Etymology

Karnataka

K5A1R1N1A1T1A1K5A1

Today it means: A state in southern India. Capital and largest city: Bengaluru. Full definition →

Kannada ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ
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The story

  1. Kannada · derived fromಕರು“elevated”
  2. Kannada · borrowed fromಕರ್ನಾಟಕ
  3. English todayKarnataka

Borrowed from Kannada ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ (karnāṭaka). Though several etymologies have been suggested for the name Karnataka, the generally accepted one is that Karnataka is derived from Kannada ಕರು (karu, “elevated”) and ನಾಡು (nāḍu, “land”). ಕರುನಾಡು (karunāḍu) may also be read as "black region", as a reference to the black soil found in the Bayalu Seeme region of the state.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.