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Q. #ul- v. (basic-verb) “to rain” (Category: Rain)

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)

See Q. #ul- for discussion.

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)

See Q. #ul- for discussion.

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