A difficult Pali word

[Venkatraman Iyer]

Dr. J. Silk wrote:
>I cannot understand what tumbamatta might mean, unless tumba is taken as a
>unit of measure, and the expression is intended to mean something like
>"covered with creatures to the extent of a litre-bucket full" or something
>like that.


Please consider the foll. Tamil words
used in old literature. tumbu/tUmbu/tomba etc.,
have the meanings of tube, measure etc.
like nALI/nADI. tumba = "measure" appears
to be Dravidian.

tumpA/tUmpA/tUmpai 1. hollowed gourd or rind of a gourd,
used as a vessel; 2. a kind of drinking vessel

tUmpu 1. tubularity; 2. tube; 3. sluice, outlet;
4. vent in a sluice; 5. channel for irrigation;
6. bamboo; 7. bamboo tube; 8. a flute made of bamboo;
9. a measure of capacity for grain;
10. leathern bucket for baling water;
11. gateway, doorway,; 12. path, way;
13. narrow or difficult path, defile, pass; 14. lead


tUmpu a measure (TLS)

tompai 1. grain bin, high wicker-basket used as a receptacle for
grain; 2. a paraphernal article carried before an idol

tompaimAlai a kind of cylindrical cloth stuck in hardened clay,
as rice-plant

tompaRai 1. granary, barn; 2. pot-bellied person,
as resembling a grain basket

tomparai granary (TLS)

tomparam cooking pot (TLS)

tompam pole-dancing

tompan2 a person belonging to the tribe of tumblers,
acrobats and pole-dancers

tompakkUttATi -> tompan2


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