What does Malayalam mean?

Definitions for Malayalam
ˌmæl əˈyɑ ləmmalay·alam

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Malayalam.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. Malayalamnoun

    a Dravidian language (closely related to Tamil) that is spoken in southwestern India

Wiktionary

  1. Malayalamnoun

    A Dravidian language spoken in the states of Kerala and Lakshadweep, India.

  2. Etymology: From മലയാളം, from മല + അളം.

Wikipedia

  1. Malayalam

    Malayalam (; Malayalam: മലയാളം, Malayāḷam, [mɐlɐjäːɭɐm] (listen)) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was designated a "Classical Language of India" in 2013. Malayalam has official language status in Kerala, and Puducherry (Mahé), and is also the primary spoken language of Lakshadweep, and is spoken by 34 million people in India. Malayalam is also spoken by linguistic minorities in the neighbouring states; with a significant number of speakers in the Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka, and Kanyakumari, district of Tamil Nadu. It is also spoken by the Malayali Diaspora worldwide, especially in the Persian Gulf countries, due to the large populations of Malayali expatriates there. They are a significant population in each city in India including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune etc. The origin of Malayalam remains a matter of dispute among scholars. The mainstream view holds that Malayalam descends from early Middle Tamil and separated from it sometime after the c. 9th century CE. A second view argues for the development of the two languages out of "Proto-Dravidian" or "Proto-Tamil-Malayalam" in the prehistoric era, although this is generally rejected by historical linguists. It is generally agreed that the Quilon Syrian copper plates of 849/850 CE is the available oldest inscription written in Old Malayalam. The oldest literary work in Malayalam, distinct from the Tamil tradition, is dated from between the 9th and 11th centuries.The earliest script used to write Malayalam was the Vatteluttu script. The current Malayalam script is based on the Vatteluttu script, which was extended with Grantha script letters to adopt Indo-Aryan loanwords. It bears high similarity with the Tigalari script, a historical script that was used to write the Tulu language in South Canara, and Sanskrit in the adjacent Malabar region. The modern Malayalam grammar is based on the book Kerala Panineeyam written by A. R. Raja Raja Varma in late 19th century CE. The first travelogue in any Indian language is the Malayalam Varthamanappusthakam, written by Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar in 1785.Robert Caldwell describes the extent of Malayalam in the 19th century as extending from the vicinity of Kumbla in the north where it supersedes with Tulu to Kanyakumari in the south, where it begins to be superseded by Tamil, besides the inhabited islands of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea.

ChatGPT

  1. malayalam

    Malayalam is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the southern Indian state of Kerala and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep by the Malayali people. It is also one of the 22 official languages of India. Additionally, the word "Malayalam" can also be used to refer to the script used to write this language.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Malayalamnoun

    the name given to one the cultivated Dravidian languages, closely related to the Tamil

Matched Categories

How to pronounce Malayalam?

How to say Malayalam in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Malayalam in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Malayalam in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Malayalam#10000#29122#100000

Translations for Malayalam

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for Malayalam »

Translation

Find a translation for the Malayalam definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Malayalam." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Malayalam>.

Discuss these Malayalam definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for Malayalam? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    Malayalam

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    a hazy or indistinct representation
    A depend
    B accompany
    C blur
    D aggravate

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for Malayalam: