The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c31.s2.2

v1.c31.s2.2

The word ‘Dravidian’ comes from an ethnic name *Draviḍa* or *Dramiḍa*, in Pali *Damiḷa*, which is apparently identical in origin with the adjective *Tamil*; and thus a title which is strictly applicable only to a single branch, the Tamils, is extended to a whole family. Again, not only is the term ‘Dravidian’ used sometimes to denote all the members of the one ethnic family, but it is also often employed to designate all the cognate languages spoken by that family—the Tamil, Malayālam, Telugu, Kannada (Kanarese), and various minor dialects—without regard to the possible differences of race among the groups speaking these tongues; and furthermore, by a still more deplorable looseness of terminology, it has been applied by anthropologists to a group of races characterised by common physical features¹, who are chiefly inhabitants of the peninsula, and for the most part, but by no means entirely, use languages which are variants of Dravidian speech. Lastly, we must note that an ancient Tamil tradition speaks of a *pañcha-draviḍam* or five Dravidian regions, understanding thereby the Tamil, Andhra or Telugu, and Kanarese countries, the Mahārāshṭra or Marāthā provinces, and Gujarāt. The conclusion which is suggested by a review of all the available data is as follows.