Know the Etymology: 123
Place Name of the Day: Saturday, 23 September 2017
Vellai
வெல்லை
VellaiVellai
The seashore
Vellai | seashore (Eezham Tamil place name term noticed in Delft and Puttalam); Etymology 1: Vēlai: sea, seashore (Tamil, MTL, Cilappatikāram, 6: 1; 6: 131; Tivākaram, 5: 38; 5: 41); time (Tamil, MTL, Tirukkuṟaḷ, 123: 1; Maṇimēkalai, 21: 52); limit, border (Tamil, MTL, Poykaiyāḻvār, 66; Pēyāḻvār, 7); Vēli: fence, hedge, wall (Tamil, DED 5538, cognates in 11 Dravidian languages); Etymology 2: Vēlā: limit, boundary, time (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12115; probable etymology traced to Dravidian Vēle, Vēḍa etc. in Gadba, Kuwi, Malto and Kurux meaning sun, daytime or time); shore, time (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 12115); Vēlā-taṭa: seashore (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12116); Vel, Velala, Vẹlla: seashore (Sinhala, Clough). See column 337 on Vẹlla in Sinhala |
The term Vellai is found used in the meaning of seashore in a few Eezham Tamil place names. The usage is comparable to Vel, Velala and Vẹlla meaning seashore in Sinhala.
The etymology could be traced to Vēlai in old Tamil meaning sea or seashore as well as limit, boundary, time etc., and to Vēlā-related terms in Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit meaning limit, boundary, time and seashore. CDIAL 12115 notes probable Dravidian etymology to Vēlā in Sanskrit.
As limit or boundary in space or time seems to be the root meaning, Vēli in Tamil/ Dravidian is another term to bring in for comparison.
* * *Vēlai meaning seashore:"வேலை மடல் தாழை" (சிலப்பதிகாரம், 6: 1)
"Vēlai maṭal tāḻai" (Cilappatikāram, 6: 1)
The bough-branched screw pines of the seashore
"வேலையும் பாராவாரமுங் கடற்கரை" (திவாகரம், 5: 41)
"Vēlaiyum pārāvāramuṅ kaṭaṟkarai" (Tivākaram, 5: 41)
Vēlai and Pārāvāram mean seashore
Vēlai meaning sea:"வேலை வாலுகத்து விரி திரைப் பரப்பில்" (சிலப்பதிகாரம், 6: 131)
"Vēlai vālukattu viri tiraip parappil" (Cilappatikāram, 6: 131)
In the expanse of white sand brought by the sea
"…வேலை…கடல் எனக் கருதுவர்" (திவாகரம், 5: 38)
Vēlai is taken as meaning sea
Vēlai meaning limit or boundary:"கார்க் கடல் நீர் வேலை பொழில்" (பேயாழ்வார், 7)
"Kārk kaṭal nīr vēlai poḻil" (Pēyāḻvār, 7)
The world bordered by the dark seawater
Vēli meaning limit or boundary:"பெரு நீர் வேலி எம் சிறு நல் ஊரே" (குறுந்தொகை, 345: 7)
"Peru nīr vēli em ciṟu nal ūrē" (Kuṟuntokai, 345: 7)
Bordered by the great waters (sea) is our humble good village
* * *Vellai comes as a place name in Neṭintīvu (Delft) Island/ division of Jaffna district (Delft OIS), and in Kāraitīvu Island, off Kaṟpiṭṭi peninsula in Kalpitiya division of Puttalam district (Kalpitiya OIS). Both are seashores.
* * *Some related place names:Vellaik-kaḻi: Delft, Jaffna (Delft OIS). This is a backwater close to the seashore place called Vellai; Kaḻi: backwater, sea-arm, lagoon
Vellaṅ-karai: near Nācciyammā-geṅkai, Kaṟpiṭṭi, Puttalam (Kalpitiya OIS). This is a seashore place. Karai also means shore
Vellai-muntal: Ilavaṅkuḷam, Puttalam (Kalpitiya OIS). This is a promontory. See column 125
Vellamaṅ-karaya: Wennapuwa, Puttalam. This is a seashore place. See Vellaṅ-karai
* * *
Revised: Sunday, 23 September 2017, 18:30
First published: Wednesday, 25 February 2009, 23:26
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