Know the Etymology: 410
Place Name of the Day: Sunday, 19 July 2015

Hom-baawa, Kæs-bæwa, Gal-kissa

ஹொம்பா₃வ,
கெ[æ]ஸ்பெ₃[æ]வ,
க₃ல்கிஸ்ஸ
Hombāva, Kæsbæva, Galkissa

Hom+baawa
Kæs+bæwa
Gal+kissa

The facing part or the opposite part

The armpit-like bent part (of the river or lake)

The rocky cove

Baawa	From Baa+wa; Baa: a part, half, share, portion, “Bhaagaya, Kotasa” (Sinhala, Sorata); Baagaya (singular), Baaga (plural): part, portion, half (Sinhala); Paa: dividing (Tamil); Paal: part, portion, share, section, dividing (Tamil, DED 4097); Paku, Pakir: (verb) to divide, separate, cut into pieces, distribute (Tamil, DED 3808); Pangku: (noun) part, portion, share, half (Tamil, DED 3808); part, share (Malayalam, DED 3808); Paakam: part, portion, share, half, some (Tamil); cognates are found in 17 Dravidian languages (DED 3808). Bhaaga: portion, fraction (Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 9430). See columns on Ballaa-paana Uda-baage, Panguwa and Kandu-palaatha
Bæwa	a part, portion, half, locality, region; Bhaagaya, Pedesa (Sinhala, Sorata). See box above for cognates
Hom	from Homu: opposite side; “Idiri path” (Sinhala, Sorata); Hombu, Homba: face, Mukhaya, Muhu'nu (spoken Sinhala, Sorata); 1. Mun: in front (Tamil, DED 5020) > Mum > Hom; 2. Munpu: front, in front (Tamil, DED 5020) > Mumpu > Hombu; Mumbu: front, the direction of the front (Kannada, DED 5020); Moan: front (Brahui, DED 5020); 3. Mukam: face (Tamil, DED 4889); Muga'nu: the front (Tulu, DED 4889); Moom: face (Pengo, DED 4889); Moomb: face (Manda, DED 4889); Moombu: face (Kuwi, DED 4889)
Kæs	= Kisilla, also Kissa: an armpit-like location in a river or backwater; “Gangaka hoa kalapuwaka kisilla wæni wu tæna” (spoken Sinhala, Sorata); Kæsa: armpit (Sinhala); Kaksha: armpit (Sanskrit, 2588)
Kissa	a cove in the context of the place name; an armpit-like formation in a river or backwaters (spoken Sinhala, Sorata). See box above.

The Sinhala place name components Baawa and Bæwa are forms of Baaga in Sinhala, meaning a part, portion, half, and in a related sense meaning a locality or region. The other related Sinhala words found in place names are Pahuwa and Pangkuwa.

All of them could be traced to both Indo-Aryan and Dravidian, as Baa and Bhaaga in Indo-Aryan (CDIAL 9430) have the parallels Paa, Paal, Paakam, Paku, Pakir, Pangku etc., listed as Dravidian (DED 3808, 4097). See earlier columns on Ballaa-paana Uda-baage, Pangkuwa, Kittam-pahuwa and Kandu-palaatha.

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The prefix Hom in the Sinhala place name Hom-baawa comes from Homba/ Hombu, meaning face or front and Homu meaning the opposite side in Sinhala.

According to Sorata's Sinhala dictionary, Homba and Hombu are spoken Sinhala words meaning Mukhaya and Muhu'na (both mean face).

In fact, Homba, Hombu, Homu and Hom themselves derive from the etyma of Mukha (Mukam) and Muhu'na (Mun), showing some linguistic traits unique to Sinhala but sharing a Dravidian substratum.

See box above for Mukam having the cognates Muga'nu, Moom, Moomb and Moombu, respectively in Tulu, Pengo, Manda and Kuwi (DED 5020), which come closer to the word formation Hombu. Similarly Mun/ Munpu has the cognate Mumbu in Kannada (DED 4889).

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Sorata Thera's dictionary equates the Sinhala word Kæs with another Sinhala word, Kisilla, which normally means an armpit. But citing Codrington's glossary, the toponymic shade of meaning given by Sorata for Kisilla and related word Kissa, is an armpit like geographical formation in a river or backwaters.

Kæs/ Kisill/ Kissa, meaning armpit corresponds to Kaksha in Sanskrit meaning the same (CDIAL 2588)

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Hom-baawa is a place in Galewela division of Matale district.

Kæs-Bæwa is in the division by its name in Colombo district. The armpit like feature may be related to the lake or river nearby.

Gal-kissa, which is known in English by the colonial name Mount Lavinia, is in Ratmalana division of Colombo district. The sea makes a rocky cove at this place.

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Some related place names:

Baawa:

Gala-baawa: The rocky or stony part; Thumbane division, Kandy district

Am-baawa: The watery part; or Amba+wa: The waters; Hataraliyadda division, Kandy district

Bam-baawa: Galewala division, Matale district. Bam: from the verb Baa?

Giri-baawa: The hill part; Giribawa division, Kurunegala district

Kadam-baawa: Probably Kada+m Baawa: The forest part; Maho division, Kurunegala district. Kada: forest (Sinhala, Sorata)

Vil-baawa: The part of the pond/ tank or marsh; Kurunegala division, Kurunegala district

Pohora-baawa: The levelled part; or the part for axing trees; Eheliyagoda division, Ratnapura district

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Bæwa:

Ram-bæwa: Probably, Ramba+wæwa: The part of ancient ruins; Rambewa division, Anuradhapura district; Rasnayakapura division, Kurunegala district. Ramba: “Pera'ni vi kædi bindee giya deya” (spoken Sinhala, Sorata)

Neli-bæwa: Probably, Ne'lu-bæwa; The part of Ne'lu trees; Paduwasnuwara East division, Kurunegala district

Karam-bæwa: Probably, Karamba-bæwa: The part of Karamba shrubs; Anamaduwa division, Puththa'lam district; Nuwaragam Paltha division, Anuradhapura district

Kadawat Ram-bæwa: The ruins part at the border post; or the part found with the border-post ruins; Medawachchiya division, Anuradhapura district

Maha Kirib-bæwa: The big part found with Kiri plants; Kahatagasdigiliya division, Anuradhapura district

Nelu-bæwa: The part of Ne'lu trees; Nachchaduwa division, Anuradhapura district

Pæthis Ram-bæwa: The ruins region partitioned; Thirappane division, Anuradhapura district. Pæti: slice cut (Sinhala)

Maami'niyaa Rambæwa: Probably the great person's ruins part; Kekirawa division, Anuradhapura district

Olom-bæwa: The protection region or the depending region; Kekirawa division, Anuradhapura district. Olombaa: = Awalambanaya karawaa (Sinhala, Sorata); Awalamba: protection, asylum, depending (Sinhala)

Ko'lom-bæwa: The part of Ko'lom trees; Ayagama division, Ratnapura district. Ko'lom: Adina cordifolia (Sinhala)

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Hom:

Homathaa-gama: The opposite village or the facing village; Bamunukotuwa division, Kurunegala district

Omatta: The opposite side; Agalawatta division, Kalutara district; Elpitiya division, Galle district

First published: Sunday, 19 July 2015, 06:25