காய்

• IPA^(key): /kaːj/

• Audio:

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Inherited from Proto-Dravidian *kāy (“unripe fruit”). Compare கொய் (koy).

காய் • (kāy)

1. (botany) unripe fruit

   Antonyms: கனி (kaṉi), பழம் (paḻam)

2. (botany) vegetable

   Synonym: காய்கறி (kāykaṟi)

3. (anatomy) seed; testicles

   Synonyms: விரை (virai), விதை (vitai)

4. (poetry) synonym of காய்ச்சீர் (kāyccīr)
5. (chess, board games) chessman, pawn, any movable piece in similar board games
6. (slang, vulgar) boobs, tits
7. (medicine) unripe boil
8. (colloquial) aborted foetus
9. an expression indicating failure.

   Antonym: பழம் (paḻam)

10. (childish) an expression for breaking with someone.

    Synonym: டூ (ṭū)

காய் • (kāy)

1. (intransitive) to bear fruit, yield

Cognate with Old Kannada ಕಾಯ್ (kāy), Kannada ಕಾಯು (kāyu), Malayalam കായുക (kāyuka), Telugu కాయు (kāyu) and Tulu ಕಾಯಿ (kāyi).

காய் • (kāy)

1. (intransitive) to grow hot, be heated
2. (intransitive) to burn, boil, be ablaze, warm

   Synonym: சுடு (cuṭu)

3. (intransitive) to run a temperature
4. (intransitive) to become dry, wither, parch, dry up

   Synonym: உலர் (ular)

5. (intransitive) to be dried up, as the humours of the body; to become emaciated

   Synonym: மெலி (meli)

6. (intransitive) to suffer (as an empty stomach)
7. (intransitive) to dry up, begin to heal (as a sore, a wound, a boil)

   Synonym: ஆறு (āṟu)

8. (intransitive, of moon and sun) to shine brightly
9. (transitive) to burn, consume

   Synonym: எரி (eri)

• காய்ச்சல் (kāyccal)

• காய்ச்சு (kāyccu), காய்த்து (kāyttu) (causative verbs)

Compare the above. Cognate with Kannada ಕಾಯ್ (kāy), Malayalam കായ്ക്കുക (kāykkuka), കായ് (kāyŭ), Telugu కాయ (kāya, “wart, pimple, callosity”).

காய் • (kāy)

1. (intransitive) to become callous; to form hard bunches, knots, warts, excrescences on the body (as from wounds, from walking, from using tools)

காய் • (kāy)

1. cicatrice from a wound

   Synonym: வடு (vaṭu)

2. callous humour, excrescence, wart

• S. Ramakrishnan (1992), “காய்”, in தற்காலத் தமிழ் அகராதி [Dictionary of Contemporary Tamil] (in Tamil), Madras: Cre-A Publishers, page [1]
• University of Madras (1924–1936), “காய்”, in Tamil Lexicon, Madras [Chennai]: Diocesan Press
• University of Madras (1924–1936), “காய்-தல்”, in Tamil Lexicon, Madras [Chennai]: Diocesan Press
• University of Madras (1924–1936), “காய்-த்தல்”, in Tamil Lexicon, Madras [Chennai]: Diocesan Press

• “காய்”, in அகராதி: தமிழ் → ஆங்கில அகரமுதலி [Agarathi: Tamil → English Dictionary], 2023