nan

masculine name. Nan

nan

but

nan conj. "but" (FS); the Etymologies also gives ná, nán (NDAN), but these words may be confused with forms of the verb "to be", so nan should perhaps be preferred, unless for "but" one uses the wholly distinct word mal. In Tolkien's later Quenya, it may be that he introduced new words for "but" to free up nan for another meaning (perhaps the adverb "back", compare the prefix nan-).

nan

woodland

nan (nand-) noun "woodland" (LT1:261)

nan

adverb. again

nan

noun. valley, vale

nan-tasarion

place name. Vale of Willow[s]

A Quenya name of S. Nan-tathren used by the Ents (LotR/469, SA/tathar), translated “Vale of Willow” (PE17/80). It is a compound of nan(do) “valley” and the genitive plural of tasar(ë) “willow”. Thus, a more accurate translation would be “Vale of Willows”.

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.

nan-

prefix. back (again), back (again); [ᴹQ.] backwards

A prefix for “back (again)” in notes from 1959 based on the root √NDANA (PE17/166). The Etymologies of the 1930s had ᴹQ. nan- “backwards” under the root ᴹ√NDAN “back” (Ety/NDAN).

nand’ ondoluncava

place name. Stonewain Valley

A Quenya name of the hidden Stonewain Valley in the Druadan Forest (LotR/833, PE17/28). It is a compound of the elided form nand’ of nan(do) “valley” and the possessive form of ondolunca “stonewain”.

nan-

backwards

nan- (prefix) "backwards" (NDAN) or "back", as in nanwen- "return" (go/come back, PE17:166), cf. also nanquernë *"turned back", the pl. form of nanquerna _(VT49:17-18). _Apparently assimilated nal- in nalláma "echo" (if this represents nan-láma "back-sound", sound coming back).

laurelindórenan

place name. (Land of the) Valley of Singing Gold

The full Quenya name of S. Lórien (UT/253), appearing in the even longer Entish description of that land: Laurelindórenan lindelorendor malinornélion ornemalin (LotR/467). The name is a combination of the elements laurë “gold”, lin(dë) “singing”, -ndor “land” and the suffix -nan “valley” (Let/448, UT/253). This name was crafted by Galadriel, and was an allusion to the Golden Tree of Valinor, Laurelin (UT/253).

Conceptual Development: This name appeared as Laurelindórinan in the first edition of The Lord of the Rings, revised to Laurelindórenan in the second (SD/73). It also appeared in a shorter variant Laurelindórë “Land of Singing Gold” (PE17/80). It seems that when Tolkien first conceived of this name, it was merely an extended, Enticized version of Lórien (PE17/80). The idea that it was the full name coined by Galadriel came later, as Tolkien further developed the etymological history of S. Lórien (UT/253).

ondoluncanan(do)

place name. Stonewain Valley

A Quenya name of the hidden Stonewain Valley in the Druadan Forest appearing in Tolkien’s Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (WPP) from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/28). It is a compound of ondolunca “stonewain” and nan(do) “valley”. A “qu” was placed above this form, indicating a variant form Ondolunquanan(do), as suggested by Christopher Gilson (PE17/28), though I think Ondoluquanan(do) is more likely given the variant for luqua of lunca.

ná

but, on the contrary, on the other hand

ná (2), also nán, conj. "but, on the contrary, on the other hand" (NDAN; the form nan, q.v., is probably to be preferred to avoid confusion with ná "is", *nán "I am").

anat

but

anat conj. "but" (VT43:23; possibly an ephemeral form)

apa

but

apa (3) conj. "but": melinyes apa la hé "I love him but not him" (another) (VT49:15)

apa

conjunction. but

ata

again

ata adv. "again", also prefix ata-, at- "back, again, re-; second time, double" (AT(AT), PE17:166, cf. ataquanta-, ataquetië) or "two" (PE17:166), also "ambi-" as in ataformaitë, q.v.

mal

but

mal conj. "but" (VT43:23)

mal

conjunction. but

nó

but

nó (2) conj. "but" (VT41:13)

nó

conjunction. but

ono

but

ono conj. "but" (VT43:23, VT44:5/9)

ono

conjunction. but

onë

but

onë conj. "but" (VT43:23)

onë

conjunction. but

tavas

woodland

tavas noun "woodland" (LT1:267)

tavas

noun. woodland

nan

vale

_ n. _vale. >> nand, Nanduhirion

nan

noun. wide grassland, land at foot of hills with many streams

nan

noun. valley

nan

'with'

prep. 'with', possessing, provided with, esp. of characteristic feature. Form of na before vowels. >> na 2b/c/d/e

nan

preposition. of

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.

nan-tathren

place name. Land of Willows, (lit.) Willow-vale

Land where the river Narog met the river Sirion, translated “Land of Willows” (S/120). It is a combination of nan(d) “valley” and the adjective tathren “of willow” (SA/nan(d), tathar).

Conceptual Development: This name appears as G. Nantathrin with an i in the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s, and as G. Nan Tathrin in Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s (LB/61). It also appeared as N. Nan-Tathrin in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, at one place translated “Valley of Willows” (SM/35) but generally translated “Land of Willows” (SM/141, LR/126). Later in the 1930s Tolkien revised the name to N. Nan-tathren with an e (LR/145), a form that also appeared in The Etymologies with the same derivation as given above (Ety/NAD, TATHAR).

nan curunír

place name. Valley of Saruman

Sindarin name of the Valley of Saruman (LotR/487), also translated “Wizard’s Vale” (LotR/552). It is a combination of nan(d) “valley” and Curunír “Saruman”.

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name first appeared as N. Nan Gurunír (TI/420, WR/8), since at this stage both nouns and adjectives were lenited in this position.

nanduhirion

place name. Dimrill Dale, (lit.) Vale of (the Region of) Dim Streams

A valley in the Misty Mountains translated “Dimrill Dale” (LotR/283) or more literally “Vale of (the Region of) Dim Streams” (RC/269, PE17/37). It is itself a translation of Kh. Azanulbizar of similar meaning (LotR/283, TI/166, PE17/35). This name is a combination of nan(d) “valley”, dû “night, dimness”, the lenited form hir of sîr “river, stream”, and the suffix -ion “-region, -land” (PE17/37).

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this valley was first named N. Tum Dincelon “Dimrill Dale” (RS/434), later revised to N. Nanduhiriath (TI/174) and finally N. Nanduhirion (TI/166).

nan dungortheb

place name. Valley of Dreadful Death

The valley in Beleriand where the spider-children of Ungoliant dwelled, translated “Valley of Dreadful Death” (S/81). The initial word of the name is nan(d) “valley” (SA/nan(d)), but the second word is difficult to analyze. Its second element gortheb could be a variant of gorthob “horrible” or it could contain a variant of gurth “death”. The first element Dun- is hard to reconcile, however, as there are no attested Sindarin words of this form meaning anything like “dread” or “death”. Based on its earlier definitions, it might be a variant of [N.] donn “shadowy”; see below.

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, this name was G. Nan Dumgorthin “Land of the Dark Idols” (LT2/35). In the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s, the form Dungorthin emerged (LB/148), and in the Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this valled was named Ilk. Nan Dungorthin (LR/261), which was designated an Ilkorin name in The Etymologies and translated “Vale of Black Horror” (Ety/DUN, NAD, ÑGOROTH). At this stage its initial element was dunn “black” (Ety/DUN), whose Noldorin form was N. donn “shady, shadowy” (EtyAC/DUN).

In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, the name was revised to Nan Dungortheb (MR/127) and given its new translation “Valley of Dreadful Death” (MR/297, footnote), but none of the published material explains how the new name and translation correspond. Absent further evidence, N. donn is my best guess for the element Dun- in this name.

nan elmoth

place name. *Valley of Starry Dusk

The forest where Thingol and Melian met (S/55), a combination of nan(d) “valley”, êl “star” and moth “dusk” (SA/nan(d), moth).

Conceptual Development: In “The Lay of Leithian Recommenced” from the 1950s, Tolkien considered some variant names for this forest: S. Glad-uial >> Glath-uail >> Gilammoth (LB/349). The first of these also appeared on the Silmarillion map from the 1950s (WJ/183, 188 note #48).

nan gondresgion

place name. Stonewain Valley

Another Sindarin name for the Stonewain Valley (PE17/28), apparently a combination of nan(d) “valley”, gond “stone”, the plural of rasg “wagon” and the suffix -ion “-land”.

nan laur

place name. Valley of Gold(en Light)

Sindarin equivalent of the original Nandorin name of Lórien: Lórinand (UT/253), a combination of nan(d) “valley” and the lenited form of glaur “gold”.

na

'with'

d prep. 'with', possessing, provided with, esp. of characteristic feature. nan before vowels. Orod na Thôn 'Mount of the Pines Tree(s)'. >> nan 2

Nan Dongoroth

noun. valley of dreadful death

nan (“vally, grassland”), don (“swart, swarthy”) + goroth (“death”); Dor. Dungorthin - dunn (Dor. “black”) + (n-)gorthin (Dor. “horrible”); Dor. Dungortheb - dunn (Dor. “black”) + ngorth (Dor. “horror”) + eb (adjective suffix); the suffix -in in Dungorthin Ardalambion interprets as Dor. plural ending.

Nan Tathren

noun. willow-vale

nan (“vally, grassland”), tathar (“willow”) + en (adjective suffix) #The lack of lenition could probably be explained by dialectal differences.

nand

vale

_ n. _vale. >> nan, Nanduhirion

Nan Gondresgion

'Stonewain Valley'

topon. 'Stonewain Valley', so named because of the great road for heavy drags (plateforms on wheels) and wains, used in the quarries of Min-Rimmon that ran through it. Q. Nand' Ondoluncava, Ondoluncavand(do), Ondolunquanan(do), O.E. Stānwægna Dæl.

nand

noun. wide grassland, land at foot of hills with many streams

nand

noun. valley

na(n)

preposition. of; with, along with, accompanied by, provided with or by, associated with, marked with, of; provided with or by, associated with, marked with, with, along with, accompanied by; [N.] by

Haudh nan ellas

Haudh nan ellas

{ð} topon. >> Haudh en ellas

glornan

place name. Valley of Gold(en Light)

Sindarin equivalent of the original Nandorin name of Lórien: Lórinand (UT/253), a combination of glaur “gold” and nan(d) “valley”.

Nan-tathren

Nan-tathren

Nan-tathren is a Sindarin name, meaning "vale of willows" or "land of willows".

Nan Curunír

Nan Curunír

Nan Curunír is Sindarin for "Saruman's Vale", consisting of nan and Curunír. An early form of this name was Nan Gurunír.

Nan Dungortheb

Nan Dungortheb

The name Nan Dungortheb is translated as "Valley of Dreadful Death", containing the word nan ("valley").

Nan Elmoth

Nan Elmoth

Nan means "valley" in Sindarin. Robert Foster translates the whole name as "Valley of star-dusk" (el + moth "stardusk").

dan-

prefix. nan-

_ pref. _Q. nan-. >> damen, dangar

nand

grassland

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

imrath gondraich

place name. Stonewain Valley

A Sindarin name for the Stonewain Valley, written as Imrath Gondraich by Christoper Tolkien in the index of the Unfinished Tales (UTI/Stonewain Valley), and as Imrath Gondraith by Hammond and Scull based on Tolkien’s “Unfinished Index” of The Lord of the Rings (RC/558). The first word is imrath “valley with a road” (RC/558), and the initial element of the second word is clearly gond “stone”, so the final element raich/raith may be a plural of “wain”. This is perhaps from a variant (✱rach/rath) of the other attested Sindarin word for “wagon” rasg, which appeared as a plural in the other name for the Stonewain Valley: Nan Gondresgion (PE17/28).

o

from

(od), followed by hard mutation; with article uin ”from the, of the” (followed by mixed mutation according to David Salo’s reconstuctuons). (WJ:366) Not to be confused with o ”about, concerning” (q.v. for this meaning of ”of”). 2) na (followed by lenition), with article nan (followed by ”mixed mutation”, according to David Salo’s reconstruction). The preposition has various meanings: ”with, by, near” and also ”to, toward, at; of” 3)

parth

grassland

: 1) (enclosed grassland) parth (i barth, o pharth) (field, sward), pl. perth (i pherth), 2) (wide grassland) nand (construct nan) (valley, land at the foot of hills with many streams), pl. naind, coll. pl. nannath (VT45:36)

haudh-en-ellas

place name. Haudh-en-Ellas

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 Gondolin 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).

tum gondregain

place name. Stonewain Valley

uin

preposition. of the

ach

conjunction. but

[it] appears that ach is the contrastive coordinating conjunction 'but'.

ach

conjunction. but

[it] appears that ach is the contrastive coordinating conjunction 'but'.

ad

again

(as prefix) ad-, also meaning "back, second, re-", e.g. aderthad "reunion".

ad

again

also meaning "back, second, re-", e.g. aderthad "reunion".

eden

begun again

(new), pl. edin

en

of the

e- (sg. genitival article)

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)***

parth

grassland

(i barth, o pharth) (field, sward), pl. perth (i pherth)

nan

preposition. of

nan dongoroth

place name. Vale of Black Horror

The Noldorin equivalent of Ilk. Nan Dungorthin in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/DUN, ÑGOROTH), a combination of nann “vale”, donn “black” and goroth “horror”.

nann orothvor

place name. Vale of Black Horror

The Noldorin variant of Ilk. Nan Dungorthin in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/DUN, ÑGOROTH), a combination of nann “vale”, the lenited form of goroth “horror” and the lenited form of morn “black”.

nan-eregdos

place name. Hollin

Earliest Elvish name for “Hollin” (S. Eregion) appearing in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (TI/166), apparently a combination of nann “grassland” and eregdos “holly”.

nan-tathren

place name. Land of Willows

nan-tathrin

place name. Land of Willows

nan gurunír

place name. Valley of Saruman

na

preposition. with, by; of

nand

noun. wide grassland, land at foot of hills with many streams

nand

noun. valley

nann

noun. wide grassland, land at foot of hills with many streams

nann

noun. valley

taur-nan-erig

place name. Forest of Region

A name appearing only in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/ERÉK), a combination of taur “forest”, nan “of” and ereg “holly”.

cûm-nan-arasaith

place name. Mound of Avarice

A remnant of earlier G. Cûm an-Idrisaith appearing in Silmarillion drafts from the early 1930s (SM/133, 323), though its elements resemble early Gnomish more than later Noldorin.

pennas-na-ngoelaidh

proper name. History of the Noldoli

a(n)

preposition. of

eregion

place name. Hollin

nanmen-

verb. return

lórinand

place name. Valley of Gold(en Light)

stānwægna dæl

place name. Stonewain Valley

-ul

suffix. of

-o

suffix. of