Where does “kathakali” come from?

kathakali (English) comes from Malayalam കഥകളി, from Malayalam കഥ, from Sanskrit कथा, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kátʰaH.

kathakali (English): a spectacular lyric dance drama of southern India...

Definitions

  1. a spectacular lyric dance drama of southern India...

Ancestry of “kathakali”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1MalayalamകഥകളിKathakali, a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Kerala
2Malayalamകഥstory
3Sanskritकथाstory
4Proto-Indo-Iranian*kátʰaH—
Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kátʰaH →Every word from Sanskrit कथा →Every word from Malayalam കഥ →