Proto-South Dravidian : *alg-
Meaning : side; vulva
Tamil : alkul
Tamil meaning : side, waist, pudendum muliebre
Malayalam : alkīṭam
Malayalam meaning : vulva
Notes : Unclear. In PN the root is only used within the compound *alg-elumb- lit. 'side-bone', whereas the Tamil and Malayalam forms do not match in the suffix (or is that a second root in a compound?) department. Burrow & Emeneau quote Skt. alga- 'groin', which has no IE etymology, but does not look like a Dravidian borrowing, either. It is possible that the root has penetrated both Dravidian and IA from some unknown source, and in Dravidian was most frequently used with euphemistic purposes.
Number in DED : 0253
