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Glite Dictionary
Tamil Eelam

Tamil Eelam

9.9
A proposed independent state in Sri Lanka for the Tamil people
  • proper noun
translation icon : Eelam tamil
  • Many Tamils dreamed of establishing Tamil Eelam as an independent nation.

Examples

  • The conflict between the government and supporters of Tamil Eelam lasted for decades.

  • International organizations debated the legitimacy of Tamil Eelam during peace negotiations.

  • The idea of Tamil Eelam is important.

  • Many Tamils support Tamil Eelam!

  • Many Tamils dreamed of establishing Tamil Eelam as an independent nation.

  • International organizations debated the legitimacy of Tamil Eelam during peace negotiations.

  • The conflict between the government and supporters of Tamil Eelam lasted for decades.

Synonyms

Eelam
vsTamil Eelam
  • Literature
1 9.9

An area in Sri Lanka that some Tamil groups want as an independent country

is advocated by the Tamil Tigers specifically as a homeland for the Tamil population

Surface Forms

Tamil Eelam main

Morphology

Tamil + Eelam

The compound combines the ethnic identifier 'Tamil' with 'Eelam' (a term for a Tamil homeland/proposed state), so the overall meaning — a proposed independent Tamil state — is directly derivable from its parts. As a toponymial/political name formed compositionally, it is transparent to learners who know both constituents and mirrors cross-linguistic patterns like 'Tamil Nadu' or 'Tamil State'.

Etymology

Tamil Eelam may come from Tamil, meaning the people, and Eelam, an old word for 'homeland'. Because people used it to mean the Tamil homeland, the phrase came to stand for the idea of an 'independent state' for Tamils.