Know the Etymology: 152
Place Name of the Day: Sunday, 18 December 2016

Nantā-vil, Cilu-vil, Curu-vil, Cēttu-villlu

நந்தா-வில், சிலு-வில், சுரு-வில், சேத்து-வில்லு
Nantā-vil, Cilu-vil, Curu-vil, Cēttu-villlu

Nantā+vil
Cilu+vil
Curu+vil
Cēttu+villlu

The perennial pond

The small pond or waterhole

The slimy or quicksand pond

The muddy pond

Nantā	perennial, not extinguished, perished or decayed; as in Nantā-viḷakku: perpetual lamp (Tamil, Paṭṭiṉappālai, 247); opposite of Nantu: (verb) to be extinguished, perish, die, decay (Tamil, DED 3590, Puṟanāṉūṟu 119: 4); cognate noticed only in Kannada; Nandu: (verb) be extinguished, quenched, go out, ruined, perish, disappear (Kannada, DED 3590); Nuntā: variation of Nantā: (Tamil, inscription, 988 CE, SII, xiii, 54)
Cilu	a prefix noticed in a small pond name in Jaffna district; 1. Cilimbi, Cilime, Cilme: a small tank (Tulu, DED 2367); Cilume: an orifice, a bore, small pit, hole dug in the dry bed of a river or a dried up tank, spring of water or a fountain head (Kannada, DED 2367); Celama: hole or pit dug for water in the dry bed of a river or rivulet (Telugu, DED 2367); Cilu: (verb) to open, split (Tamil, DED 2566); Cilumpu: (verb) to flow out, gush out (Tamil, DED 2569); Cilupu: a pond (Telugu, DED 2569); 2. Cil: small (Tamil, DED 1571); Cilupa: little (Telugu, DED 1571); note the pond name Cilinta-kuḷam in Kayts
Curu	from Curi: thin mud, mire (Tamil, Winslow, MTL citing Jaffna Dictionary, also Batticaloa usage, Kanthaiya); 1. Curi-maṇ: loose muddy soil, a kind of quicksand (Tamil, MTL citing Jaffna Dictionary, Kathiraiverpillai); Curittal: to become muddy, miry; to sink as foot in mire (Tamil, MTL citing Jaffna Dictionary); to whirl, to get dried, to shrink as roasted in fire (Tamil, MTL); to suck in "Uḷ-vāṅkutal" (Tamil, Kathiraiverpillai); Curi: (verb): to whirl round, to eddy as water (Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 2684, related to Cuḻi, DED 2698); 2. Cori-maṇ: quicksand (Tamil, MTL); Cōr: (verb) to become loose, droop (Tamil, DED 2884); 3. Cuti: thin mud, slime, muddy puddle, as in "Cēṟum cutiyum", mud and slime (Eezham Tamil); may be from Cakati: mud (DED 2266); or R/ T change is possible in Dravidian as in Panṟi and Pandi for pig in Tamil and Kannada (DED 4039)
Cēttu	from Cēṟṟu (adjective form of) Cēṟu: mud, mire, slush, liquid of thick consistency (Tamil, DED 2020); Ceṟi: (verb) to be thick (Tamil, DED 1980)
Vil	also Villu: see column on Vil-paṟṟu

Nantā-vil literally means non-diminishing pond, i.e., perennial. Nantā is the opposite term of the verb Nantu in Tamil/ Dravidian, meaning, be perish or be extinguished (DED 3590). The terms are not in use in today's Tamil, but usage examples could be seen in Caṇkam literature and in medieval inscriptions (see box).

Nantā-vil in Jaffna, a pond fed by flood outlets and by accumulation of rainwater in a shallow area, is actually perennial. Fields are cultivated in the fringes of the pond and in the pond bed.

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A satirical proverb in Jaffna on Nantā-vil pond being perennial:

"நாடு விளைந்தால் நந்தாவில் விளையாது.
நந்தாவில் விளைந்தால் நாடு விளையாது."

"Nāṭu viḷaintāl Nantāvil viḷaiyātu
Nantāvil viḷaintāl nāṭu viḷaiyātu"

If cultivation is good in the country, Nantāvil will have no cultivation (because rainfall is good and Nantā-vil fields are waterlogged). If cultivation is good in Nantāvil, the country will not have cultivation (rainfall is bad, but Nantāvil fields will get the right level of water)

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The prefix Cilu in Cilu-vil is a rare term in Eezham Tamil place names, not found in today's usage. But it may not be a variation as there is another example Cilinta-kuḷam. See box on Cilu for parallels in Tulu, Kannada and Telugu, meaning a waterhole or small pond. Also note the old Tamil verb Cilu corresponding to the formation of sinkholes (DED 2367, 2566, 2569)

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Curu as in Curu-vil is another rare term, but there are other examples in Eezham Tamil place names to assign the meaning (see related place names). The term seems to be meaning boggy mud. An abandoned tank bed that has become marshy has gained the place name Curu-veḷi in Puttalam. Curu is a variation of Curi, meaning mud in Jaffna and Batticaloa Tamil diction (Jaffna Dictionary, MTL, Kanthaiya). Also note another place name Curi-vayal in Puttalam. See box for etymology.

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Cēṟu is a common term in Tamil/ Dravidian meaning mud (DED 2020). The adjective form Cēṟṟu becomes Cēttu in colloquial usage. DED relates the etymology to words connected to paddy fields. But the Tamil verb, Ceṟi, meaning to be thick (DED 1980), seems to be more appropriate in explaining the noun Cēṟu.

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See column on Vil-paṟṟu for the shades of meanings and etymology of Vil/ Villu in Eezham Tamil and Vila/ Villuva in Sinhala. Vil related place names retain some old strains of language in Eezham Tamil. Nantā, Cilu and Curu are some examples. Also see the other Vil-related columns for further examples.

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Nantā-vil is a pond and place in Nalloor division of Jaffna district

Cilu-vil is in Madduvil North in Thenmaratchi division of Jaffna district (Balasundaram, p. 107)

Curu-vil is in the Kayts Island of Jaffna district

Cēttu-villu is in Maṟiccukkaṭṭi in Musali division of Mannar district (One Inch Sheet)

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Some related place names:

Cilu:

Cilinta-kuḷam: The small or sinkhole pond; Vēlaṇai, Kayts Island, Jaffna district

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Curu/ Curi:

Curu-veḷi: The muddy or boggy plain: this is the locality of an abandoned tank in Aruvic-cēṉai North in Puttalam division, Puttalam district

Curuppuk-kēṇi: The muddy or boggy constructed pond; Eravurpattu, Batticaloa

Curi-vayal: The muddy or boggy paddy field; Ampalaveḷi, Puttalam (One Inch Sheet)

Cori-kal-muṉai: Navithanveli, Amparai

Coru-muṉai: The muddy point; Manmunai West, Batticaloa (One Inch Sheet)

Kiṭāc-curi: Cheddikulam Central (Naṭuc-ceṭṭi-kuḷam, an old division) Vavuniya (Aruna Selladurai). Kiṭā, Kiṭāy: from Kaṭā: sambar deer/ elk or Marai in Vaṉṉi usage; also means buffalo. Suri here may mean a bog that traps or may mean a place where hunted elk were roasted. Curi: to shrink as roasted in fire (Tamil, MTL); (verb) to get dried, shrink (Tamil, DED 2687). See Paṇṭi-curiccāṉ

Paṇṭi-curiccān: a place in Vavuniya district; Paṇṭi: wild boar. See Kiṭāc-curi

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Cēṟu/ Cēttu:

Cēttuk-kuḷam: Manthai West, Mannar

Cēttuk-kuṭā: Manmunai North, Batticaloa

Cēttup-pāṭu: The muddy coast; Sinhalicised as Settappāḍuva: Negombo, Gampaha

Cēttuk-kaṇṭi Amman Kuṭiyiruppu: Kandavalai, Kilinochchi

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Revised: Sunday, 18 December 2016, 14:10

First published: Thursday, 12 August 2010, 15:11