Know the Etymology: 114
Place Name of the Day: Saturday, 07 October 2017

Kiḷāli, Pulōli

கிளாலி, புலோலி
Kiḷāli, Pulōli

Kiḷā+āli
Pulō+ōli/ Pula+ōli

The pond in the area of Kiḷā shrubs

The paddy-field pond

Āli	seems to be meaning a small pond (Eezham Tamil place names, especially in Jaffna Peninsula); Etymology 1: Āl: water, flood (Tamil, DED 384); water (Malayalam, DED 384); Āli: raindrops, hail, opening shower of the rainy season (Tamil, DED 384, Akanāṉūṟu, 108: 3-5; 323: 12); Ālam: water (Tamil, Malayalam, DED 384); cognates in 7 Dravidian languages; Āla: hole for water (Sanskrit, CDIAL 1353); small stream or pond (Prakrit, CDIAL 1353); Etymoogy 2: Ōli: a spring, temporary well (Malayalam, DED 999). See box on Ōli
Ōli	seems to be meaning a small pond (Eezham Tamil place names, especially in Jaffna Peninsula); a spring, temporary well (Malayalam, DED 999); Olikka: (verb) to flow, run as water (Malayalam, DED 999); Oliyal: river (Tamil, DED 999). See box on Āli
Kiḷā	= Kaḷā (Tamil, MTL, Kathiraiverpillai); a thorny shrub, Carissa spinarum, "Ciṟu-kaḷā"; Carissa carandas, "Peruṅ-kaḷā" (Tamil, DED 1377, Puṟanāṉūṟu, 177: 9); the shrub is noted for its black fruits, "Kākkaiyiṟ kariyatu kaḷām paḻam" the fruit of Kaḷā is darker than a crow (saying in Tamil); Kāla, Kāḷa: black, dark (Sanskrit, Pali, etymology is traced to Dravidian, CDIAL 3083); Kāḻ: blackness (Tamil, Kannada, DED 1494)
Pulō	field, cultivation field (Eezham Tamil, variation of Pulavu, Pulam; see column 249)

Āli and Ōli are suffixes that come in some Eezham Tamil place names especially in Jaffna Peninsula.

The suffixes probably mean a small pond or natural water source, as could be deduced from examples marked in maps, such as Kiḷālik-kuḷam and Ōvālik-kuḷam, which are small natural ponds (Pooneryn OIS, Point Pedro OIS).

Both Āli and Ōli are terms related to water or water source (see boxes on Āli and Ōli).

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Kiḷāli is a place in Pachchilaippalli division of Kilinochchi district.

Pulōli is in Vadamaradchi North division of Jaffna district.

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Some related place names:

Āli:

Ōvāli: Pachchilaippalli, Kilinochchi. Probably, Ō+āli or Ōvu+āli; Ō: shutter or other means to stop the flow of water (Tamil, DED 1027, Cilappatikāram, 10: 109); Ōvu: floodgate, sluice, drain (Malayalam, DED 1027);

Navāli: Valikamam Southwest, Jaffna. Probably, Navu+āli, meaning a sinkhole pond; Navu: to become soft, rot (Tamil, DED 3617); note the place name Navukkiri, where a sinkhole cum tidal well is found and other examples such as Navuṇṭil, Navuṇṭāṉ, Navaṉi-kuḷam etc.

Virāli: Karaithuraippattu, Mullaiththeevu. This place name may be related to Virāli shrub; Dodonea viscosa (Tamil, DED 5410A); or note place name like Virāl-muṟippu, where Virāl means a pond fish (see column 41)

Arāli: Valikamam West, Jaffna

Pilāli-vempu: Poratheevuppattu, Batticaloa. Pila+āli; Pilam: 1. cavern; 2. = pulam; paddy field

Palāli: Valikamam North, Jaffna. From Pāl+āli ?

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Kiḷā:

Kiḷāṉ: a locality in Karaveṭṭi, Jaffna. Kiḷā+āṉ (attributive suffix)

Kiḷāṉai: a locality in Tuṉṉālai, (Balasundaram, p. 211); a locality in Ūreḻu, Valikamam East, Jaffna (V. Almanac, 2013-14, p. 120)

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Revised: Sunday, 07 October 2017, 18:30

First published: Sunday, 23 November 2008, 19:14