RV. asi - L. ensis < black (metal)?

[Swaminathan Madhuresan]

Dear Indologists,

In Dravidian languages, the word
for iron (=tam. irumpu) derives from
words for "night/darkness/black".

DED 2102 Ta. "iravu, ira, irA, rA" night;
"iru" black; "iruTci, iruTTu, iruNmai, irumai"
darkness; "iruL" darkness, dark color, ignorance
... Ka. "iruL, iraLu, iraTu, irLu" night;
"iddal, ijjalu" charcoal....
Te. "irulu" darkness, shades, shadows;
"irulu konu" to become dark or obscure;
"rEyi" night

DED 411 Ta. "irumpu" iron, instrument, weapon.
Ma. "irumpu, irimpu" iron. Te "inumu" iron.

Given that the IA languages use zyaama- or
kRSNa- ayas when iron gets attested in YV, AV
etc., and South India has a major role in
iron technology (eg., steel), Is the name
of iron as zyaama or krsna coming from the southern
tradtion?

In other words, zyaama/krishna (OIA) and irumpu (tamil)
for iron restricted to Indian subcontinent?

What was iron called in Mesopotamia and the Near East?

Thanks for comments,
SM

--- Periannan Chandrasekaran <perichandra at YAHOO.COM> wrote:
> It is worth drawing the attention to the family of Dravidian
> words with the root *ay/*Ay = minute, fine, small, sharp, and iron.
> And to the word irumpu = iron, weapon and *ir = dark;
>
> DEDR #193:
> Ta. ayil: = javelin, lance, surgical knife, lancet;
> Ma. ayil: = javelin, lance; ayiri = surgical knife, lancet
>
> DEDR #192:
> Ta. ayil: iron
> Ma. ayir, ayiram = any ore
> Ka. aduru = native metal;
> Tu. ajirda karba = very hard iron
> Note that DEDR #341 lists Ma. ayiram = iron dust
>
> Now we look at the most important entry
> DEDR #341:
> [note that the Northen languages have only the as- form]
> Ta. Acu = minuteness, fineness, acuteness, trifle, anything small or mean;
> Ay = to diminish, be reduced;
> ..acai = to be slender;...
> ai = minuteness;
> ayir = subtelty, fineness, fine sand, candied sugar;
> Ma. asu = thin, slender; ayir, ayiram = iron dust.
> Ka. asi, asa = thinness, leanness, slenderness, minuteness...
> asidu = that which is thin;
> ...
> Te. asadu = small, slender; asi = slight;
> Kur. AcA = thin, attenuated, reduced in strength, slender, slim;
> AcnA = to turn out thin, grow thinner;
>
> DEDR #342:
> Ta. Acu = hilt;
> Ka. Ayuga =handle of a sword
>
> DEDR #191 applies the root *ay to small fish:
> Ta. ayirai = loach; ayilai = a kind of fish;
> Ma. ayira = a kind of small fish; loach
>
> DEDR #486:
> Ta. irumpu =iron, instrument, weapon
> Ma. irumpu, irimpu = iron;
> Ko. ib = <id>
> To. ib = needle
> Kod. irimbi = iron;
> Te. inumu = <id.>
> Kol. inum = iron, sword
> Cf. DEDR 2552 Ta. iravu.
>
> DEDR #2552:
> Ta. iravu, ira, irA, rA, iru,... = night; iru = black;
> iruTci, iruTTu, irumai = darkness;
> ...[ and so on in about 13 Dravidian languges including
> northern ones]
>


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