Imlad is the Elvish word for a valley or dell, especially one with steep sides and a flat bottom, and ris in this context means 'cleft' or 'ravine', though it comes from a root-word meaning 'cut', referring to the deep, narrow nature of the valley. Tolkien uses the more picturesque old word 'riven' in his English translation of the name, 'Rivendell'. |