Know the Etymology: 469
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 13 May 2016

Kannaa-thiddi, Kamburu-pitiya

கன்னாதிட்டி, கம்பு₃ருபி[ட்]டிய
Kaṉṉātiṭṭi, Kamburupiṭiya

Kannaar+thiddi
Kamburu+pitiya

The raised ground of copper workers

The raised ground of metal workers

Kannaan	brazier (Tamil, Malayalam, DED 1402, Tamil inscription, 1014 CE, SII, ii, 66); 1. Kan: copper, copper work, workmanship (Tamil, DED 1402); copper, copper work (Tholkaappiyam, 8: 51); Kannam: copper or gold vessel (Akanaanoo'ru: 317:8); image made and given to fulfil vow to god (Aingku'runoo'ru 25:5); Kannal: water clock, usually made of bronze (Tamil, Akanaanoo'ru 43:6); Kannuvar, Kannaar: bronze workers (Tamil, Thivaakaram, 2:43): Kanal: (verb) to be hot; (noun) fire (Tamil, DED 1406); Kani: (verb) to be red hot (Tamil, DED 1406); (verb) to melt (Tamil, DED 1408); 2. Kam: work, work of artisans (Tholkaappiyam, 8:33); Kammiyar: copper workers, copper vessel makers (Natti'nai, 153: 2-3); gold smiths (Chilappathikaaram, 5: 105-106); weavers (Mathuraikkaagnchi 521); Kammal: ear-ring worn by women in the ear-lobe (Tamil, DED 1245); cognates in Malayalam, Tiyya, Telugu, Kolami, Konda and Kuwi (DED 1245); Kampi: wire of gold, silver, iron or other metal (Tamil, DED 1241); cognates in Malayalam, Kannada, Tulu and Telugu (DED 1241); Kammaa'n-cheri: (Tamil inscription, 1008 CE, EI, xxii, 34); Kammaa'lar: general name for artisans (Tamil, Pingkalam, 5: 63)
Kamburu	= Kammaara: a person doing metal work, “ Loaha karmaanta karannaa” (Sinhala, Sorata); Kamburaa: brazier, smith (Sinhala, Clough); Kaburu: =Kamburu (Sinhala, Sorata); Kamburu-sama: bellows in a smith's workshop (Sinhala; Sama: hide); Kammatama: smith's shop, smithery (Sinhala, Clough); Kammala: smith's shop, forge (Sinhala, Clough); Kamhala: workshop, manufactory (Sinhala); 1. Karma-s'aalaa: workshop (Sanskrit, CDIAL 2896); Kamma-saalaa: workshop (Prakrit, CDIAL 2896); 2. Kangsa: a kind of metal called Tuttanaagam (zinc), white copper, bell metal or any mixture of zinc and copper (Sinhala); Kagncham: (Tamil); Kamsa: metal cup, bell, bell-metal (Sanskrit, CDIAL 2576); bell metal, bronze (Pali, CDIAL 2987); Kaamsyakaara: worker in bell metal or brass (Sanskrit, CDIAL 2989); Kampu: gold, conch, shell, bracelet, ring, neck, vein (Sinhala); Kambiya: (singular), Kambi: (plural) wire (Sinhala)
Thiddi	raised ground (Tamil, DED 3221); Titi: raised ground, coming as place name (Tamil, Brahmi inscriptions, Mahadevan, 33.1, 58.1); Thiddu: rising ground, bank, elevation, hillock, sandbank (Tamil, DED 3221); mound, shoal (Malayalam, DED 3221); Thiddai: rising ground, bank, elevation, raised floor (Tamil, DED 3221, Paddinappaalai, 60); Thidal, Thidar, Thida'ru, Thadal: related words of Thiddi (DED 3221); Chiddi, Iddi, Piddi, Pittiya: cognates of Thiddi

Kannaan in Tamil means a brazier or copper worker. Kamburu/ Kammaara/ Kaburu in Sinhala, corresponding to Kammaa'lan in Tamil, means a metal worker in general. The two sets of words may or may not be of the same etymology.

The word Kannaan comes from the root Kan, meaning copper in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 1402). But the root Kam in Kamburu/ Kammaa'lan may be related to Kan or may be related to Karma meaning work. Karma-s'aala in Sanskrit and Kamma-s'aala in Prakrit, meaning a workshop (CDIAL 2896), could correspond to Kamhala/ Kammala in Sinhala meaning a metal workshop, forge or smithery, and to Kammaa'lai meaning the same in Tamil. See boxes on Kannaan and Kamburu for related words raising the question whether metal or work was the source of their origin.

The component Thiddi means a raised ground in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 3221). It corresponds to Chiddi (C/ T change as in Choalai/ Thoalai), Iddi, Piddi and Pitiya discussed in earlier columns.

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Kannaa-thiddi is a locality in Va'n'naar- Pa'n'nai in Jaffna city.

Kamburu-pitiya is in a division of its own name in Matara district.

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Some related place names:

Kamburu-goda: The brazier's village or bank; Bandaragama division, Kalutara district

Kamburu-gamuwa: The village of braziers; Weligama division, Matara district

Kemmala-pitiya-gama: The village having a metal workshop in a raised ground; Padiyathalawa division, Ampaa'rai district

Kammala: The metal workshop; Wennapuwa division, Puththa'lam district

Kammal-thura: The port having a metal workshop; Negombo division, Gampaha district

Kammal-pitiya: The raised ground having a metal workshop; Mirigama division, Gampaha district

Kammal-watta: The grove having a metal workshop; Biyagama division, Gampaha district

Kamman-daluwa: Kammaan-thaazhvu: The low ground belonging to metal workers; Pallama division, Puththa'lam district

Kabulu-mulla: The metal worker's corner; Yatiyanthota division, Kegalle district

Kangsala-gamuwa: The village of brass workers; Rambukkana division, Kegalle district

First published: Friday, 13 May 2016, 22:04