Know the Etymology: 374
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 29 October 2014

Nellik-kaadu, Nelliya-gama

நெல்லிக்காடு, நெல்லியக₃ம
Nellik-kāṭu, Nelliya-gama

Nelli+kaadu
Nelliya+gama

The forest of Nelli trees

The village of Nelli trees

Nelli	the tree called emblic myrobalan or Indian gooseberry, Phyllanthus emblica (Tamil, DED 3755, Malayalam, Kannada, Tulu, Telugu, Gondi, Sinhala); Nellike: id. (Kodagu, DED 3755); Nella: id. (Parji, DED 3755); Nallee: id. (Gondi, DED 3755); Neli: tamarind (Konda, DED 3755); Nedi: id. (Kui, DED 3755); Lelli, Leli: id. (Kuwi, DED 3755)
Kaadu	forest, jungle, desert, paddy field (Tamil, DED 1438); cognates in 15 Dravidian languages; Kada, Kadu, Kaduwa, Kadi: forest (Sinhala, Sorata); Kaadu: treeless alkaline stretch (Sinhala, see the desert meaning for Kaadu in Tamil); Kaa, Kaal, Kaan, Kaanam, Kaanakam, Kaanal, Kaava’nam, Kaavam: forest or grove (Tamil, DED 1418); Kaanana, Kæla, Kælææ, Kæ’lææ: forest (Sinhala, Sorata)
Gama	village (Sinhala); Gaama: village (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 4368); Graama: troop, village (Sanskrit, CDIAL 4368)

Nelli in Tamil and Sinhala mean the tree and fruit of emblic myrobalan, botanically called Phyllanthus emblica. The name is the same in Malayalam, Kannada, Tulu, Telugu and Gondi, and the word is listed as of Dravidian etymology (DED 3755).

Kaadu in Tamil/ Dravidian means a forest (DED 1438) and the word has the Sinhala cognates Kada, Kadu, Kaduwa and Kadi (Sorata), which also appear commonly in Sinhala place names.

See earlier columns for Gama in Sinhala and in Indo-Aryan meaning a village (CDIAL 4368)

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Nellik-kaadu is a village in Poaratheevuppattu division of Batticaloa district

Nelliya-gama is in Palagala division of Anuradhapura district

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Some related place names:

Nelliya: (The place of) the Nelli tree or trees; Ibbagamuwa division, Kurunegala district; Wariyapola division, Kurunegala district

Nelliyadda: Nelli-liyadda: The paddy field division in the locality of a Nelli tree or trees; Madulla division, Moneragala district

Nelliyadi: The locality of the Nelli tree; Vadamaraadchi Southwest division, Jaffna district

Nelli-moaddai: The pond or tank in the locality of Nelli trees; Karaithuraippattu division, Mullaiththeevu district

Nellith-theevu: The water-surrounded area of Nelli trees; Ninthavoor division, Ampaa’rai district

Nellip-poadiyaar-kal: The rock named after a person, Nellip-poadiyaar; Ea’raavoorpattu division, Batticaloa district

Nelliyaan: (The locality of) the Nelli tree; Moo’laay, Jaffna district

First published: Wednesday, 29 October 2014, 00:55