-மை
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Tamil[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Inherited from Proto-Dravidian *-may. Cognate with Kannada -ಮೆ (-me), Malayalam -മ (-ma).
Pronunciation[edit]
Suffix[edit]
-மை • (-mai)
- added to nouns, adjectives or verbs to produce abstract nouns
- வாய் (vāy, “mouth”) + -மை (-mai) → வாய்மை (vāymai, “truthfulness”)
- நேர் (nēr, “straight”) + -மை (-mai) → நேர்மை (nērmai, “honesty”)
- திற (tiṟa, “to open, let loose”) + -மை (-mai) → திறமை (tiṟamai, “talent, skill”)
- நிலை (nilai, “state, level, condition”) + -மை (-mai) → நிலைமை (nilaimai, “situation”)
Derived terms[edit]
References[edit]
- Johann Philipp Fabricius, Na. Kadirvelu Pillai, David W. McAlpin, Rajagopal Subramanian, University of Madras, Miron Winslow (2022) “மை”, in Digital Dictionaries of South India [Combined Tamil Dictionaries]