Question: In the Chandogya Upanishad, the word “मटची” “maTacI” is used to
describe famine in the Kuru kingdom.

> 
> “मटचीहतेषु कुरुष्वाटिक्या सह जायया उषस्तिर्ह चाक्रायण इभ्यग्रामे
>  प्रद्राणक उवास” (1.10.1).
> 
> 
> 

Apparently according to different internet forums this word was adopted from kannada or telugu, it means locusts or hailstones.

Does this word has any parallel in any sanskrit dictionaries, etymologies or words?

Answer: 
According to Swami Gambhirananda the following is the translation of Chandogya Upanishad 1.10.1 (translated his Bengali translation into English):

> 
> When all the crops of the country of the Kurus got destroyed by hail
>  storms (or by the fire of lightnings), Ushashti Chakrayana, along with
>  his minor wife, in a distressed condition, took shelter in a village of
>  the Mahouts (the people who ride on elephants).
> 
> 
> 

The word which is in focus here is translated thus: 

> 
> matachihateshu = when destroyed by hail storms/stones or by Vajragni (the
>  fire of the lightnings).
> 
> 
> 

The [Sanskrit dictionary](http://spokensanskrit.org/index.php?tran_input=maTacI&direct=se&script=hk&link=yes&mode=3) also translates the word "Matachi" in the same way (hail, struck by hail).

So, I am not sure what is the issue here. Matachi is of course a Sanskrit word, now if it also happens to be a Telugu word then what's the problem?

For example, I have been told by The Destroyer (whose mother tongue is Telugu) that there are some words in Telugu which are also Sanskrit words.
The Kannada word Midachi means grasshopper. Midachi actually means folding and unfolding in quick action (like triggering). As grasshopper mimics this action, so it gets the name.
Chen is Kannada word for Good or Round (ChanDa), the sanskrit word for moon is Soma. Sanskrit adds Indra to nouns to glorifies them like Maha-Indra = Mahendra, Raja-Indra = Rajendra, so Chen-Indra = Chandra