Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical and Discursive c10.9038

c10.9038

MALDIVES, MALDIVE ISLDS., n.p. The proper form of this name appears to be *Male-diva*; not, as the estimable Garcia de Orta says, *Nalediva*; whilst the etymology which he gives is certainly wrong, hard as it may be to say what is the right one. The people of the islands formerly designated themselves and their country by a form of the word for 'island' which we have in the Skt. *dvipa* and the Pali *dipo*. We find this reflected in the *Divi* of Ammianus, and in the *Diva* and *Diba-jāt* (Pers. plural) of old Arab geographers, whilst it survives in letters of the 18th century addressed to the Ceylon Government (Dutch) by the Sultan of the Isles, who calls his kingdom *Divehi Rajjé*, and his people *Divehe mihun*. Something like the modern form first appears in Ibn Batuta. He, it will be seen, in his admirable account of these islands, calls them, as it were, *Mahal-dives*, and says they were so called from the chief group *Mahal*, which was the residence of the Sultan, indicating a connection with *Mahal*, ‘a palace.’ This form of the name looks like a foreign ‘striving after meaning.’ But Pyrard de Laval, the author of the most complete account in existence, also says that the name of the islands was taken from *Malé*, that on which the King resided. Bishop Caldwell has suggested that these islands were the *dives*, or islands, of *Malé*, as *Malebār* (see MALABAR) was the coast-tract or continent, of *Malé*. It is, however, not impossible that the true etymology was from *mālā*, ‘a garland or necklace,’ of which their configuration is highly suggestive. [The Madras Gloss. gives Malayāl. *māl*, ‘black,’ and *dvīpa*, ‘island,’ from the dark soil. For a full account of early notices of the Maldives, see Mr. Gray’s note on Pyrard de Laval, Hak. Soc. ii. 423 *seqq.*] Milburn (Or. Commmerce, i. 335) says: “This island was (these islands were) discovered by the Portuguese in 1507.” Let us see!