ᴹQ. uma adj. and pron. “some (when the identity is unknown); something or other” (Category: Some, Several)
A singular indefinite adjective “some” in Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from 1948 (PE23/105), also usuable pronominally to mean “something” (PE23/105). This adjective is specifically singular, as in uma elda “some (unknown) Elf”. An indefinite plural would use the partitive plural suffix -li: eldali “some Elves”.
Neo-Quenya: In Tolkien’s later writings ma was the pronoun for “something”. However, I would retain uma for the adjective form, and also use it for a singular indefinite subject since ma might be confused with an interrogative: uma tíra me “something is watching us”, as opposed to ma tíra me which might be interpreted “what is watching us”.
References ✧ PE23/104-105, 111-112
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| umallo | ablative | “*from somewhere” | ✧ PE23/112 |
| umanna | allative | “*to somewhere” | ✧ PE23/112 |
| umainen | instrumental plural | “*by some means” | ✧ PE23/111 |
| umas(se) | locative | “*somewhere” | ✧ PE23/111 |
| umandon | similative | “*like something” | ✧ PE23/111 |
Elements
| uma- | “some, a, a certain” |
Element In