Sri Lankan English - Updates M

This page contains updates to the dictionary beginning with the letter M. It is divided into 2 parts: New Entries, and Comments and Corrections. Click here to return to the main updates page, or on the links on the left side of the page to go to another letter.

These pages are updated regularly; please contact me if you have any suggestions or feedback which can be included.

Latest update: December 2011. New additions are in red.

NEW ENTRIES:

machchaal: female cousin or sister-in-law (Tamil) (> machchaan)
“Of course machchal, … What’s it machchal? Ask me,” … (The Whirlwind, by Ayathurai Santhan, page 158)

maendiya: a pose in Kandyan dancing (Sinhala)
… walking in the maendiya of a Kandyan dancer … (Theravada Man, by Manuka Wijesinghe, page 152)

Mahavamsa: ancient chronicle of Sri Lankan history (Sanskrit)
At last he could teach his students more about the “Mahawansa” and the glory of our civilization, … (Shrapnel, by Neil Fernandopulle, page 42)
And she went into the iskolemahaththaya’s study room to search for the Mahavamsa. (Theravada Man, by Manuka Wijesinghe, page 202)

mala batha: traditional funeral meal (Sinhala)
“The flowers are paid for, the caterers are setting up the mala batha on the back verandah.” (The Good Little Ceylonese Girl, by Ashok Ferrey, page 67)

malkoha: a large bird of the cuckoo family (Sinhala); the red-faced malkoha is endemic to Sri Lanka

masala vadai (= parippu vadai): a vadai made with dhal (Tamil)
… a small boy with a laden wicker basket on his shoulder passed through the carriage, which instantly filled with the delicious scent of hot masalavadai. (The Sweet and Simple Kind, by Yasmine Gooneratne, page 209)

matchbox: box of matches
Soon the matchbox finished. The candles were there, no more matchsticks, no way to light. (Sam’s Story, by Elmo Jayawardena, page 72)

match over (= game over): (coll.) finished, failed, messed up (cricketing term)

mid-country: between upcountry and low country
mid-country tea

milk bread: a type of sliced white bread

milk wine: a homemade drink made with arrack, milk, fruit juice, sugar and spices (a Burgher speciality)
“We’ve sent up a complimentary love cake, … Also a bottle of milk wine. Enjoy.” (Serendipity, by Ashok Ferrey, page 92)

mother tongue: the language associated with one’s ethnic group (i.e. Sinhala or Tamil); often the language one learnt as a child; but not necessarily one’s first language (for example in the case of Sri Lankans who were educated in English and speak English as their first language)
She came from one of those families that spoke, thought and dreamt in English. Sinhala or Tamil might be their mother tongue but it was very much a second language, a language used only to speak to the servant classes. (Serendipity, by Ashok Ferrey, page 188)

mouth: mouthful
Just have one more mouth of rice.

muhurath: a ceremony to mark the start of something, e.g. the filming of a teledrama
The Muhurath ceremony of a new film based on the book “Road from Elephant Pass” was held at the Galle Face Hotel recently. (newspaper article)

mulgedera (= ancestral home): the original home of one’s parents or grandparents; not necessarily the same as mahagedera, which might be the current main family residence (Sinhala)

Muslim law: the Muslim legal system, one of several systems still in operation in Sri Lanka
“Does this mean Suresh uncle, that the estate falls under Muslim law?” (The Moon in the Water, by Ameena Hussein, page 50)

muster shed: (on a tea estate) a place where tea pluckers bring the tea they have picked to be weighed
(Click here to see a photograph)

Mw (= mawatha): abbreviation used in street names
S de S Jayasinghe Mw, Kohuwela



COMMENTS AND CORRECTIONS:

maaduru (or maduru): fennel, sweet cumin (Sinhala) (suduru = cumin)

melodica: add: (of German origin)



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