Know the Etymology: 287
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 13 September 2013

Dik-kohu-pitiya

தி₃க்கொஹுபி[ட்]டிய
Dikkohupiṭiya

Dik+kohu+pitiya

The long or big elevated plain where coconut husk fibre is produced or stored
The long or big elevated plain found with the cultivation of Kohu paddy

Dik

Length, extent, side, any one of the four quarters or of the intermediate points and the Zenith and Nadir (Sinhala); Dig: (adjective) Long, cardinal point, quarter (Sinhala); Diga: Length, extent, side, direction, quarter, cardinal point, space (Sinhala); Digu: Direction, space, quarter; (adjective) long, stretched, extended (Sinhala); Dik, from Dis: Direction, region (Sanskrit, CDIAL 6339); Deergha: Long, tall, deep (Sanskrit, CDIAL 6368); Deegha: Long, tall (Pali, CDIAL 6339)

Kohu

Fibre of the coconut husk, a kind of paddy (Sinhala); 1. Kahi’ru, Kahu’ru: Colloquial equivalent to Kayi’ru, coir rope (Tamil); Kayi’ru: Rope, cord, string (Tamil, DED 1254); Kayaru: Rope, cord, coir (Malayalam, DED 1254); Coir: The English word for coconut fibre and rope made from it; from Cayro and Cairo in Portuguese that have come from Kayi’ru/ Kaya’ru (English, Portuguese, Hopson–Jobson, 1886); 2. Kossa (singular), Kohu (plural): Brush, broom, fibre (Sinhala); Kothumpu: Coconut fibre (Tamil, DED 2087); Kathampai, Kathampai: Coconut husk or fibre (Tamil, DED 2087); Koampai: Coconut shell with husk after removal of edible kernel (Tamil, DED 2224); Kuchchu: Cluster, tuft, tassel, weaver’s long brush (Tamil, DED 1639); Kochchu: Tassel (Tamil, DED 1639); Koorca in Sanskrit is equivalent, but CDIAL compares it with Dravidian (CDIAL 3408); Kuchchu: Splinter, bit of stick, stalk (Tamil, DED 1640); Piece of straw (Malayalam, DED 1640); Koasa: Case, cover, sheath (Sanskrit, CDIAL 3539); Kasa, Kasavu: Rubbish, sweepings, weed; Kasa-kilu, Kasa-mara, Kasa-varige: Broom (Kannada, DED 1088); Kasavu: Sweepings (Telugu, DED 1088)

Dik, Dig, Diga, Digu etc., are words meaning length or extent in Sinhala. They are cognates of the Sanskrit/ Indo-Aryan word Deergha, meaning long, tall or deep, and Deegha in Pali meaning long or tall (CDIAL 6339).

Kohu in Sinhala means fibre of coconut husk. It also means a kind of paddy.

Kohu-lanuwa (cord made from the coconut-husk fibre), Kohu-amba (a kind of mango the fruit of which is fibrous), Kohu-kirilla (a plant), Kohu-dewaræddiri (a kind of paddy) are related phrases in Sinhala.

Kohu may be related to Kahu’ru, Kahi’ru Kasa’ru etc., in colloquial Tamil, meaning rope made of fibre in general. The main fibre that is recognized here is coir or coconut husk fibre.

The colloquial usages correspond to Kayi’ru in Tamil and Kaya’ru in Malayalam meaning rope, cord or coir. The English word coir itself has come from the Portuguese Cayro and Cairo, which in turn have come from Tamil/ Malayalam Kayi’ru and Kaya’ru (Hobson–Jobson).

Good quality coir obtained from the southern regions of South Asia was an important trade commodity in the early colonial times, as the coir rope was crucial to the rigging of sail ships.

Kossa in Sinhala, meaning a brush, broom or fibre, is a related word of Kohu. In this sense, the cognates for Kohu could also be traced to Kochchu meaning a tassel in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 1639) or to Kasa meaning rubbish, sweepings, weed etc., and Kasa related phrases meaning a broom in Kannada (DED 1088). See table for other possible cognates

The paddy meaning of the Sinhala word could possibly be related to fibre.

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Dik-kohu-pitiya is a place in Kegalle division of Kegalle district.

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Some related place names:


Dik:

Dik-pitiya: The long or big high-ground plain; Soranathota division, Badulla district

Dikka-pitiya: The long or big high-ground plain; Welimada division, Badulla district

Dik-landa: The long/ big high-ground having some trees; Divulapitiya division, Gampaha district

Dik-ovita: The long or big low-ground; Wattala division, Gampaha district. Ovita: (singular), Oviti (plural): A low ground which may be used for the cultivation of paddy or yams (Sinhala, Clough); Boundary between a wetland and a highland (Madduma Bandara 2009). Compare with vita meaning a hill or mound

Dik-hena: The long or big shifting cultivation field; Millaniya division, Kalutara district; Elpitiya division, Galle district

Dik-hena-gama: The village of the long/ big shifting cultivation field; Horana division, Kalutara district

Dik-kumbura: The long or big paddy field; Yatawatta division, Matale district; Imaduwa division, Galle district; Kandaketiya division, Badulla district

Dik-wewa: The long or big tank; Angunakola-pelassa division, Hambantota district; Ipalogama division, Anuradhapura district

Dik-wela: The long or big paddy field; Dankotuwa division, Puththa’lam district

Dik-wella: The long or big sandy bank; Hali-Ela division, Badulla district

Dik-hera: The big hamlet; Kuliyapitiya West division, Kurunegala district

Dik-yaya: The long or big expanse; Rideemaliyadda division, Badulla district; Buttala division, Moneragala district

Dik-kenda-yaya: The long or big expanse of Kenda trees; Rideemaliyadda division, Badulla district

Dik-ella: The tall waterfall or the long rapid; Kegalle division, Kegalle district; Dehiovita division, Kegalle district

Dik-ella-kanda: The hill of tall waterfall or long rapid; Deraniyagala division, Kegalle district


Dig:

Digana: The big service land; Hanwella division, Colombo district; Mahawa division, Kurunegala district; Elapatha division, Ratnapura district

Dig-gala: The big rock or rocky hill; Panadura division, Kalutara district

Digana-thuduwa: The promontory of the big service land; Bandaragama division, Kalutara district

Dig-goda: The long or big bank or hill; Palindanuwara division, Kalutara district

Digan-wewa: The tank of the big village; Arachchikattuwa division, Puththa’lam district

Digana-thenna: The flat ground of the big service field; Bandarawela division, Badulla district

Dig-gal-pura: The settlement of the long/ big rock or rocky hill; Medirigriya division, Polonnaruwa district

Digane-gama: The village of the big service field; N.Palatha division, Anuradhapura district

Dig-gala-watta: The garden or grove of the big rock or rocky hill; Ibbagamuwa division, Kurunegala district

Diganewa: Digan-wewa: The tank of the big village; Kotavehera division, Kurunegala district

Dig-gal-potta: The range of the long/ big rock; Hanguranketha division, Nuwara Eliya district


Deega:

Dee-gala: The long/ big rock or rocky hill; Akurana division, Kandy district

Dee-galla: The long/ big rock or rocky hill; Kuliyapitiya West division, Kurunegala district; Hali-Ela division, Badulla district

Dee-gaha-wathura: The water (pond) of the tall tree; Pathadumbara division, Kandy district

Dee-gala-hinna: The long range of rocky spur or bank; Hanguranketha division, Nuwara Eliya district. Hinna: a low range of bank or spur, equivalent to Wætiya (Sinhala, Madduma Bandara 2009)

Dee-gama: The big village; Polpithigama division, Kurunegala district

Dee-gana-kanda: The hill of the big service land; Rambukkana division, Kegalle district

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Kohu:

Kohu-goda: The bank, hill or village producing coconut husk fibre or Kohu paddy; Akuressa division, Matara district

Kohu-liyadda: The beds to soak coconut husk in the production of fibre or the paddy-field beds of Kohu paddy; Hakmana division, Matara district

Kohunu-gamuwa: Probably Kohu-nool-gamuwa: The village producing coconut husk fibre; Weligama division, Matara district. Nool: (plural), Noola (singular): thread, string, fibre (Sinhala); Nool: yarn, cotton thread, string (Tamil, DED 3726)

Kohu-kumbura: The paddy field cultivating Kohu paddy; Medagama division, Moneragala district

Bulath-kohu-pitiya: The high flat ground of Kohu paddy cultivation found with betel vines; Bulathkohupitiya division, Kagalle district

Dik-kohu-pitiya: The long/ big, high plain of Kohu paddy; Kegalle division, Kegalle district

Kalu-kohu-thenna: The flat ground under cultivation of dark variety of Kohu paddy; Yatiyanthota division, Kegalle district. Tena: Place, situation, locality (Sinhala); Tæna: Place, spot, site, situation (Sinhala); Tenna: Pitiya and Tenna denote flat lands at different elevations (Sinhala, Madduma Bandara 2009)

Kiri-kohu-thenna: The flat ground under cultivation of white variety of Kohu paddy; Yatiyanthota division, Kegalle district

Kohu-wala: Probably the jungle of Kohu-amba trees of Kohu-kirilla plants; Dehiwala –Mt Lavinia division, Colombo district. If the place name has lost a component in its present form, then it could also mean (a place for) coconut husk fibre carpets

First published: Friday, 13 September 2013, 03:52