Jan Hogendorn, Grossman Professor of Economics at Colby College, theorized that the name Maldives derives from the Sanskrit '''' (), meaning "garland of islands". In Tamil, "Garland of Islands" can be translated as '''' (). In Malayalam, "Garland of Islands" can be translated as '''' (). In Kannada, "Garland of Islands" can be translated as '''' (). None of these names are mentioned in any literature, but classical Sanskrit texts dating back to the Vedic period mention the "Hundred Thousand Islands" (''''), a generic name which would include not only the Maldives, but also the Laccadives, Aminidivi Islands, Minicoy, and the Chagos island groups.