chunam

/tʃʊˈnɑːm/

Etymology

From Tamil சுண்ணம் (cuṇṇam, “lime, ground mortar”), from Sanskrit चूर्ण (cūrṇa, “powder; lime”).

noun

  1. A type of plaster made from lime and sand, used for indoor finishing and slope protection.“The one Mr Cleveland and I inhabited was, as I have already observed, constructed of mud instead of chunam.”

verb

  1. To plaster or waterproof with chunam.“A PUNT FOR SALE, thirty-four feet long, twelve feet broad, and three feet ten inches deep, chunamed, sheathed, and coppered, carries about fifteen tons.”