A word for “dumb” in notes probably dating to the early 1960s derived from ✶ūopa (PE17/126), a combination ōpa “mouth (as a speaking apparatus)” with the negative prefix ū-, so perhaps originally meaning something like “✱without a working mouth”. Note that this word means “dumb” only as in “unable to speak”, not as in “stupid”.
Quenya
úpa
dumb
úpa
adjective. dumb [unable to speak]
Derivations
Element in
- Q. essë úpa nas “he is dumb” ✧ PE17/126
Elements
Word Gloss ú- “no, not, un-, in-; hard, difficult, bad, uneasy; hardly, with difficulty, ‘badly’” ópa “mouth (opening of which the lips are the edges)” Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶ūopa > ūpa [ūopa] > [ūpa] ✧ PE17/126 Variations
- ūpa ✧ PE17/126
úpa adj. "dumb" (i.e. unable to speak) (PE17:126)