மெட்ராஸ்

• மதராசு (matarācu), மதிராஸ் (matirās), மதறாஸ் (mataṟās)

Borrowed from English Madras, from Tamil மதராசப்பட்டினம் (matarācappaṭṭiṉam), attested in Vijayanagara-era inscriptions, equivalent to மதராசு (matarācu) +‎ பட்டினம் (paṭṭiṉam). Some considered it to be a shortening of the phrase Portuguese Madre de Dios or Mãe de Deus, which translates to 'Mother of God,' referring to the St. Mary's Church due to Portuguese influence of the port city.

Alternative etymologies also include, Telugu ముఁదిరాజ్ (mun̆dirāj), from ముందిర్ (mundir) +‎ రాజ్ (rāj). See Madras on Wikipedia for more.

• IPA^(key): /mɛɖɾaːs/

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மெட்ராஸ் • (meṭrās)

1. Madras (former name of Chennai: the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, India)

   Synonym: சென்னை (ceṉṉai)