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#69924
05/14/2002 7:47 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
This site gives about a dozen common English words that originated in Tamil. http://www.penkatali.org/tamilwords.html
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#69925
05/14/2002 9:07 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773 |
Cool site, Dr Bill. I especially enjoyed connecting the structure of a catamaran with its name ("named from the Tamil words kaTTu 'tie' and maram 'wood, tree': simply two trees tied together"). I've often wondered about it. Thanks.
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#69926
05/14/2002 11:01 PM
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757 |
Thanks Bill! I found this segment particularly a-peeling:
orange — this word can be traced back through French une orange, Spanish naranja, Arabic nâranj, Persian nârang, and Sanskrit nâranga to the Tamil word nâru- 'to be fragrant, to sprout up'. However, the present-day Tamil word for orange is ârańcu. Borrowed back from English—it's gone full circle!
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