Know the Etymology: 90
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 24 May 2017

Puḷiyaṅ-kūṭal, Kāraik-kūṭal, Payirik-kūṭal/ Payilik-kūṭal

புளியங்கூடல், காரைக்கூடல், பயிரிக்கூடல்/பயிலிக்கூடல்
Puḷiyaṅ-kūṭal, Kāraik-kūṭal, Payirik-kūṭal/ Payilik-kūṭal

Puḷi+am+kūṭal
Kārai+kūṭal
Payiri+kūṭal/ Payili+kūṭal

The grove of tamarind trees

The thicket of Kārai shrubs

The assemblage of Payiri/ Payili plants

Kūṭal	dense grove of trees, thicket of shrubs or assemblage of plants (Eezham Tamil place names); thick grove, commonly of palmyras (Tamil, MTL); from Kūṭu: (verb) to come together, assemble, combine (Tamil, DED 1882); Kūṭṭu: (verb) to unite, join, combine, mingle; (noun) throng (Tamil, DED 1882); (adjective) together, with, joined, united (Sinhala, Clough); Kūṭa: multitude, assemblage (Sinhala, Clough); Kūṭṭam: union, meeting, crowd, group (Tamil, DED 1882); cognates in 15 Dravidian languages
Puḷi	(verb) to turn sour; (noun) acidity, tamarind (Tamil, DED 4322); cognates in 14 Dravidian languages
Kārai	a low shrub with sharp spines, Webera tetranda, Canthium parviflorum (Tamil, DED 1475). See column 68
Payiri	also Paciri: a creeping herb and green that grows in cultivated fields, field margins and in weedy areas, creeping purslane, Portulaca quadrifida, (Tamil, DED 3824, MTL, Piṅkalam, 9: 274); Payili, Payali, Pacaḷi, Vacaḷai, Vayalai: = Pacaḷai: creeping purslane, Portulaca quadrifida and also some other greens (Tamil, MTL, DED 3824); Paca: (verb) to be green (Tamil, DED 3821); Pai: (verb) to become green; (noun) greenness (Tamil, DED 3821); Payir: herbage, tender sprout (Tamil, DED 3821)
Payili	variation of Payiri (noticed in the local usage, Payirik-kūṭal/ Payilik-kūṭal in Kārainakar, note the R/ L interchange); = Pacaḷai: (Tamil, MTL). See box on Payiri

In toponymic context, the Tamil word Kūṭal means a grove, especially a palmyra grove, as in the phrase Paṉaṅ-kūṭal.

In Eezham Tamil toponymic usage, Kūṭal could come to mean a collection of any tree, shrub or plant (see the examples).

The term, literally meaning a union or joining, comes from the Tamil/ Dravidian verb Kūṭu, meaning to come together, assemble or combine. Sinhala has cognates, such as Kūṭa, Kūṭṭu and Kūṭṭam (see box above and also column 43).

Place names related to Kūṭal are mostly seen in Jaffna Peninsula.

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Puḷiyaṅ-kūṭal is a place in Kayts division of Jaffna district.

Kāraik-kūṭal is a locality in Puttūr in Valikamam East division of Jaffna district (V. Almanac, 2013-14, p. 97).

Payirik-kūṭal, also called Payilik-kūṭal, is in Karainagar division of Jaffna district

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Some related place names:

Kūṭal:

Ilantaik-kūṭal: Mīcālai South, Thenmaradchi, Jaffna (K. Almanac, 2016-17, p. 93). Ilantai: a shrub or small tree, Zizyphus jujuba

Miṭṭilāṉ-kūṭal: Pattaimēṉi, Valikamam East, Jaffna (V. Almanac, 2013-14, p. 91). Miṭṭilāṉ: probably a personal name

Mayilaṅ-kūṭal: Iḷavālai, Valikamam Southwest, Jaffna. Mayilai: name of various shrubs and trees (see column 26)

Mārīcaṉ-kūṭal: Iḷavālai, Valikamam Southwest, Jaffna. Mārīcaṉ: probably a personal name

Pirāyaṉ-kūṭal: Mātakal, Jaffna (Arul Subramaniyam). Pirāy: a tree, Trophis aspera

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Payiri/ Pacaṟi/ Payili:

Pacaṟic-cēṉai: Aṟukam-kuṭā, Pottuvil, Amparai

Payilik-kalaṭṭi: Vacāviḷāṉ, Valikamam North, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 355)

Payiri-maḍuva: Thirappane, Anuradhapura. Maḍuva in this case is from Maṭu in Tamil meaning a deep pond or tank * * *


Revised: Wednesday, 24 May 2017, 18:30

First published: Friday, 04 April 2008, 10:01