Etymology
The name Kozhikode derives, according to K.V. Krishna Ayyer, from koyil (palace) plus kota (fort), meaning "fortified palace." The place was also referred to as Chullikkad, meaning "shrubby jungle," probably referring to the marshy nature of the land.
Linguistically, ya and zha are interchangeable in Malayalam, and kode stands for fort (kotta). While the city has been known by different names by people of other lands, Malayalees have called it Kozhikode.
The Arabs called it قَالِقُوط Qāliqūṭ (IPA: qˠaːliqˠːuːtˤ),. The Tamils called the city Kallikkottai while for the Chinese it was Kalifo
The word Calicut is thought to have been derived from a fine variety of hand-woven cotton cloth that was exported from the port of Calicut.
Although the city's official name is Kozhikode, in English it is more commonly known by its anglicized version, Calicut.
The City consists of more number of Alleys than Roads so that it can be called C'alley-cut.
Read more about this topic: Calicut
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