Know the Etymology: 348
Place Name of the Day: Sunday, 25 May 2014

U'naa-kooruwa, Koora-gala, Koora-gammana

உணாகூருவ, கூரக₃ல, கூரக₃ம்மன
Uṇākūruva, Kūrugala, Kūrugammana

U'na+kooruwa
Koora+gala
Koora+gammana

The bamboo part or the elephant department in the bamboo locality

The pointed rock or rocky hill

The rice fields of the village

Kooruwa	Elephant department (Sinhala); Koo'ru: Section, division, part, share (Tamil, DED 1924)
Koora 1	(singular), Kooru (plural): Boiled rice (Sinhala); Kooru: Boiled rice (Tulu, DED 1911); Koozh: Boiled rice (Malayalam, DED 1911); Over boiled rice, thick gruel, porridge (Tamil, DED 1911); Kuzhai: (verb) To become soft, be over boiled as rice (Tamil, DED 1822); Oarai: Boiled rice (Tamil, DED 1030); Oara: Boiled rice (Malayalam, DED 1030)
Koora 2	(singular), Kooru (plural): hairpin, skewer (Sinhala); Koor: sharpness, pointed edge (Tamil, DED 1898)
Kooriyaa	Also, Kooralaa, Koorayiyaa: A fish (Sinhala); Kooral: A fish (Tamil, MTL); Koork-ka'ruppan, Kooran: A bearded kind of paddy (Tamil, Winslow, MTL)
Koora-payiya	Wallet, pocket, large kind of purse (Sinhala); Koo'raip-pai: Money purse made of cloth (Tamil, from, Koo'rai: cloth, DED 1925 + Pai: bag, DED 4450)
Gammana	From Gammaanea (singular), Gammaan (plural): Cultivated country, inhabited country in the neighbourhood of a village (Sinhala); Gam/ Gama: Village; Maana measure in length, weight, capacity etc (Sinhala); Graama+maana: Village+measure or dwelling (Sanskrit, CDIAL 4368+10041, 10042)
U'na	Common bamboo tree (Sinhala); Hu'na-gasa: Bamboo tree (Sinhala); Pu'nai, Pa'nai: Bamboo (Tamil, DED 4271); Puzhai: Hole, tube (Tamil, DED 4317); Pu'nai: Bamboo, raft, float (Tamil, DED 4271, 4321); Pa'nai: Bamboo, tubular vessel made of bamboo, flute, drum (Tamil, DED 4271,Changkam diction); Pu'nda: Bamboo (Kodagu, DED 4271); Pe'n: Bamboo milk pot (Kota, DED 4271); Pi'n: Bamboo milk pot (Toda, DED 4271); Pea'ni: Drinking vessel (Eezham Tamil); Vea'nu: Bamboo (Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 12096); Ka'n, Ka'nu, Ka'nai: Joint of bamboo, cane etc., slender branch of bamboo, bamboo (DED 1160); Oa'nte; A kind of large, thin reed, a pipe made of reed (Tulu, DED 1043)

Kooruwa and Koora are occasionally found Sinhala place name components.

Kooruwa is explained as elephant department in the Sinhala dictionaries. Department seems to be the original meaning.

It could be deduced that Kooruwa as well as Koora in some instances (as in Panaa-koora), mean a section, division or a part of a land.

In such shades of meaning, Kooruwa/ Koora corresponds to Tamil/ Dravidian Koo'ru (DED 1924)

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Koora in Sinhala means any pointed object such as a skewer, hairpin etc., and in another sense means boiled rice.

In the first sense of meaning, the closest cognate is the word Koor of Dravidian etymology in Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada, meaning sharpness or pointed edge (DED 1898).

In the second sense of meaning, Kooru meaning boiled rice in Tulu/ Dravidian is the closest cognate (DED 1911). In meaning boiled rice, Kooru in Sinhala and Tulu corresponds to Koozh meaning boiled rice in Malayalam and meaning over boiled rice, thick gruel, porridge etc., in Tamil (ZH/ R change). Kuzhai in Tamil/ Dravidian, meaning to become soft or be over boiled as rice, is the corresponding verb form (DED 1822).

* * *

Kooralaa, Koorayiyaa and Kooriyaa, meaning a kind of fish in Sinhala, are probably Koora-related phrases connected to sharpness.

In Tamil, Kooral meaning a kind of fish, and Kooran or Koor-ka'ruppan (opposite to Moddaik-ka'ruppan), meaning a kind of paddy, could probably be relevant in interpreting Eezham Tamil place names Koor-aavi and Kooraay in Vanni.

Another Sinhala phrase Koora-payiya meaning a purse, is of a different etymology related to Tamil/ Dravidian Koo'raip-pai. The Sinhala Koora in this case is a cognate of Tamil/ Dravidian Koo'rai meaning cloth (DED 1925). See table.

* * *

U'na and its proper form Hu'na (Hu'na-gasa) in Sinhala mean the common bamboo tree.

A Comparative Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages compares the Sinhala word with Vea'nu in Sanskrit meaning bamboo.

But the closest parallel seems to be Pu'nai and Pa'nai meaning bamboo in old Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 4271). Pu'nai > Hu'na: P becoming H is a common feature in some southern South Asian languages.

In its etymological origins Pu'nai/ Pa'nai is connected to tubular attribute of bamboo and another corresponding term in Tamil/ Dravidian is Puzhai (DED 4317) meaning a hole or tube (ZH changes into 'N). See table for how cognates are connected to bamboo and tubular objects in Tamil and other Dravidian languages. Pea'ni (metal drinking vessel) is a related word surviving in Eezham Tamil.

* * *

Pu'nai/ Pa'nai meaning bamboo:

பணைத் தோள் குறுமகள்” (குறுந்தொகை 276: 1)

“Pa'naith thoa'l ku'rumaka'l” (Ku'runthokai 276: 1)

The young girl of bamboo-like shoulders (shining and round)


“Anthik koavalar am pa'nai imizh isai” (Akanaanoo'ru, 124: 14)

“அந்திக் கோவலர் அம் பணை இமிழ் இசை” (அக நானூறு, 124: 14)

The music that comes from the beautiful flute (made of bamboo) of the cowherds (returning) in the evening


“Am pa'nai vi'laintha theang ka'l thea'ral”

“அம் பணை விளைந்த தேங் கள் தேறல்”

The clear wine of tasty toddy that is matured inside the bamboo (tube vessel)

* * *

The component Gammana means cultivation fields or inhabited part in the neighbourhood of a village. The word is of two parts, Gam and Maana, meaning the range of a village, corresponding to Graama and Maana in Sanskrit/ Indo-Aryan (CDIAL 4368, 10041, 10042).

Gala in Sinhala, meaning stone, rock or rocky hill, is of Dravidian etymology, corresponding to Kal in Tamil (DED 1298). See earlier columns for etymological discussions.

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U'naa-kooruwa is a place in Tangalle division of Hambantota district

Koora-gala is in Mawanella division of Kegalle district

Koora-gammana is a village in Siyambalanduwa division of Moneragala district

* * *

Some related place names:

Kooruwa as part, division, section:

Goda-kooruwa: The hill part; or the bank part; or the village part; or the elephant department in the bank/ village; Narammala division, Kurunegala district

Panaa-koora: The jackfruit tree part; Deraniyagala division, Kegalle district


Koora as point:

Maa-koora: The big part; or the big point; Mirigama division, Gampaha district; Kegalle division, Kegalle district

Kooru-kuttala: Probably, Kooru-kotala: The pointed spire (of a building as a landmark); Udunuwara division, Kandy district. Kota: Spire or other ornament at the top of a building


Koora as boiled rice or rice:

Koorem-pola: The rice market; Rampukkana division, Kegalle district


Koor as point related fauna/ flora (Tamil) Kooraay: The expanse of Kooran paddy or from Kooraay-ku'lam: The tank of Kooral/ Kooraay fish; Maanthai West division, Mannaar district

Kooraavi: The pond of Kooral fish; Maanthai West division, Mannar district


U'na:

Una-golla: The bamboo forest; Walapane division, Nuwara Eliya district; Rasnayakapura division, Kurunegala district; Hali Ela division, Badulla district

U'na-gas-wela: The bamboo-tree field; or the paddy field in the locality of bamboo trees; Karandeniya division, Galle district

Unan-thenna: The high ground plain of bamboo trees; Hanguranketha division, Nuwara Eliya district

Unan-vitiya: The bamboo hill or mound; Nagoda division, Galle district

U'na-weruwa: U'na-wearuwa: The Buddhist temple in the bamboo locality; Yatawatta division, Matale district

U'na-watuna: The bamboo circle; Habaraduwa division, Galle district; Buttala division, Moneragala district

U'na-leeya: The (place for) bamboo poles or sticks; Kuliyapitiya division, Kurunegala district

U'na-gas-wewa: The tank in the locality of bamboo trees; Medawachchiya division, Anuradhapura district

U'na-gollæwa: The bamboo forest; Kekirawa division, Anuradhapura district

U'na-galaa-wehera: The Buddhist temple in the rocky hill of bamboo trees; Thamankaduwa division, Polonnaruwa district

U'na-paana: The water (pond) in the bamboo locality; Uva Paranagama division, Badulla district; Padiyathalaawa division, Ampaa'rai district

First published: Sunday, 25 May 2014, 12:22