Tamil

Borrowed from Tamil தமிழ் (tamiḻ, “Tamil”); see that entry for theories.

• (original approximation) IPA^(key): /θəˈmɪɹ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈtæmɪl/, /ˈtæməl/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -æməl
• Hyphenation: Ta‧mil

Tamil (not comparable)

1. Of or pertaining to the Tamil people, culture, or language.
   • 2025 August 14, Saranka Maheswaran, “Cheer up, Ice Cube, your War of the Worlds movie may be really bad, but it’s not worthless”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     When I returned to the movie Ghilli, a Kollywood classic (Kollywood being the informal name for Tamil cinema) that I loved as a kid, I couldn’t help but question why the story continues romantically, without question, after the heroine is slapped by the supposed love of her life.

2. Of the Tamil script.

Tamil (uncountable)

1. A Dravidian language spoken in the state of Tamil Nadu, India and in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia.
   • 2023, V. V. Ganeshananthan, Brotherless Night, Viking, page 303:

     “I go only to return,” I said, because Tamil has no words for last goodbyes.

2. the Tamil script.

Tamil (plural Tamils)

1. A person who originates from Tamil Nadu, India or Sri Lanka or has tamil origins.

• Tamilian

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Tamil terms

• ISO 639-1 code ta, ISO 639-3 code tam (SIL)
• Ethnologue entry for Tamil, tam ⁠

• Talim, tilma, Limat

From English Tamil, Tamil தமிழ் (tamiḻ, “Tamil”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈtaː.mil/

• Audio:

  (file)

Tamil n

1. Tamil; language spoken in the state of Tamil Nadu, India and in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia

Tamil m (plural Tamils, diminutive Tamiltje n)

1. Tamil; A person born in one of those regions, belonging to the Tamil people

• Tamilagam
• Tamiltijger

• mailt

From Tamil தமிழ் (tamiḻ, “Tamil”).

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈtamil/ [ˈt̪a.mɪl]
• Rhymes: -amil
• Syllabification: Ta‧mil

Tamil

1. Tamil

• “Tamil” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

From Tamil தமிழ் (tamiḻ, “Tamil”).

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /taˈmil/ [t̪ɐˈmɪl]
• Rhymes: -il
• Syllabification: Ta‧mil

Tamíl (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜋᜒᜎ᜔)

1. Tamil