Know the Etymology: 481
Place Name of the Day: Monday, 25 July 2016

Mī-gaha-kivula

மீக₃ஹ-கிவுல
Mī-gaha-kivula

Mī+gaha+kivula

The thicket or jungle of Mī trees

Kivul1	grove or collection of trees of one kind, as deduced from toponymic usage (Sinhala); probably related to 1. Kevili: multitude, flock, heap (Sinhala, Clough); “Samūhaya, Goḍa” (Sinhala, Sorata); Kuvāl, Kuvai: heap, pile, collection, mound (Tamil, DED 1741); Kuvi: (verb) to heap up, to pile up conically, to crowd, to accumulate (Tamil, DED 1741); 2. Kāvu: grove (Tamil, Puṟanāṉuṟu 36: 8-9); grove, protected grove (Malayalam); derivative of Kā: forest (Tamil, Kannada, DED 1418); Kāvam: forest (Tamil, DED 1418)
Kivul2	brackish (when referring to water, Sinhala, Clough); Cavaḷu: brackishness (Kannada, Tulu, DED 2386)
Kivul3	from Kevul, Kevuḷā: fisherman (Sinhala); Kēvi: a category of fishermen, boatmen (Tamil); see column on Kevuḷiyā-maṭu
Mī	also Mī-gaha: the tree, Bassia latifolia (Sinhala); related to honey in the flowers of the tree; 1. Mī: honey (Sinhala); Miñiṟu: honeybee (Tamil, DED 4843); Moy: (verb) to swarm as bees (Tamil, DED 5030); 2. Madhu: honey (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 9784); honey, wine made from blossoms of Bassia laifolia (Pali, DED 9784); Madhūka: Bassia latifolia (Sanskrit, CDIAL 9801); Mathgi: Bassia Latifolia (Maltese, DED 4695); Madgī: Bassia latifolia flower (Kurux, DED 4695); see columns on Mīya-gala and Iluppaik-kaṭavai

The Sinhala place name component Kivula, coming as suffix and associated with tree-names, seems to be meaning a grove, collection of trees of one kind, a thicket or a jungle. The term is probably a variation of Kevili in Sinhala meaning multitude, flock or heap. In such a meaning Kivul may correspond to Kuvāl/ Kuvai, meaning the same in Tamil/ Dravidian, coming from the verb root Kuvi (DED 1741). Another etymological possibility is Kivula taking La affix corresponding to Kāvu meaning a grove in Malayalam and in old Tamil. The root Kā itself means forest or grove in Tamil and Kannada (DED 1418).

In some place names, especially when Kivul comes as prefix, the term may be a variation of Kevul meaning fishermen. Note place names such as Kivula-vāḍiya and see column on Kevuḷiyā-maṭu for etymology.

In some other place names related to water sources, Kivul coming as prefix may also mean brackish. In this meaning, the term is a cognate of Cavaḷu in Kannada and Tulu (DED 2386), meaning the same (C/ K interchange)

* * *

Mī-gaha-kivula is a divisional headquarters in Badulla district.

* * *

Some related place names:

Kivula coming as suffix:

Nuga-gaha-kivula: Siyambalanduwa, Moneragala

De-bẹddē-kivula: Moneragala, Moneragala

Hidi-kivula: Moneragala, Moneragala. Hidi: Hińdi: Ińdi-gasa, Kaduru-gasa (Sinhala, Sorata)

Kaḷa-gaha-kivula: Badalkumbura, Moneragala. Kaḷa: a tree; “Gas vesesak” (Sinhala, Sorata); identified with Baṭa: a small species of bamboo or bamboo cane, Ochlandra stridula (Sinhala, Clough)

Kivula: Ambalantota, Hambantota; Mahakumbukkadawala, Puttalam

* * *

Kivul as prefix:

Kivula-vāḍiya: Laggala-Pallegama, Matale

Kivula-kaḍavala: Gomarankadawala, Trincomale

Kivula-goḍa: Mahakumbukkadawala, Puttalam

Kivulē-gama: Damana, Ampara; Nikaweratiya, Kurunegala

Kivulē-gedara: Narammala, Kurunegala

Kivul-galla: Narammala, Kurunegala

Kivulē-kaḍa: Horowpothana, Anuradhapura

Kivulē-yāya: Siyambalanduwa, Moneragala

Kivul-āra: Thanamalvila, Moneragala

Kivul-pana: Rambukkana, Kegalle

Kivul-deniya: Warakapola, Kegalle

* * *

Kevul-gama: Udadumbara, Kandy

Kovul-vẹva: Udubaddawa, Kurunegala. Either variation of Kevul or Kovul: plural of Kovula: decayed or rotten tree (Sinhala, Clough); common to see such tanks in the dry zone; Kūlu: (verb) to fall down, be destroyed, ruined (Kannada, DED 1907); (verb) to fall down, sink, drop, die, fall dead (Telugu, DED 1907)

First published: Monday, 25 July 2016, 11:38