Proto-South Dravidian : *aṇai ~ *anḍai
Meaning : support, prop
Tamil : aṇai
Tamil meaning : support, prop, protection, help
Tamil derivates : aṇṭai support
Malayalam : aṇa
Malayalam meaning : support, pillow
Kannada : aṇḍe
Kannada meaning : support, prop
Notes : The alternation -ṇ-/-nḍ- is unclear, which makes the case similar to the one with *aṇai 'dam'. In this case, however, the semantics of the stem does suggest an old (or not so old) verbal derivative, most likely from *aṇai ~ *anḍ- 'to approach, join'. Since both variants are present in these verbal forms, the two variants of this nominal stem may correlate to them directly. The root is also found in Telugu, but due to the overall weakness of the etymology I do not include it in the common Dravidian database.
Number in DED : 0123
