Q. númen n. “west, direction or region of the sunset, occident, (lit.) going down” (Category: West)
The word númen or núme was the Quenya word for “west” for much of Tolkien’s life, and was also the name of tengwa #17 (LotR/1123). It is a combination of √N(D)Ū “go down” and √MEN “way” (PE17/64; Ety/NDŪ, MEN), so originally meaning “going down” or “way of the setting sun” (Let/361) in the same way that rómen “east” is the direction of the rising sun. Q. númen is thus similar in origin to English “occident”. As a standalone word it is usually númen, but in compounds or with inflections it is frequently reduced to núme-. For the Elves, númen is considered the primary direction, since it points towards Aman where the Two Trees were (LotR/1123; VT49/8).
Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. nūme “west” dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s where it appeared under the early root ᴱ√NUHU “bow, bend down. stoop, sink” (QL/68). The form númen did not appear as an independent word until The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/MEN), and númen was already the name of tengwa #17 in the earliest version of notes on The Feanorian Alphabet (PE22/23).
References ✧ Let/361; LotR/1123; PE17/16, 18, 64, 125; SA/andúnë, men; UT/305, 317; VT49/20, 22
Glosses
Variations
Related
Inflections
| númenna | allative; assimilated | “westward” | ✧ VT49/22 |
Elements
| nú- | “going down, setting (of sun), west” | ✧ PE17/18 (nū-) | |
| men | “way” | ✧ SA/men | |
| √NŪ/UNU | “down, under; go down, sink” | ✧ PE17/64 (NŪ) | |
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| √NDU > núme | [ndūme] > [nūme] | ✧ Let/361 |
| √NDU > númen | [ndūmen] > [nūmen] | ✧ Let/361 |
| √ndu > númen | [ndūmen] > [nūmen] | ✧ SA/andúnë |
ᴹQ. númen n. “west” (Category: West)
References ✧ Ety/MEN, NDŪ; EtyAC/NDŪ; LR/47, 56, 71-72; PE22/23, 50, 126; SD/240, 303, 305, 310; SMI/Númen
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Inflections
| nūmenna | allative | “Westward” | ✧ LR/47 |
| nūmenna | allative | “westward” | ✧ LR/56; SD/310 |
| Númenen | genitive | “of the West” | ✧ LR/71 |
| númessier | locative stative plural | “They are in the West” | ✧ LR/72 |
Elements
| ᴹ√MEN | “go, proceed; purpose, aim (at), intend; [rejected] place, spot” | ✧ Ety/MEN; Ety/NDŪ | |
| ᴹ√NDŪ | “go down, sink, set (of Sun, etc.)” | strengthened | ✧ Ety/NDŪ |
Element In
Cognates
ᴱQ. núme n. “west” (Category: West)
References ✧ LT1/85; LT1A/Faskala-númen, Númë, Sirnúmen; PME/68; QL/68
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| númen | genitive | ✧ LT1A/Faskala-númen |
Element In
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴱ√NUHU > nūme | [nuxmē] > [nuxme] > [nuɣme] > [nūme] | ✧ QL/68 |