Where does “വയനാട്” come from?

വയനാട് (Malayalam) comes from Malayalam നാട്, from Proto-Dravidian nāṭu — state, province, district, kingdom.

Ancestry of “വയനാട്”, step by step

വയനാട് traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Malayalam നാട്

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malayalamനാട്state, country, nation, kingdom
2Proto-Dravidiannāṭustate, province, district, kingdom

via Malayalam വയൽ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malayalamവയൽfield
2Proto-Dravidian*wayal—

Words derived from “വയനാട്”

Every word from Proto-Dravidian nāṭu →Every word from Malayalam നാട് →