Q. nan(do) n. “(wide) valley, vale” (Category: Dale, Valley)
A common Quenya word for “vale” or “valley”, cognate of S. nan(d) and derivative of the root √NAD (Ety/NAD; NM/351). In one place, Tolkien indicated this word was used more specifically for wide valleys (PE17/80). A narrow valley might be better described with a word like Q. imbe “deep valley”, ᴹQ. cirisse “cleft” or ᴹQ. yáwe “ravine”.
This word appears as nan(d) in numerous compounds (Let/308, UT/253, RC/384). The independent form of this word is more difficult to determine. It variously appeared as nanda (Ety/NAD, PE17/80), nando (PE17/28, 80) and nandë within the compound Laurenandë (UT/253). This entry uses nando because it looks more noun-like than nanda while avoiding conflict with [ᴹQ.] nande (ñande) “harp”, but any of these forms could be correct.
Conceptual Development: The earliest appearance of this word was as ᴱQ. nan (nand-) “woodland” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s from the early root ᴱ√NAŘA [NAÐA] (QL/64), but its use in actual names in this period indicates the actual meaning was “land”, such as ᴱQ. Hisinan “Land of Twilight” (QL/40) and ᴱQ. Tasarinan “Land of Willows” (LT2/140). It appeared as ᴹQ. nanda “water-mead, watered plain” in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√NAD (Ety/NAD), but this meaning also seems to be an aberration since it still appeared in ᴹQ. Tasarinan “Land of Willows” in this period (LR/261; TI/417). In later writings, the various nand- variants were regularly glossed “valley”, as reflected in the new gloss for Q. Tasarinan as “Willow-vale” (RC/384).
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d limit this word to nando “valley”, ignoring its earlier meanings and alternate forms. For “water mead[ow]”, I’d restore the Early Qenya word ᴱQ. nendo instead.
References ✧ Let/308; NM/351; PE17/28, 80; RC/384; UT/166, 253
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| #Nand’ | elided | “valley” | ✧ PE17/28 |
| nan(d) | stem | “valley” | ✧ UT/253 |
| nand | stem | ✧ RC/384 | |
| nand- | stem | ✧ Let/308 | |
| -nan | suffix | ✧ PE17/80 | |
| -nan | suffix | “valley” | ✧ UT/166 |
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| √NAD > -nan | [-nando] > [-nand] > [-nan] | ✧ NM/351 |
ᴹQ. nanda n. “water-mead, watered plain” (Category: Plain, Field)
Reference ✧ Ety/NAD ✧ “water-mead, watered plain”
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ√NAD > nanda | [nanda] | ✧ Ety/NAD |
ᴱQ. nan (nand-) n. “woodland, *land” (Category: Woods, Forest)
References ✧ LT1A/Nandini; QL/64
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| nand- | stem | ✧ QL/64 |
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴱ√NAŘA > nan | [nanð] > [nand] > [nan] | ✧ QL/64 |