தமிழ்

Etymology
According to Bhadriraju Krishnamurthi (2003), earlier recorded as 🇨🇬. Further etymology unknown. Various hypotheses have been adduced. The main ones consider this word a compound of some sort:


 * 1)  (1990) proposes that  is derived from the verb  with the evolution tak- > tav- > tam-.
 * 2) Koskinen (1996) speculates a relationship with the name of the lotus flower, attested also with the variant , and having cognates in 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬 and 🇨🇬.
 * 3) Southworth (1998) suggests a derivation like *tam-miẓ > tam-iḻ “one's own speech”, considering the final part as a reduced form of.

However, there are problems with each of these attempts. The sounds -k- and -v- are nowhere attested as variants; moreover, the underlying form of is, not *miẓ-. The etymology of the word therefore remains unknown.

Adjective

 * 1) of or pertaining to the Tamil language or its ethno-linguistic group
 * 2) sweet, pleasant, melodious
 * 3) refined, pure

Proper noun

 * 1) the Tamil language