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aṭṭhikaṅkalūpamā

aṭṭhikaṅkalūpama

masc nom pl of aṭṭhikaṅkalūpama (adj); fem nom sg of aṭṭhikaṅkalūpama (adj); fem nom pl of aṭṭhikaṅkalūpama (adj); nt nom pl of aṭṭhikaṅkalūpama (adj); …

1. like a skeleton; similar to a skeleton; lit. like a chain of bones

Built from

• aṭṭhi — root · bone
  From Indo-European *h₂est- (bone, hard). Cognate with Sanskrit asthi, Latin os (ossis), English ossein. Denotes the skeletal frame underlying the body.
• kaṅka — stem · skeleton, chain
  Related to Sanskrit kaṅka (skeleton) and possibly kaṅkāla (skeleton); denotes the framework of bones or a chain-like series.
• lūpama — stem · likeness, simile
  Derived from lupa (comparison, likeness); the suffix -ma forms abstract nouns. Marks this compound as an explicit simile used in meditation and doctrinal discourse.

Analysis. aṭṭhi-kaṅka-lūpama: aṭṭhi "bone" + kaṅka "skeleton, chain" + lūpama "likeness, comparison"; a compound meaning "like a skeletal chain of bones", used metaphorically in the Canon to describe the body stripped of flesh and vitality.

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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