Tamil

/ˈtæməl/

/ˈtæmɪl/

Other forms: Tamils

Things pertaining to the people whose ancestors came from specific areas in India or Sri Lanka are referred to as Tamil. The primary language the Tamil people speak is also called Tamil.

These ethnically Dravidian people can also be called Tamils. Anything that comes from this part of the world, or is connected to this particular culture or ethnicity, can be described as Tamil. This includes Tamil food (like dosa or sambar), Tamil art and music, Tamil literature, and Tamil script, which is the alphabet used for writing in the Tamil language. Tamils make up about 25% of Sri Lanka's population, and about 7% of India's.

Definitions of Tamil

1. adjective

   of or relating to a speaker of the Tamil language or the language itself
   “Tamil agglutinative phrases”
2. noun

   a member of the mixed Dravidian and Caucasian people of southern India and Sri Lanka
   type of:

   Dravidian

   a member of one of the aboriginal races of India (pushed south by Caucasians and now mixed with them)
3. noun

   the Dravidian language spoken since prehistoric times by the Tamil in southern India and Sri Lanka
   type of:

   South Dravidian

   a Dravidian language spoken primarily in southern India