Know the Etymology: 253
Place Name of the Day: Thursday, 16 May 2013

Waduwaa-wala, Thachchan-thoappu

வடு₃வா வல
தச்சன் தோப்பு
Vaḍuvā vala
Taccaṉ Tōppu

Waduwaa+wala
Thachchan+thoappu

The carpenter’s forest
The carpenter’s grove

Waduwaa	(singular); Waduvoa (plural): Carpenter (Sinhala); Wadu: (adjective) Pertaining to carpentry (Sinhala); Wadu-pattalaya: Carpenter’s workshop (Sinhala); Wadu-wæda: Carpenter’s work, trade of a carpenter (Sinhala); Wadu-raala: (singular), Wadu-raallaa: (plural) Carpenter (Sinhala); Vardhaka: Cutting, carpenter (Sanskrit, CDIAL 11374); Vaddhaka: Tailor (Pali, CDIAL 11374); Vading, Maa-vading: Carpenter, master builder of boats and ships (Dhivehi/ Maldivian); Vadi: 1.(verb) To refine, perfect, become beautiful; Vadi (noun), Vadivu, Vadivam: Form, shape (Tamil, DED 5223); Vativu: Form, size, manner, figure, beauty (Malayalam, DED 5223); Vadi: 2. Small cane or stick (Tamil, DED 5224); Vati: Stick, staff, club, shaft, stroke (Malayalam, DED 5224); Vatippikka: To have the measure struck (Malayalam, DED 5224);
Tachchan	Carpenter (Tamil, Ku’runthokai 61:1); Taksha: Cutting, carpenter (Sanskrit, Brhat Samhita, CDIAL 5618); Takshan: Carpenter (Sanskrit, from the root taksh, CDIAL 5621); Tacchaka: Carpenter (Pali, CDIAL 5618); Takkha: Carpenter, artisan (Prakrit, CDIAL 5618); Thai: To sew, stitch, nail, fasten beams with nails, spikes or pegs; to pin, plait or stitch as leaves into a plate, join, pierce, penetrate, prick, as a thorn or arrow, tie, weave as a wreath, string as beads, adorn, decorate, set, enchase, wear, put on, paint (Tamil, DED 3473). Cognates found in Malayalam, Kannada and Kuwi (DED 3473)
Thoappu	Clump of trees, grove (Tamil, Malayalam, DED 3551); Toappu: Clump of trees, grove, wood, (Kannada, Tulu, DED 3551); Garden, grove (Telugu, DED 3551); Thoappuwa: Grove (in recently Sinhalicized place names); Tope: Grove, especially of Mango trees (English, from Tamil/ Dravidian); Thoku (to bring together) > Thokai (multitude) > Thokuppu (multitude, cluster) > Thoappu (Tamil)
Wala	Also Walaan: Forest, jungle (Sinhala); Val: Jungle, wood, thicket, grass (Sinhala); Vallai: Extensive thicket, big forest (Tamil, DED 5289)

The word Wadu in Sinhala, as an adjective, pertains to carpentry. The noun form Waduwaa means a carpenter. The plural form is Waduvoa.

Wadu-pattalaya (carpenter’s workshop; Padda’rai: workshop, Tamil, DED 3865), Wadu-wæda (carpenter’s work or trade of a carpenter; veaddu: occupation of hunting > livelihood, work seeking wealth etc., Tamil, DED 5527) and Wadu-raala (Raala/ Raalalaa: master, lord, respectful reference to a person in Sinhala) are some related phrases in Sinhala.

Closest parallels for the Sinhala term Wadu could be seen in Maldivian/ Dhivehi, in which, Vading and Maa-vading mean a carpenter. The latter especially means a master carpenter who builds ships and boats.

Sanskrit diction has a cognate Vardhaka, meaning a carpenter (CDIAL 11374), but in Tamil/ Malayalam diction there are two relevant cognates of Dravidian etymology (DED 5223, 5224).

Vadi as a verb root in Tamil means to shape anything. Vadivu and Vadivam as nouns mean form, shape etc. Vadippu, Vadiththal, Vadiththa, Vadippikka, Vadippiththa etc., are some of the noun, adverb and adjective forms related to casting or shaping (DED 5223)

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Vadi and Vadiththal meaning casting, shaping etc., in Tamil:

“Irumpu vadiththanna madiyaa men thoal,” (Perumpaa’naattuppadai 222)

“இரும்பு வடித்தன்ன மடியா மென் தோல்” (பெரும்பாணாற்றுப்படை 222)

The unfolding soft skin (of the buffalo) looking as casted in iron


“Veal vadiththuk koduththal kollatkuk kadanea,” (Pu’ranaanoo’ru, 312:3)

“வேல் வடித்துக் கொடுத்தல் கொல்லற்குக் கடனே,” (புறநானூறு, 312:3)

The duty of the ironsmith is to cast/ shape a spear


“Vadu in’ri vadintha yaakkaiyan,” (Pu’ranaanoo’ru, 180:6)

“வடு இன்றி வடிந்த யாக்கையன்,” (புறநானூறு, 180:6)

His body, shaped without any defects

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Another Dravidian cognate found in Tamil/ Malayalam is the word Vadi meaning a stick, measuring stick, small cane, staff, etc., and in that sense meaning a measuring stick or scale, the tool of carpenters.

Vatippikka in Malayalam stands for having the measure struck (DED 5224).

Vaduvaa is not a respectful term in Eezham Tamil meaning a rascal. But, its etymology is different. It probably comes from the term Vadukan meaning a northerner beyond the Tamil country or from the term Paduvan meaning a toddy-seller.

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Thachchan, the commonly used word for a carpenter in Tamil, is traced to Indo-Aryan etymology and is taken as a cognate of Takshan in Sanskrit, meaning a carpenter.

Takkha and Tacchaka, meaning a carpenter, are cognates in Prakrit and Pali (CDIAL 5618)

The root is traced to the word Taksha, meaning the act of cutting as well as a carpenter in Sanskrit.

However, another possible root, Thai, which as a verb means to sew, stitch, nail, fasten beams with nails, spikes or pegs; to pin, plait or stitch as leaves into a plate, join, pierce, penetrate, prick, as a thorn or arrow, tie, weave as a wreath, string as beads, adorn, decorate, set, enchase, wear, put on, paint etc., in Tamil, with cognates found in Malayalam, Kannada and Kuwi, is taken as a word of Dravidian etymology (DED 3473).

In word combinations, the verb root Thai could become Thachcha as in Thachcha-uduppu (a designed and sewn dress in Tamil).

In Tamil, the usage Thachchan meaning a carpenter go back to earliest times of literature.

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Example for the use of the word Thachchan in Early Tamil literature:

“Thachchan ceytha chi’ru maa vaiyam,” (Ku’runthokai, 61:1)

“தச்சன் செய்த சிறு மா வையம்,” (குறுந்தொகை, 61:1)

The carpenter-made small horse-cart (toy cart for children)


“Thapathiyar maravinaignar thachchar aakum,” (Thivaakara Nika’ndu, 5: 65)

“தபதியர் மரவினைஞர் தச்சர் ஆகும்,” (திவாகர நிகண்டு, 5: 65)

Thapathiyar and Mara-vinaignar are Thachchar (carpenters)

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Thoappu is a common word in Tamil meaning a grove. The word has cognates in many Dravidian languages and is enlisted as a word of Dravidian etymology (DED 3551).

Due to its usage popularity in grove-land description in southern India, especially because of the mango groves, the word also got into English diction as Tope.

Thoappu is a derivative of Thokuppu, meaning a multitude. The verb root Thoku means to bring together.

Thoku meaning individual pieces coming together:

“Thoku va’lai mun kai madanthai” (Ku’runthokai 15: 6)

“தொகு வளை முன் கை மடந்தை” (குறுந்தொகை 15: 6)

The young woman with bangles coming together on her fore arm

Thoappu meaning a grove:

“Thani maramum thoappaamoa?” (Peruntheavanaar Paaratham, 3: 15)

“தனி மரமும் தோப்பாமோ?” (பெருந்தேவனார் பாரதம், 3: 15)

Will a single tree make a grove?

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Wala, Walaan and Val in Sinhala, meaning a forest or jungle, are cognates of Vallai in Tamil, which is listed as a word of Dravidian etymology, meaning an extensive thicket or a big forest (DED 5289).

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Waduwaa-wala is a place in Mawanella division of Kegalle district. The place name has an implied meaning that it is a forest of timber trees.

Thachchan-thoappu is in Thenmaraadchi division of Jaffna district. The place name has an implied meaning that it is a grove of timber trees.

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Some related place names:

Wadu, Waduwaa:

Hak-wadunna: The place for conch shell cutting or workmanship; Mirigama division, Gampaha district

Rada-wadunna: The place for wood-splitting carpentry; Mirigama division, Gampaha district

Wadu-mulla: The carpentry corner; Minuwangoda division, Gampaha district; Balapitiya division, Galle district

Wadu-gama: The carpentry village; Dodangoda division, Kalutara district; Galgamuwa division, Kurunegala district

Gal-wadu-Kumbura: The paddy field at the quarry or stone-works; Matale division, Matale district

Hungan-thota Wadu-mulla: The carpentry corner at the ferry point of the waters of Hunga fish; Bentota division, Galle district

Wadu-welivitiya: The carpentry part of Wæli-vitiya (sandy hill) village; Welivitiya-Divithura division, Galle district

Ka’lu-wadu-mulla: Probably, the corner of the dark carpenter, or the corner of a kind of vegetation called Ka’lu-wata; Ambalangoda division, Galle district

Gal-wadu-goda: The bank or hill for stonework; Galle Four Gravets division, Galle district

Waduge-goda: The bank/ hill/ village having a carpentry house or workshop; Habaraduwa division, Galle district

Wadu-ressa: The carpentry region; Ambanpola division, Kurunegala district; Kobeigane division, Kurunegala district. Rashtra > Rassa > Ressa

Wadu-pola: The carpentry market; Ibbagamuwa division, Kurunegala district; Kegalle district, Kegalle division

Waduwawa: The place of a carpenter; Ganewatta division, Kurunegala district; Alawwa division, Kurunegala district

Wadu-munna: The carpentry point; Panduwasnuwara division, Kurunegala district

Wadu-gedara: The carpentry house or workshop; Kuliyapitiya division, Kurunegala district

Hora-wadunna: The place for Hora wood carpentry; Pannala division, Kurunegala district. Hora: a large timber tree, peculiar to the island (Dipterocarpus zeylanicus)

Gal-waduwaa-gama: The village of a stone worker or stonemason; Galenbindunuwewa division, Anuradhapura district; Thalawa division, Anuradhapura district

Hiri-wadunna: The place for wood-sawing carpentry; Rambukkana division, Kegalle district.

Waduwaa-deniya: The ground of a carpenter; Rambukkana division, Kegalle district

Vadukkanai: Probably from Vadu-kaana: The carpentry forest, i.e., the forest of timber trees; Vellaave’li division, Batticaloa district

Vaddu-vini: Probably from Vadu-vana > vadu-vinna: The carpentry forest, i.e., the forest of timber trees; Valikaamam South division, Jaffna district

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Thachchan:

Thachchadampan: Thachcha-adampan: The carpentry part of the Adampan village, or the Adampan village of carpentry work; Oddusuddaan division, Mullaiththeevu district. The prefix perhaps differentiates the carpentry village from another village having the name Adampan.

Thoappu:

Thoappoor: The grove-village or the village of the grove; Moothoor division, Moothoor district

Paalath-thoappoor: The grove-village at the bridge or the bridge side of the Thoappoor village; Moothoor division, Moothoor district. Paalam: Bridge (Tamil, DED 4099)

Thoappu-I’raveddai: The grove part of the sloping expanse or the grove part of the low-lying paddy field (if it is I’ravaddai); Vaazhaichcheanai division, Batticaloa district

Chingkaarath-thoappu: The beautiful grove or garden; Ea’raavoor division, Batticaloa district

Chi’ru-thoappu: The small grove or garden; Mannaar division, Mannaar district

Kidaay-veddith-thoappu: The grove for slaughtering goats; Mannaar division, Mannaar district. Kadavu, Kadaa, Kadaay, Kidaay: Male of sheep, goat or buffalo (Tamil, DED 1123). Kidday usually means a male goat in Eeezham Tamil.

Udayar-thoppuwa: Udaiyaar-thoappu: The grove of the village chieftain; Negombo division, Gampaha district

Thoppuwa: Thoappu: The grove; Katana division, Gampaha district

Thoppu-thota: Thoappu-thota: The ferry point at the grove; Wennappuwa division, Puththa’lam district

Thopa-wewa: Thoappu-vaavi: The tank of the grove; Thamankadawa division, Polonnaruwa district

First published: Thursday, 16 May 2013, 00:55