Eldamo : Quenya : nöa

Q. nöa adj. and n. “former; yesterday; tomorrow” (Category: Yesterday)

Q. nöa, adj. and n. “yesterday; former, *previous; ⚠️tomorrow” (Category: Yesterday): ᴱQ. dië “yesterday”; ᴱQ. yenye(n) “yesterday”; ᴱQ. dienda “day before yesterday, (lit.) yesterday’s yesterday”; ᴱQ. yendiéra “day before yesterday, (lit.) yesterday’s yesterday”; ᴱQ. diéra “yesterday’s; (mostly in sense) bygone, over, passed”; ᴱQ. yenda “yesterday’s”

A word for “yesterday” in notes from the late 1960s, a reduction of noa ré “former day”, indicating noa may also be used as an adjective meaning “former, *previous” (VT49/34). In this context it is probably an adjectival form of nó “before (of time)”. In other notes from the late 1960s, nöa was used to mean “tomorrow” in the phrase Q. ekuva nin kare sa noa “I may do that tomorrow” (VT49/20).

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. {nua >} nuo “tomorrow” under the early root ᴱ√NO(WO), along with variants nonna and nona (QL/66). Elsewhere in QL Tolkien had nua(n) = ᴱQ. enwa “tomorrow” (QL/34). Patrick Wynne pointed out that Tolkien vacillated on the precise meanings of “before” and “after” words throughout his life (VT49/32 note #12, VT49/34 note #23).

References ✧ VT49/20, 34

Glosses

“former” ✧ VT49/34 (noa)
“tomorrow” ✧ VT49/20 (noa)
“yesterday” ✧ VT49/34 (noa)

Variations

noa ✧ VT49/20; VT49/34; VT49/34

Elements

nó¹	“before (of time); at back (of place)”
#-a	“adjectival suffix”

Element In

ᴺQ. !novárilë “forenoon”
Q. ecuva nin carë sa nöa “I ‘may’ do that tomorrow, I have a chance of doing that [tomorrow]” ✧ VT49/20
Q. nöa ré “yesterday, (lit.) former day” ✧ VT49/34

ᴱQ. nuo n. “tomorrow” (Category: Tomorrow)

See Q. nöa for discussion.

References ✧ QL/34, 66-67

Glosses

“tomorrow” ✧ QL/34 (nua(n)); QL/66; QL/66 (nonno)

Variations

nuo ✧ QL/66
nua(n) ✧ QL/34
nuan ✧ QL/34
nonno ✧ QL/66
nono ✧ QL/66
nua ✧ QL/67

enwa “tomorrow” = nua(n) “tomorrow” ✧ QL/34

Changes

nua >> nuo “tomorrow” ✧ QL/67

Element In

ᴱQ. nuan·ekkala “tomorrow morning” ✧ QL/34
ᴱQ. nuan·ettui “tomorrow night” ✧ QL/34
ᴱQ. nuononda “day after tomorrow” ✧ QL/66; QL/67 (nuanwa)
ᴱQ. núora “tomorrow’s, to be; future” ✧ QL/66

Derivations

< ᴱ√NO(WO) “ahead, in front; after of time, tomorrow” ✧ QL/66 (NŌ/NOWO‽/NONO‽); QL/66 (NŌ/NOWO‽/NONO‽); QL/66 (NŌ/NOWO‽/NONO‽)

Phonetic Developments

ᴱ√NŌ/NOWO‽/NONO‽ > nuo	[nowō] > [nowo] > [nouo] > [nuo]	✧ QL/66
ᴱ√NŌ/NOWO‽/NONO‽ > nonno	[nonnō] > [nonno]	✧ QL/66
ᴱ√NŌ/NOWO‽/NONO‽ > nua	[nowā] > [nowa] > [noua] > [nua]	✧ QL/67