Know the Etymology: 458
Place Name of the Day: Tuesday, 01 March 2016

Uppa'lam, Lu'nu-ka'lapuwa

உப்பளம், லுணு-கள[ப்]புவ
Uppaḷam, Luṇu-kaḷappuva

Uppu+a'lam
Lu'nu+kalapuwa

The saltpans or the saltern

The salt producing lagoon

Uppa'lam	saltpans, saltern, saline land (Tamil, DED 2674); from Uppu+a'lam.
Uppu	salt, alkali, saltness (Tamil, DED 2674a); five kinds of salts used by alchemists (Tamil, MTL); Uvar: (verb) to taste saltish, be brackish, taste astringent, (noun) salt, saltishness, brackishness, brackish soil, fuller's earth (Tamil, DED 2674b)
A'lam1	saltpan, maritime tract, saline soil, sea (Tamil, DED 299); A'lar: saltishness, brackishness (Tamil, DED 299); A'lakkar: sea (Tamil, DED 299): Ka'lar: saline soil, alkaline earth (Tamil, DED 1359, Aka:naanoo'ru, 74: 7); Ka'lam: shallows at sea, bank, underwater shoal, sandbar (Tamil, Winslow)
A'lam2	tract of land (Tamil);1. related to maritime tract (Tamil, DED 299); 2. A'lakkar: the earth, land (Tamil, Thivaakaram, 5: 12); sea (Tamil, DED 299); A'l: greatness (Tamil, Urichchol); strength, firmness (Tamil, DED 291); (verb) to be dense; (noun) closeness, thickness (Tamil, DED 292); 3. related to Ka'lam: place, open space (Tamil, DED 1376)
Kalapuwa	lake which communicates with sea, salt-water lake (Sinhala, Clough); Ka'lapu, Kalapu: shore locality, a brackish water-body by the seaside, saltern; “Godabiman vata voo, Muhuda asala tibena karadiya haa miridiya mis'ra jalaas'aya, Leawaaya” (Sinhala, Sorata); Ka'lappu: shallow part of the sea (Tamil, DED 1359); shallow sea, shallows at sea (Tamil, Winslow, Kathiraiverpillai); 1. Kazhi: backwater, shallow seawaters, salt-river, marsh, saltpan (Tamil, DED 1359); sea-arm, ebbing brook, salt marsh (Malayalam, DED 1359); brackish water-body by the seaside where a small variety of lotus (Neythal) could grow (Tamil, Pu'ra:naanoo'ru, 48: 3); 2. Ka'lam: = Ka'lar (Tamil, Pingkalam, 10: 296); saline soil, bog (Tamil, DED 1359); saline soil, alkaline earth (Malayalam, DED 1359); See column on Maddak-ka'lappu
Lu'nu: 1.	salt, the saline taste (Sinhala); 2. Lu'nu-ata: eight kinds of salts or minerals (Sinhala, Sorata); 3. prefix to some plant names, tree names and salt-related phenomena (Sinhala); Lava'na: salt (Atharva Vedic Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 10978)

Uppa'lam meaning saltpans, saltern or saline land in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 2674) has come from two words, Uppu meaning salt and A'lam meaning a maritime tract of land (DED 2674+DED 299). A'lam itself means a saltpan in Tamil (DED 299).

Uppu is related to the verb and noun Uvar in Tamil (DED 2674b). A'lam has two sets of meanings: saltpan or maritime tract as well as land in general (see boxes).

Ka'lapuwa in Sinhala meaning a lagoon, brackish water-body by the sea, saltern etc., is a cognate of Kazhi meaning the same in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 1359). The form Ka'lappu itself, meaning a shallow sea, is listed as Dravidian (DED 1359). See column on Maddak-ka'lappu.

Lu'nu in Sinhala generally means sea-salt. But it also comes in the names of other kinds of salts or minerals (Sorata), and in the names of some plants, trees etc of salty taste.

Lu'nu is a cognate of Lava'na in Atharva Vedic Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit, meaning salt (CDIAL 10978).

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Uppa'lam is the name of the place, where the Elephant Pass Saltern is located in the Ka'ndaava'lai division of Ki'linochchi district.

Lu'nu-ka'lapuwa is a salt-producing lagoon as well as the name of a place in Dickwella division of Matara district.

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Some related place names:

Uppu:

Uppaa'ru 1: Uppu-aa'ru: The salty stream or the stream that is usually dry other than during the rains; Ka'ndaava'lai division, Ki'linochchi district. Uppaa'ru: a stream that is dry for most part of the year (Tamil, MTL)

Uppa'ru 2: Uppu-aa'ru: The salty river where seawater comes in; Ki'n'nyaa division, Trincomalee district. This is a stream becoming marsh and sea-inlet near Mahaweli delta of Koddiyaara Bay, Trincomalee district

Uppaa'ru 3: The sea-inlet; the lagoon that divides Valikaamam and Thenmaraadchi parts of the Jaffna Peninsula

Uppuk-ku'lam: The salty pond; Mannar Town division, Mannaar district

Uppoadai: Uppu-oadai: The salty pond; Kallady-Uppoadai, Ma'nmunai East division, Batticaloa district

Uppuk-kaichchi-madu: The pond the water of which tastes salty; Moothoor division, Trincomalee district. This is located at the delta of Koddiyaara Aa'ru, a branch of Mahaweli Ganga at the delta

Upputh-tharavai: open land of saline soil; Mannaar Town division, Mannaar district

Uppu-ve'li: The open saline land; or the salt-producing open land; Trincomalee Town 6 Gravets division, Trincomalee district

Uppu-maa-ve'li: Probably, Uppu-maal-ve'li: The open land having salt storage sheds; or the open land of sallow coloured powdery soil; Karaithu'rappattu division, Mullaiththeevu district

Upputh-thoaddam: The garden in the saline earth; Vaazhaichcheanai division, Batticaloa district

Uppuk-koddu: The salt storage enclosure or shed; Vaakarai division, Batticaloa district

Uppoo'ral: Uppu-oo'ral: The saltern or saline soil tract; Seruvila division, Trincomalee district; Oo'ral: sediment (Malayalam, DED 761); Uppoo'ra'ni: saline soil (Tamil, MTL)

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A'lam:

A'lampil: The saltern; or the coastal tract; Karaithu'raippattu division, Mullaiththeevu district

Koava'lam: Koa-a'lam: The curving coastline; Kaarainakar division, Jaffna district. Koava'lam: cape, headland, town near a headland, (Tamil, MTL)

Kat-koava'lam: The rocky and curving coastline; Point Pedro division, Jaffna district. See Koava'lam

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Lu'nu meaning salt, salty:

Lunama: A place got its name from the adjacent Lunama-kalapuwa: The salt producing lagoon; Ambalantota division, Hambantota district

Lu'nu-poku'na: The salty pond; Colombo division, Colombo district

Lu'nu-gam-vehera: The Buddhist temple of the salt-producing village; Lunugamvehera division, Hambantota district

Lunu-vila: The salty marsh or pond; Wennapuwa division, Puththa'lam district. Lu'nu-vila also means hedge hyssop (Sinhala, Clough)

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Lu'nu meaning mineral or salt other than sea-salt and certain plants or trees:

Lu'nu-madalaa-kætiya: The part of Lu'nu-madalaa trees; Minipe division, Kandy district. Lu'nu-madalaa: a tree with large yellow flowers, Stereospermum chelonioides (Sinhala, Clough)

Lu'nu-kætiya-maditta: The muddy place or bog of Lu'nu-kætiya creepers; or the muddy place or bog of mineral lumbs; Kundasale division, Kandy district. Lu'nu-kætiya-wæl: a creeping plant, Stephania hernendifolia (Sinhala, Clough); Lu'nu-kæti: salt lump, probably mineral lump in this context

Lu'nu-gama: The mineral village; Udunuwara division, Kandy district

Lunu-gama: The mineral village; Dompe division, Gampaha district

Lunu-wæwa: Probably the tank found with a mineral deposit; or the tank in the locality of trees or plants having the prefix Lu'nu; Thambuttegama division, Anuradhapura district

Mahaa-lu'nuka: Probably, the larger part of the mineral mine; Rideemaliyadda division, Badulla district. Lu'nu-karu: salt works or mineral works, “Lu'nu saadannaa” (Sinhala, Sorata); salt mine (Sinhala, Clough)

Kudaa-lu'nuka: Probably, the smaller part of the mineral mine; Rideemaliyadda division, Badulla district. See Mahaa-lu'nuka

Lu'nu-gala: The mineral rocks; Lunugala division, Badulla district; Badalkumbura division, Moneragala district

Lu'nu-watta: In this case, probably Loonu-watta or Luhunu-watta: The onion garden; Uva-Paranagama division, Badulla district

First published: Tuesday, 01 March 2016, 21:23