Madras etymology

Etymology and Origin

The name "Madras" originated from the Portuguese word "Madre de Deus," which means "Mother of God."

Meaning

Madras holds multiple meanings based on its historical and geographical context:

• City in India: Madras was the former name of the city of Chennai, the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city is named after the Portuguese settlement of Fort St. George, which was established in 1542 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.

• Textile: Madras is also associated with a lightweight, hand-woven cotton fabric originating from the Madras region in India. The fabric is characterized by its soft, airy texture and brightly colored checkered or striped patterns.

Alternative Names

• Chennai: Madras was renamed Chennai in 1996 to reflect the city's Tamil linguistic and cultural heritage.
• Mayilapore: The original name of the settlement where the Portuguese built Fort St. George was Mayilapore, meaning "peacock city" in Tamil.

Madras relate terms

• madrasah

  Etymology The word madrasah is derived from the Arabic term darasa which means to

• pariah

  Etymology Latin paria equal match Old French parage lineage rank Middle Engl

• cloth

  Etymology The word cloth derives from the Old English word clāð which is believed

• fabric

  Etymology The word fabric comes from the Latin word fabricare which means to make

• India

  Etymology The name India is derived from the Greek word Indikos which was used to r

• material

  Etymology Middle English materiale from Latin materiālis from materia matter M

• Amazon

  Etymology The name Amazon is derived from the Greek word Ἀμαζών Amazōn wh

• fascinate

  Etymology Medieval Latin fascinare to bewitch enchant Latin fascinum evil eye fa

• chimera

  Etymology Ancient Greek χίμαιρα chímaira from χίμαρος chímaros m

• ether

  Etymology The word ether comes from the Ancient Greek word aither αἰθήρ whi

• proud

  Etymology Old English prūd prūde Proto Germanic prūdiz Proto Indo European prew