If you are unsure of the meaning of the words use a dictionary. By using a dictionary will help you remember what that particular word means. This book is designed to help you learn the new meaning of words and write sentences using the phrases. You don’t have to learn all 15000 phrases pick and choose the ones you want.

• In Malayalam; Section 2.2 identifies some allophonic variations of the proposed phonemes; Section 2.3 slightly touches upon the syllable structure of Malayalam; finally Section 2.4 discusses the typological status of the phoneme inventory as a whole.
• For English to Malayalam translation, enter the English word you want to translate to Malayalam meaning in the search box above and click 'SEARCH'. Malayalam to English translation dictionary. For Malayalam to English translation, you have several options to enter Malayalam words in the search box above.

This is a list of English words that are borrowed directly or ultimately from Dravidian languages. Dravidian languages include Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, and a number of other languages spoken mainly in South Asia. The list is by no means exhaustive.

Some of the words can be traced to specific languages, but others have disputed or uncertain origins. Words of disputed or less certain origin are in the 'Dravidian languages' list. Where lexicographers generally agree on a source language, the words are listed by language.

Dravidian languages[edit]

• Aiyo, a word used to express distress, regret and fear, either from Tamil aiyō or Sinhalese ayiyō.^[1]
• Betel, a leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family; from Portuguesebetel, which probably comes from Tamil or Malayalam.^[2]
• Candy, crystallized sugar or confection made from sugar; via Persian qand, which is probably from a Dravidian language, ultimately stemming from the Sanskrit root word 'Khanda'.^[3]
• Coir, cord/rope, fibre from husk of coconut; from Malayalam kayar (കയർ)^[4] or Tamil kayiru (கயிறு).^[5] The origin of this word cannot be conclusively attributed to Malayalam or Tamil.
• Congee, porridge, water with rice; uncertain origin, possibly from Tamil kanji (கஞ்சி),^[6] Telugu or Kannada gañji, or Malayalam kaṇni^[7]
• Coolie, a labourer or slave, a South Asian person; possibly from Tamil cooli (கூலி) 'labour',^[8] or possibly from Koḷī 'Gujarati people' in Gujarati,^[9] which is not a Dravidian language
• Cot, a bedstead or a portable bed; via Hindi from Sanskrit,^[10] which in turn may have come from a Dravidian source such as Tamil kattil^[11]
• Cowry, the shells of certain sea snails, or the snails themselves; via Hindi and Urdu from Sanskrit kaparda (कपर्द),^[12] which may be related to Tamil kotu (கோது) 'shell'^[13]
• Curry, a variety of dishes flavored with a spicy sauce; cognates exist in several Dravidian languages.^[14]
• Ginger, a fragrant spice; exact route from Dravidian is uncertain, but possibly from Tamil inchi (இஞ்சி) or Malayalam inchi (ഇഞ്ചി)^[15]
• Godown, synonym to warehouse; English from Malay, which in turn may have borrowed it from Telugu giḍangi or Tamil kiṭanku^[16]
• Gunny, an inexpensive bag; from Sanskrit via Hindi and Marathi,^[17] perhaps ultimately from a Dravidian language such as Tulu.^{[citation needed]}
• Hot toddy, beverage made of alcoholic liquor with hot water, sugar, and spices; from Hindi tari 'palm sap', probably from a Dravidian language^[18]
• Jaggery, coarse brown sugar made from palm and sugarcane; via Portuguese jágara^[19] probably from Malayalam chakkara (ചക്കര)^[20] or Kannada sakkare, having its origins in Sanskrit.^[21]
• Mango, A tropical fruit;origin probably from Malayalam^[22][23] or Tamil.^[24][25]
• Mongoose, a small carnivorous mammal from southern Eurasia or Africa, known for killing snakes; probably ultimately from a Dravidian language, with spelling influenced by the English word goose^[26]
• Mung, a type of bean; ultimately from Sanskrit mudga (मुद्ग), which is the name of the bean and the plant, perhaps via Tamil mūngu (முங்கு) 'soak',^[27] or perhaps from mũg (मूँग), the name of the bean in Hindi,^[28] which is not a Dravidian language
• Orange, a citrus fruit, or a color named for the fruit; cognates exist in several Dravidian languages^[29]
• Pagoda, a religious building; etymology uncertain but perhaps influenced by Tamil pagavadi (பகாவடி) 'house belonging to a deity'^[30]
• Pariah, a social outcast; from Tamil paṟaiyar (பறையர்) or Malayalam paṟayan, 'drummer'^[31]
• Peacock, a type of bird; from Old Englishpawa, the earlier etymology is uncertain, but one possible source is Tamil tokei (தோகை) 'peacock feather', via Latin or Greek^[32]
• Sambal, a spicy condiment; from Malay, which may have borrowed the word from a Dravidian language such as Tamil or Telugu^[33]
• Teak, a tropical hardwood tree; called tekku (தேக்கு) in Tamil, tekka in Malayalam, Telugu teku, and Kannada tegu^[34]

Malayalam[edit]

Tamil[edit]

Gregory James, a professor with the language center of Hong Kong university believes that more than 100 words in the Oxford English Dictionary have Tamil origin, and there could be even more.^[41] The third edition of the OED, published online since 2000, contains approximately 400,000 words.^[42]

Telugu[edit]

Kannada[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

1. ^Cash in the sense of 'small copper coins' entered English from Tamil via Portuguese. Cash in the sense of 'ready money' as opposed to invested wealth has a separate etymology, from Latin capsa via Middle French or Old Italian.
2. ^The origin of culvert is unknown. Sources suggest it may come from an obscure technical term among canal diggers or a person's name.^[47]
3. ^The origin of bamboo is uncertain. It is thought to have entered English from Malayo-Polynesian languages, which borrowed it from Kannada.^[53]
4. ^The origin of dhole is unknown, but some sources suggest a connection to Kannada tōḷa (ತೋಳ).^[54]

References[edit]

1. ^'aiyo'. Oxford Dictionaries - English.
2. ^'Betel'. Online Etymology Dictionary.
3. ^'Candy'. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
4. ^'Coir'. Online Etymology Dictionary.
5. ^'Coir'. Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
6. ^'Congee'. Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
7. ^'conjee, congee n.'. Oxford English Dictionary (second ed.). 1989. ISBN9780198611868.
8. ^'Coolie; Define Coolie at Dictionary.com'. Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
9. ^'coolie n.'. Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). 2008. ISBN9780199571123.
10. ^'cot n.⁴'. Oxford English Dictionary (second ed.). 1989. ISBN9780198611868.
11. ^'Online Etymology Dictionary'. Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
12. ^'cowry n.'. Oxford English Dictionary (second ed.). 1989. ISBN9780198611868.
13. ^'Online Etymology Dictionary'. Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
14. ^'Curry; Define Curry at Dictionary.com'. Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
15. ^Origins of Plant Names-D.A. Patil.
16. ^'Define Godown at Dictionary.com'. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
17. ^'gunny, n.'. Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). 2000. ISBN9780199571123.
18. ^'toddy'. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
19. ^'Jaggery'. Merriam Webster Dictionary.
20. ^'Jaggery Etymology'.
21. ^'jaggery, n.'. Oxford English Dictionary (second ed.). 1989. ISBN9780198611868.
22. ^'Mango; Define Mango at Dictionary.com'. Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
23. ^'Mango'. Merriam-Webster.com.
24. ^'mango (n.)'. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
25. ^Achaya, K.T. (2003). The Story of Our Food. Universities Press. p. 7. ISBN9788173712937.
26. ^'mongoose'. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
27. ^'Mung bean Define Mung bean at Dictionary.com'. Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
28. ^'mung n.²'. Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). 2008. ISBN9780199571123.
29. ^'orange n.¹ and adj.¹'. Oxford English Dictionary online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-30.(subscription required)
30. ^'Online Etymology Dictionary'. Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
31. ^'pariah, n. and adj.'. Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). 2008. ISBN9780199571123.
32. ^'Online Etymology Dictionary'. Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
33. ^'Sambal; Define Sambal at Dictionary.com'. Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
34. ^'teak'. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
35. ^'Areca'. Dictionary.com.
36. ^'Catechu'. Dictionary.com.
37. ^'Catechu'. WordReference.com.
38. ^'Copra'. Online Etymology Dictionary.
39. ^'Calico'. Dictionary.com.
40. ^'Jackfruit'. Merriam-Webster.com.
41. ^'For this professor, tracking Tamil words in English is a passion'. Times of India. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
42. ^Simpson, John (2000). 'Preface to the Third Edition of the OED'. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
43. ^'cash²'. Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
44. ^'Catamaran; Define Catamaran at Dictionary.com'. Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
45. ^'Cheroot; Define Cheroot at Dictionary.com'. Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
46. ^'Corundum; Define Corundum at Dictionary.com'. Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
47. ^'culvert'. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
48. ^'mulligatawny, n.'. Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2003.
49. ^'patchouli'. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
50. ^'Pandal; Define Pandal at Dictionary.com'. Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
51. ^'bandicoot'. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
52. ^'pitta'. Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
53. ^ ^abOxford University Press, 1998. Illustrated Oxford Dictionary. Great Britain. ISBN140532029-X.
54. ^ ^ab'dhole'. Merriam-Webster.com. n.d. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
55. ^'hijra, n.'. Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). 2009.