Tamil
/ˈtæmɪl/noun
A Dravidian language spoken mainly in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, and Singapore, and the people who speak it.
Did you know?The name Tamil is ancient and self-designating, and the language has one of the longest continuous literary traditions of any living language in the world.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Tamil
Tamil
tamiḻ
“The Tamil language and Tamil people”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
drāviḍa
“A name used for the Dravidian south of India; later a broader ethnolinguistic label”
Medieval Persian
Persian
tamil
“A transcription of the language and people name in regional and foreign records”
Modern English
English
Tamil
“The Dravidian language of Tamil speakers, and the people who speak it”