In the US, South and Sweet has a wonderful connection. If you have had Sweet Tea from the south you'd know what I am talking about.
It seems this is not just limited to the English world.
In Malayalam too, the root തെൻ has both meanings - south and sweet.
The word for honey or nectar is തേൻ, which is the intentisified version of (തെൻ). Similar to തിൻ > തീൻ.
തെൻ is also the root of the ubiquitous തെങ്ങ്. Its fruit is തേങ്ങ, which comes from തെങ്ങിൻ കായ്, similar to മാവിൻ കായ് becoming മാങ്ങ. Interstingly, തേങ്ങ can also be derived as തേൻ+കായ് , meaning sweet fruit.
തെന്നൽ is breeze. Looking at its etymology, it may have originally denoted 'southern wind'.
A new word I learned recently is തെണ്ടിര < തെൻ + തിര meaning 'south sea'. This is an example of adesha sandhi. (Similar to വിണ്ടലം < വിൺ + തലം)
The standard malayalam word for south is തെക്ക്. ശബ്ദതാരാവലി lists both തെൻ and ദക്ഷിണ as possible etymologies. To me, the tatbhavam from ദക്ഷിണ sounds more possible.
In any case, south and sweet are linked in Malayalam too.
It seems this is not just limited to the English world.
In Malayalam too, the root തെൻ has both meanings - south and sweet.
The word for honey or nectar is തേൻ, which is the intentisified version of (തെൻ). Similar to തിൻ > തീൻ.
തെൻ is also the root of the ubiquitous തെങ്ങ്. Its fruit is തേങ്ങ, which comes from തെങ്ങിൻ കായ്, similar to മാവിൻ കായ് becoming മാങ്ങ. Interstingly, തേങ്ങ can also be derived as തേൻ+കായ് , meaning sweet fruit.
തെന്നൽ is breeze. Looking at its etymology, it may have originally denoted 'southern wind'.
A new word I learned recently is തെണ്ടിര < തെൻ + തിര meaning 'south sea'. This is an example of adesha sandhi. (Similar to വിണ്ടലം < വിൺ + തലം)
The standard malayalam word for south is തെക്ക്. ശബ്ദതാരാവലി lists both തെൻ and ദക്ഷിണ as possible etymologies. To me, the tatbhavam from ദക്ഷിണ sounds more possible.
In any case, south and sweet are linked in Malayalam too.
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