Where does “ചെറുതേനീച്ച” come from?

ചെറുതേനീച്ച (Malayalam) comes from Malayalam തേൻ, from Proto-Dravidian *tiy-am.

ചെറുതേനീച്ച (Malayalam): small honey bee of species Tetragonula iridipennis, known as Indian stingless bee or dammar bee

Definitions

  1. small honey bee of species Tetragonula iridipennis, known as Indian stingless bee or dammar bee

Ancestry of “ചെറുതേനീച്ച”, step by step

ചെറുതേനീച്ച traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Malayalam തേൻ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malayalamതേൻhoney
2Proto-Dravidian*tiy-am—

via Malayalam ഈച്ച

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malayalamഈച്ചhousefly; Any fly commonly found in human habitations
2Proto-Dravidianīthis, this here

via Malayalam ചെറു

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malayalamചെറുsmall
Every word from Proto-Dravidian *tiy-am →Every word from Malayalam തേൻ →