Know the Etymology: 342
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Wela-mitiyaawa

வெலமிட்டியாவ
Velamiṭiyāva

Wela+mitiyaawa

The low ground or valley of paddy fields

Mitiyaawa	Low place, any low ground, valley (Sinhala); Mitiyaa: Dwarf (Sinhala); Miti: (adjective) Short, dwarfish, low, deep (Sinhala); Maddam: Smallness, inferiority, deficiency, decrease (Tamil, DED 4661); Matta, Mattu, Motta: Shortness, smallness, decreasing, growing less (Kannada, DED 4661); Mataha: Little (Sanskrit, only in lexicons, CDIAL 9723: 6); Mataahaka: Short, small (Pali, CDIAL 9723)
Wela	Paddy field (Sinhala); Veali: Paddy field (Tamil, from the ridges of a paddy field, DED 5538); Vi’lai: cultivation land (Tamil, Kanyakumari district, from crop, DED 5437); Veala: Garden, grove (Sanskrit, only in lexicons, CDIAL 12114). See columns on Bandarawela, Achchu-veali, Haal-wella

Mitiyaawa means a low ground or valley in Sinhala. A related word Mitiyaa in Sinhala means a dwarf and Miti as an adjective means short, dwarfish, low or deep.

The Sinhala words correspond to Maddam in Tamil and Matta/ Mattu in Kannada, listed as Dravidian words, meaning smallness, shortness, decreasing etc. (DED 4661). Pali has a related word Mataahaka, meaning short or small, but its cognate Mataha in Sanskrit is found only in the lexicons (CDIAL 9723: 6)

Wela, meaning a paddy field in Sinhala, corresponds to Veali in Tamil/ Dravidian meaning a paddy field (DED 5538) or Vi’lai in Tamil/ Dravidian meaning crop, and in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu meaning a cultivation field (DED 4661). Sanskrit diction has a related word Veala, found only in the lexicons, meaning a garden or grove (CDIAL 12114). See earlier columns for etymological discussions.

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Wela-mitiyaawa is in Dambulla division of Matale district. This is a valley of paddy fields surrounded by hills.

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Some related place names:

Bak-mitiyaawa: Probably, the valley of cranes or the valley of Bakmee trees; Damana division, Ampaa’rai district. The place, with a tank close by, is located on the valley of a big, forested hill range. Baka: Crane or paddy bird (Sinhala); Bakmee: A tree, Sarcocephalus cordatus that is commonly found in this district.

Daramiti-pola: The open space in the sharp low ground or valley; Ibbagamuwa division, Kurunegala district. The place has a narrow stretch of field between two ranges of low hills. Dara: hole in the ground, cavern, grotto (Sinhala); cleaving hole in the ground, cave (Sanskrit, CDIAL 6188)

Ingini-mitiya: The low ground of Ingini trees; Nawagattegama division, Puththa’lam district. Ingini: the clearing nut tree, Strychnos potatorum, Theattaa in Tamil

Miti-pola: The open place in the low ground; or the small market place; Eheliyagoda division, Ratnapura district

First published: Wednesday, 30 April 2014, 08:34