Telugu
names 57objects 20ISO 639-3 tel
Spoken in Bellary district, Deccan (Kannada- and Telugu-speaking Lingāyat cultivators), Telugu country (Madras Presidency: Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema, Telangana), Telugu country (Uppu Yerukala / Korava), Vizagapatam Agency hills (Konda Dora).
vernacular 38 · folk 7 · tribal 2 · borrowed 10
See the Telugu sky on the chart →
The sky in Telugu
| Name | Object | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| చుక్కలతెరువు cukkala-teruvu | 'Sky' as a word | the street of the stars A wholly Dravidian compound for the firmament; teruvu is 'street, road'. | vernacular |
| చుక్క cukka | 'Star' as a word | dot, spot, drop The ordinary Telugu word for a star, and the second element of most of the language's own star-names (X-cukka). Brown lists the astronomical sense third, after 'mark' and 'drop'. | vernacular |
| మెరుగురిక్క merugu-rikka | 'Star' as a word | the shining star | vernacular |
| తార tāra | 'Star' as a word | The learned word beside native cukka; the derivative tārā-pathamu 'starry path' is the standard Telugu word for the firmament. | borrowed |
| బండిరిక్క baṇḍi-rikka | Aldebaran | the cart star Named from the V of the Hyades, seen as a bullock cart. | vernacular |
| తాటిరిక్క tāṭi-rikka | Antares | the palmyra star The month Jyeṣṭha is named from it: tāṭi-rikka-nela. | vernacular |
| కరువలిరిక్క karuvali-rikka | Arcturus | the wind star | vernacular |
| స్వాతికర్తి svāti-karti | Arcturus | the Svāti solar period AGRICULTURAL/SEASONAL. The kārte of Svāti, thirteen days of the sun in October-November; and the pearl-oyster belief attached to it. | folk |
| అగస్త్యనక్షత్రము agastya-nakṣatramu | Canopus | The heliacal rising (agastyōdayamu) is an almanac event in the Telugu country. | borrowed |
| దుమగతికేతు duma-gati-kētu | Comets | — | vernacular |
| తోకచుక్క tōka-cukka | Comets | the tailed star The ordinary Telugu word for a comet, still current. | vernacular |
| Chukkamusti | Figures with no secure modern identification | star-… The office, not the object: among the hill Konda Doras the Chukkamusti fixes the day and the hour of a wedding. | tribal |
| Sukka | Figures with no secure modern identification | star One of the intiperu (house/sept names) given by Uppu Yerukalas; the list also contains Bandi 'cart' and Thoka 'tail'. | tribal |
| ఆదోకపాటు ādōka-pāṭu | Meteors and shooting stars | falling like a cow's tail Not a name for a body but the idiom for the motion: a meteor falls 'cow-tail-wise', i.e. slanting and tapering. | folk |
| జాబిలిరిక్క jābili-rikka | Orion | the moon's star Built on jābili, the native Telugu word for the moon. | vernacular |
| పగడపురిక్క pagaḍapu-rikka | Orion | the coral star A colour name. | vernacular |
| నక్షత్రవీధి nakṣatra-vīdhi | The Milky Way | the street of the asterisms | borrowed |
| పాలపుంత pāla-punta | The Milky Way | the milk track Also పాలబాట pāla-bāṭa 'the milk road' and పాలవెల్లి pāla-velli. | vernacular |
| చుక్కలరేడు cukkala-rēḍu | The Moon | king of the stars Given by Brown twice — under cukka and as the vernacular gloss of Sanskrit nakṣatreśuḍu. | vernacular |
| కత్తెర kattera | The Pleiades | scissors The Pleiades period as the farmer and almanac-user knows it; Brown attaches the solar season directly to the word. | vernacular |
| మంగలకత్తిరూపు mangala-katti-rūpu | The Pleiades | shaped like a barber's razor A second, purely descriptive Telugu name for the Pleiades, from the shape of the cluster. | vernacular |
| ప్రొద్దురిక్క proddu-rikka | The Sun | the sun star The month Phālguna is named from it in the same vernacular shape: proddu-rikka-nela. | vernacular |
| Rohini Karte (and the rest of the 27 kārte) | The lunar mansions as a system | AGRICULTURAL. Which crop is sown on which asterism's rain, and which asterism must not bring wind or lightning. Recorded for Lingāyat cultivators of Bellary. | folk |
| అసిలేరు asilēru | The lunar mansions as a system | Brown labels the register himself. | folk |
| బరణిచుక్క baraṇi-cukka | The lunar mansions as a system | the casket star The Sanskrit name Bharaṇī has been reshaped in Telugu onto the native word baraṇi 'casket, jewel-box', and Brown enters the asterism under that word. | folk |
| గుర్రపుచుక్క gurrapu-cukka | The lunar mansions as a system | the horse's star A translation, not a borrowing: the Sanskrit name is 'the two horsemen', and Telugu renders the horse with its own word gurramu. | vernacular |
| జన్నపుచుక్క jannapu-cukka | The lunar mansions as a system | the sacrifice star A ritual-calendar name: the asterism at whose appearance the yajñas fall due. | vernacular |
| జోడువేల్పులరిక్క jōḍu-vēlpula-rikka | The lunar mansions as a system | the star of the paired gods | vernacular |
| కొనరిక్క kona-rikka | The lunar mansions as a system | the end star, the last star | vernacular |
| కుమ్మరసారెచుక్క kummara-sāre-cukka | The lunar mansions as a system | the potter's-wheel star | vernacular |
| కార్తె kārte | The lunar mansions as a system | AGRICULTURAL. The unit of the Deccan farming calendar: the roughly thirteen days the sun spends in each of the 27 asterisms. Brown marks it [Tel.], not [Skt.]. | vernacular |
| మద్దెలరూపురిక్క maddela-rūpu-rikka | The lunar mansions as a system | the drum-shaped star | vernacular |
| ముక్కంటిచుక్క mukkaṇṭi-cukka | The lunar mansions as a system | the three-eyed one's star | vernacular |
| ముప్పదిరెంటి గుంపు muppadi-reṇṭi gumpu | The lunar mansions as a system | the group of thirty-two A star-count name: Revatī is reckoned at 32 stars. | vernacular |
| ముత్తెపురిక్క muttepu-rikka | The lunar mansions as a system | the pearl star The month Caitra is named from it: muttepu-rikka-nela. | vernacular |
| మీనురూపురిక్క mīnu-rūpu-rikka | The lunar mansions as a system | the fish-shaped star | vernacular |
| నక్షత్రము nakṣatramu | The lunar mansions as a system | The almanac word. Brown glosses it back into the vernacular with చుక్క, which is the neatest single demonstration that the two registers are in use side by side. | borrowed |
| నీటిరిక్క nīṭi-rikka | The lunar mansions as a system | the water star | vernacular |
| నీటిరేనిరిక్క nīṭi-rēni-rikka | The lunar mansions as a system | the water-king's star | vernacular |
| పెతరులచుక్క petarula-cukka | The lunar mansions as a system | the ancestors' star | vernacular |
| పొదరిండ్ల చుక్క podariṇḍla cukka | The lunar mansions as a system | the star of the bowers | vernacular |
| పొట్లపూచుక్క poṭla-pū-cukka | The lunar mansions as a system | the snake-gourd-flower star The month name is formed from the same base: poṭla-pū-rikka-nela = Pauṣa. | vernacular |
| పుబ్బ pubba | The lunar mansions as a system | The everyday Telugu form of the name, marked [Tel.] by Brown against the tatsama పూర్వఫల్గుని. | borrowed |
| పునాస punāsa | The lunar mansions as a system | AGRICULTURAL. The asterism name has become the name of a crop: the early, inferior grain crop of the year sown in the Punarvasu period. | folk |
| రిక్క rikka | The lunar mansions as a system | The other native Telugu star-word, used almost exclusively as the second element of compound asterism names (baṇḍi-rikka, tāṭi-rikka, nīṭi-rikka …). Rarer than cukka as a free word. | vernacular |
| సప్పపుచుక్క sappapu-cukka | The lunar mansions as a system | the serpent's star | vernacular |
| సాముకంటిచుక్క sāmu-kaṇṭi-cukka | The lunar mansions as a system | — | vernacular |
| సోకుచుక్క sōku-cukka | The lunar mansions as a system | the demon's star Mūla is the most inauspicious of the mansions in popular Telugu reckoning, and the name says so. | vernacular |
| తొలురిక్క tolu-rikka | The lunar mansions as a system | the first star Names the mansion by its position at the head of the list. | vernacular |
| ఉడువు uḍuvu | The lunar mansions as a system | Poetic register only. | borrowed |
| ధ్రువనక్షత్రము dhruva-nakṣatramu | The pole star | the fixed star | borrowed |
| తేలురాశి tēlu-rāsi | The zodiac | the scorpion sign | vernacular |
| అరుంధతి arundhati | Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) | Wedding ritual: the bridegroom invokes her and the star is pointed out to the couple. | borrowed |
| చిత్రశిఖండి citra-śikhaṇḍi | Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) | the bright-crested ones | borrowed |
| సప్తర్షులు saptarṣulu | Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) | the seven sages | borrowed |
| చుక్కవాలు cukka-vālu | Venus | Travel omen: a journey begun with this star facing you will go badly. | folk |
| వేగుచుక్క vēgu-cukka | Venus as morning star | the dawn star Also వేగురుచుక్క vēguru-cukka and వేకువచుక్క vēkuva-cukka. The standard Telugu name. | vernacular |
Sources
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. చుక్క ṭsukka, p. 449 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. మెరుగు merugu, p. 1031 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. తార tāra, p. 523 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. బండి banḍi, p. 864 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. తాటి tāṭi, p. 521 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. కరువలి karuvali, p. 252 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. స్వాతి svāti, p. 1384 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. అగస్త్యుడు agastyuḍu, p. 24 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. దుమగతికేతు duma-gati-kētu, p. 602 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. తోక tōka, p. 563 link
- Thurston, E. (assisted by K. Rangachari), Castes and Tribes of Southern India (Madras: Government Press, 1909), vol. III, article 'Konda Dora', p. 352 link
- Thurston, E. (assisted by K. Rangachari), Castes and Tribes of Southern India (Madras: Government Press, 1909), vol. III, article 'Korava (Yerukala)', p. 452 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. ఆదోకగా ādōka-gā, p. 114 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. జాబిల్లి ḍzābilli, p. 481 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. పగడపు జిట్ట pagaḍapu-jiṭṭa, p. 695 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. నక్షత్రము nakshatramu, p. 628 link
- Gwynn, J. P. L., A Telugu-English Dictionary (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1991), s.v. పాలబాట, పాలపుంత pālabāṭa, pālapunta, p. 331 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. కత్తెర kattera, p. 238 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. మంగల mangala, p. 937 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. ప్రొద్దు proddu, p. 856 link
- Thurston, E. (assisted by K. Rangachari), Castes and Tribes of Southern India (Madras: Government Press, 1909), vol. IV, article 'Lingāyat', p. 290 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. అసిలేరు asilēru, p. 103 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. బరణి baraṇi, p. 873 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. గుర్రము gurramu, p. 381 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. జన్నము ḍzannamu, p. 476 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. జోడు ḍzōḍu, p. 485 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. కొన kona, p. 319 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. కుమ్మర kummara, p. 296 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. కార్తె kārte, p. 276 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. మద్దెల maddela, p. 955 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. ముక్కంటి muk-kanṭi, p. 999 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. ముప్పది mup-padi, p. 1013 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. ముత్తెము muttemu, p. 1008 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. మీను mīnu, p. 996 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. నీరు nīru, p. 670 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. పెతరులు petarulu, p. 793 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. పొద poda, p. 813 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. పొట్ల poṭla, p. 809 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. పుబ్బ pubba, p. 774 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. పునాస punāsa, p. 773 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. రిక్క rikka, p. 1085 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. సప్పము sappamu, p. 1304 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. సాము sāmu, p. 1331 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. సోకు sōku, p. 1366 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. తొలుత toluta, p. 562 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. ఉడువు uḍuvu, p. 153 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. ధ్రువుడు dhruvuḍu, p. 626 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. తేలు tēlu, p. 554 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. అరుంధతి arundhati, p. 81 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. చిత్రము chitramu, p. 415 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. ఋషి ṛishi, p. 178 link
- Brown, C. P., A Telugu-English Dictionary, new ed., thoroughly revised and brought up to date (Madras: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903), s.v. వేగు vēgu, p. 1226 link