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Culture derived from கலச்சாரம்
Culture derived from கலாச்சாரம்
war derived from போர்
war derived from போர்
wow derived from வாவ் < வாவு < ஆவு < ஆ
wow derived from வாவ் < வாவு < ஆவு < ஆ

Revision as of 14:52, 13 February 2014


This is a list of English words that are directly or ultimately of Tamil origin. The list is by no means exhaustive. Gregory James, a professor with the language center of Hong Kong university has proposed that at least 107 words in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has been found of having Tamil origin.[1] Some English words of Sanskrit origins might be similar to Tamil words or would have been derived indirectly, which are not included in the list.

English words borrowed from Tamil

The following list contains words that were borrowed from Tamil either directly or indirectly through other languages. Some of the words listed below might have disputed or multiple origins.

English word Tamil word Transliteration Meaning
Alvars ஆழ்வார் āl̤vār sink, be absorbed[2]
anicut அணைக்கட்டு anaikattu dam structure[3]
betel வெற்றிலை vettrilai a plant leaf[4]
candy கண்டு kantu candy[5]
cash காசு kāsu coin money[6]
catamaran கட்டுமரம் kattumaram tied wood[7]
cheroot சுருட்டு suruṭṭu roll[8]
coir கயிறு kayiru rope[9]
congee கஞ்சி kanji porridge, Congee[10]
coolie, cooly கூலி cooli labour, hire[11]
copra கொப்பரை coparai dried coconut kernel[12][13]
Coromandel சோழ மண்டலம் Chola mandalam Coromandel Coast[14]
corundum குருந்தம்/குருவிந்தம் kuruntham/kuruvintham ruby[15]
cot கட்டில் kattil bedstead[16]
cowrie, cowry கொடு kotu shell[17]
curry கறி kari curry[18]
godown கிடங்கு kidangu store room[19]
Kabaddi கை-பிடி Kai-pidi holding of hand
mango மாங்காய் maangaai unripe mango[20]
mongoose மங்குஸ் mangus snake killing ichneumon[21]
Moringa oleifera முருங்கை murungai Drumstick Tree[22]
mulligatawny மிளகுத்தண்ணீர் milagu thanneer pepper water[23]
mung bean முங்கு mūngu sink/soak[24]
murukku முறுக்கு murukku savoury snack Murukku[25]
pagoda பகாவடி pagavadi house belonging to a deity[26]
pariah, pariahdom பறையர் paṟaiyar drummer[27]
patchouli பச்சை இலை pachchai ilai green leaf[28]
pandal பந்தல் pandal temporary shelter[29]
peacock தோகை tokei peacock feather[30]
poon புன்னை punnai Calophyllum inophyllum[31]
sambal சம்பல் sambal chilli based sauce[32]
Teak தேக்கு Tekku Teak wood[33]
vetiver வெட்டிவேர் vettiver a tropical Indian grass (Vetiveria zizanioides)[34]

Culture derived from கலாச்சாரம் war derived from போர் wow derived from வாவ் < வாவு < ஆவு < ஆ

See also

Notes

The etymologies of on this page are from Oxford English Dictionary, American Heritage Dictionary, Online Etymology Dictionary and Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary.

References

  1. ^ "For this professor, tracking Tamil words in English is a passion". Times of India. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  2. ^ "Alvar; Define Alvar at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  3. ^ "Anicut; Define Anicut at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  4. ^ "Betel; Define Betel at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  5. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  6. ^ "Cash | Define Cash at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  7. ^ "Catamaran; Define Catamaran at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  8. ^ "Cheroot; Define Cheroot at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  9. ^ "Coir; Define Coir at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  10. ^ http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/congee
  11. ^ "Coolie; Define Coolie at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  12. ^ http://www.dinakaran.com/News_Detail.asp?Nid=39776
  13. ^ http://business.dinamalar.com/news_details.asp?News_id=27224&cat=7
  14. ^ http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/138164/Coromandel-Coast
  15. ^ "Corundum; Define Corundum at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  16. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  17. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  18. ^ "Curry; Define Curry at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  19. ^ "Godown; Define Godown at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  20. ^ "Mango; Define Mango at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  21. ^ "Mangoose; Define Mangoose at Etymonline.com". Online Etymology.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  22. ^ http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-15/news/29777985_1_moringa-tree-cooking
  23. ^ "Mulligatawny; Define Mulligatawny at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  24. ^ "Mung bean | Define Mung bean at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  25. ^ http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/business-dynamics-supply-issues-have-hardened-the-manapparai-murukku/article5311643.ece
  26. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  27. ^ "Pariah; Define Pariah at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  28. ^ Online Etymology Dictionary
  29. ^ "Pandal; Define Pandal at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  30. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  31. ^ "Poon; Define Poon at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  32. ^ "Sambal; Define Sambal at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  33. ^ http://glosbe.com/en/ta/teak%20wood
  34. ^ "Vetiver; Define Vetiver at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.

External links

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