núta- vb. "set, sink" (of Sun or Moon) (NDŪ). In early "Qenya", the word was glossed "stoop, sink" (LT1:263)
Quenya
núta-
verb. to lower, to lower; [ᴹQ.] to set, sink (of Sun or Moon); [ᴱQ.] to stoop
núta-
set, sink
sumbanwa
noun. sink (for washing)
núya-
verb. to descend, to descend, *come down, set (of the sun)
Tolkien gave núya- as an intransitive verb meaning “descend” several times in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 as an example of a ya-formative verb, having the forms (a)n(d)úya (PE22/156) or núya- (PE22/163), the latter derived from primitive ✶ndūya- based on the root √ndu “down”. It was contrasted with ta-causative núta- “lower = ✱cause to go down” (PE22/156).
Conceptual Development: Prior to the 1950s, the verb form ᴱQ./ᴹQ. núta- had intransitive glosses like “stoop, sink” (Qenya Lexicon: QL/68) or “set, sink (of Sun or Moon)” (Etymologies: Ety/NDŪ); see that entry for discussion. However, intransitive núta- had competition from other verbs in Tolkien’s earlier writings.
The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s also had ᴱQ. nūmeta- or numenda- “get low (of sun)”, both verb forms of ᴱQ. núme “west” (QL/68). This verb appeared in the Oilima Markirya poem from around 1930 and its drafts in the phrase ᴱQ. rána númetar “the moon went down in the West” (MC/221). In notes associated with one of these drafts, Tolkien glossed the verb númeta- as “go down in the west” (PE16/75). The verb númeta- did not appear thereafter.
As noted above, in The Etymologies of the 1930s the verb ᴹQ. núta- was glossed “set, sink (of Sun or Moon)” (Ety/NDŪ). It was glossed “come down” in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) of 1948, but there it was revised to unta in the phrase ᴹQ. lairesse nihare to tarassi, yu {núta >>} unta hrívesse landannar “in the summer I live in the hills [as a rule], and come down to the plains in the winter” (PE22/125 and note #136). This new intransitive verb appeared a second time in LVS in a rejected page of verbal roots as unta “descend, as of sun or of a man from a mountain” with a half-strong past form ununte “came/went down” (PE22/127 note #152). A similar verb ᴹQ. unda- notes on Quenda Personal Pronouns (QPP1) from this same period in the phrase saundar “they sank”, but it was deleted (PE23/77 note #21).
The reason for the introduction of 1948 unta- “descend” isn’t explicitly given, but likely Tolkien decided núta- should be transitive/causative, and indeed in Tolkien gave causative ✶ndūtā- “cause to sink” in Common Eldarin: Verb Structure (EVS2) from the early 1950s (PE22/135). It seems núta- remained causative thereafter, but in 1969 LVS Tolkien gave the intransitive/ya-formative form as núya- “descend” (PE22/163), as described above.
Neo-Quenya: Based on this discussion, I would use núya- as the basic Quenya verb for “to descend, ✱come down”, and thus also useable as “✱set (of the Sun)”. However, I think it is worth salvaging 1948 ᴹQ. unta- with the modified sense “descend [below a surface]”, based on the use of undu for “under, beneath” and [rejected] ᴹQ. unda- “sink”. Thus I would use núya- to mean “descend [generally or towards a horizon]” while unta- would mean “descend [below a surface]” and so meaning “✱sink, stoop”. Compare also suv- “sink (esp. in water)” (PE22/127).
suv-
verb. to sink (esp. in water)
sintamo
noun. smith
A word specifically for a “[metal] smith” based on primitive ✶sinkitamo, as opposed to more generic tamo “smith, ✱builder” which can refer to a variety of craftsman (PE17/107-108). Its initial element seems to be a restoration of ᴱQ. sink “mineral, metal, gem” from the 1910s (QL/83), and might be related to Q. sinca “flint”. If so, this word may have originally meant “✱mineral smith”, perhaps referring to the extraction of metal from minerals.
Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. tongar “smith”, apparently an agental form ᴱQ. tonga “great hammer” under the early root ᴱ√TOŊO, so more literally “✱hammerer” and thus likely referring to metal smithing (QL/94).
nunna
adverb. down
undu
preposition/adverb. down, under, down, under, [ᴹQ.] beneath
andúnë
place name. The West
andúta-
verb. to lower
andúya-
verb. to descend
caw-
bow
#caw- vb. "bow" ("k")(1st pers aorist cawin "I bow") (LT1:257; cf. cauca, cauco). In Tolkien's later Quenya, a verbal stem with w in this position does not seem to fit the general phonology well; intervocalic w would become v. We should perhaps read *cav*- whereever the second consonant of the root follows a vowel, but the nasal-infixed past tense could be canwë with the original quality of the consonant preserved. (Compare such a past tense form as anwë, q.v.) However, Tolkiens later verb luhta**- may be preferred for intransitive "bow".
cuv-
verb. bow
lúva
bow, bight; bend, bow, curve
lúva noun "bow, bight; bend, bow, curve" (Appendix E, PE17:122, 168). The reference is to a "bow" as part of written characters and other uses, but "not for shooting" (a bow used to shoot arrows is called quinga, possibly also cú if the latter term is used as in Sindarin).
no
under
no prep. "under" (NŪ; all other sources give nu instead. In early "Qenya", no meant "upon"; MC:214)
nu
under
nu prep. "under" _(LR:56, Markirya, Nam, RGEO:66, MC:214; the _Etymologies alone gives no [q.v.] instead). In Mar-nu-Falmar, nuhuinenna, q.v. Prefix nú- in nútil, q.v.
quinga
bow
quinga ("q")noun "bow" (for shooting) (KWIG, LT1:256)
sintamo
smith
sintamo noun "smith" (PE17:107-108), cf. more usual variant tamo, q.v.
undu
down, under, beneath
undu adv. (and prep.?) "down, under, beneath" (UNU, VT46:20); prefixundu- "down", in undulávë "down-licked" = covered. (Nam)
undu
down
A transitive (ta-causative) verb appearing as andúta or núta “lower” in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969, as opposed to intransitive (ya-formative) núya- “descend” (PE22/156). It was clearly based on ✶ndūtā- “cause to sink”, which appeared in Common Eldarin: Verb Structure (EVS2) from the early 1950s (PE22/135).
Conceptual Development: In earlier documents this verb had intransitive meanings, such as ᴱQ. nūta- “stoop, sink” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√NUHU “bow, bend down; stoop, sink” (QL/68), and ᴹQ. núta- “set, sink (of Sun or Moon)” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√NDŪ “go down, sink, set (of Sun, etc.)” (Ety/NDŪ). In the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948, Tolkien revised intransitive {núta} “come down” to ᴹQ. unta (PE22/125 note #136); see that entry for discussion.
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would limit the verb núta- to transitive “lower = ✱cause to sink or go down”. I would use núya- “descend” and [ᴹQ.] unta- “✱sink, stoop” for the intransitive senses.