Tamil, Tamiḻ: 6 definitions

Introduction:

Tamil means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, Hindi, Tamil. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

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In Hinduism

General definition (in Hinduism)

Source: WikiPedia: Hinduism

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and the first Indian language to be declared as a classical language by the government of India in 2004. Tamil is also spoken by significant minorities in Malaysia and Mauritius as well as emigrant communities around the world.

Tamil (தமிழ், tamiḻ, [t̪ɐmɨɻ])

Tamil is one of the longest surviving classical languages in the world. It has been described as "the only language of contemporary India which is recognizably continuous with a classical past" and having "one of the richest literatures in the world". Tamil literature has existed for over 2000 years.

India history and geography

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Indian Epigraphical Glossary

Tamil.—name of an alphabet and language. Note: tamil is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.

Source: academia.edu: Minor Chiefs and "Hero" in Ancient Tamilakam

Tamiḻ (Tamil-nāṭu/nāḍu) is a name related to the historical geography and rulers of ancient Tamil Nadu, occuring in Sangam literature such as the Akanāṉūṟu and the Puṟanāṉūṟu.—Notes: (Puṟam. 35, 198), the language and the land (Puṟam. 50, 168 VIS 324-25, Rajarajan 2017), see Damirica in the ‘Periplus’ (Sastri 2001: 57), ‘Tamiradeśa’ of the Hathigumpha Inscription (EI XX, 71-89). See Dramila in Bollée (2017: 23)

India history book cover
context information

The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.

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Languages of India and abroad

Hindi dictionary

Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

1) Tamil in Hindi refers in English to:—(nf) the oldest of the four major south Indian languages belonging to the Dravidian family; ~[nadu] the South-Indian state of Tamilnadu..—tamil (तमिल) is alternatively transliterated as Tamila.

2) Tamil in Hindi refers in English to:—(nf) carrying out, implementation (of an order); service (of summons etc.)..—tamil (तामील) is alternatively transliterated as Tāmīla.

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Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Tamiḻ (ತಮಿೞ್):—[noun] = ತಮಿಳು [tamilu].

context information

Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

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Tamil dictionary

Source: DDSA: University of Madras: Tamil Lexicon

Tamiḻ (தமிழ்) noun perhaps from தமி¹. [thami¹.] cf. dramiḍa.

1. Sweetness, melodiousness; இனிமை. (பிங்கலகண்டு) [inimai. (pingalagandu)]

2. Refined quality; நீர்மை. (பிங்கலகண்டு) [nirmai. (pingalagandu)]

3. Tamil language, being divided into iyaṟ-ṟamiḻ, icai-t-tamiḻ, nāṭaka-t-tamiḻ; இயற்றமிழ், இசைத்தமிழ், நாடகத் தமிழ் என மூவகையாக வழங்கும் மொழி. [iyarramizh, isaithamizh, nadagath thamizh ena muvagaiyaga vazhangum mozhi.]

4. Tamil literature, Tamil work; தமிழ் நூல். [thamizh nul.]

5. The Tamils; தமிழர். அருந்தமி ழாற்ற லறிந்திலர் [thamizhar. arunthami zharra larinthilar] (சிலப்பதிகாரம் அரும்பதவுரை [silappathigaram arumbathavurai] 26, 161).

6. The Tamil country; தமிழ்நாடு. தண் டமிழ் வினைஞர் [thamizhnadu. than damizh vinaignar] (மணிமேகலை [manimegalai] 19, 109).

context information

Tamil is an ancient language of India from the Dravidian family spoken by roughly 250 million people mainly in southern India and Sri Lanka.

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