Where does “Tamilakam” come from?

Tamilakam (English) comes from Tamil தமிழகம், from Tamil -அகம், from Tamil அகம், from Proto-Dravidian *akam — inside.

Tamilakam (English): the region of South India comprising the modern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, where Tamil was the natural language

Definitions

  1. the region of South India comprising the modern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, where Tamil was the natural language

Ancestry of “Tamilakam”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tamilதமிழகம்—
2Tamil-அகம்denoting a place where a specific action or occupation is conducted, or a person is housed
3Tamilஅகம்inside, that which is inner, internal
4Proto-Dravidian*akaminside
Every word from Proto-Dravidian *akam →Every word from Tamil -அகம் →Every word from Tamil அகம் →