Know the Etymology: 448
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 03 February 2016

Pan-nila, Lechchimimæ-nilaa

பன்-நில, லெச்சிமிமெ[æ]-நிலா
Pannila, leccimimæ-nilā

Pana+nila
Lechchimi+mæ+nilaa

The place of work, duty or customary work

The residence, village or land of the lady Lechchimi

Nila1	king's service or government service, office, service, employment; “Rajakaaryaaya, Tanatura” (Sinhala, Sorata); duty, customary work; “Niyamaya” (Sinhala, Sorata); person doing guard duty, “Rækawala”, (Sinhala, Sorata); beast of burden, “Dhurandara”, (Sinhala, Sorata); Nilaya 1: office, appointment (Sinhala); Nilame, Nilamaya: high office, office of state, office, nobleman (Sinhala); Nilaimai: condition, state of affairs, position (Tamil, DED 3675); Nilai 1: standing, condition, state of affairs, usage, custom (Tamil, DED 3675); Nila: standing, place, position, station in life, custom (Malayalam, DED 3675); related to the root Nil: (verb) to stand (Tamil, DED 3675); cognates in 20 Dravidian languages. See column on Nila-palaa-gammana
Nila2	house, place, guard-post, residence, rest house, temporary abode; vital organ in body; “Grhaya, Sthaanaya, Aarakshaawa, Aawaahaya, Nawaatæna, Marmasthaanaya”, (Sinhala, Sorata); Nilaya 2: house, habitation (Sinhala); Nilai 2: standing, staying, place, stopping place, residence; (verb) to stay, to obtain a footing, be settled, be delay (Tamil, DED 3675); Nilavu: standing, position, resting place, place of abode (Kannada, DED 3675); Nele: standing, standing place, abode, place (Kannada, DED 3675); related to the root Nil: (verb) to stand (Tamil, DED 3675); cognates in 20 Dravidian languages
Nila3	earth, the Earth, village; “Po'lowa, Gama”, (Sinhala, Sorata); Nilam: ground, earth, land, soil, field, the Earth, world, place, region (Tamil, DED 3676)
Pan	from Pana, Panan: stipulated work, duty, engagement, custom, customary practice or observance, “Niyama, Sirita” (Sinhala, Sorata); Pa'n, Pa'ni: service, work, business, employment, act, action, performance (Tamil, DED 3884)
Lechchimi	from Lakshmi, a personal name in this context
Mæ	from Mææ, Maa, Mææni: mother (Sinhala, Sorata)

The term Nila in Sinhala has many meanings. But, apart from the meaning blue colour unrelated to this column, all the other shades of meaning could basically come under three groups: the first one related to position in status, work or duty; the second one related to position in space such as a house, place, post, abode etc.; and the third one meaning earth or the Earth.

In all the three basic meanings the etymology is Dravidian: the first two are related to the verb Nil, meaning to stand and the noun Nilai, meaning a position in status or space in Tamil (DED 3675), and the third one corresponds to Nilam meaning earth or the Earth in Tamil (DED 3676).

See boxes on Nila 1, 2 and 3 for the different meanings and corresponding etymology.

Also see column on Nila-palaa-gammana for the use of the term Nila as a prefix, meaning position in status.

In coming as suffix in Pan-nila, the term means a position in space, i.e., a place or post. In the example Lechchimimæ-nilaa, the suffix means a land, village or place.

The prefix Pan in Pan-nila corresponds to Pana/ Panan in Sinhala, meaning stipulated work, duty, customary work etc., and in turn is related to Pa'n/ Pa'ni in Tamil/ Dravidian, meaning the same (DED 3884).

Pannila, which comes as a place name in many instances, may be connected to places of Raajakaarya (obligatory service to the king or government) in the past.

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Pannila as toponym comes in Attanagala division, Gampaha district; Horana division, Kalutara district; Beruwala division, Kalutara district; Walallavita division, Kalutara district: Kahawatta division, Ratnapura district; Dehiovita division, Kegalle district.

Lechchimimae-nilaa is noticed as a place name in Hatharaliyadda division of Kandy district.

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Some related place names:

Pon-nila: a variation of Pannila; Thumpane division, Kandy district

Pon-nilawa: a variation of Pan-nila and Wa added to Ponnila; Polpithigama division, Kurunegala district

Nila-gama: The king's service-status village; guard-post village; or the resting place village; Galewela division, Matale district

Nilan-noruwa: The king's service-status town; the guard-post town; or the travellers-rest town; Pallepola division, Matale district

Nila-de'niya: The customary work valley; guard-post valley or the valley of green verdure; Bope-poddala division, Galle district

First published: Wednesday, 03 February 2016, 18:39