-ima adjectival suffix. Sometimes it is used to derive simple adjectives, like vanima "fair" or calima "bright"; it can also take on the meaning "-able" (PE17:68), as in mátima "edible" (mat- "eat"), nótima "countable" (not- "count") and (with a negative prefix) úquétima "unspeakable" (from quet- "speak"). Note that the stem-vowel is normally lengthened in the derivatives where -ima means "-able", though this fails to occur in cenima "visible" (q.v., but contrast hraicénima, q.v.) and also before a consonant cluster as in úfantima "not concealable" (PE17:176). "X-ima" may mean "apt to X" (when the ending is added to an intransitive verbal stem), as in Fírimar "mortals", literally "those apt to die" (WJ:387). The adj. úfantima "not concealable" (PE17:176) also appears as úfantuma (PE17:180), indicating the existence of a variant ending -uma (possibly used to derive adjectives with a "bad" meaning; compare the ending *-unqua next to -inqua, q.v.)
Quenya
vana
adjective. fair-haired (yellow to golden)
vána
feminine name. Ever-young, *(lit.) Beauty
vanya
adjective. fair, beautiful, unmarred; fair-haired (yellow to golden), fair, beautiful, unmarred; fair-haired (yellow to golden); [ᴱQ.] good (not evil), holy
-ima
suffix. -able, -ible, adjective suffix, apt to do
Valië of Spring and Happiness, spouse of Oromë, also called the “Ever-young” (S/29). Her name is a derivative of either √BAN “beauty” (PE17/150) or √WAN “fair” (WJ/383). She is the most perfectly beautiful being in form and feature, in the sense that she lacked any fault or blemish (PE17/150).
Conceptual Development: Her name was ᴱQ. Vána in the earliest Lost Tales (LT1/67), and this name appeared in the Qenya Lexicon as a derivative of the root ᴱ√VANA along with other words having to do with “beauty” (QL/99). In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, ᴹQ. Vana appeared with a short a (SM/79, LR/206), and it also appeared this way in The Etymologies as a derivative of √BAN, which was also the basis for words meaning “beautiful” (Ety/BAN).
The long á was restored in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (MR/146). The derivation from the root √WAN did not appear until the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60.