English words from Tamil
5 English words with Tamil in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
catamaran
It is borrowed from Tamil கட்டுமரம் (kaṭṭumaram) “tied wood”, from கட்டு (kaṭṭu) “to tie” and மரம் (maram) “tree, wood”, perhaps via Hindi or Malayalam.
chatty
1. The word for talkative is formed from English chat (“light, easy talk”) + -y, the noun chat being itself a shortening of chatter. 2. The word for lousy is formed from English chat (“louse”) + -y…
corundum
It is borrowed from Tamil குருந்தம் (kuruntam, “ruby, sapphire”), which the OED, Hoad and Weekley spell kurundam; Barnhart and Etymonline say that it came into English through Anglo-Indian use. The…
curry
1. It is borrowed from Tamil கறி (kaṟi, “sauce, relish for rice”), an earlier form carriel (1598) having come through Portuguese caril from Kannada karil. Etymonline thinks it a blend of various…
pariah
It is borrowed from Tamil பறையர் (paṟaiyar), plural of பறையன் (paṟaiyan), literally “drummer”, from பறை (paṟai), a large drum used at festivals. Etymonline allows that it may have come via…