Where does “kolam” come from?
kolam (Malay) comes from Tamil குளம், from Sanskrit गुल, from Sanskrit गुड, from Proto-Dravidian *kuṭV.
Ancestry of “kolam”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Tamil | குளம் | pond; pool; sugar |
| 2 | Sanskrit | गुल | raw or unrefined sugar, molasses; the glans... |
| 3 | Sanskrit | गुड | sugar which forms itself into lumps, dry sugar,... |
| 4 | Proto-Dravidian | *kuṭV | — |