Malabar

Origin: From , first attested in the writings of Iranian scholar Al-Biruni (c. 11th century). The second element is or , and the first element is the same as the toponym Μαλέ, mentioned by traveller Cosmas Indicopleustes in the 5th century as a source of pepper exports, concording with modern-day pepper cultivation on the Malabar coast. Mala ~ Male is, in turn, borrowed from . This is also the source of the name of the language: മലയാളം. Compare Zanzibar for a possibly similar word formation. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).