Niram
The everyday word for colour in Tamil and Malayalam.
Also: நிறம், നിറം
Niram is a Dravidian word used in Tamil and Malayalam for colour, and also for complexion and for quality or character. Tamil has another word as well, vannam, which is related to the Sanskrit varna and is common in poetry and in names for paints. Colour words in Tamil are often formed with niram, as in pachai niram for green. Classical Tamil poetry of about two thousand years ago links landscapes with flowers, such as the blue kurinji of the hills, so that a colour can call up a whole setting and mood.