Lamp in Malayalam
ദീപം (deepam) means lamp, and in Kerala it brings to mind the oil lamp lit in homes and temples at dusk. The same word serves for light in festival names. Pronounce it dee-pam, with a long first vowel.
Most common translation
Lamp, light.
സന്ധ്യയ്ക്ക് അമ്മ ദീപം കൊളുത്തി.
sandhyaykku amma deepam koluthi.
Mother lit the lamp at dusk.
All Malayalam words for “lamp”
- ദീപം (deepam) — Lamp, light.
- വിളക്ക് (vilakku) — Lamp, a light for a room, also the traditional oil lamp lit at dusk.
- തൂലിക (thoolika) — Feather, pen, painter's brush, cotton mattress, lamp wick.
- നീരാജനം (neerajanam) — A fire or illumination-offering to the deity, worshipping with lamp or light.
ദീപം (deepam) is the lamp itself. നീരാജനം (neerajanam) names the ritual of worshipping with a lamp, and തൂലിക (thoolika) touches lamps only through the sense of a wick, its main meanings being feather and pen.
Common questions
Which Malayalam word means lamp?
ദീപം (deepam), used for an oil lamp and for light generally.
Is ദീപം (deepam) a purely religious word?
No, though it carries that flavour. It appears in festival names and in ordinary talk about lighting a lamp in the evening.