Know the Etymology: 337
Place Name of the Day: Thursday, 10 April 2014

Moratu-wella, Hal-wella

மொர[ட்]டு வெ[æ]ல்ல
ஹால் வெ[æ]ல்ல
Moraṭuwælla
Hālwælla

Moratu+wælla
Haal+wælla

The seashore found with Morata shrubs

The rice fields

Wælla	Sandy place, sand, sandbank, seashore (Sinhala); Wæla: Shore, beach, seashore (Sinhala); Welala: Seashore, bank of a river, ferry (Sinhala); Wealaantara: Seashore (Sinhala); Welela: Bank of a river (Sinhala); Wel: Sandbank, seashore, beach (Sinhala); Wæli: Sand, gravel (Sinhala): Wera'la: Seashore, shore, coast, beach, wharf, quay (Sinhala); Wælakilla: Interception, preventing, hindering (Sinhala); Wælakima: Obstacle, impediment (Sinhala); Wealla: Terrace, elevated pathway, raised mound or bank in the paddy fields that dams in the waters and serves as a pathway (Sinhala); Wela: (singular), Wel (plural): Paddy field (Sinhala); Wealaa, Wealaawa: Time, boundary, limit, seashore, (Sinhala); Weala: Half a day, any portion of a day (Sinhala); Welaa, Welaawa: Time, occasion, opportunity, (Sinhala);
Vealaa	Limit, boundary, time, flood tide, shore, opportunity (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12115, CDIAL notes the word as probably Dravidian); Vealaa: Shore, time (Pali, CDIAL 12115); Shore, tide, time, opportunity (Prakrit, CDIAL 12115); Vealaa-tata: Seashore (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12116); Vealaanta: Boundary (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12117); Veala: Garden, grove (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12114)
Vealai	Sandy seashore (Tamil, Paripaadal, 19:18); Seashore (Tamil, Chilappathikaaram, 6:1); Sea (Tamil, Chilappathikaaram 6:131); limit or boundary set by sea (Tamil, Peayaazhvaar Paasuram 7); Veali: Fence, hedge, wall (Tamil, DED 5538); protective fence made of spikes, sticks, thorny shrubs etc., one that encompasses, boundary, limit by sea, paddy field tract, protection, measure of cultivation land (Changkam Tamil usages); Veal: Dart, spear, lance, javelin, trident, weapon (Tamil, DED 5536); Babul tree, a spiky acacia commonly found (Tamil, DED 5537); protective fence (Tamil, Pingkalam, 10:47); Vilakku: (verb) To prevent, obstruct; separate (noun) Hindrance, obstruction (Tamil, DED 5423); Ve'l: White, pure, shining, bright, to break as the day (Tamil, DED 5496a); Ve'l-enal: Dawning of the day (Tamil, DED 5496 a); Ve'l-ena: Early in the morning (Tamil, DED 5496a); Ve'li: Open space (Tamil, DED 5498); open field (Malayalam, DED 5498); Vea'lai: Time (Tamil, Thirumoolar 1365); Vealai: Time, boundary time (Tamil, Thirukku'ral 123:1, Ma'nimeakalai 21:52); Vaal: Whiteness (Tamil, DED 5364); Vaalithu: That which is white (Tamil, DED 5364); Vaalukam: White sand (Tamil, Chilappathikaaram, 6: 131)
Morata	Also Moarata: A sort of cassia shrub, Cassia articulata (Sinhala); Morataa, Moarataa: the creeping plant, Sanseviera zelanica, also called Niyanda (Sinhala). As natural vegetation, Cassia articulata is more appropriate to the landscape of Moratu-wella as well as Moratuwa
Haal	(plural), Haala (singular): Rice, plough (Sinhala); Haali, S'aali: 1.Rice in general; 2. Equivalent to Vee and Haal in Sinhala; 3. Two kinds of S'aali: one white and growing in deep water, and the other a red sort requiring only a moist soil (Sinhala); S'aali: Growing of unhusked rice, grains of rice (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12415); Saali: Rice (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 12415); Chaal: Furrow in ploughing, track of a sower while passing and re-passing in sowing (Tamil, DED 2470, Natti'nai, 340: 7); Chaali: Paddy, rice (Tamil); Paddy of red grains (Tamil, Changkam Diction, Porunaraattuppadai, 246); Chegn-chaali: Paddy of red grains (Tamil, Champanthar Theavaaram, 1: 60: 6); Chen-nel, Ve'n-nel: The red-grained and white-grained paddy respectively (Tamil, Ku'runthokai 53: 4-5, Akanaanoo'ru 340: 14)

Wælla in Sinhala commonly means a seashore, sandy place, sand bank or sand. Related words in Sinhala, such as Wæla,Welala, Welela and Wel also means a seashore or sandbank.

Wela commonly means a paddy field, and its plural form Wel means a field, seashore and sandbank in addition to paddy field.

In some Sinhala place names, Wælla also means a cultivation field, as could obviously be seen in instances like Haal-wælla (Haal means rice).

Another set of related words Wealaa, Wealaawa, Welaa and Welaawa in Sinhala have the shades of meaning corresponding to time and boundary.

All these words in Sinhala are ultimately connected to boundary in time and space (sea and land, ridges making a paddy field etc.) and they share a common etymology.

* * *

In the following comparison, note how the words in Sinhala have cognates in Tamil/ Dravidian, in a corresponding way:

Wælla, Wæla, Welala, Welela, Wel (seashore sandbank; Sinhala): Vealai (seashore, sandy seashore, sea; Tamil); Veali (fence, boundary, limit, limit by sea, Tamil, DED 5538)

Wealla (raised mound or bank in the paddy fields that dams in water; Sinhala): Veali (fence, hedge, wall; Tamil, DED 5538)

Wela, Wel (paddy field, field; Sinhala): Veali (paddy field, Tamil); Ve'li (open field, Tamil, DED 5498)

Wælakilla, Wælakima (interception, hindrance; Sinhala): Vilakku (obstruction, hindrance; Tamil, DED 5423)

Wealaa, Wealaawa, Welaa, Welaawa (Time, boundary, occasion, opportunity; Sinhala): Vea'lai (Time, occasion, opportunity; Tamil, from Ve'l meaning dawn, DED 5496)

Corresponding words, Velaa and Veala are also found in Indo-Aryan in the shades of meaning, boundary, seashore, time and garden. However, A Comparative Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages treats Velaa as a word of probable Dravidian origin (CDIAL, 12115)

* * *

Haal in Sinhala, meaning rice in general, is a cognate of Haali and S'aali in Sinhala meaning the same, and in addition meaning paddy.

S'aali in Sanskrit meaning grains of rice, Saali in Pali meaning rice and Chaali in Tamil meaning paddy and rice are corresponding words.

While S'aali and Saali are listed in CDIAL (12415), DED lists Chaal in Tamil (ploughed furrow as well as sowing track) as of Dravidian etymology (DED 2470). Chaali for paddy or rice is a word of Changkam diction and there is a probability that it is related to Chaal. Also note that Haal in Sinhala means rice as well as a plough.

Morata in Sinhala means the shrub, Cassia articulata. It is commonly called Aavarai in Tamil.

* * *

Moratu-wella (Moratu-wælla) is a coastal place in Moratuwa division of Colombo district.

Hal-wella (Haal-wælla) is in Narammala division of Kurunegala district.

* * *

Some related place names:

Wælla as seashore, beach, sandy place, sandbank and sand

Wella-watta: The garden or grove on the beach; or the garden or grove of the sandy place; Thimbirigasyaya division, Colombo district; Hikkaduwa division, Galle district

Han-wella: Hang-wælla: The covering sands; Hanwella division, Colombo district; Udadumbara division, Kandy district; Katupotha division, Kurunegala district; Weerambugedara division, Kurunegala district. Hang: skin; Hang-ga'nawaa: To hide, to conceal (Sinhala) Sudu-wella: The white sands; Colombo division, Colombo district; Delthota division, Kandy district; Dickwella division, Matara district; Madape division, Puththa'lam district

Wellam-pitiya: The sandy high ground plain; Kolonnawa division, Colombo district

Wellan-giriya: The sand mound; Kaduwela division, Colombo district. The place is located on a meandering course of the river Deduru Oya that deposits sand on the banks. Wællangiriya also means a climbing shrub, Paramignya monophyla in Sinhala

Avissa-wella: Avissaa-wælla: Hanwella division, Colombo district. The place is located at the confluence of the rivers Kelani and Seethawaka.

Ruwan-wella: The golden sands; Ruwanwella division, Kegalle district. The place is the confluence of the rivers Gurugoda Oya and Kelani Ganga

Korala-wella: Kora'la-wælla: The hard seashore; Moratuwa division, Colombo district. Kara'lu: hard (Sinhala); Karadu: rough, rugged (Tamil, DED 1265); Koral: coral; Korala: scaliness (Sinhala). There is no beach at this place facing the sea, especially at Koralawella South and the place is dammed to prevent erosion.

Wella-weediya: The beach road; Negombo division, Colombo district

His-wella: The vacant sandy place; Dompe division, Gampaha district. His: empty, vacant, void, unoccupied, (Sinhala)

Me-wella: Mæ-wælla: The big sandbank or the middle sandbank; Kelaniya division, Gampaha district. The place is in the middle or within a meander of the river Kelani Ganga.

Piti-wella: The high plain beach; Hikkaduwa division, Galle district. The sandy beach here is an elevated terrace.

Kalu-wella: The beach of dark sands; Galle Four Gravets division, Galle district. This is a place where a small river enters into sea and the sands are dark in colour.

Kumbal-wella: The sandy place of Kumbal plants; Galle Four Gravets division, Galle district

Wak-wella: The sandy place of the bent (of the river); Bope-Poddala division, Galle district. This is a place located at a sharp bent of the meandering Gin Ganga River. Wak: (adjective) crooked, bent, curved (Sinhala); Wangka: bend of a river, winding course of a stream, curve or bend in general (Sinhala); Vakra: crooked, curved (Sanskrit, possibilities of non-Aryan etymology noted, CDIAL 11185); Vakka: crooked (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 11185); Vanka: bent, crooked, bend of a river (Sanskrit, possibilities of non-Aryan etymology noted, CDIAL 11191); Vanki, Vanku (DED 5210, 5212); the root Va is related to curve in Dravidian (DED 5236, 5313, 5314)

Ma-wella: Maa-wælla: The big sandy beach; Imaduwa division, Galle district; Tangalle division, Hambantota district. This is a tourist place having a cove and a sandy beach

Dala-wella: The beach of glittering sands; or the beach of the deep cove; or the beach having a heap (of rocks); Habaraduwa division, Galle district. Dala: glittering, calix, half, cutting, heap.

Wella-addara-goda: The (rock) bank edge of the beach; Daluwella, Habaraduwa division, Galle district. This is a mound of rocks found in the sea adjacent to the Dalawella beach

Athuru-wella: The intermediate beach (between two places); Bentota division, Galle district

Wella-bada: The beach field; or the bank of the beach; Balapitiya division, Galle district; Hikkaduwa division, Galle district. Wel-bada: mound of earth raised in the paddy fields to dam in the water and serving as pathways and boundaries. Hence bada also means a cultivation field.

Baligas-wella: Probably, Wali-gas-wælla: The sandy place with jungle trees; Karandeniya division, Galle district. Bali > Wali: from Wala: wild, related to jungle (Sinhala)

Kuda-wella: The small sandy beach (compared to Maa-wella of the same place); Tangalle division, Hambantota district

Wella-odaya: The pond in the seashore; or the pond in the sands; Tangalle division, Hambantota district

Dick-wella: The long beach or the big beach; Dickwella division, Matara district

Thani-wella-gama: The village of the lonely beach; or the lonely beach village; Madampe division, Puththa'lam district

Maravila-wella: The beach of Maaravila village; Madampe/ Mahawewa division, Puththa'lam district. Maara-vila: the death pond or the pond of thorn apple (Datura fastuosa)

Mattakotu-wella: The beach of Mattakotuwa (mud enclosure) village; Mahawewa division, Puththa'lam district

Modara-wella: The seashore of the backwater mouth; Mahawewa division, Puththa'lam district

* * *

Wælla/ Wella/ Wel as cultivation fields:

Wellatha: Wel+atha: The side or quarter of paddy fields; Dodangoda division, Kalutara district

Wellana: Wellaana: The paddy fields; Welipitiya division, Matara district. The place has a stretch of paddy fields

Ela-wella: E'la-wælla, probably, Æla-wælla: The sands or fields of the stream; Madurawala division, Kalutara district. A stream called Kuda Ganga is flowing at this place.

Rambuk-wella: The fields of the Rambuk cane area; Udadumbara division, Kandy district. This is a place having terraced cultivation fields.

Raja-wella: The king's fields; or the dusty sands; Kundasale division, Kandy district

Le-wella: The red sandbank or the line of sand; KFG&G Korale division, Kandy district. The place is at the bank of river Mahaweli Ganga.

Parakata-wella: Literally means the excellent field or sands, but the geography shows that it means a rock-side field; Yatinuwara division, Kandy district

Udu-wella: The upper sandy place or cultivation fields; Ganga Ihala Korale division, Kandy district; Yakkamulla division, Galle district

Nika-wella: The sandy place or the cultivation field at the locality of a Nika tree or Nika shrubs; Rattota division, Matale district. Nika, Nika-gas: A tree of the Vitex species, also a medicinal shrub (Sinhala)

Wella-giriya: The hill of cultivation fields, or the hill at the sandy place; Hanguranketha division, Nuwara Eliya district. The place has a hill located at the side of a catchment area or streams flowing from the Pidurutalagala peak and is found with extensive terraced paddy fields. A related word Wellangiriya means a climbing shrub, Paramignya monophyla.

Yati-wella: The paddy fields at the bottom or the sands at the bottom; Walapane division, Nuwara Eliya district. This place is an expanse of terraced paddy fields

Halgaha-wella: The cultivation fields in the locality of Hal trees; Karandeniya division, Galle district

Puhul-wella: The pumpkin growing sandy field or cultivation field; Kirinda-Puhulwella division, Matara district

Palathuru-wella: Pa'lathuru-wælla: The sandy place or the cultivation field having fruit trees; Padiyathalawa division, Ampaa'rai district. Pala/ Pa'la: fruit (Sinhala); Pazham: ripe fruit (Tamil, DED 4004, verb root Pazhu); Pala-wæla: ripe fruit (Sinhala); Wæla: ripe (Sinhala); Vi'lai: mature ripen (Tamil, DED 5437); Turu: tree (Sinhala); Taru: tree (Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 5711)

Ambagaha-wella: Ambagaha-wælla: The cultivation fields in the mango trees locality; Ampaa'rai division, Ampaa'rai district

Uthuru-wella: The cultivation fields in the north; Polpithigama division, Kurunegala district

Wellarawa: Wellaraawa: Wel-araawa: The newly prepared and detached paddy field; Bingiriya division, Kurunegala district

Wellawa: Wellaawa: The paddy fields; Kurunegala division, Kurunegala district. Wellaawa also means the washerman's pot in Sinhala (Ve'l'laavi in Tamil)

Wera-wella: The paddy fields of the Buddhist monastery; Mallawapitiya division, Kurunegala district

Kaduru-wella: The paddy fields in the Kadurutrees locality; Weerambugedara division, Kurunegala district

Piduru-wella: The fields to get straw or dry grass; Weerambugedara division, Kurunegala district. Piduru: straw, dry grass (Sinhala)

Katu-wella: The thorny fields; Kuliyapitiya West division, Kurunegala district

Kotu-wella: The enclosed fields; or the small (Kota) fields; Pannala division, Kurunegala district

Hiripath-wella: Polgahawela division, Kurunegala district

Purudu-wella: The customary field; Mahawewa division, Puththa'lam district

Pan-wella: The field grown with Pan grass; Kahatagasdigiliya division, Anuradhapura district

Wellara-gama: Wellaara-gama, probably Wel-araawa-gama: The village of the newly prepared and detached paddy field; Mihitale division, Anuradhapura district

Wella-mudawa: The released paddy fields: Thirappane division, Anuradhapura district. Mudanawaa: to release, set free, set at liberty, emancipate; Mudaa: past participle of Mudanawaa

Muthu-wella: The fields cultivated of Muthu rice or the place of pearl-like sands; Welikanda division, Polonnaruwa district

Dik-wella: also Dik-wælla-gama: The village of long or big cultivation fields; Hali-Ela division, Badulla district

Pera-wella: The Pera tree fields; Uva Paranagama division, Badulla district

Wella-waya: Wella-waaya, from Wella-yaaya: The expanse of paddy fields; Wellawaya division, Moneragala district

Kota-wella: The small paddy field; Rambukkana division, Kegalle district

* * *

A place name mixed with Sinhala and Tamil words:

Wellamankaraya: Wellamang+karaya: The seashore (a combination of two words Wællamang and Karaya, meaning the same); or the place on the side of the seashore; or Sinhalicised form of Ve'l'lai-ma'n-karai: The shore of white sands; Wennapuwa division, Puththa'lam district. This is a place where the local Tamil coastal folk were Sinhalicised in recent times. Karai: shore, bank, ridge of a field, margin, edge, border (Tamil, DED 1293, Kare in Kannada, Kodagu and Tulu, and Kara in Malayalam and Telugu); Garre: near (Gonda, DED 1293); Karrak: bank, shore, brim, border, edging, near (Brahui of Pakistan, DED 1293); Karaa: near, proximate (Sinhala). This is a seaside place, but the name is written as Wella and not wælla

* * *

Wælla from Wæl, meaning a creeper:

Thitta-wella: The (place of) Thitta-wæl plants; Ganewatta division, Kurunegala district; Kurunegala division, Kurunegala district. Thiththa-wæl: A woody creeper, Anamirta paniculata (Sinhala), Kaakkaay-kolli (Tamil), fish berry. Wæl: creeper (Sinhala); Vallee: creeper (Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 11429, possible Tamil/ Dravidian origins noted); Va'l'li: climber, creeper (Tamil, DED 5316); creeper, vine, the pepper vine (Malayalam, DED 5316); Ba'l'li: creeper, vine (Kannada, Kodagu, DED 5316); creeper, betel vine (Tulu, DED 5316); Valli, Vallika: creeper, climbing plant (Telugu, DED 5316)

* * *

Morata:

Moratuwa: The place of Morata (Cassia articulata) shrubs; Moratuwa division, Colombo district

Moratu-mulla: The corner of Morata (Cassia articulata) shrubs; Moratuwa division, Colombo district

Moratuwa-gama: The village of Morata shrubs; Badalkumbura division, Moneragala district

First published: Thursday, 10 April 2014, 06:15