Know the Etymology: 87
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 28 July 2017

Kaccakkoṭit-tīvu, Maha-kaccikoḍiya, Koṭi-pōṭṭa-malai, Koḍip-pili-kanda

கச்சக்கொடித்தீவு, மஹகச்சிகொடி₃ய, கொடிபோட்டமலை, கொடி₃பிலிகந்த₃
Kaccakkoṭit-tīvu, Maha-kaccikoḍiya, Koṭi-pōṭṭa-malai, Koḍip-pili-kanda

Kaccal+koṭi+tīvu
Maha+kacci+koḍiya
Koṭi+pōṭṭa+malai
Koḍi+pili+kanda

The islet or water-surrounded place found with Kaccaṟ-koṭi creepers

The big (place of) Kaccik-koḍi/ Kaccaṟ-koṭi creepers

The hill placed with a flag

The hill having a cloth-flag or the hill having a flag-hoisted platform

Koṭi1	creeper (Tamil, DED 2050, Kuṟuntokai, 36: 1); cognates in 8 Dravidian languages (DED 2050); Koḍi: comes in the names of certain creeping plants, as in Allēk-koḍi for Kaṭu-ala-vẹla, Koḍi-vẹl for Pupula-vẹla etc. (Sinhala, Sorata); Koṭu: curved, bent (Tamil, DED 2054a, Akanāṉūṟu, 322: 11); Kōṭu: (verb) to bend, curve (Tamil, DED 2054a)
Koṭi2	banner, flag, streamer (Tamil, DED 2049, Naṟṟiṇai, 45: 4); tip of a flame (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Patiṟṟuppattu, 15: 6); top, extremity, flag, banner, sprout (Malayalam, DED 2049); cognates in 12 Dravidian languages; etymology traced to the meanings, top, tip etc., Kōṭu: summit of a hill, peak (Tamil, DED 2049); Kuḍi: pointed end, extreme tip of a creeper, top, flag, banner (Kannada, DED 2049); Koḍi: top, flag (Kodagu, DED 2049); point, end, sprout, flag (Tulu, DED 2049); tip, top, point of a flame (Telugu, DED 2049); point (Gondi, DED 2049); flag, banner (Sinhala, Sorata, Clough);
Koḍi1	comes in the names of certain creeping plants, as in Allēk-koḍi for Kaṭu-ala-vẹla, Koḍi-vẹl for Pupula-vẹla etc. (Sinhala, Sorata). See box on Koṭi 1 in Tamil
Koḍi2	flag, banner (Sinhala, Sorata, Clough); Koḍi-kāraya: standard-bearer (Sinhala, Clough); the top or summit meaning related to the etymology of the word could be seen in Koḍi-tuvakku: a sort of gun that is mounted on the top of a portable tripod (Sinhala, Clough, Sorata). See box on Koṭi 2 in Tamil and also see Koḍikāra-goḍa in column 160
Kaccakkoṭi	from Kaccaṟkoṭi: a creeper (Tamil, MTL); equated to Kaḻaṟcik-koṭi, Kaḻaṟci, Kaḻaṅku, Kaḻal, Keccak-kāy, Koṭik-kaḻal: a creeper or climber that produces a nut of medicinal value, which was also used in games and in divining or soothsaying; Molucca bean, Cæsalpinia bonducella; Bonduc nut (Tamil, MTL, Winslow, DED 1347, Naṟṟiṇai, 47: 8; Akanāṉūṟu, 134: 5); Kaḻacci: Cæsalpinia bonducella (Malayalam, DED 1347); Gajige: Cæsalpinia bonducella (Kannada, Tulu, DED 1347); Gacca: Cæsalpinia bonducella (Telugu, DED 1347); etymology related to Kaḻaṟci, Kaḻal from Kāḻ: nut (Tamil, DED 1493); or from Kaccal: bitterness (Tamil, DED 1249); Kaca, Kaya, Kai: (verb) to be bitter (Tamil, DED 1249); Kaccal+koṭi: > Kaccaṟkoṭi > Kaccakkoṭi (Tamil, DED 1249+2050)
Koḍippili	either flag-cloth or flag-platform; Koḍi: flag, banner (Sinhala, see box on Koḍi 2 in Sinhala and box on Koṭi 2 in Tamil); Pili: from Piḷi 1: cloth (Sinhala, Clough); traced to Paṭa, Paṭikā: woven cloth (Sanskrit, CDIAL 7692); and in turn to Austro Asiatic or Dravidian (CDIAL 7692); Paṭṭai: bark of tree, flatness (Tamil, DED 3876, 3878); Paṭar: (verb) to spread (Tamil, DED 3844); Piḷi 2: platform, "Pīṭhaya, Vedikāva" (Sinhala, Sorata); Pīṭha: stool, bench (Sanskrit, CDIAL 8222 suggests non-IA origin); Pīṭu: eminence (Tamil, Kuṟuntokai, 31: 6)
Pōṭṭa	where something is placed, fasten or set in positin; from Pōṭu: (verb) to put, set in a position, fasten (Tamil, DED 4581)
Tīvu	island, islet, water-surrounded ground, (Tamil, see column 32)
Malai	hill (Tamil, DED 4742, see column 19)
Kanda	hill (Sinhala, see column 6)
Maha	big, great, larger, compared to a lessor or smaller place in toponymic usage (Sinhala, see column 203)

The term Koṭi in Tamil means any creeper or climber plant, and it also means a flag or banner.

The etymology of the former meaning could be traced to the verbs Koṭu and Kōṭu meaning to bend, curve etc., and the etymology of the latter meaning is related to Koṭi/ Kōṭu meaning the top or summit. In both the meanings the term is listed as Dravidian (DED 2049, 2050).

Koḍi in Sinhala is largely used to mean a flag, but it is also sometimes found used in the names of certain creepers, as in Allēk-koḍi, Koḍi-vẹl etc. (Sorata).

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Koṭi meaning a creeper:

"துறு கல் அயலது மாணை மாக் கொடி" (குறுந்தொகை, 36: 1)

"Tuṟu kal ayalatu māṇai māk koṭi" (Kuṟuntokai, 36: 1)

The big creeper called Māṇai, growing by the side of the boulder-rock


Koṭi meaning flag:

"நெடுங் கொடி நுடங்கும் நியம மூதூர்"

"Neṭuṅ koṭi nuṭaṅkum niyama mūtūr

The old, merchant-guild village or town, where a high-hoisted flag flutters


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Kaccaṟ-koṭi is a creeper, recognized for the medicinal value of its nuts. The nuts were also used in games and in divining or soothsaying in the past. The creeper is used like rope to tie bundles. Kaḻal, Kaḻaṟci, Kaḻaṅku etc., are synonyms of the creeper in Tamil. Kuṁburu-vẹl is the name of the creeper in Sinhala (Clough).

Reference to Kaḻaṅku, the nut of Kaccaṟ-koṭi:

"அணங்கு அறி கழங்கின் கோட்டம் காட்டி" (நற்றிணை, 47: 8)

"Aṇaṅku aṟi kaḻaṅkiṉ kōṭṭam kāṭṭi" (Naṟṟiṇai, 47: 8)

Citing the way the Kaḻal nuts have turned in divining which spirit or deity has possessed the person

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Kaccakkoṭit-tīvu is a place in Kinniya division of Trincomalee district

Maha-kaccikoḍiya is in Vavuniya South division of Vavuniya district.

Koṭi-pōṭṭa-malai is found as a place name in Koralaippattu division of Batticaloa district and near Karimalai-ūṟṟu in Trincomalee Town and Gravets division of TRincomalee district (Trincomalee OIS).

Koḍippili-kanda is in Kalawana division of Ratnapura district.

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Some related place names:

Koṭi/ Koḍi as creeper:

Kaccakkoṭi: Manmunai Southwest, Batticaloa

Kaccakkoṭi Cāmi-malai: Manmunai Southwest, Batticaloa

Kaccikoḍiya: north of Rajagala, Amparai, (KalmunaiOIS)

Kaccaikkoṭip-paḷḷam Kuḷam: Southeast of Pālāvikkuḷam, Poonakari, Kilinochchi (Pooneryn OIS). Paḷḷam: depression, shallow ground

Karuṅkoṭit-tīvu: Akkaraippattu, Amparai. Karuṅ-koṭi: 1. A kind of running plant that yields berries (Tamil, MTL, Winslow); Kaḷu-vẹl: odoriferous creeper (Sinhala, Clough); probably a creeper called Māṭṭāṉ-koṭi, Cryptolepsis buchanani (information not verified); 2. One of the two chief varieties of betel (Tamil, MTL); Karu: dark (Tamil, DED 1278a); greener or stronger in this context (Tamil, as in Karuṅ-kuruntu, Karuṅ-kai etc); Koṭi: creeper, stands for betel vine, as in Koṭik-kāl: stake to support betel vine, betel garden (Tamil, MTL); Koṭi-ele: betel leaf (Kodagu. DED 2050); until recent times, Karuṅkoṭit-tīvu was the name of the present administrative division called Akkaraippaṟṟu. 

Cillikkoṭi Āṟu: Eravurpattu, Batticaloa: Cillik-koṭi: probably from Cillaik-koṭi; Cillai: 1. The creeper called Piraṇṭai, Vitis quadrangularis (Tamil, MTL, Cūṭāmaṇi, 11: 215); 2. "Kilukiluppai", Rattlewort, Crotalaria; one of its species, Crotalaria verrucosa is a creeper (Tamil, MTL). Āṟu: river

Pāvaṟkoṭic-cēṉai: Manmunai West, Batticaoa. Pāval+koṭi+ cēṉai; Pāval, Pākal: balsam pear, Momordica charantia (Tamil, DED 4045); Cēṉai: shifting cultivation field

Vattāḷaikkoṭic-cēṉai: Northeast of Uṉṉiccai, near Kaṟ-pūval, Manmunai West, Batticaloa, (Batticaloa OIS). Vattāḷai: 1. Vattālaik-koṭi: sweet potato (Tamil, MTL citing Jaffna Dictionary); 2. Vattālai, Vattākku: water melon (Tamil, MTL traces Portuguese origin, Pateca). Cēṉai: shifting cultivation field

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Koḍi as flag:

Koḍikāra-goḍa: Pitabeddara, Matara. See column 160

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Revised: Friday, 28 July 2017, 18:30

First published: Thursday, 27 March 2008, 10:00