A Dravidian Etymological Dictionary : T. Burrow : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

   2) akai (-v-, -nt-) akai (-v-, -nt-) (p. 4)

...shoot; akekka to bud; ava bud, esp. the fruit-like sprout...

https://archive.org/details/bmshri.dravidianetymolo0000tbur_x1f5

A Dravidian Etymological Dictionary : T. Burrow : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive archive.org