Know the Etymology: 341
Place Name of the Day: Tuesday, 29 April 2014

Moodu-gamuwa

மூது₃க₃முவ
Mūdugamuva

Moodu+gamuwa

The seaside village

Moodu

(plural), Mooda (singular): Sea, ocean (Sinhala); Muhudu: (plural), Muhuda (singular): Sea, ocean (Sinhala); Muhudu-bada: Sea coast (Sinhala); Moodu: Pertaining to sea (Sinhala); Samudra: Sea (Sanskrit, CDIAL 13236); Humuda > Muhuda: Etymology traced by CDIAL; Muthu-kadal, Muthu-kayam, Muthu-neer: Sea, ocean, in recognition of its expanse, largeness etc. (Tamil); Muthu: Old, ancient, matured as well as large, great, abundant (Tamil, DED 4954, Changkam usages. Muthu as Urichchol means large, great, intense etc.); Muhu: Maturing, the word becomes Moo in word forms such as Mooka'laana meaning a large or old forest (Sinhala). See column on Mooka'laana.

Gamuwa

Also Gamu, Gama, Gaamaka, Graamaya: Village (Sinhala); Graama: Troop, village (Sanskrit, CDIAL 4368); Gaama: Village (Pali, CDIAL 4368); Collection, village (Prakrit, CDIAL 4368)

Moodu and Muhudu as plural forms, and Mooda and Muhuda as singular forms, are common words in Sinhala meaning sea or ocean.

In combinations, the word Moodu also means anything pertaining to sea.

A Comparative Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages (CDIAL) traces the etymology of Muhuda to Humuda (exchange of syllables) and to Samudra in Sanskrit (CDIAL 13236).

Another possibility is the relationship of Moodu/ Muhudu with the phrases Muthu-kadal, Muthu-kayam and Muthu-neer in Tamil, meaning sea or ocean. The prefix Muthu in the Tamil phrases stands for largeness, expanse and abundance, apart from meaning old or ancient (DED 4954 and Changkam usages). Related to the same root, Muhu and Moo in Sinhala mean the same. See column on Mooka'laana.

Usage of Muthu in phrases meaning sea or ocean:

“Muthu-neer mun thu'rai Musu'ri” (Akanaanoo'ru, 57: 15)

“முது-நீர் முன் துறை முசுறி” (அகநானூறு, 57: 15)

The port (city) Musu'ri, facing the large, expanding or old water (sea)

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Moodu-gamuwa is in Weligama division of Matara district

First published: Tuesday, 29 April 2014, 06:23