Know the Etymology: 119
Place Name of the Day: Tuesday, 28 February 2017

Cippit-taṟai, Varakut-taṟai, Taṭṭān-tarai

சிப்பித்தறை, வரகுத்தறை, தட்டாந்தரை
Cippit-taṟai, Varakut-taṟai, Taṭṭān-tarai

Cippi+taṟai
Varaku+taṟai
Taṭṭāi+tarai

The shelly paddy field

The field to cultivate Varaku millet

The flat ground

Taṟai paddy field (Eezham Tamil, Codrington); general term for paddy field (Tamil, inscription, c. 1000 CE, TAS, ii, p. 173-207); Tara, as in Diya-tara: fields worked by irrigation and not depending on rain alone, "Vẹv ādiyehi diyen vahā karaṇa kuṁbura" (Sinhala, Codrington, Sorata); 1. Taṟai: land, ground (Tamil, MTL, Tēvāram, 7: 50: 8); Tarai: the earth (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Paripāṭal, 2: 44); soil, land, ground (Tamil, MTL); Tarāy: high ground in a paddy field used for threshing (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Malaipaṭukṭām, 460); Dara, Darā: the earth, "Poḻova" (Sinhala, Sorata); Dharā: the earth (Sanskrit, Manu, CDIAL 6748); Dharaṇi: ground (Sanskrit, CDIAL 6744); 2. Taṛi, Toṛiy, Toṛey: earth, soil (Gondi, DED 3283); Toṛi: earth, soil, clay (Gondi, DED 3283); 3. Tāṛ, Taṛānā: to dig (Gondi, DED 3122); Travvu: to dig, excavate, scoop, unearth, stir up (Telugu, DED 3122);
Tarai the earth, soil, land, ground (Tamil, MTL). See box on Taṟai
Cippi shell (Tamil, DED 2535, cognates in 6 Dravidian languages). Sippī: shell (Sanskrit, etymology traced to Tamil/ Dravidian, CDIAL 13417). See column 227
Varaku common millet, Paspalum scrobiculatum, poor man's millet, Paspalum crusgalli (Tamil, DED 5260, Kuṟuntokai, 220: 1); Vārā: a millet, "Tṛuṇadhānya viśēṣayak" (Sinhala, Sorata). See column 60
Taṭṭai flatness (Tamil, DED 3035); Taṭṭu: anything flat, area, plain surface, floor (Tamil, DED 3035); Taṭṭu: (verb) to pat, to strike, hammer (Tamil, DED 3039); Taṭa: broad (Tamil, DED 3020); Taṭam: width, expanse (Tamil, DED 3020); Taṭṭa: flat bowl (Pali, etymology traced to Tamil/ Dravidian, CDIAL 5631)


Taṟai means a cultivation field in Eezham Tamil place names. Early examples of usage in this shade of meaning could be seen in Tamil inscriptions coming especially from the Travancore region. Sinhala has a cognate as in the phrase Diya-tara, meaning an irrigated paddy field (Sorata). Tarāy in Caṅkam Tamil diction means a threshing floor in a paddy field.

Taṟai in meaning a cultivation land may correspond to Tarai meaning the earth, soil, land and ground in Tamil, Dara/ Darā meaning the earth in Sinhala and Dharā meaning the earth in Sanskrit (CDIAL 6748). The root in Sanskrit is traced to Dhṛ, meaning, fixed or firm in Rig Vedic Sanskrit (M. Williams). The usage of Dharā is relatively later in Sanskrit. See box for the Dravidian parallels in Gondi meaning earth and soil (DED 3283). Taṟai as a cultivation field may also correspond to the verbs Taṛ, Taṛānā and Travvu in Gondi and Telugu meaning to dig, scratch etc. (DED 3122).

* * *


Taṟai meaning paddy field:

"கல்லூர்ப் புனம் நூற்றைம்பது பறை தத்தையார் தறை இருபத்தைம் பறை" (Tamil inscription, c. 1000 CE, Travancore Archaeological Series, II, p. 173-207)

"Kallūrp puṉam nūṟraimpatu paṟai Tattaiyār taṟai irupattaim paṟai" (Tamil inscription, c. 1000 CE, Travancore Archaeological Series, II, p. 173-207)

150 measures (of paddy) from the dry cultivation field (Puṉam) of Kallūr village and 25 measures (of paddy) from the paddy field (Taṟai) of Tattaiyār (a personal name)

* * *

Varaku is the term for common millet in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 5260). Varā is the cognate in Sinhala (Sorata)

Usage example for Varaku millet:

“பழ மழைக் கலித்த புதுப் புன வரகு” (குறுந்தொகை, 220: 1)

"Paḻa maḻaik kalitta putup puṉa varaku" (Kuṟuntokai, 220: 1)

The Varaku crop that had flourishing growth by prolonged rain in the newly prepared slash-and-burn field

* * *

Cippi/ Ippi meaning shell, oyster etc., in Tamil is listed as Dravidian (DED 2535). Sippī meaning shell in Sanskrit is traced to Dravidian by CDIAL. See column 227 for usages in Sinhala.

Taṭṭai meaning flatness in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 3035) is related to the verb Taṭṭu (DED 3039) meaning to strike. Tamil and Sinhala have many related derivatives ranging from eating plate to floor in a building and sides in a game field. Taṭṭa in Pali meaning flat bowl is traced to Dravidian (CDIAL 5631)

* * *


Cippit-taṟai is a paddy field and locality name in Āṉaikkōṭtai in Valikamam Southwest division of Jaffna district. The paddy field is in lagoon coast alkaline soil, embedded with shells.

Varakut-taṟai is a place noted in the British records (1819-1839) in Mēlpaṟṟu East division (Vavuniya North) of Vavuniya district (Aruna Selladurai, p. 115)

Taṭṭān-tarai is a locality in Kaccāy in Thenmaratchi division of Jaffna district (V. Almanac)

* * *


Some related place names:

Tarai:


Poṉṉā-taṟai: Polikaṇṭi, Vadamaratchi Northeast, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 173). Poṉ: gold, wealth (Tamil, DED 4750)

* * *


Cippi:


Ciṉṉa-cippik-kuḷam: Vengalacheddikulam, Vavuniya. Ciṉṉa: a comparison to another larger place that had the name Cippik-kuḷam. Cippi: freshwater oyster or cockle in this context

Periya-cippik-kuḷam: Vengalacheddikulam, Vavuniya (British records, Aruna Selladurai, p. 109). See Ciṉṉa-cippik-kuḷam

* * *


Varaku:


Varā-hēna: Bentota, Galle

* * *


Taṭṭai:


Taṭṭā-malai: Oddusuddan, Mullaiththeevu

Taṭṭaiya-malai: Oddusuddan, Mullaiththeevu

Kāṭṭut-taṭṭā-malai: Karaithuraippattu, Mullaiththeevu

Taṭṭān-talai: Karaithurippattu, Mullaiththeevu

Taṭṭaik-kal: Kuchchaveli, Trincomalee


Revised: Monday, 28 February 2017, 16:24

First published: Friday, 09 January 2009, 21:39

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