14.462 Dusk
- Q. andúnë n. “sunset, (orig.) going down; west; ⚠️evening”
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The usual Quenya word for “sunset”, derived from primitive ✶ṇdūnē and based on the root √NDU “down”, so originally meaning “going down” (LotR/1116; PE17/64; PE19/77; Ety/NDŪ). It is often used to mean “west”, but generally as Q. Andúnë “The West”, namely west as a region rather than a direction (LotR/377; PE17/64). In the version of the Markirya poem from the 1960s it is translated as “evening” (MC/222), but I think that is a loose translation. Andúnë is often used as an example of the development of syllabic initial ṇ [to an-] in Quenya (PE19/77; Ety/NDŪ).
- Q. undómë n. “twilight, time near evening”
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A word for “twilight” used of the time near evening (LotR/1111). Since it followed the light, Tolkien said this was the “sad twilight”, an image or sign of the passing of beautiful things (NM/279). Its second element is ✶dōmē (NM/279), and its first element might be un(du) “down” referring to sunset; hat-tip to Parmandil for this suggestion.
- Q. yúyal n. “twilight”
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The Quenya equivalent of S./N. uial “twilight”, variously given as yúyal (PE17/169), úyale (PE17/153), [ᴹQ.] yuale, or yúkale (Ety/KAL). Its first element is based on √YU “both” and the second is based on √Ñ(G)AL, √GAL¹, or ᴹ√KAL “shine”. The form yúyal has an attested primitive form ✶yuy(u)ŋal.
Neo-Quenya: Of these, I prefer yúyal as having the clearest etymology and being the closest cognate to S. uial.
- S. aduial n. “(evening) twilight, *evening”
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Sindarin equivalent of Q. undómë “(evening) twilight”, a combination of ad- “again” and uial “twilight”, so more literally “*again twilight” or “*second twilight”. I think this word may also be used for “evening” as the period after sunset, but see also N. †thîn “evening”.
- S. annûn n. “sunset, west; (lit.) going down”
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The Sindarin word for “sunset”, more literally “going down”, also used to mean “West” (LotR/1116, 1123; PE17/64, 88, 121). It was based on the root √NDU “sink, go down” (PE17/64), derived from primitive ✶ṇdūnē like its Quenya counterpart Q. andúnë (Ety/NDŪ). The overlong vowel in the last syllable of annûn is unusual, and was due to the influence of related dûn “west” (LotR/1116 note #1). Metrical analysis of Lúthien’s Song indicates it is also stressed on its final syllable (LB/354), an exception to the usual stress patterns in Sindarin. I believe annûn is most generally used for “sunset”, and when used for “West” it means “the West” as a location, as opposed to a direction which is dûn.
Conceptual Development: N. annûn first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, already with the derivation given above but only glossed “west” (Ety/NDU).
There was a similar word {nún >>} ᴱN. nuin in Early Noldorin Wordlists and the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s, a noun form of the verb ᴱN. nuv- “to sink, set” (PE13/151, 161, 164). Tolkien first gave it as nún “sinking, going down” as a derivative of primitive ᴱ✶numne (PE13/151), but later gave it as nuin “sinking down, going down” from primitive ᴱ✶nubhin (PE13/164). In the second instance he specified it was both “n[oun] & inf[initive]”. In the first instance Tolkien said that “Nún is used = West”.
Another likely precursor was G. nûmin “the west, sinking” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/61) which in turn was probably based on the early root ᴱ√NUHU “bow, bend down; stoop, sink” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (QL/68; LT1A/Númë).
- G. mathrin adj. “dusk, dusky”
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A word appearing as G. mathrin “dusk, dusky” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, an adjective form of G. math “dusk” (GL/56).
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would update this adjective to ᴺS. mothren “dusk, dusky” using the later word moth “dusk” and later adjective suffix -ren.
- S. moth n. “dusk”
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A word for “dusk” as an element in the name Nan Elmoth (SA/moth).
Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. math “dusk” (GL/56), likely based on the early root ᴱ√MAÞA as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT2A/Umboth-muilin; QL/63).
- S. tinnu n. “[N.] (starry) twilight, dusk, early night (without moon)”
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A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “starry twilight” or “dusk, twilight, early night (without moon)” derived from a combination of ᴹ√TIN “sparkle” and ᴹ✶dōmi “night” (Ety/DOMO, TIN). Its ongoing validity is implied by the unmodified Sindarin name Tinnúviel < ✶tindōmi-sel(dĕ) “nightingale” in notes from the 1950s (PE19/73). Presumably in the ordinary form of the name Tinúviel, the double nn shortened due to the long ú surviving in the compound.
- S. uial n. “twilight, evendim”
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The usual Sindarin word for “twilight”, of which there are two varieties: minuial for dawn twilight and aduial for evening twilight (LotR/1111). As such it applies to the dim light immediately before sunrise or after sunset. It is derived from ✶yuy(u)ŋal = √YU “both” + √Ñ(G)AL “shine clear” (PE17/169), so is very close in sense to English “twi-light”. Uial was translated more poetically as “Evendim” in the names Emyn Uial (LotR/1082) and Nenuial (LotR/1111).
Conceptual Development: The Etymologies of the 1930s had N. uial “twilight” as a combination of N. ui- “twi-” and ᴹ√GAL¹ as a variant of ᴹ√KAL “shine” (Ety/KAL, YU). It had a deleted variant {uigâl} where the second element was ᴹ√KAL (EtyAC/KAL).