Know the Etymology: 317
Place Name of the Day: Thursday, 30 January 2014

Bora-gas-ketiya, Sora-bora

பொ₃ரக₃ஸ்கெ[ae]ட்டிய
ஸொரபொ₃ர
Boragaskaeṭiya
Sorabora

Bora+gas+kætiya
Sora+bora

The part of Bora trees.

The (place of) sediments and mud/ or the muddy refuse of the drain/ or the muddy land of Sora trees.

Bora 1	Also Bora-gas: Ligustrum robustum, a small tree that could grow up to 5 metres. It is usually found on the sides of streams and rivers. The wood is used in making tool handles (Sinhala)
Bora 2	Mud, clay, mire, sediment, dregs, lees, dross, refuse (Sinhala); Burude: Mud, mire (Kannada, Tulu, DED 4291); Buruda: Mud, mire (Telugu, Gadba, Gondi, DED 4291); Burda: Slush, mud, dirt (Konda, DED 4291)
Sora 1	Probably from Sorasa: Sediment (Sinhala); Chea’ru: Mud, mire, slush, liquid of thick consistency (Tamil, DED 2020); Churi: Thin mud, mire (Tamil, MTL); Roasu: Dirt, filth, odour; Roccu: Mud, mire, foul water (Kannada, DED 1019); Acha’ru: Mud, mire (Tamil, DED 41);
Sora 2	Probably from Sorahuwa: Spout, artificial drain, gutter, common sewer (Sinhala); Sorowwa: Drain, gutter, common sewer (Sinhala); Churi: Hole, aperture (Tamil, DED 2685); Churai: Hollowness, hollow interior, tube, cavity (Tamil, DED 2685); Surungaa: Subterranean passage (Sanskrit, CDIAL 13506); Saara’ni: Stream (Sanskrit, CDIAL 13356);
Sora 3	Also Sora-gaha, Hora: A large timber tree, Dipterocarpus zeylanicus (Sinhala)
Kætiya	Also Katiya, Kattiya, Katuwa, Kattuwa: A part, portion or enclosure of land, recognized with or without a physical boundary (Sinhala place names); Kæti, Kætiya: Ball, clod, lump (Sinhala); Kaddi, Kaddai: Meaning the same as Kætiya etc., in Sinhala (Eezham Tamil place names); Kaddi: Clod, lump, concretion (Tamil, DED 1148); Kaddu: Tie, fastening, building, bundle, dam (Tamil, DED 1147); Boundary as in Achchuk-kaddu (Tamil, DED 49). See column on Thoalai-kaddi

The component Bora is used in two different meanings in Sinhala place names.

In phrases such as Bora-gas, Bora clearly means a tree.

Bora as a tree is identified as Ligustrum robustum (The National Red List 2012). This is a shrub or a small tree that could grow up to 5 metres. It is usually found on the sides of streams and rivers. Its wood is used in making tool handles.

Bora also means mud, mire, sediment, dregs, lees, dross, refuse etc., in Sinhala. In some place names Bora is used in the above shades of meaning.

Probably, the Bora tree itself might have got the name as it usually grows on muddy or silted lands such as the banks of streams, rivers etc.

The Sinhala word Bora, in its shades of meaning mud, mire, dirt etc., is a cognate of the Dravidian terms, Burude in Kannada, Buruda in Telugu, Gadba and Gondi, and Burda in Konda (DED 4291).

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If the place name Sorabora is taken as a single phrase, then Sora could be related to Sorasa, meaning sediment in Sinhala. Sorabora may simply mean sediment and mud. Sora in the above sense of meaning is related to Tamil/ Dravidian cognates Chea’ru, Churi etc (DED 2020)

If Sora and Bora are taken as two different components, then Sora may be a derivate of Sorahuwa and Sorowwa in Sinhala, meaning a drain, gutter or sewer that produce mud, mire, dirt or refuse (Bora). The place name could be explained as the muddy refuse of the drain. Cognates for the said Sinhala words could be found in both Dravidian and in Indo-Aryan (DED 2685, CDIAL 13506). See table.

Sora or Sora-gaha is also a variation of Hora in Sinhala, meaning the large timber tree, Dipterocarpus zeylanicus.

For etymological explanations on Kætiya see table and also the column on Thoalai-kaddi

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Bora-gas-kætiya, also called by the shortened form Bora-gas, is a village in the Welimada division of Badulla district

Sora-bora is a place in Mahiyanganaya division of Badulla district

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Some related place names:


Bora as tree:

Bora-landa: The low jungle of Bora trees in the high ground; Welimada division, Badulla district

Bora-liya-watta: The grove to get Bora wood or sticks; Gampaha division, Gampaha district. Leeya: (singular), Lee (plural): wood, timber, stick, spar (Sinhala); Cilika: Stick and other small pieces of wood (Kannada, DED 2586); Chu’l’li: Dry twigs, esp. for fuel, small stick, branch (Tamil, DED 2706); Kazhi: Rod, staff, stick, handle of tool (Tamil, DED 1370); Ga’lu: Rafter (Tulu, DED 1370)

Boralessa: The thicket or jungle of Bora trees; Milaniya division, Kalutara district; Wennapuwa division, Puththa’lam district. Ressa and Lessa seem to mean multitude of a plant, bush, thicket or jungle; from Ræs, Ræsa: mass, crowd, multitude, company, collection (Sinhala); Raasi: heap, a measure of quantity (Sanskrit, CDIAL 10720); Læhæba: Thicket, bushy place, jungle (Sinhala)

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Bora as mud, clay, mire, sediment, refuse etc:

Dam-bora: The muddy or clayey land of Dambu trees; Paduka division, Colombo district

Bora-goda-watta: The garden or grove on the muddy or clayey bank; Minuwangoda division, Gampaha district

Bora-pola: The muddy or clayey open land; Mahaoya division, Ampaa’rai district

Bora-pola-gama: The village of the muddy or clayey open land; Mahaoya division, Ampaa’rai district

Bora-wewa: The muddy tank; or the silted tank; or the tank in the locality of Bora shrubs; Ambanpola division, Kurunegala district; Welikanda division, Polonnaruwa district

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Sora:

Sora-gune: The silt corner or the corner of Sora trees; Hildummulla division, Badulla district. Gune: A variation of Gane and Kona, meaning end, corner or angle (Sinhala)

Sorana-thota: Probably the ferry point of Sora trees; Soranathota division, Badulla district

First published: Thursday, 30 January 2014, 21:46