List of English words of Dravidian origin

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This is a list of English words that are borrowed directly or ultimately from Dravidian languages.
Dravidian languages include Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, and a number of other languages
spoken mainly in South Asia. The list is by no means exhaustive.
Some of the words can be traced to specific languages, but others have disputed or uncertain
origins. Words of disputed or less certain origin are in the "Dravidian languages" list.
Where lexicographers generally agree on a source language, the words are listed by language.

Contents

 1Dravidian languages
 2Malayalam
 3Tamil
 4Telugu
 5Kannada
 6See also
 7Notes
 8References

Dravidian languages[edit]
 Aiyo, a word used to express distress, regret and fear, either from
Tamil aiyō or Sinhalese ayiyō.[1]
 Betel, a leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family; from Portuguese betel, which probably
comes from Tamil or Malayalam.[2]
 Candy, crystallized sugar or confection made from sugar; via Persian qand, which is probably
from a Dravidian language, ultimately stemming from the Sanskrit root word 'Khanda'.[3]
 Coir, cord/rope, fibre from husk of coconut; from Malayalam kayar (കയർ)[4] or
Tamil kayiru (கயிறு).[5] The origin of this word cannot be conclusively attributed to Malayalam
or Tamil.
 Congee, porridge, water with rice; uncertain origin, possibly from Tamil kanji (கஞ் சி),[6] Telugu
or Kannada gañji, or Malayalam kaṇni[7]
 Coolie, a labourer or slave, a South Asian person; possibly from Tamil cooli (கூலி) "labour",[8] or
possibly from Koḷī "Gujarati people" in Gujarati,[9] which is not a Dravidian language
 Cot, a bedstead or a portable bed; via Hindi from Sanskrit,[10] which in turn may have come from
a Dravidian source such as Tamil kattil[11]
 Cowry, the shells of certain sea snails, or the snails themselves; via Hindi and Urdu from
Sanskrit kaparda (कपर्द ),[12] which may be related to Tamil kotu (ககோது) "shell"[13]
 Curry, a variety of dishes flavored with a spicy sauce; cognates exist in several Dravidian
languages.[14]
 Ginger, a fragrant spice; exact route from Dravidian is uncertain, but possibly from
Tamil inchi (இஞ் சி) or Malayalam inchi (ഇഞ്ചി)[15]
 Godown, synonym to warehouse; English from Malay, which in turn may have borrowed it from
Telugu giḍangi or Tamil kiṭanku[16]
 Gunny, an inexpensive bag; from Sanskrit via Hindi and Marathi,[17] perhaps ultimately from a
Dravidian language such as Tulu.[citation needed]
 Hot toddy, beverage made of alcoholic liquor with hot water, sugar, and spices; from
Hindi tari "palm sap", probably from a Dravidian language[18]
 Jaggery, coarse brown sugar made from palm and sugarcane; via Portuguese jágara[19] probably
from Malayalam chakkara (ചക്കര)[20] or Kannada sakkare, having its origins in Sanskrit.[21]
 Mango, A tropical fruit;origin probably from Malayalam[22][23] or Tamil.[24][25]
 Mongoose, a small carnivorous mammal from southern Eurasia or Africa, known for killing
snakes; probably ultimately from a Dravidian language, with spelling influenced by the English
word goose[26]
 Mung, a type of bean; ultimately from Sanskrit mudga (मुद्ग), which is the name of the bean and
the plant, perhaps via Tamil mūngu (முங் கு) "soak",[27] or perhaps from mũg (मूँग), the name of
the bean in Hindi,[28] which is not a Dravidian language
 Orange, a citrus fruit, or a color named for the fruit; cognates exist in several Dravidian
languages[29]
 Pagoda, a religious building; etymology uncertain but perhaps influenced by
Tamil pagavadi (பகோவடி) "house belonging to a deity"[30]
 Pariah, a social outcast; from Tamil paṟaiyar (பறையர்) or Malayalam paṟayan, "drummer"[31]
 Peacock, a type of bird; from Old English pawa, the earlier etymology is uncertain, but one
possible source is Tamil tokei (க ோறக) "peacock feather", via Latin or Greek[32]
 Sambal, a spicy condiment; from Malay, which may have borrowed the word from a Dravidian
language such as Tamil or Telugu[33]
 Teak, a tropical hardwood tree; called tekku (க க்கு) in Tamil, tekka in Malayalam,
Telugu teku, and Kannada tegu[34]

Malayalam[edit]

English word Word Transliteration Meaning in Malayalam

Areca അടയ്ക്ക adekka areca nut [35]

Catechu കശൂ cashoo cashew [36][37]

Copra കകൊപ്ര kopra copra: kernel of coconut [38]

Calico കകൊഴികക്കൊട് kēāḻikkēāṭ name of the place it originates from (Calicut) [39]

Jackfruit ചക്ക Chakka jackfruit [40]

Tamil[edit]
Gregory James, a professor with the language center of Hong Kong university believes that more
than 100 words in the Oxford English Dictionary have Tamil origin, and there could be even
more.[41] The third edition of the OED, published online since 2000, contains approximately 400,000
words.[42]

English word Tamil word Transliteration Meaning in Tamil

Cash[notes 1] கோசு kācu cash, money, coin[43]

Catamaran கட்டுமரம் kattumaram tied wood[44]

Cheroot சுருட்டு suruṭṭu roll[45]

Corundum குருந் ம் /குருவிந் ம் kuruntham/kuruvintham ruby[46]

Culvert[notes 2] கல் வவட்டு kalvettu carved/cut Stone[citation needed]

Mulligatawny மிளகு ் ண்ணி milagu-taṇṇīr/milagai-thanni herb water[48]

Patchouli பச்றச இறல pachchai ilai green leaf[49]

Pandal பந் ல் pandhal temporary shelter[50]

Telugu[edit]

English word Telugu word Transliteration Meaning in Telugu

Bandicoot పందికొక్కు pandi-kokku "pig-rat"[51]

Pitta పిట్ ట pitta young bird[52]

Kannada[edit]

English word Kannada word Transliteration Meaning in Kannada

Bamboo[notes 3] ಬಂಬು baṃbu bamboo[53]

Dhole[notes 4] ತೋಳ tōḷa wolf[54]

Hijra ಹಿಜಡಾ Hijaḍā impotent man[55]

See also[edit]
 Indian English
 List of English words of Indian origin

Notes[edit]
1. ^ Cash in the sense of "small copper coins" entered English from Tamil via Portuguese. Cash in the
sense of "ready money" as opposed to invested wealth has a separate etymology, from
Latin capsa via Middle French or Old Italian.
2. ^ The origin of culvert is unknown. Sources suggest it may come from an obscure technical term
among canal diggers or a person's name.[47]
3. ^ The origin of bamboo is uncertain. It is thought to have entered English from Malayo-Polynesian
languages, which borrowed it from Kannada.[53]
4. ^ The origin of dhole is unknown, but some sources suggest a connection to Kannada tōḷa (ತೋಳ).[54]

References[edit]
1. ^ "aiyo". Oxford Dictionaries - English.
2. ^ "Betel". Online Etymology Dictionary.
3. ^ "Candy". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
4. ^ "Coir". Online Etymology Dictionary.
5. ^ "Coir". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
6. ^ "Congee". Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
7. ^ "conjee, congee n.". Oxford English Dictionary (second ed.). 1989. ISBN 9780198611868.
8. ^ "Coolie; Define Coolie at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
9. ^ "coolie n.". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). 2008. ISBN 9780199571123.
10. ^ "cot n.4". Oxford English Dictionary (second ed.). 1989. ISBN 9780198611868.
11. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
12. ^ "cowry n.". Oxford English Dictionary (second ed.). 1989. ISBN 9780198611868.
13. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
14. ^ "Curry; Define Curry at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
15. ^ Origins of Plant Names-D.A. Patil.
16. ^ "Define Godown at Dictionary.com". Retrieved January 4, 2016.
 17. ^ "gunny, n.". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). 2000. ISBN 9780199571123.
18. ^ "toddy". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
19. ^ "Jaggery". Merriam Webster Dictionary.
20. ^ "Jaggery Etymology".
21. ^ "jaggery, n.". Oxford English Dictionary (second ed.). 1989. ISBN 9780198611868.
22. ^ "Mango; Define Mango at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
23. ^ "Mango". Merriam-Webster.com.
24. ^ "mango (n.)". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
25. ^ Achaya, K.T. (2003). The Story of Our Food. Universities Press. p. 7. ISBN 9788173712937.
26. ^ "mongoose". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
27. ^ "Mung bean | Define Mung bean at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2012-08-
22.
28. ^ "mung n.2". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). 2008. ISBN 9780199571123.
29. ^ "orange n.1 and adj.1". Oxford English Dictionary online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2013.
Retrieved 2013-09-30.(subscription required)
30. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
31. ^ "pariah, n. and adj.". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). 2008. ISBN 9780199571123.
32. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
33. ^ "Sambal; Define Sambal at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
34. ^ "teak". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
35. ^ "Areca". Dictionary.com.
36. ^ "Catechu". Dictionary.com.
37. ^ "Catechu". WordReference.com.
38. ^ "Copra". Online Etymology Dictionary.
39. ^ "Calico". Dictionary.com.
40. ^ "Jackfruit". Merriam-Webster.com.
41. ^ "For this professor, tracking Tamil words in English is a passion". Times of India. Retrieved 2013-09-
14.
42. ^ Simpson, John (2000). "Preface to the Third Edition of the OED". Retrieved 16 May2014.
43. ^ "cash2". Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
44. ^ "Catamaran; Define Catamaran at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-
14.
45. ^ "Cheroot; Define Cheroot at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
46. ^ "Corundum; Define Corundum at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
47. ^ "culvert". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
48. ^ "mulligatawny, n.". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2003.
49. ^ "patchouli". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
50. ^ "Pandal; Define Pandal at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
51. ^ "bandicoot". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
52. ^ "pitta". Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
53. ^ Jump up to:a b Oxford University Press, 1998. Illustrated Oxford Dictionary. Great
Britain. ISBN 140532029-X.
54. ^ Jump up to:a b "dhole". Merriam-Webster.com. n.d. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
55. ^ "hijra, n.". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). 2009.
Categories:
 Lists of English words of Indian origin
 Lists of English words of foreign origin
 Tamil language-related lists