Know the Etymology: 351
Place Name of the Day: Sunday, 01 June 2014

Panaa-goda

பனாகொ₃ட₃
Panāgoḍa

Panaa+goda

The hill, bank or village of jackfruit trees

Panaa

Also Panasa, Panaha: Jackfruit tree (Sinhala); Panasa: Jackfruit (Kannada, Telugu, DED 3988); Penac: Jackfruit (Parji, DED 3988); Panis: Jackfruit (Gadba, DED 3988); Panha, Pa'nhaa: Jackfruit (Kuwi, DED 3988); Palavu, Palaa: Jack tree (Tamil, DED 3988); Panasa, Palasa, Phanasa, Phalasa: Breadfruit tree (Sanskrit, CDIAL 7781); Panasa: Breadfruit tree (Pali, CDIAL 7781). CDIAL notes probable Dravidian etymology

Goda

Heap, mass, land at the edge of water, village, hamlet, hill in place names (Sinhala); Godælla: Hill, mound, rising ground (Sinhala); Koadu: Summit of a hill, peak, mountain (Tamil, DED 2049); Bank of stream or pool (Tamil, DED 2200); Place name suffix for mountains and hills (Tamil, Malayalam); Gudde: Heap, pile (Kannada, DED 1682); Hill (Tulu, DED 1642); Heap (Kodagu, DED 1642); Field on mountain slopes (Telugu, DED 1682); Gude: Hill (Konda, DED 1642). See columns on Naarang-goda-paa'luwa, Veyangoda, Para-goda and Ælla-goda

Panaa, Panasa and Panaha mean a jackfruit tree in Sinhala.

Close cognates meaning the jackfruit tree are found in the Dravidian languages, Kannada, Telugu, Parji, Gadba and Kuwi (DED 3988). See box.

Even though Sanskrit and Pali have a cognate Panasa, meaning the breadfruit tree, A Comparative Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages treat the word as probably of Dravidian etymology (CDIAL 7781).

The Dravidian Etymological Dictionary (DED) lists Panasa and Palaa/ Palavu of Tamil, meaning jackfruit tree, under a common entry (DED 3988), inferring the L/ N change (as in ZH/ 'N change).

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Goda in Sinhala, meaning hill, heap, bank, rising ground, village etc., is a place name component of much antiquity, found in the early Brahmi inscriptions, the first written records of the island (Inscriptions of Ceylon Vol I, No 1215).

On the Dravidian etymology of the word Goda, see box above and earlier columns, especially the column on Naaraang-goda-paa'luwa.

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Panaa-goda as a place name is found in Homagama division of Colombo district, Milaniya division of Kalutara district, Neluwa division of Galle district and in Uva Paranagama division of Badulla district.

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Some related place names:

Panaa-wala: The forest of jackfruit trees; Mirigama division, Gampaha district; Godakawela division, Ratnapura district; Dehiovita division, Kegalle district

Panaa-pe: The grove of jackfruit trees; Bandraragama division, Kalutara district

Panaa-pitiya: The high ground plain of jackfruit trees; Kalutara division, Kalutara district; Kahawatta division, Ratnapura district; Bulathkohupitiya division, Kegalle district

Mee-panaawa: The (place of) sweet jackfruit trees; Walapane division, Nuwara Eliya district

Karu-panaa-wela: Probably, the jackfruit tree field that is taxed; or the field of the short variety jackfruit trees; or the field of hard variety of jackfruit trees; Walapane division, Nuwara Eliya district. Kara: articles subject to taxation (Sinhala); Kuru: short (Sinhala); Karahu: hard (Sinhala)

Karu-panaawa: Probably the (place of) jackfruit trees that are taxed; or the place of the short variety jackfruit trees; or the place of the hard variety of jackfruit trees; Nagoda division, Galle district. See Karu-panaa-wela above

Buda-panaa-gama: The village of Buddha's jackfruit tree; Nagoda division, Galle district

Ra'na-panaa-de'niya: The rising valley of golden soil having jackfruit trees; Hikkaduwa division, Galle district

Panaa-gamuwa: The village of jackfruit trees; Akmeemana division, Galle district; Bamunukotuwa division, Kurunegala district; Mawanella division, Kegalle district

Berala-panaa-thara: The pass or road of the big jackfruit tree; Pasgoda division, Matara district. Bæra: heavy, weighty, gross (Sinhala); Paru: to become large, bulky, plump; large, bulky (Tamil, DED 3972); gross, big (Malayalam, DED 3972); Paar: bulk, size (Tamil, DED 3972). Thara: road, raft, float, passing over, crossing (Sinhala); Thaari: way, road, path (Tamil, DED 3170); Daari: way, road, path (Kannada, Tulu, Telugu, DED 3170)

Panaa-kaduwa: The pass of jackfruit trees; Pasgoda division, Matara district

Panaa-dare: The jackfruit tree land; Bamunukotuwa division, Kurunegala district

Panaa-vitiya: The mound or hill of jackfruit trees; Kuliyapitiya East division, Kurunegala district

Ra'la-panaawa-gama: The village of the rough jackfruit tree; Nochchiyagama division, Anuradhapura district. Ra'lu: rough, harsh, mischievous, vile, cruel (Sinhala); Muradu: roughness, unevenness, ruggedness, kob or knot as in timber, wildness, rudeness, obstinacy, ill temper, largeness, bigness (Tamil, DED 4971, L/ D change); Murudu: coarseness, roughness, knot in wood, largeness (Tamil, DED 4971); Murelu: thick part of a spade; Murli: quarrelsome woman; Murle: quarrelsome man (Tulu, DED 4971)

Panaa-kanniya: The cluster of jackfruit trees; Hali-Ela division, Badulla district. Kanniya is probably from Kæn, Kæna: multitude, assembly, bunch, (Sinhala). Another related place name is Nelum-kanniya (the cluster of blue-lotus) in N. Palaatha division, Anuradhapura district.

Kæli-panaa-wala: The forest of wild jackfruit trees; Haldumulla division, Badulla district. Kæle: wood, jungle (Sinhala); Kaal: forest (Tamil, DED 1418)

Sudu-panaa-wala: The forest of white jackfruit trees; Wellawaya division, Moneragala district

Thep-panaawa: The (place of) three jackfruit trees; Kuruvita division, Ratnapura district

Kem-panaa-watta: The jackfruit grove for shaman rituals; Ratnapura division, Ratnapura district. Kema: A sort of magic exercised to avert mischief (Sinhala)

Panaa-wænna: The forest of jackfruit trees; Pelmadulla division, Ratnapura district

Panaa-pola: The jackfruit market or the open field of jackfruit trees; Kaluwana division, Ratnapura district

Panaana: The (locality of a) jackfruit tree; Weligepola division, Ratnapura district

Panaa-mura: The jackfruit tree surrounding; Embilipitiya division, Ratnapura district

Akkara-panaha: The jaggery-sweet jackfruit tree; Rideegama division, Kurunegala district; Thihagoda division, Matara district. Akkara, Sakuru, Hakuru: jaggery (Sinhala); Akkaaram: jaggery (Tamil, inscriptions and temple food terminology); Sarkaraa: candied sugar (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12338)

First published: Saturday, 31 May 2014, 08:00