Glossary
Some Tamil words and phrases
akka
sister; respectful way to address a female
amma
mother; respectful way to address an older female
anbulla
term of endearment: “my love, my dear”
anna
brother; respectful way to address a male
appa
father (also ayya); respectful way to address an older male
appatha
grandmother, father’s mother
appudiya?
“really?”, “is that so?”
archana
rite, worship, offering
asana
yoga pose
ashram
place of religious retreat
attai
aunt
auto
short for autorickshaw
autorickshaw
three-wheeler for public hire
avar
a respectful way of referring to someone in third person
ayoo
exclamation, “oh dear”
ayurveda
a form of traditional Indian medicine
ayya
father (also appa); respectful way to address an older male
Bhadra Kali
a wrathful female deity
Bhagavad Gita
a Hindu holy text, dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna
Bharatanatyam
South Indian classical dance
bindi
decorative red dot on a woman’s forehead
Brahmin
member of the highest caste, traditionally the priestly class
Carnatic
South Indian classical music tradition
chakalati
second wife
chappals
slippers or sandals
chinna
little
chinnamma
stepmother, lit. “little mother”
chinna-patti
grandmother’s sister, lit. “little grandma”
chinna veedu
mistress, lit. “small house”
chittapa
father’s cousin (or father’s brother)
chitti
chittapa’s wife
congee
a savory rice porridge
da
affectionate, intimate, or disrespectfully familiar word or suffix to address a male, also used between female friends: “hello-da!”; filler word
dhal
lentils, lentil stew
dhoti
from Hindi, a men’s clothing item, a piece of fabric around the waist, similar to veshti in South India
di
affectionate, intimate, or disrespectfully familiar word or suffix to address a female: “di, come here!”; filler word
Diwali
Hindu festival of lights
dosa
rice and lentil pancake
dupatta
a shawl, typically part of a woman’s three-piece outfit
garam masala
a blend of ground spices
gundu
overweight
hotel
typically refers to a restaurant
idli
steamed rice and lentil cake
inge!
“come here!”
jaali
small window hole
ji
honorific suffix, e.g. “Devadas-ji”
kanmai
eye liner
Kannada
language spoken in Karnataka state, related to Tamil
karma
one’s circumstances or fate as dictated by previous lives
karma yoga
religious devotion through work
kimbalam
illicit side money, in contrast with sambalam
kodi kambam
metal flagstaff outside some Hindu temples
kolam
auspicious geometric pattern made on the ground with rice flour
kumkum
red powder made of turmeric and lime
kunjam
hair tassel
laddu
round-shaped sweet made of e.g. lentils
lakh
100,000 rupees
lingam
stone pillar or phallus representing the god Shiva
ma
respectful word or suffix to address a female; filler word
Mahabharata
a Hindu epic on the Kurukshetra War
maharani
queen
maida flour
highly refined wheat flour
mama
uncle
Marwari
a community with roots in Marwar, Rajasthan
masala
a blend of spices or a dish made with it
matham
monastery, place of learning
muram
winnower
nagaswaram
a loud double-reed instrument played in temples and during weddings
Om Shakti
mantra invoking the divine feminine
pa
informal, familiar word or suffix to address someone: “it’s okay-pa”; filler word
paai
dry-grass mat
paan
chewing tobacco with betel nut and spices
paavam
expression of sympathy, “poor so-and-so”
pakora
deep-fried battered vegetable snack
pani puri
North Indian dish with a crisp shell filled with flavored water
papa
baby
Paraiyar
a Scheduled Caste community in South India
paravalle
“it’s okay”, “no problem”, “doesn’t matter”
patti
grandmother
pavadai daavani
half saree, traditionally worn by girls between puberty and marriage
pavadai sattai
shirt that a girl wears before the pavadai daavani
periya
big
poh da!
disrespectful command: “get out!”, “move!”, “go!”
polama
“let’s go”, literally “shall we go?”
Pongal
a harvest festival
pongal
porridge eaten during the Pongal festival
poodum
enough
poori
puffy wheat pancake fried in oil
poori kattai
rolling pin for making poori
puja
ceremony, rite, worship
pujari
priest
pukka
genuine
rakshasa
male demon
rakshasi
female demon
Rama
Hindu deity, seventh incarnation of Vishnu
roti
a flat, round wheat bread
saarayam
bootleg alcohol
salvar kameez
North Indian-style female dress
sambalam
legitimate salary, in contrast with kimbalam
sambar
a type of stew
Saraswati
Hindu goddess of learning
saree
a traditional female garment, a single piece of unstitched fabric
shaantam
peace
sombu
metal vase
STD booth
booth or shop with a phone, short for Subscriber Trunk Dialing
summa
“simply”, “simple thing”
suyyam
donut made of rice and lentil flour
swami
priest, ascetic, religious teacher; exclamation: “Lord”
tahsildar
revenue officer
Tamil
language and culture of the Tamil people of South India and Sri Lanka
thali
marriage necklace worn by Hindu women
thambi
younger brother; little boy
thangachi
younger sister; affectionate way to address a female friend
thatha
grandfather
tiffin
metal box for carrying a meal
uyir
soul, soul mate
va!
“come!”, familiar or disrespectful singular form
vaanga, vaanga!
welcome, lit. “come, come!” in plural
vadhyar
respectful term for a teacher
Vaishnava
devotee of the god Vishnu
valavetti
married woman estranged and separated from her husband
vanakkam!
“greetings!”
vapatti
illicit female companion
vashikaran mantra
a controlling love spell
vajrasana
yoga term for sitting on one’s knees
veedu
house
veshti
men’s clothing item, a piece of fabric around the waist, similar to dhoti
Vettiyan
a member of a Scheduled Caste associated with attending to graveyards
wallah
word from Hindi for a worker or seller, e.g. chai-wallah
yenna?
“what?”