Know the Etymology: 390
Place Name of the Day: Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Poo-malarnthaan, Poop-pooththaan-ku'lam

பூ மலர்ந்தான், பூப்பூத்தான் குளம்
Pū malarntāṉ, Pūppūttāṉ-kuḷam

Poo+malarnthaan
Poo+pooththaan+ku'lam

The flower-blossomed (pond or tank)

The flower-blossomed tank

Poo	(verb) to flower, blossom, bloom, flourish, produce as flower, create, give birth to; (noun) flower, cock's comb, richness, flourishing condition, cataract in eye, menstruation (Tamil, DED 4345); flower (Sinhala, Sorata); Pooppu: flowering, blooming, menstruation (Tamil, DED 4345); Cognates found in 20 Dravidian languages; Pushpa: flower (Sanskrit, Atharva Veda, CDIAL 8303); Puppha: flower, menses (Pali, CDIAL 8303)
Malarnthaan	one that is blossomed, one that has bloomed (Tamil, verb becoming noun); Malarthal: the act of flowering, blossoming, blooming (Tamil); Malar: (verb) to open as a flower, bloom, be expanded, extended or spread, be cheerful, beam with joy; (noun) full-blown flower, blossom (Tamil, DED 4739); Mala: (singular), Mal: (plural) flower (Sinhala)
Pooththaan	one that is blossomed, one that has bloomed (Tamil, verb becoming noun); Pooththal: the act of flowering, blossoming, blooming (Tamil, DED 4345); see box on Poo.
Ku'lam	tank, reservoir, lake, (Tamil, DED 1828). See columns on Thaa'ndik-ku'lam, Oddan-kadduk-ku'lam

Malarnthaan and Pooththaan are actually singular masculine past tense verb forms, literally meaning (he) blossomed. But in this context they not only mean a non-human, genderless item like a blossomed pond, tank or place, but also feature a particular grammatical form in Tamil, in which a verb turns into a noun. Such a usage featuring the ‘An' suffix is often found in Eezham Tamil place names and many of the instances are found in Mannaar district (see related place names below).

The word forms Malarnthaan and Pooththaan come from the Tamil/ Dravidian root words Malar and Poo, which as verbs mean to flower and as nouns mean a flower (DED 4739, 4345). Both have noun cognates in Sinhala: Mala and Poo mean a flower in Sinhala and among them Mala and its plural/ combination form Mal are more commonly used.

Many Sinhala place names have the component Mal, related to flower in meaning. But in another set of Sinhala place names larger in number, Mala and Mal mean a hill (Malai in Tamil, DED 4742). Some of the Sinhala place names where Mal comes to mean a flower are given under related place names.

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Poo-malarnthaan is a village name in Madu division of Mannaar district. The place name could be a shortened form of Poo-malarnthaan-ku'lam.

Poop-pooththaan-ku'lam is in Naanaaddaan division of Mannaar district.

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Some related place names:

Use of ‘An' suffix and verb-turned nouns:

Thuvakkadiththaan-marutha-madu: The tank identified with Terminalia arjuna trees, where game is hunted by guns or where gun-traps (Kadduth-thuvakku) are laid to kill animals; Naanaaddaan division, Mannaar district

Aanai-vizhunthaan: See column on Aanai-vizhunthaan-ku'lam

Vadduppiththaan-madu: Mannaar Town division, Mannaar district

Parappuk-kadanthaan: The place where the expanse is traversed; Maanthai West division, Mannaar district

Malai-a'ruththaan Kaddai-adampan: Naanaaddaan division, Mannaar district

Maalaiyiddaan: The (place of )one who garlanded; Naanaaddaan division, Mannaar district

Marai-e'rignchaan-ku'lam: See column on Marai-e'rignchaan-ku'lam: Trincomalee Town and Gravets division, Trincomalee district

Tha'nduvaan: The place where tax is collected; or the timber forest; Oddusuddaan division, Mullaiththeevu district

Minni-ni'raignchaan: Maanthai West division, Mannaar district. See column on Minni-ni'raignchaan.


Poo:

Pook-ku'lam: The flower tank; Poonakari division, Ki'linochchi district; Maanthai West division, Mannaar district

Poo-kulama: Sinhalicised from Pook-ku'lam; Madampe division, Puththa'lam district

Poo-madu: The flower tank; Vavuniyaa South division, Vavuniyaa district

Poonthoaddam: Poo+thoaddam: The flower garden; Oddusuddaan division, Mullaiththeevu district

Poo-maraththadich-cheanai: The shifting cultivation fields at the locality of a flowering tree; Verukal division, Trincomalee district

Poo-nakari: The town of flowers; Poonakari division, Ki'linochchi district

Poo-nakar: The town of flowers; Verukal division, Trincomalee district

Poovarasang-ka'ndal: The marshland found with Poovarasu trees; Naanaaddaan division, Mannaar district. Poo-arasu: literally meaning the flowering Arasu (Bo) tree; or the flower-king tree. The leaves of the tree resemble the leaves of the Bo tree; the tulip tree, Thespesia populnea, Surya or Surya-mal in Sinhala.

Poovarasang-ku'lam: The tank identified with Thespesia populnea trees; Maanthai East division, Mullaiththeevu district; Vavuniyaa division, Vavuniyaa district

Poowarasang-kulama: Sinhalicised from Poovarasang-ku'lam: N. Palatha division, Anuradhapura district

Poovarasam-theevu: The islet or water-surrounded place of Thespesia populnea trees; Ki'n'niyaa division, Trincomalee district

Poo-nochchik-ku'lam: The tank of the flowering variety of Nochchi shrubs; Musali division, Mannar district


Mal (Sinhala):

Mal-maduwa: The flower tank; or the flower shed; or the hill shed; Warakapola division, Kegalle district

Nil-mal-goda: The bank of blue flowers; Kegalle division, Kegalle district

Mal-mee-kanda: The hill found with flower honey (combs); Opanayake division, Ratnapura district

Maa-mal-gaha: Imbulpe division, Ratnapura district

Mal-vila: The flower pond; Welikanda division, Polonnaruwa district

Wana-mal-uyana: The wild-flower-garden; Thirapane division, Anuradhapura district

Waha-mal-gollæwa: The grove or forest of fragrant flowers; Rambewa division, Anuradhapura district

Demata-mal-gama: The village of Gmelina asiatica flower shrubs; Mahawilachchiya division, Anuradhapura district

Moo'na-male: The (place of) Mimosops elengi flower trees: Bamunukotuwa division, Kurunegala district; Pathadumbara division, Kandy district; Homagama division, Colombo district

Moo'nu-malea-gama: The village of Mimosops elengi flower trees; Maho division, Kurunegala districxt

Moona-mal-paa: The grove of Mimosops elengi flower-tree; Welipitiya division, Matara district

Rath-mal-gaha-wæwa: The tank identified with Ixora coccinea flower shrubs; Kahatagasdigiliya division, Anuradhapura district. See column on Karaiyaakkan-theevu for other Rathmal related place names


Mal (Tamil):

Mal-vil: The flower pond; Pachchilaippa'l'li division, Ki'linochchi district

Mallaavi: Mal+aavi: The flower pond or tank; Thu'nukkaay division, Mullaiththeevu district

First published: Tuesday, 27 January 2015, 03:13