Today we look at Malayalam words for "friend". Common words are: കൂട്ടുകാരൻ, ചങ്ങാതി, തോഴൻ and സ്നേഹിതൻ.
The last one is directly from Sanskrit.
The others all have an etymology that relates to "group". The most obvious is കൂട്ടുകാരൻ = കൂട്ടം കൂടുന്നവൻ, one who forms a group with you.
According to ശബ്ദതാരാവലി, the word ചങ്ങാതി is a തത്ഭവം of സംഘാതി. Again, we see സംഘം, group.
What about തോഴൻ?
Let us look at other words that have the തൊഴു / തോഴു form:
തൊഴുത്ത് - cowshed, where the cows come together (more formally, പശുത്തതൊഴുത്ത്)
തൊഴുക - to pay respects with folded hands, where the hands come together (more formally, കൈതൊഴുക)
Here also see the idea of group or coming together. So we can safely say:
തോഴൻ = തൊഴുന്നവൻ, കൂടുന്നവൻ = കൂട്ടുകാരൻ
Also, തോഴ്മ is friendship.
The last one is directly from Sanskrit.
The others all have an etymology that relates to "group". The most obvious is കൂട്ടുകാരൻ = കൂട്ടം കൂടുന്നവൻ, one who forms a group with you.
According to ശബ്ദതാരാവലി, the word ചങ്ങാതി is a തത്ഭവം of സംഘാതി. Again, we see സംഘം, group.
What about തോഴൻ?
Let us look at other words that have the തൊഴു / തോഴു form:
തൊഴുത്ത് - cowshed, where the cows come together (more formally, പശുത്തതൊഴുത്ത്)
തൊഴുക - to pay respects with folded hands, where the hands come together (more formally, കൈതൊഴുക)
Here also see the idea of group or coming together. So we can safely say:
തോഴൻ = തൊഴുന്നവൻ, കൂടുന്നവൻ = കൂട്ടുകാരൻ
Also, തോഴ്മ is friendship.
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