Q. #ul- v. (basic-verb) “to rain” (Category: Rain)
An impersonal verb for “rain” attested only in its future form uluva “it is going to rain, it will rain” (PE22/167). Its aorist form is probably *ule “[it] rains”, its past form probably *úle “[it] rained”, and its perfect *úlie “[it] has rained”; as an impersonal verb, no explicit subject is required in Quenya. It is clearly derived from the root √UL “pour (out), flow” (WJ/400; PE17/168) and it seems that its primitive form originally meant “pour” (PE22/133), but elsewhere Tolkien gave the Quenya verb for “pour, flow” as ulya- (Ety/ULU).
Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, the verb for “it rains” was (3rd-singular) ᴱQ. uqin from the early root ᴱ√UQU “wet” (QL/98). This verb reappeared as uqe or úqe “it rains” in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s, having become an impersonal verb (PE14/56, 85). Another impersonal verb for “to rain” appeared in Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948: ᴹQ. kelya “(it) sends running down = it rains” from the root √KEL (PE22/114). The form uluva mentioned above appeared in Late Notes on Verbs from 1969 (PE22/167).
Neo-Eldarin: Based on attested forms I would limit ul- for “rain” as an impersonal verb only, and for “pour” would use ulya-. Interestingly, the Noldorin word for “rain” is eil [ᴺS. uil] from ᴹ✶ulyā-, so I think Quenya and Sindarin/Noldorin made different choices for which ancient verb became impersonal “rain”.
References ✧ PE22/167
Inflections
uluva | future | “it is going to rain, it will rain” | ✧ PE22/167 |
Derivations
ᴹQ. kelya- v. “to rain; (lit.) to send running down” (Category: Rain)
Reference ✧ PE22/114 ✧ kelya “(it) sends running down = it rains”
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
ᴹ√KEL > kelya | [kelja-] | ✧ PE22/114 |
ᴱQ. #uqu- v. “to rain” (Category: Rain)
References ✧ PE14/56, 85; QL/98
Inflections
uqin | 3rd-sg | “it rains” | ✧ QL/98 |
úqe | past | ✧ QL/98 | |
uqe | present | “it rains” | ✧ PE14/56 |
úqe | present | “it rains” | ✧ PE14/85 |
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
ᴱ√UQU > uqin | [ukʷ-] | ✧ QL/98 |