The word vala literally means 'power', so an alternative translation would be 'horn of power'. In origin, róma is an onomatopoeic word, imitative of the sound made by a horn or trumpet. Indeed the original root meant 'loud sound' or 'horn blast', but in this context róma can be taken as simply 'horn'. The Vala who bore the horn has the same element in his own name: Oromë can be interpreted as '(loud) trumpeter'.