tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills

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

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

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)

raudh

adjective. hollow, cavernous

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

angol

deep lore

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

coll

adjective. hollow

coll

adjective. hollow

Derivations

• ✶kuldā “hollow” ✧ WJ/414

Element in

• S. Bar-goll “Hollow Dwelling” ✧ WJ/414

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶kuldā > coll	[kuldā] > [kulda] > [kulða] > [kolða] > [kolð] > [koll]	✧ WJ/414

Variations

• coll ✧ WJ/414

coll

hollow

(lenited goll; pl. cyll). (WJ:414) Note: homophones mean "red, scarlet" and also "cloak".

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)

naw

hollow

(adj.) 1) *naw (attested in the form nov- as part of the name Novrod, Hollowbold), pl. noe. (WJ:414) Note: a homophone is the noun ”idea”. 2) coll (lenited goll; pl. cyll). (WJ:414) Note: homophones mean "red, scarlet" and also "cloak". 3) raudh (cavernous), pl. roedh

naw

adjective. hollow

Derivations

• ✶nābā “hollow” ✧ WJ/414

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶nābā > nauv > naw	[nābā] > [nāba] > [nǭba] > [nǭva] > [nauva] > [nauv] > [nau]	✧ WJ/414

naw

hollow

(attested in the form nov- as part of the name Novrod, Hollowbold), pl. noe. (WJ:414) Note: a homophone is the noun ”idea”.

tûm

deep valley

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

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)

maeg

going deep in

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

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”.

imlad

deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides

(glen), pl. imlaid;

raudh

hollow

(cavernous), pl. roedh

imloth

flowering valley

(pl. imlyth) (VT42:18).

imrath

valley

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

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.

falch

deep cleft

(ravine[?]), pl. felch;