Proto-South Dravidian : *mūndj-
Meaning : face, snout
Tamil : mūñci
Tamil meaning : face
Tamil derivates : mūñcai pouting, sullen countenance; longish face, longish nose; mūñcūr_u, (STD) mūñjeli muskrat
Malayalam : mūccu, mucci, muññi, moññi, motti, mōnta
Malayalam meaning : face
Kannada : mūti, mōti
Kannada meaning : face, mouth, snout
Kannada derivates : musuḍu, musaḍi, musuḷi id., muzzle, nose or nostrils of a horse; (PBh.) musumbu face
Kodagu : mūḍɨ
Kodagu meaning : face
Tulu : musuṇṭu, musuṇḍu
Tulu meaning : face, snout, muzzle
Tulu derivates : mōṇè face, countenance, front of a house
Notes : A very complicated case: apparently, the root contained a cluster, approximately reconstructed as *-ndj-. However, Kannada musuḍu, etc., hardly belong here. It's also unclear to what extent the root could have been influenced by *mun- 'first, front, face'. Vocalism correspondences are highly unstable, too.
Number in DED : 5031
