gully, deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides, gap, gully, [N.] dell, glen

A common Sindarin word for “valley”, an elaboration of the more ancient element †im of similar meaning which fell out of use due to its conflicts with other words like the reflexive pronoun im (VT47/14). S. imlad was more or less the equivalent of Telerin imbe meaning “a gap, gully; low, narrow tract between high walls”; in Telerin the ancient element ✶imbi survived. More specifically S. imlad referred to a “narrow valley with steep sides but a flat habitable bottom” (RC/234, 482).

Conceptual Development: N. imlad “dell, deep vale” was mentioned in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√IMBE, alongside its shorter form N. imm of the same meaning (Ety/IMBE). N. im(b)lad was also mentioned in rough notes on irregular verbs from the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s with the gloss {“ravine” >>} “glen”, more accurately a “glen with a long bottom, much longer than its width, that still has much habitable ground” (PE22/127).

Cognates

• Q. imbilat “*deep valley” ✧ NM/355
• T. imbe “gap, gully; low/narrow tract between high walls” ✧ VT47/14

Derivations

• ✶imbi-lătă ✧ PE17/087

Element in

• S. Imlad Morgul “Morgul Vale” ✧ LotRI/Morgul Vale; RC/482; SA/lad
• ᴺS. imladren “vale like, of the vale”
• S. Imladris “Rivendell, (lit.) Deep Dale of the Cleft” ✧ PE17/087; SA/lad; VT47/14

Elements

Word	Gloss
im	“valley, valley; [N.] dell, deep vale”
lad	“plain, valley, plain, valley; [G.] a level, a flat; fair dealing”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶imbi-lătă > imlad	[imbilata] > [imbilat] > [imbilad] > [imblad] > [imlad]	✧ PE17/087

Variations

• Imlad ✧ LotRI/Morgul Vale; RC/482

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)

imlad

deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides

imlad (glen), pl. imlaid;

imlad

glen

imlad (deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides), pl. imlaid

imlad

narrow valley with steep sides

imlad (glen, deep valley), pl. imlaid.

imlad

narrow valley with steep sides

imlad (glen, deep valley), pl. imlaid. STEEP MOUNTAIN PEAK, see HORN

imlad

narrow valley with steep sides

imlad (glen), pl. imlaid.

imlad

narrow valley with steep sides

(glen, deep valley), pl. imlaid.

imlad

deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides

(glen), pl. imlaid;

imlad

glen

(deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides), pl. imlaid

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

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)

im

deep 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)

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)***

im

noun. dell, deep vale

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

imloth

noun. flower-valley, flowery vale

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

imrath

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

nan

vale

_ n. _vale. >> nand, Nanduhirion

nand

vale

_ n. _vale. >> nan, Nanduhirion

tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills

agor

narrow

agor (analogical pl. egyr). In archaic S agr.

agor

narrow

(analogical pl. egyr). In archaic S agr.

angol

deep lore

(magic), pl. engyl. Note: a homophone means "stench".

falch

deep cleft

(ravine[?]), pl. felch;

imloth

flowering valley

(pl. imlyth) (VT42:18).

imrath

narrow valley

(pl. imraith)

imrath

valley

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

lond

narrow path

(harbour, haven, pass, strait), pl. lynd, coll. pl. lonnath (as in the name Lonnath Ernin, WR:294).

lâd

valley

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

maeg

going deep in

(lenited vaeg; no distinct pl. form) (sharp, penetrating). (WJ:337);

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

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.*

talath

dal

Dirnen or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the Silmarillion.

tofn

deep

tofn (lenited dofn; pl. tyfn) (low, low-lying), also nûr (pl. nuir). Note: homophones of the latter mean ”sad” and ”race”.

tofn

deep

(lenited dofn; pl. tyfn) (low, low-lying), also nûr (pl. nuir). Note: homophones of the latter mean ”sad” and ”race”.

tûm

deep valley

tum- (i** dûm, o thûm, construct tum), pl. t**uim (i** thuim**)

tûm

deep valley

(under or among hills) tûm, tum- (i dûm, o thûm, construct tum), pl. tuim (i thuim)

tûm

deep valley

(under or among hills) tûm, tum- (i dûm, o thûm, construct tum), pl. tuim (i thuim). or