thumbnail

Dravidian Loanwords in English

The Dravidian languages form a language family spoken mostly in southern India. By number of speakers, the largest are Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.

The Dravidian form of the word given in this quiz is usually from a modern language and may be different from the form that ultimately gave us the English word. The year when the word is first attested in English is also given.

I tried to make a fairly comprehensive list, let me know if any words are missing. I did not include lesser known terms, especially if not used outside an Indian context, such as 'idli'.

Some of these words reached English more or less directly via maritime trade (sometimes through Portuguese and/or Malay). Others took a land route, usually by way of Sanskrit -> Persian -> Aramaic -> Greek -> Latin -> English. Or, in a later era: Hindi -> Persian -> Arabic -> French -> English.
* An asterisk means that the etymology is uncertain.
Quiz by
PeregrineFalcon
Rate:
Last updated: March 20, 2025
You have not attempted this quiz yet.
First submittedMarch 20, 2025
Times taken26
Average score64.0%
Report this quizReport
15:00
Enter answer here
0
 / 25 guessed
The quiz is paused. You have remaining.
Scoring
You scored / = %
This beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%
The average score is
Your high score is
Your fastest time is
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
 
Dravidian word
Hint
Answer
before 1150
akil
Originally agarwood: a plant used as incense. Nowadays more often used for a succulent plant. Its leaves are filled with a gel that is used as a skin lotion.
aloe
1768
āṉaikkoṉṟāṉ
Tamil for 'what kills an elephant'. Originally a type of snake of Sri Lanka, but used nowadays for several snakes in South America, including the largest snake species on Earth.*
anaconda
1796
vaḻutana
British term for eggplant.
aubergine
1598
-
Kannada. A fast growing grass eaten by the panda.
bamboo
c. 1305
Belūru
A gemstone, possibly named after the city Belur. It can have several colors; the green variety is called emerald.
beryl
1540
kōḻikkōṭŭ
Malayalam. A rough cotton fabric, named after a city in south India. Or a cat with a specific fur coat.
calico
1587
kaṇṭu
Confectionery.
candy
1697
kaṭṭumaram
Tamil. A boat or ship with two hulls.
catamaran
1622
kañci
Tamil. Rice porridge.
congee
1728
kuruntam
Tamil. A gemstone in various colors. The red variety is called ruby, the blue sapphire.
corundum
1634
kaṭṭil
A very simple, portable bed. Or a bed for a child.*
cot
1662
kapardikā
A type of sea shell with a shape reminiscent of a coffee bean. Historically used as currency. [The form given left is Sanskrit.]*
cowrie
1598
kaṟi
Tamil. A dish with a spicy sauce (gravy).
curry
before 1150
iñcivēr
A pungent rhizome used often in Indian as well as Chinese cuisine.
ginger
1681
cakka
A very large fruit with a stringy texture. When ripe, it tastes sweet. Unripe, it is used as a vegetable.
jackfruit
1582
māṅkāy
A tropical fruit.
mango
1673
muṅgisa
A weasel-like animal known for hunting snakes.
mongoose
before 1400
nāraṅkāy
A citrus fruit and a color.
orange
1613
paṟaiyar
Tamil. A social outcast. The original meaning is 'drummer', a job for the lower castes.
pariah
1609
puḻukku
Rice cooked with spices and meat or vegetables, resembling biryani. Mostly eaten in the Middle East and Central Asia.
pilaf
1803
pampa ḷimācu
A citrus fruit with a very thick skin.*
pomelo
before 1325
arici
A cereal and staple food in large parts of Asia.*
rice
c. 1510
cāntu
A very aromatic type of wood, one of the most expensive in the world. Used for perfume and woodcarving.
sandalwood
1917
catai
Tamil. Indonesian and Malaysian skewers, which can be served with peanut sauce.
satay
1698
tēkkŭ
A prized tropical hardwood. Used for furniture and ships.
teak
Save Your Stats
Your Next Quiz
Can you type the first two letters of every Asian country in just 60 seconds?
Can you name these 149 national and regional languages shown on the map of Asia?
Click the emoji that corresponds to each Spanish word.
From the list of words, choose the ones that are also a European city, town, village, municipality, etc...
4 Comments
+1
Level 79
Mar 20, 2025
Other words from Dravidian: krait areca betel copra caddy mung poppadom. Possibly from Dravidian but highly uncertain: peacock.
+2
Level 63
Mar 22, 2025
cash, bandicoot?

nice quiz!

+1
Level 79
Mar 23, 2025
Thank you! Cash comes from the Latin word capsa, a money box. It's coincidence that there was also a coin used in India called cash.

Bandicoot is indeed a Dravidian loanword. I saw this in the lists on wiktionary but I had never heard of it, so I estimated it would be too obscure for this quiz. I will try out Google Ngram viewer to see if my estimations make any sense though!

+1
Level 79
Mar 23, 2025
Interesting. The least used word on this quiz is satay. Bandicoot is indeed used less than that. But words like areca, betel and copra are apparently used more than satay, pomelo and anaconda. In the end this tool shows how much a word is used and not how well it is known so I think it is of limited use for me.