List of English words of Dravidian origin

This is a list of English words that are borrowed directly or ultimately from Dravidian languages. Dravidian languages include Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, 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.

Dravidian languages

• Betel, a leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family; from Portuguese betel, which probably comes from Tamil or Malayalam.^[1]
• 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'.^[2]
• Coir, cord/rope, fibre from husk of coconut; from Malayalam kayar (കയർ)^[3] or Tamil kayiru (கயிறு).^[4][5][6][7] The origin of this word cannot be conclusively attributed to Malayalam or Tamil.
• Congee, porridge, water with rice; uncertain origin, possibly from Tamil kanji (கஞ்சி),^[8] Telugu or Kannada gañji, or Malayalam kaṇni^[9]
• Coolie, a labourer or slave, a South Asian person; possibly from Tamil cooli (கூலி) "labour",^[10] or possibly from Koḷī "Gujarati people" in Gujarati,^[11] which is not a Dravidian language
• Cot, a bedstead or a portable bed; via Hindi from Sanskrit,^[12] which in turn may have come from a Dravidian source such as Tamil kattil^[13]
• Cowry, the shells of certain sea snails, or the snails themselves; via Hindi and Urdu from Sanskrit kaparda (कपर्द),^[14] which may be related to Tamil kotu (கோது) "shell"^[15]
• Curry, a variety of dishes flavored with a spicy sauce; cognates exist in several Dravidian languages,^[16] but it should also be noted that the word cury was found in Middle English in the 14th century to mean any hot food, from French cuire, see The Forme of Cury
• Ginger, a fragrant spice; exact route from Dravidian is uncertain, but possibly from Tamil inchi (இஞ்சி) or Malayalam inchi (ഇഞ്ചി)^[17]
• Godown, synonym to warehouse; English from Malay, which in turn may have borrowed it from Telugu giḍangi or Tamil kiṭanku^[18]
• Hot toddy, beverage made of alcoholic liquor with hot water, sugar, and spices; from Hindi tari "palm sap", probably from a Dravidian language^[19]
• Jaggery, coarse brown sugar made from palm and sugarcane; from Malayalam sharkara (ശർക്കര)^[20] or Kannada sharkare, having its origins in Sanskrit,^[21] ultimately originating from Tamil sakkarai (சக்கரை) - meaning sugar in modern use.^[22]
• Mango, A tropical fruit;origin probably from Malayalam^[23][24] or Tamil^[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 (முங்கு) "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 (பகாவடி) "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 (தோகை) "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 (தேக்கு) in Tamil, tekka in Malayalam, Telugu teku, and Kannada tegu^[34]

Malayalam

English word	Word	Transliteration	Meaning in Malayalam
Copra	കൊപ്ര	kopra	copra; coconut kernel[35]
Jackfruit	ചക്ക	Chakka	jackfruit tree or fruit[36]

Tamil

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.^[37] The third edition of the OED, published online since 2000, contains approximately 400,000 words.^[38]

English word	Tamil word	Transliteration	Meaning in Tamil
Catamaran	கட்டுமரம்	kattumaram	tied wood[39]
Cheroot	சுருட்டு	suruṭṭu	roll[40]
Corundum	குருந்தம்/குருவிந்தம்	kuruntham/kuruvintham	ruby[41]
Mulligatawny	மிளகுத்தண்ணி	miḷaku-taṇṇīr/milaguthanni	pepper water[42]
Patchouli	பச்சை இலை	pachchai ilai	green leaf[43]
Pandal	பந்தல்	pandhal	temporary shelter[44]

Telugu

English word	Telugu word	Transliteration	Meaning in Telugu
Bandicoot	పందికొక్కు	pandi-kokku	"pig-rat"[45]
Mongoose	ము౦గిస	mungeesa	mongoose
Pitta	పిట్ట	pitta	young bird[46]

Kannada

English word	Kannada word	Transiliteration	Meaning in Kannada
Bamboo[notes 1]	ಬಂಬು	baṃbu	bamboo[47]
Dhole[notes 2]	ತೋಳ	tōḷa	wolf[48]
Hijra	ಹಿಜಡಾ	Hijaḍā	impotent man[49]

See also

• Indian English
• List of English words of Indian origin

Notes

1. The origin of bamboo is uncertain. It is thought to have entered English from Malayo-Polynesian languages, which borrowed it Kannada.
2. The origin of dhole is unknown, but sources suggest a connection to Kannada tōḷa (ತೋಳ).

References

1. "Betel;at etymonline.com".
2. "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
3. "Coir;at Etymonline".
4. "Coir". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
5. http://sandrova.com/15-english-words-you-probably-didnt-know-were-of-indian-origin/
6. https://translate.google.com/#en/ta/coir
7. https://translate.google.com/#en/ta/rope
8. "Congee". Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
9. "conjee, congee n.". Oxford English Dictionary (second ed.). 1989. ISBN 9780198611868.
10. "Coolie; Define Coolie at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
11. "coolie n.". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). 2008. ISBN 9780199571123.
12. "cot n.⁴". Oxford English Dictionary (second ed.). 1989. ISBN 9780198611868.
13. "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
14. "cowry n.". Oxford English Dictionary (second ed.). 1989. ISBN 9780198611868.
15. "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
16. "Curry; Define Curry at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
17. Origins of Plant Names-D.A. Patil.
18. "Define Godown at Dictionary.com". Retrieved January 4, 2016.
19. "toddy". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
20. "Jaggery Etymology".
21. "jaggery, n.". Oxford English Dictionary (second ed.). 1989. ISBN 9780198611868.
22. Achaya, K.T. (2003). The Story of Our Food. Universities Press. p. 7. ISBN 9788173712937.
23. "Mango; Define Mango at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
24. "Mango;at Merriam Webster".
25. "mango (n.)". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
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. "Copra;at Etymonline".
36. "Jackfruit; at Merriam Webster".
37. "For this professor, tracking Tamil words in English is a passion". Times of India. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
38. Simpson, John (2000). "Preface to the Third Edition of the OED". Retrieved 16 May 2014.
39. "Catamaran; Define Catamaran at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
40. "Cheroot; Define Cheroot at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
41. "Corundum; Define Corundum at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
42. "mulligatawny, n.". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2003.
43. "patchouli". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
44. "Pandal; Define Pandal at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
45. "bandicoot". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
46. "pitta". Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
47. Oxford University Press, 1998. Illustrated Oxford Dictionary. Great Britain. ISBN 140532029-X.
48. "dhole". Merriam-Webster.com. n.d. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
49. "hijra, n.". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). 2009.