Know the Etymology: 404
Place Name of the Day: Monday, 25 May 2015

Erami'ni-yaaya

எரமிணியாய
Eramiṇiyāya

Erami'ni+yaaya

The open country or expanse of Eramini shrubs

Eraminiyaa:

A thorny shrub of Zizyphus family that bears edible fruits of the size of black pepper corns, Zizyphus napeca (Sinhala); Era+mi'ni: literally meaning the gems of Era shrub (Sinhala); Era: Zizyphus jujuba (Kannada, DED 475); Iraththi, Irathi, Iranthai, Ilanthai: Zizyphus jujuba (Tamil, DED 475); cognates in 10 Dravidian languages; Choorai, Chooral: oblique-leaved jujube, Zizyphus oenoplia (Tamil, DED 2730); the same as Zizyphus napeca; Mi'na, Mi'ni, Miniya: gem (Sinhala); Ma'ni: jewel (Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 9731); gem, crystal, eyeball, tear drops (Tamil, Changkam diction); little bells worn as jewels, gong, hour by the bell (Tamil, DED 4672); Min: flash, glitter (Tamil, DED 4876)

Yaaya

open country, expanse (Sinhala); Aay, Paay: open country, expanse (Eezham Tamil, place names); Paay: (verb) to spread, extend; (noun) spreading, extension (Tamil, DED 4088)

Eraminiyaa (Sinhala) is the name of a thorny shrub of the Zizyphus family that bears edible fruits of the size of peppercorns. Zizyphus napeca is the botanical term. The shrub is the same as Choorai in Tamil known by a botanical synonym Zizyphus Oenoplia.

The term Era-miniyaa is made of two components, Era and Miniyaa. As Miniyaa, Mi'ni and Mi'na in Sinhala mean gem, a comparison made on the ripe fruits of the shrub, the term literally means “the Era shrub bearing gem-like fruits”.

Era, the basic name of the shrub in Sinhala, has a parallel in Kannada, in which the term Era means a related shrub of the same family, Zizyphus jujuba. Another cognate, Iraththi could be found in Old Tamil, meaning Zizyphus jujuba. The term commonly used in Tamil today is Ilanthai.

Era in Kannada and Iraththi/ Ilanthai in Tamil, meaning Zizyphus jujuba, are listed as words of Dravidian etymology and cognates are found in 10 Dravidian languages (DED 475).

Ma'ni, the cognate of Mi'ni in Sinhala, is a word of Rig Vedic Sanskrit meaning a jewel (CDIAL 9731). But it was also widely used in early Tamil literature and the word in some shades of meaning is taken as Dravidian (DED 4672). See column on Mæ'nik-Diwela.

Yaaya meaning an open country or expanse in Sinhala has the cognates Aay and Paay in Eezham Tamil place names, meaning the same. Paay, as a verb and noun in Tamil/ Dravidian is related to spreading, extending, extension etc. (DED 4088).

* * *

Erami'ni-yaaya is a place in Ambalantota division of Hambantota district

* * *

Some related place names:

Erami'ni-gammana: The village outskirts of Erami'ni shrubs; Mawanella division, Kegalle district

First published: Monday, 25 May 2015, 07:37