tum- (i** dûm, o thûm, construct tum), pl. t**uim (i** thuim**)
Sindarin
tum
noun. valley, vale, (deep) valley, vale; [ᴱN.] flat vale
Cognates
- Q. tumbo “deep vale, valley, deep vale, valley, [ᴱQ.] dale” ✧ SA/tum; NM/351
Derivations
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
tum
noun. deep valley, under or among hills
tûm
deep valley
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
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
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)
imloth
noun. flower-valley, flowery vale
This word only occurs in the place name Imloth Melui, a vale where roses grew
imrad
noun. a path or pass (between mountains, hills or trackless forest)
imrath
noun. long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise
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
raudh
adjective. hollow, cavernous
angol
deep lore
(magic), pl. engyl. Note: a homophone means "stench".
coll
hollow
(lenited goll; pl. cyll). (WJ:414) Note: homophones mean "red, scarlet" and also "cloak".
falch
deep cleft
(ravine[?]), pl. felch;
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)
imlad
deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides
(glen), pl. imlaid;
imloth
flowering valley
(pl. imlyth) (VT42:18).
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
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)
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
hollow
(attested in the form nov- as part of the name Novrod, Hollowbold), pl. noe. (WJ:414) Note: a homophone is the noun ”idea”.
raudh
hollow
(cavernous), pl. roedh
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”.
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).