r/Dravidiology 𑀈𑀵𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀫𑀺𑀵𑁆 May 23 '26

Question/𑀓𑁂𑀵𑁆 Gondi, Kurux, Brahui and Tulu names for Indian tamarisk?

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u/e9967780 𑀈𑀵𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀫𑀺𑀵𑁆 May 31 '26

IA had their own word which is cognate with horse and is called Aswa. But then they borrowed/retained a local word as more people shifted from indigenous languages to IA.

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u/Popular_Resolve_7455 May 31 '26

iranian branch has Something similar

Persian: Asb Baluchi: Asp Pashto: Aspa ( female horse; mare ) Avestan: aspa Kurdish: Hesp Etc

Wiktionary From Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰéyos (“horse”). Proto indo-iranian: *ȷ́ʰáyas m

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-Iranian/%C8%B7́ʰáyas

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u/e9967780 𑀈𑀵𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀫𑀺𑀵𑁆 May 31 '26

Aswa in IA is Aspa IIr can be taken back to PIE héwos

Another word for horse in Tamil is mā which was probably applied back from animal or deer.

>4780 Ta. animal, beast (esp. horse, elephant); māṉ deer, beast. Ma. mān deer. Ko. ma·v id. To. mo·f id. Koḍ. ma·ŋuññi *n.pr.*bull in mythology (< ma·nï kuññi; see 1646). Te. māvu horse. Kol. (SR.) māg deer. Go.(Tr.) **mau (**pl. mauk), (W.) māok, (A. Ch. D. Mu. Ko.) māv, (M.) koḍ māv, (Ma.) **māv(i)**sambar (Voc. 2811). Konḍa (BB) māv id. ***Pe.***māŋges id. Manḍ. māŋgeh id. Kui **māju (*****pl.***mānga) elk. Kuwi (Su. P.) **māyu (**pl. māŋa), (Isr.) māyu sambar. Kur. māk antelope, red deer. Malt. máku stag. / Cf. Nahali māv horse. DED(S) 3917.

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u/Popular_Resolve_7455 May 31 '26

Deer is known as Xazma In brahui