Man of the West

   The meaning of Dúnadan.

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   "'The Dúnadan,' said Bilbo. 'He is often called that here. But I thought you knew enough Elvish at least to know dún-adan: Man of the West, Númenorean.'" (Words of Bilbo to Frodo in Rivendell; The Fellowship of the Ring II 1, Many Meetings)

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   The literal translation of the word Dúnadan, a word that could in principle be applied to any of the Númenóreans or their descendants. The plural form is Dúnedain, 'Men of the West'.

   In Rivendell, it seems to have been specially reserved as a term of address for Aragorn, whose ancestral line stretched back through Isildur and Elendil to the first Kings of Númenor and beyond. As the rightful lord of all the Dúnedain in Middle-earth, he was indeed - as Bilbo put it - the Dúnadan.