Know the Etymology: 271
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 07 August 2013

Nikaweratiya

நி[க்]கவெ₂ர[ட்]டிய
Nikavaeraṭiya

Nikaa+wæratiya

The heap of dried cow-dung
The abundance of dry cow-dung
The place for dried cow-dung

Wæratiya

(singular), Wærati (plural): Dried cow-dung (Sinhala); Va’raddi, Va’raaddi, Vara’li: Dried cow-dung cake (Tamil, DED 5321); Varati, Vara’li: Dried cow-dung cake for fuel (Malayalam, DED 5321); Ba’rati, Be’rati: Dried cow-dung cake (Kannada, DED 5321); Varata: Dried cow-dung cake (Telugu, DED 5321); Va’ra: The root from which words related to dryness are formed (Tamil, with cognates in 17 Dravidian languages, DED 5320); Va’ra’l: Drying up, dried item (Tamil, DED 5320); Va’radchi, Varadchi: Dryness (Tamil, DED 5320)

Nikaa

House, multitude, quantity, heap (Sinhala); Nikara: Flock, multitude, large quantity, abundance (Sinhala); Nikaaya: House, habitation (Sinhala); Nikara: Heap (Sanskrit, CDIAL 7137); Multitude (Pali, CDIAL 7137); ‘Nigara: Heap (Prakrit, CDIAL 7137); Nikaaya: Heap (Sanskrit, CDIAL 7140); Collection (Pali, CDIAL 7137); ‘Nikaaya: Heap (Prakrit, CDIAL 7140)

Nika-weratiya is a place that has got its name because of the heaps of dried cow-dung found there or because it was a place where dried cow dung was available in large quantities.

Dried cow-dung was a very valuable commodity in the past because of its use as fuel as well as manure.

Wæratiya (singular) and Wærati (plural) mean dried cow-dung in Sinhala.

The Sinhala words correspond to Va’raddi and Va’raaddi in Tamil, Varati in Malayalam, Ba’rati in Kannada and Varata in Telugu – all meaning the fuel item, made of cow-dung shaped like discs and dried in sunlight. Often this is produced as a commercial commodity.

Va’raddi and its cognates are taken as words of Dravidian etymology (DED 5321).

Va’raddi and cognates correspond to the Tamil/ Dravidian root Va’ra from which a host of words related to dryness, dried etc., are formed. Va’ra’l is one of the forms meaning drying up or a dried item. Note Va’rali is a synonym for Va’raddi in Tamil and Malayalam.

Va’ra-related words are found in 17 Dravidian languages (DED 5320).

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Nikaa in Sinhala mean a heap, multitude or quantity. Another related word Nikara means flock, multitude, large quantity and abundance in Sinhala.

The Sinhala words are cognates of Nikaaya and Nikara in Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit, with shades of meanings such as a heap, multitude, collection etc. (CDIAL 7137, 7140).

Nikaa and Nikaaya also mean house and habitation in Sinhala.

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Nikaweratiya is a place, which is now a divisional headquarters in Kurunegala district

First published: Wednesday, 07 August 2013, 18:53