Today's Tamil word - 17th May 2020 - கமுக்கம்

Secret - ரகசியம் (Sanskrit/Hindi)

Original Tamil word(s) - கமுக்கம்
Others: பூடகம், மறைபொருள்

கமுக்கம் is the exact Tamil word for secret. This word is sparsely in use today during conversations; on the verge of going out of the commoner's vocabulary.

The words பூடகம் and மறைபொருள் can be translated as hidden meaning or underlying meaning to be precise.

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Today's Tamil word - 16th May 2020 - ஆதாயம்/இழப்பு

Profit/Loss - லாபம்/நஷ்டம் (Sanskrit)

Original Tamil word: - ஆதாயம்/இழப்பு

ஆதாயம் comes from root words ஆ and தா. ஆ means cow and தா is to give/provide.

Those days, cows were considered as family members and a symbol of wealth. A person was said to be rich depending on the number of cows he/she had.

The words ஆதரவு (ஆக்களைத் தருவது ஆதரவு - when someone gifts/donates cow) and ஆதாரம் (whatever achieved from this basic resource, the cow) became the word for support and livelihood respectively.

In the same vain, the benefits/money attained by possessing the cow's produce (like selling milk, ghee, butter etc) was called ஆதாயம், the profit from the ஆதாரம் (investment/basic resource)

This relationship and the status of the cow in the Tamil society, irrespective of/across religion, is continuing till today in the form of ஏறுதழுவல் (now popularly known as Jallikattu) a sport which isn't part of any other culture.

This sport is said to have been first played sometime between the 4th century BC to 1st century BC. Exactions from the Indus Valley civilisation sites have found symbols of this sport as coins, which suggests an older history to ஏறுதழுவல் and the proven link between Tamil and Indus civilisation.

Having to think of it, wonder if any other culture celebrates a festival (a cultural festival devoid of any religiousness) in the name of the cow. மாட்டுப் பொங்கல் is the Tamil festival to thank the cow for its services in the farm.

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Today's Tamil word - 15th May 2020 - கூலி

Salary - சம்பளம் (Sanskrit)

Original Tamil word(s): கூலி, ஊழியம்

கூலி is the generic Tamil word for the salary we get out of all kinds of jobs. But in today's context only the salary from the so-called low esteem physically oriented jobs is identified as கூலி; while white collar jobs' salary have become சம்பளம் (derived from the Sanskrit word 'Sambadhyathi which means - to earn).

This transition in the meaning of the word கூலி quite clearly explains the influence of Sanskrit's Vedic culture, that prescribes hierarchy in jobs; which wasn't the case here before, going by the very generic original meaning of the word.

The meaning of ஊழியம் is also interesting as it comes from the word ஊழ், which is a Tamil philosophy about the uncontrollable elements in life. As mentioned before, ஊழ் is a pivotal chapter in Thirukkural, sandwiched between the end of அறத்துப்பால் and the start of பொருட்பால்.

ஊழியம் is one of the basic tenents of the ancient Tamil religion ஆசீவகம் (அய்யனார் worship). According to ஊழியம் philosophy, no one can have a complete control of one's life at any point; we are bound by several other factors which affects our life despite us following the best of life practices. Thereby, it stresses the need to learn to endure/accept life as it is.

The word ஊழியம் comes out of this meaning that, the salary we get is a result of so many factors that we may have no control of but nevertheless we have to make do with it. This word has colloquially now become ஊதியம்.

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Today's Tamil word- 14th May 2020 - அகவை

Age - வயது

Original Tamil word: அகவை, பிராயம்

The words வயசு/வயது comes from the Sanskrit word for age 'vayas' (வயஸ்).

அகவை = அகம் + வை

அகம் = உள் (within/inside) and வை = வைக்கப்படுதல்; from அகவை comes the word  அகப்பட்ட which means something that is held by/captured within;

So, in Tamil, அகவை means to convey  காலத்தால் அகப்பட்டுக்கொண்டிருபது - (being held/captured by time). How appropriate is this word for 'age'! As it is, time cannot be controlled; time only has the control of our lives. We live differently at different ages of our life, thereby we are bound by time.

If you had read the popular novel of Kalki பொன்னியின் செல்வம், பிராயம் is a word that you would have came across very often. It literally means நிலை (state). So it is used along with a qualifying adjective - e.g. இளம் பிராயம்/வளரும் பிராயம்.

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Today's Tamil word - 13th May 2020 - நாள் & word-list

Everyday, Daily - தினம், நிதம்

Original Tamil words: நாள், அன்றாடம்

We use hell a lot of other language words as Tamil words in our common conversations today. The irony is that we also know the native Tamil word for it, but we won't use it as regularly. We using தினம் more often than நாள் is an example for that.

The only reason, I can think of for that, is the fact that we don't know which is the native word and which is not.

அவசரம் - விரைவு
அவசியம் - தேவை
அனுதாபம் - இரக்கம்
இனாம் - நன்கொடை
ஆகாயம் - வானம்
ஆசை - விருப்பம்
ஆபத்து - துன்பம், இடர்
ஆராதனை - வழிபாடு
கல்யாணம்/விவாகம் - திருமணம்
கடிதம் - மடல்
கரம் - கை
கம்மி - குறைவு
காரியம் - செயல்
கிராமம் - சிற்றூர்
சக்தி - ஆற்றல்
சதவீதம் - வழுக்காடு
சங்கீதம் - இசை
சந்தோஷம் - மகிழ்ச்சி
சமீபம் - அண்மை
சாதாரண - எளிதான
சாட்சி - சான்று
சிபாரிசு - பரிந்துரை
சுகம் - இன்பம்
சுத்தம் - தூய்மை
பசங்க - பிள்ளைகள்
பரீட்சை - தேர்வு
பிரச்சனை - சிக்கல்
புருஷன் - கணவன்
பாஷை - மொழி
புத்தகம் - நூல்
இரத்தம் - குருதி
யுத்தம் - போர்
விஷம் - நஞ்சு
இராத்திரி -இரவு

We may have been thinking the words on the left were Tamil words, while using them and hence continue to use them. For now, we still know the words on the right; but if this trend continues, it would slowly but surely kill the native Tamil words (on the right side) within a generation or two.

This series of posts is primarily to help identify which is which and kindle the interest to use the right Tamil words.

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Today's Tamil word - 12th May 2020 - சூள்

Vow - சபதம் (from Sanskrit)

Original Tamil word - சூள், உறுதிச்சொல்

We have often heard the word உறுதிமொழி* in the news when a new government is formed. It is the Tamil word for Oath*. உறுதிச்சொல், the word for Vow comes from the same base word.

*(The word சத்தியம் is again from Sanskrit that is used now in Tamil for oath)

சூள் is used as சூளுரை (சூள் + உரை) in a sentence. While the word சூள் means vow, the word சூல் means ovule (a part that produces the female reproductive cells). Its amazing how the small difference in ல,ள,ழ, changes meanings so drastically. Only at the height of a language's evolution would that be possible.

It can be said that, during the Sangam period (from 6th century BCE upto 3th century CE) the Tamil language was at its peak, after which its deterioration started due to the advent of various imperialistic forces.

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Today's Tamil word- 11th May 2020 - காலதர்

Window - ஜன்னல் (from Portuguese)

Original Tamil words: சாளரம், காலதர்,

The word we now commonly use for window  - Jannal, originally comes from the Portuguese word for window 'Janela'. Tamil absorbed some Portuguese words, during the Portuguese rule of the Jaffna kingdom in the 16th century CE.

The Tamil word used for window during Sangam era is சாளரம். Another Tamil word for window can be explained through its root word meanings as follows:

காலதர் - கால் + அதர்
கால் - காற்று ; அதர் - வழி

Words like சிறுவாயில், நூழை (நுழைவாயில்) are used interchangeably to refer to windows but they basically mean (small) entrance.

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