Know the Etymology: 75
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 14 July 2017

Pūlāk-kāṭu, Pūlaṅ-kāṭu, Pulun-gas-mulla, Ilavaṅ-kuḷam, Ilakaṭi, Iṁbul-golla, Hiṁbiliya-golla

பூலாக்காடு, பூலங்காடு, புலுன்க₃ஸ்முல்ல, இலவங்குளம், இலகடி, இம்பு₃ல்கொ₃ல்ல, ஹிம்பி₃லியகொ₃ல்ல
Pūlāk-kāṭu, Pūlaṅ-kāṭu, Pulun-gas-mulla, Ilavaṅ-kuḷam, Ilakaṭi, Iṁbul-golla, Hiṁbiliya-golla

Pūlā+kāṭu
Pūl+am+kāṭu
Pulun+gas+mulla
Ilavam+kuḷam/ Ilavu+am+kuḷam
Ilaku+aṭi
Iṁbul+golla
Hiṁbili+a+golla

The jungle of red silk-cotton trees

The jungle of red silk-cotton trees

The multitude of red silk-cotton trees; or the corner having a red silk-cotton tree; or the locality of a red silk-cotton tree

The tank in the locality of a red silk-cotton tree or trees

The red silk-cotton tree locality

The grove or jungle of red silk-cotton trees

The grove or jungle of red silk-cotton trees

Pūlā	red silk-cotton tree, Bombax malabaricum (Tamil, DED 4378); Pūl: red silk-cotton tree (Tamil, Tolkāppiyam, 375); Pūḷa: silk-cotton tree, Bombax malabaricum (Malayalam, DED 4378); Pūḷai: red silk-cotton (Tamil, DED 4378); the cotton balls in the pod of Bombax malabaricum (Tamil, Akanāṉūṟu, 199: 9-11); the cotton wool of Bombax malabaricum used in stuffing mattresses, pillows etc. (Tamil, Cīvakacintāmaṇi, 1628); Pūḷaip-pañcu: the cotton wool of red silk-cotton (Tamil, MTL, Winslow); Puḷuṉ: cotton used in stuffing pillows (Sinhala, Clough); Puḷun-iṁbul: silk cotton tree (Sinhala, Clough); Iṁbul-puḷun: the tree cotton used in stuffing pillows etc. (Sinhala, Clough); Pulun: cotton wool obtained from Bombax malabaricum etc., "Kapu-iṁbul ādi geḍivala hẹdena itā hīn keńdi sahita dravyaya" (Sinhala, Sorata); Puḷḷe: plume, feather (Tulu, DED 4358); Pūṭa: down of birds, wool, fine hair (Malayalam, DED 4358); cognates in 15 Dravidian languages
Pūl	red silk-cotton tree (Tamil, Tolkāppiyam 375). See box on Pūlā
Pulungas	red silk-cotton tree; from Pulun/ Puḷun meaning the wool of the pod of the tree (Sinhala, Sorata, Clough). See box on Pūlā
Ilavu	also, Ila, Ilavam: red flowered silk-cotton tree, Bombax malabaricum (Tamil, DED 495, Naṟṟiṇai, 105: 1; Kuṟiñcippāṭṭu, 86; Porunarāṟṟuppaṭai, 27; Cīvakacintāmaṇi, 13: 43); cognates in 7 Dravidian languages; Muḷ-ilavu: = Ilavu, Bombax malabaricum (Tamil, MTL, Cīvakacintāmaṇi, 788)
Ilaku	a variation of Ilavu (Eezham Tamil usage, place names); a tree (Tamil, Kathiraiverpillai)
Iṁbul	cotton tree, Eriodendron anfractuosum, Bombax heptaphyllum; the tree cotton used in stuffing pillows etc. (Sinhala, Clough, the botanical terms are synonyms of Bombax malabaricum); "Simbalī nam gas" (Sinhala Sorata); Kaṭu-imbul: red cotton tree, Bombax malabaricum (Sinhala, Clough; Kaṭu: thorn; see Muḷ-ilavu in Tamil); Simbalī, Siṁbala, Siṁbul, Hiṁbul: = Iṁbul (Sinhala, Sorata); Simbala: flower or fruit of Bombax heptaphyllum (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12351); traced to Simba: pod, legume (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12445); Simpu, Simpi: ouster shell (Kannada, DED 2535); Cippi, Ippi: shell (Tamil, DED 2535)
Hiṁbiliyā	seems to be variation of Simbalī, Hiṁbul: = Iṁbul (Sinhala, Sorata). See box on Iṁbul
Aṭi	locality (Tamil, DED 72). See column 56
Kuḷam	pond, tank (Tamil, DED 1828). See column 18
Kāṭu	forest, jungle (Tamil, DED 1438). See another column
Mulla: 1.	corner, angle, (Sinhala, Clough); 2. Mul+a; Mul: = Muḷu, assemblage, multitude "Samūhaya, Rāśiya (Sinhala, Sorata); 3. Mul: neighbourhood, "Samīpaya" (Sinhala, Sorata). See another column
Golla	grove (Sinhala, Clough); jungle, thicket, multitude, "Golu" (Sinhala, Sorata). See another column

Pūl, Pūlā, Ilavu, Ilavam and Ilaku seen in Eezham Tamil place names, and Pulun-gas, Iṁbul and Hiṁbili coming in Sinhala place names, mean the red silk-cotton tree. Pūḷai in Tamil and Puḷun/ Pulun in Sinhala mean the silk-cotton stuff of its pod that is used in stuffing pillows, mattresses etc. The tree is widely found in the island.

See relevant boxes above for etymology and examples below for usages

* * *

Ila meaning red silk-cotton tree:

“இல மலர் அன்ன அம் செந் நா” (அகநானூறு, 142: 1)

“Ila malar aṉṉa am cen nā” (Akanāṉūṟu, 142: 1)

The beautiful red tongue like the flower of red silk-cotton tree


Ilavam meaning red silk cotton tree and Pūḷai meaning its silk-cotton stuff:

“நீள் அரை இலவத்து அலங்கு சினை பயந்த பூளை அம் பசுங் காய் புடை விரிந்தன்ன வரிப்புற அணில்” (பெரும்பாணாற்றுப்படை, 83-85)

"Nīḷ arai ilavattu alaṅku ciṉai payanta pūḷai am pacuṅ kāy puṭai virintaṉṉa varippuṟa aṇil" (Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai, 83-85)

The squirrel of the lined back that resembles a cracked pod yielded by the swinging branch of the tall-stemmed Ilavam


Ilavu meaning silk-cotton tree:

"இலவு காத்த கிளி"

"Ilavu kātta kiḷi" (A saying in Tamil)

The parrot that waited for the Ilavu (fruit to ripe and got disappointed as it turned into silk cotton)


Pūl meaning red silk-cotton tree:

“பூல் வேல் என்றா ஆல் என் கிளவியொடு ஆ முப் பெயர்க்கும் அம் இடை வருமே” (தொல்காப்பியம், 375)

“Pūl vēl eṉṟā āl eṉ kiḷaviyoṭu ā mup peyarkkum am iṭai varumē” (Tolkāppiyam, 375)

For the three (tree) names, Pūl, Vēl and Āl, the empty morpheme Am would come in conjunction [Note the grammatical rule followed in Pūlaṅ-kāṭu; Pūl+am+kāṭu > Pūlam-kāṭu > Pūlaṅkāṭu. In Pūlāk-kāṭu, the prefix is Pūlā, hence the conjunction form is different]


Pūḷai meaning the silk-cotton balls of the pod of red silk-cotton tree:

"செந்நாய் எடுத்தலின் வளிமுனை பூளையின் ஒய்யென்று அலறிய கெடுமான் இனநிரை" (அகநானூறு, 199: 9-11)

"Cennāy eṭuttaliṉ vaḷimuṉai pūḷaiyiṉ oyyeṉṟu alaṟiya keṭumāṉ iṉanirai" (Akanāṉūṟu, 199: 9-11)

Like cotton balls of red silk cotton facing wind, the herd of deer that swiftly dispersed at the attack of brownie dog (a wild dog)

* * *

Pūlāk-kāṭu is a place in Koralaippattu division of Batticaloa district

Pūlaṅ-kāṭu comes as a place name in Manthai West division of Mannar district. It also comes as a locality name in Vaṭaliyaṭaippu in Valikamam Southwest division of Jaffna district

Pulun-gas-mulla is a place in Padiyathalawa division of Amparai district

Ilavaṅ-kuḷam is a place in Vannaththivillu division of Puttalam district (the tank and the village are marked as Ilavankulam in Kalpitti OIS).

Ilakaṭi is a place in Karaingar division of Jaffna district. It comes as a locality name in Kōppāy in Valikamam East division of Jaffna district (Balasundaram, p. 252)

Iṁbul-golla is in Ambanganga Korale division of Matale district.

Hiṁbiliya-golla is in Welimada division of Badulla district.

* * *

Some related place names:

Pūlā:

Pūlā-vala: Mahaoya, Ampara. Vala: forest

* * *

Ilavu/ Ilavam:

Ilava-kuḷam: Manthai West, Mannar

* * *

Ilaku:

Ilakaṭip-piṭṭi: Nanaddan, Mannar

Ilakaṭik-kuḷam: Point Pedro OIS

* * *

Iṁbul:

Iṁbulan-vala: Mirigama, Gampaha. Vala: forest

Iṁbul-ōviṭa: Varakapola, Kegalle. Ōviṭa: low ground

Iṁbul gas-ōviṭa: Mirigama, Gampaha

Iṁbul-goḍa: Gampaha, Gampaha; Akuressa, Matara; Alawwa, Kurunegala; Polgahawela, Kurunegala; Hali-Ela, Badulla. Goḍa: see column 160

Mā-iṁbula: Attanagalla, Gampaha

Iṁbul-liha: Bandaragama, Kalutara. Liha: probably Liya: part

Iṁbula-hēna: Millaniya, Kalutara. Hēna: see column 21

Iṁbulē-tẹnna: Hatharaliyadda, Kandy. Tẹnna: high plain

Iṁbul-mal-gama: Yatinuwara, Kandy

Iṁbul-deṇiya: Udunuwara, Kandy. Deṇiya: see column 277

Iṁbul-piṭiya: Pasbage Korale, Kandy; Ukuwela, Matale; Dihiovita, Kegalle. Piṭiya: see column 163

Iṁbulan-daṇḍa: Matale. Matale. Daṇḍa: forest

Iṁbula: Hikkaduwa, Galle

Iṁbul-goḍayā-gama: Maho, Kurunegala

Iṁbulāna: Polgahawela, Kurunegala; Ruwanwella, Kegalle. Āna: place, forest, see column 162

Iṁbul-pē: Imbulpe, Ratnapura. Pē: grove

Iṁbula-mura: Balangoda, Ratnapura. Mura: see column 301

Mas-imbula: Godakawela, Ratnapura

Koṭṭiṁbul-vala: Weligepola, Ratnapura. Kaṭu-iṁbul-vala

Iṁbul-gas-deṇiya: Rambukkana, Kegalle

Iṁbul-gala: Galigamuwa, Kegalle. Gala: hill

* * *

Hiṁbili:

Hiṁbiliyā-kada: Wilgamuwa, Matale. Kaḍa: forest

* * *



* * *


Revised: Friday, 14 July 2017, 18:30

First published: Tuesday, 06 November 2007, 19:25