Etymology
The name of the town in Tamil is 'Paruthithurai', and has been in use from time immemorial. This translates to 'Cotton Harbour'. The origins of this name can be found in the ancient practice of exporting especially cotton to various South Indian cities.
The Western name, Point Pedro, was given by Dutch during the colonial era. A Dutch sailor, Pedro, when travelling along the coast of the country found this city to be the Northern-most point and this gave rise to the name, Point Pedro.
Read more about this topic: Point Pedro
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
—Stephen Bayley, British historian, art critic. “Taste: The Story of an Idea,” Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things, Random House (1991)