Know the Etymology: 76
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 15 March 2017

Tuṇṭi, Valit-tuṇṭal, Kobeyi-tuḍuva, Tuḍāva

துண்டி, வலித்துண்டல், கொபெ₃யி-துடு₃வ, துடா₃வ
Tuṇṭi, Valit-tuṇṭal, Kobeyi-tuḍuva, Tuḍāva

Tuṇṭi
Vali+tuṇṭal
Kobeyi+tuḍuva
Tuḍāva

The detached piece of high wasteland

The sandy detached piece of land

The detached piece of high ground found with doves

The detached piece of high ground

Tuṇṭi	a detached piece of high land left waste, wasteland surrounded by fields (Tamil, DED 3310, MTL); from Tuṇṭi: (verb) to cut, sever, divide, separate, be cut off, be detached (Tamil, DED 3310); Tuṇi: (verb) to be cut, severed, to cut off, be removed; (noun) piece, slice (Tamil, DED 3305); Tuṇṭu: piece, division, strip (Tamil, DED 3310); Tuṇṭam: piece, compartment, small plot of field (Tamil, DED 3310); Tuḍu: a piece of high ground projecting from the coast into the sea, or a piece of high ground that is set-apart or is free-standing amidst a low ground; "Muhudaṭa hō pahat bima ataraṭa nerāgiya usbima" (Sinhala, Sorata); Tuńḍu: = Tudu (Sinhala, Sorata); Tuńḍi, Tuńḍiyā, Tuńḍe: a sandy projection of land into sea, a spit (Dhivehi/ Maldivian, DBF). See box on Tuḍuva
Tuṇṭal	a piece of land that is recognised as freestanding in a landscape (Eezham Tamil place names); related to Tuṇṭam and Tuṇṭi. See box on Tuṇṭi
Tuḍuva	cape, promontory (Sinhala, Clough); Tuḍu: a piece of high ground projecting from the coast into the sea, or a piece of high ground that is set-apart or is free-standing amidst a low ground; "Muhudaṭa hō pahat bima ataraṭa nerāgiya usbima" (Sinhala, Sorata); Tuńḍu: = Tuḍu (Sinhala, Sorata); Tuṇḍu: bit, piece of paper, chit (Sinhala, Clough, Sorata); 1. Tuṇti: (verb) to cut, sever, divide, separate, be cut off, be detached; (noun) detached piece of high land left waste (Tamil, DED 3310); waste land surrounded by fields (Tamil, MTL); small arm of the sea (Tamil, DED 3310); Tuṇṭu: piece, bit, fragment, strip (Tamil, DED 3310); Tuṇṭam: piece, fragment, section, division, compartment, small plot of field (Tamil, DED 3310); Tuńḍi, Tuńḍiyā, Tuńḍe: a sandy projection of land into sea, a spit (Dhivehi/ Maldivian, DBF); 2. Tuḍu, Tuḍa: mouth, face, beak, bill, snout, point, corner, end (Sinhala, Clough); Tuṇḍa: bill, beak, mouth, face (Sinhala, Clough); Tuṭi: lip (Tamil, DED 3296); Toṇḍi: lip (Koraga, DED 3296); cognates in 9 Dravidian languages; Tuṇṭam: beak, bill, nose, elephant's trunk (Tamil, 3311); cognates in 8 Dravidian languages; Tuṇḍa: beak, trunk, snout (Sanskrit, Pali, non-IA origin and probable Munda origins are noted, CDIAL 5853)
Tuḍāva	variation of Tuḍuva. See box on Tuḍuva
Vali	sand, sandy (Eezham Tamil place names); Vālukam: sand, sand dune (Tamil, Cilappatikāram, 6: 131, 13: 161); Vāl: whiteness, purity, abundance (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, DED 5364). See columns 003 and 207
Kobeyi	also Kobeyiyā, Kobeyyā, Kobovi, Kobō, Kovu, Kovō: common Indian dove, Turtur risorius; spotted dove, also called Aḷu-kobeyiyā, Turtur suratensis; "Pareviyā, Kapōta nam pakṣiyā" (Sinhala, Sorata, Clough); Gūvā: dove (Kannada, DED 1930); Guvva: dove pigeon (Telugu, DED 1930); Kū: cooing as of a dove (Tamil, DED 1868); Kūvu: (verb) to crow, scream as a peacock, cry as a cuckoo or birds in general (Tamil, DED 1868); Kububu, Kubibi: a kind of outcry (Kannada, DED 1868); Kapōta: pigeon, dove (Sanskrit, the Sinhala word is probably due to Tamil influence, notes CDIAL 2753)

Tuṇṭi in Tamil means a piece of land, usually a high ground and wasteland that stands apart from the rest of the landscape.

The term is related to Tuṇṭu and Tuṇṭam meaning a piece, a small plot of land etc., corresponding to the verbs, Tuṇṭi and Tuṇi meaning to cut, sever, be cut off, detached etc.

All the said terms are listed as Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 3310, 3305).

Tuṇṭal, as seen in Valit-tuṇṭal is a variation of Tuṇṭu/ Tuṇṭam.

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Tuḍu/ Tuḍuva and its variation Tuńḍu in Sinhala correspond to Tuṇṭi/ Tuṇṭu/ Tuṇṭam in Tamil, in meaning and etymology. A cape or promontory, which is a detached piece of land, is an additional meaning found in Sinhala. This shade could be noticed in Dhivehi/ Maldivian also, in which, Tuńḍi/ Tuńḍiyā/ Tuńḍe mean a spit or a sandy strip projecting into the sea.

Note the presence and absence of nasalisation in the word forms.

Tuḍu in Sinhala also means beak or bill of a bird, mouth, snout, point, corner and end. This comes from a different etymon and corresponds to Tuṭi in old Tamil and in 9 other Dravidian cognates meaning lip, snout, beak, bill, mouth and face (DED 3296). Tuṇḍa in Sanskrit and Pali meaning the same is taken as Non-Indo-Aryan and probably Munda (CDIAL 5853).

However, the bill/ beak meaning doesn't seem to be related to the toponymic meaning of Tuḍu in Sinhala, even in meaning a cape or promontory. Most of the Tuduva place names are found in interior locations. The meaning, 'detached piece of land' is applicable to both the coastal and interior contexts.

The word form Tuḍāva, noticed in a few Sinhala place names, is a variation of Tuḍuva.

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Kobeyi and its variations (see box) in Sinhala mean the common Indian dove. The etymology is onomatopoeic, related to bird-sound, for which the Tamil cognates are Kū and Kūvu (DED 1868). The Sinhala word forms are closer to Kububu/ Kububi in Kannada.

See columns 003 and 207 for discussion on Vali meaning sand.

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Tuṇṭi is in Koḷumputtuṟai in Jaffna division of Jaffna district. The coastal place was earlier a detached wasteland that served as a cremation ground and a spot to dump waste.

Valit-tuṇṭal is a piece of sandy beach between Kīrimalai and Cēntāṉ-kuḷam in the Valikamam North division of Jaffna district. This is the only spot that has a sandy beach in the coastline of that area.

Kobeyi-tuḍuva is a place in Ambalangoda division of Galle district.

Tuḍāva is a place in Matara Four Gravets division of Matara district

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Some related place names:

Tunṭi:

Tuṇṭik-kāṭu: a locality in Mātakal, Valikamam Southwest, Jaffna, (Arul Subramaniam)

Tūṇṭāy: Karathuraippattu, Mullaiththeevu. Tuṇṭi+āy

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Tuḍuva:

Kirivat-tuḍuva: Homagama, Colombo

Neḷuvat-tuḍuva: Seethawaka, Colombo

Navut-tuḍuva: Mathugama, Kalutara

Kaha-tuḍuva: Homagama, Colombo

Hora-tuḍuwa: Kesbewa, Colombo

Bō-piṭiya-tuḍuva: Wattala, Gampaha

Hora-pē-tuḍuva: Wattala, Gampaha

Nā-tuḍuva: Mahara, Gampaha

Heyiyan-tuḍuva: Biyagama, Gampaha. Heya+āna+tuḍuva. Heya: bridge, causeway, mound in a paddy field (Clough). See column 338

Horē-tuḍuva: Panadura, Gampaha

Baṭa-doṁba-tuḍuva: Bandaragama, Kalutara

Digana-tuḍuva: Bandaragama, Kalutara

Moron-tuḍuva: Kalutara, Kalutara

Ińdi-gas-tuḍuva: Mathugama, Kalutara

Pẹṇi-tuḍuva: Pasbage Korale, Kandy

Gal-tuḍuva: Bentota, Galle

Bēra-tuḍuva: Balapitiya, Galle; Gonapeenuwala, Galle

Pala-tuḍuva: Tangalle, Hambantota

An-tuḍuvā-vela: Hali-Ela, Badulla

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Tuḍuvē, Tuḍu: (as prefix)

Tuḍuvē-gedara: Wattala, Gampaha

Tuḍu-gala: Dodangoda, Kalutara

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Tuḍāva:

Kimman-tuḍāva: Bandaragama, Kalutara

Bẹllan-tuḍāwa: Millaniya, Kalutara

Kẹnnan-tuḍāva: Millaniya, Kalutara

At-tuḍāva: Thihagoda, Matara. At: branch

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Tudẹlla:

Tuḍẹlla: Ja-Ela, Gampaha; Weligama, Matara

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Tunduva:

Tunduva: Bentota, Galle. Tunduva: probably, Tunḍuva: this is an inland place; there is a piece of scrub islet in the river at this place.

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Kobeyi, Kobō:

Kobō-nilla: Udadumbara, Kandy. Nilla: from Nila: house, place; "Gṛhaya, Sthānaya" (Sinhala, sorata); Nilai: place, residence (Tamil, DED 3675); from Nil: (verb) to stand, stop, halt (Tamil, DED 3675)

Kobeyi-ganē: Kobeigane, Kurunegala. Ganē: Gaṇa: multitude; Kana: side

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Notes:

Tuńḍu, Tuńḍi, Tuńḍiyā, Tuńḍe: (in Dhivehi/ Maldivian)

The terms in Dhivehi/ Maldivian mean a spit or sandbar projecting into the sea. Tuńḍu is the form found in the middle atolls; Tuńḍi and Tuńḍiyā in the Addu Atoll in the south and Tuńḍe in the Huvadhu Atoll. They also come as components in the names of the islands.

Examples: (Source: An Etymological Dictionary of Maldivian Island Names)

Dhiththuńdi: Di-tuńḍi: the long spit; Mulaku Atoll

Thuńdudashu Finolhu: Tuńḍu-daśu-finoḷu: the sandbank close to the spit; Hadhdhunmathi Atoll

Thuńḍufushi: Tuńḍu-fuśi: the island with a spit; Ari South Atoll

Thuńḍuhuraa: Tuńḍu-hurā: the islet with a spit

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Revised: Wednesday, 15 March 2017, 20:40

First published: Tuesday, 13 November 2007, 02:28