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All borrowed from 224 derived from 24 calque of 5 semantic loan from 1 Arumugam A surname from Tamil. kural A Tamil poetic couplet Nagercoil A city in Tamil Nadu, India. besan Gram flour, as used in Indian and Burmese cuisine. idli A South Asian cake made from a mixture of ground rice and lentils fermented and steamed in a mold. Thaipusam A Hindu festival celebrated on the first full moon of the Tamil month of Thai. Selvaraj A surname from Tamil. kolam Synonym of rangoli. Sivaram A surname from Tamil. Tiruchirappalli A city in Tamil Nadu, India. Tenkasi A district of Tamil Nadu, India. Kalmunai Kalmunai, a city in Sri Lanka Ramanathapuram A town in Tamil Nadu, India. Kandasamy A surname. Aadi Synonym of Aashaadha (“month of Hindu calendar”). adimurai A martial art from Tamil Nadu, India. agraharam A land grant to brahmins for the maintenance of a temple. Aiyanar A Tamil guardian deity aiyo Expressing distress, regret, or fear. Angala Devi a village goddess, manifestation of Parvati. angely wood The wood of the Indian tree Artocarpus hirsutus. anicut A dam built in a stream for maintaining and regulating irrigation. Annamar a village deity of the Nalavar and Pallar castes in Tamil Nadu, India. appalam poppadom appam A thin South Asian pancake made from rice flour and coconut appom A type of sweet fried flat bread made from rice flour. arangetram In Indian classical dance, the debut onstage performance of a dance student. aravani A Tamil hijra. Arwi The arabic writing system used for Tamil. Ayyadurai A surname from Tamil. Bharathapuzha A river in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, India that empties into the Lakshadweep Sea. calingula A sluice or escape in irrigation works. chattee A clay pot for holding water. Chilaw a large town in the Puttalam district, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Chitrabaanu The sixteenth year of the 60-year cycle of the Tamil calendar. chitthi aunty; a friendly older motherly woman chuckler Someone who chuckles. chunam A type of plaster made from lime and sand, used for indoor finishing and slope protection. chuttrum A lodging-house in South India for pilgrims and travelling members of the higher castes. cockanathan Idiot, foolish person. conicopoly A native clerk or accountant in the Madras presidency. coracan Finger millet (Eleusine coracana). coracan millet Eleusine coracana, finger millet. covil A Hindu temple. cutcherry An administration office in India. dalaway The commander-in-chief of an army in South India. goondu Idiot. gopuram A monumental tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a temple, especially in Southern India. Gounder A title used by various communities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Grandonic Sanskrit. Grantha A South Indian script found particularly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. illipe Any of several tropical trees whose nuts yield a fat having similar properties to cocoa butter. iluppai Synonym of mahua (“Indian tree”). Isakki a folk Hindu goddess primarily worshipped in South India. Jaffna Tamil a Tamil dialect native to Jaffna and is the primary dialect used in northern Sri Lanka. Jakkamma a folk deity worshipped in Tamil Nadu. Jallikattu A practice or celebration, mainly in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, in which a bull is released and individuals attempt to restrain it. Kallakurichi A district of Tamil Nadu, India. Kallar A member of one of the three related castes of southern India (along with the Maravar and Agamudayar) that constitute the Mukkulathor confederacy. Kannagi a character in Cilappatikaram, sometimes worshipped as a goddess of chastity. kasippu moonshine; illicit alcohol kavadi An arched wooden structure carried on the shoulders by Malaysian Hindus as a form of penance to Murugan. kavithai Tamil poetry Kodambakkam A residential neighbourhood of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Kollidam A river in southeastern India, the northern distributary of the Kaveri River as it flows through the delta of Thanjavur. kottu A Sri Lankan dish made with roti, vegetables, eggs, meat, etc. Kumari Kandam A mythical lost continent in the Indian Ocean, home to an ancient Tamil civilisation. kummi A kind of Indian folk dance. Kurumba A member of an indigenous community in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. kuzhambu A spicy gravy made with tamarind and dal, part of South Indian and Sri Lankan Tamil cuisine. Madurai Veeran a folk deity in Tamil Nadu, India. make noise To make a noise. mama shop A small, owner-operated convenience store sometimes found in void decks under high-rise apartment blocks. mamoty A kind of hoe used for digging, especially for coffee planting. Margali A month of the Tamil calendar, running from mid-December to mid-January. Maruthini A female given name from India, of South Indian usage. Matale A cities in Sri Lanka Mayiladuthurai a city and district in Tamil Nadu, India. mercall A grain measure in use in the Madras Presidency, varying in different localities, but typically 12 sers; fixed since 1846 at 800 cubic inches. monegar A village head man in the Tamil country. monkey-face tree Any tree of species Mallotus philippensis (syn. Rottlera tinctoria), of tropical India. mudaliyar A chief or headman in Sri Lanka. mulligatawny An Indian soup having a meat base and curry seasoning. munjen A Chinese person. murukku A snack originating in India, usually made of rice or urad dal flour, formed into a twisty shape. naartjie Citrus reticulata (mandarin, satsuma, tangerine); a soft, loose-skinned tangerine. nadaswaram An Indian wind instrument with a large flaring bell. Nanjinad a historical region in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. Nappinnai Synonym of Niladevi. Nicobar Islands An archipelago of the Indian Ocean. Northern Province A province in Sierra Leone. Capital: Makeni. North Western Province A province of Sri Lanka. odal Among the early and medieval Teutonic peoples, especially Scandinavians, the heritable land held by the various odalmen constituting a family or kindred of freeborn tribesmen. omum water A common domestic medicine in south India, made from the strong-smelling carminative seeds of ajwain. oppari An impromptu folk song of southern India, traditionally sung by women during a death ceremony in order to memorialize the person who has died. pandal a large temporary structure erected during various Hindu and Buddhist religious festivals parotta A layered flatbread of parts of South Asia, made with maida flour. paruppu A dish of boiled lentils; dal. Pavadairayan a folk and Hindu deity worshipped in Tamil Nadu. Periyalvar One of the twelve alvar saints, foster father of Andal.