Where does “தாய்மை” come from?

தாய்மை (Tamil) comes from Tamil -மை, from Old Tamil -𑀫𑁃, from Proto-Dravidian *-may — abstract noun formative.

தாய்மை (Tamil): motherhood, motherliness

Definitions

  1. motherhood, motherliness

Ancestry of “தாய்மை”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tamil-மைness, -ity added to nouns, adjectives or verbs to produce abstract nouns
2Old Tamil-𑀫𑁃forms abstract nouns
3Proto-Dravidian*-mayabstract noun formative
Every word from Proto-Dravidian *-may →Every word from Tamil -மை →Every word from Old Tamil -𑀫𑁃 →