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abbhokāsaṁ

abbhokāsa

accusative singular masculine of abbhokāsa (a compound noun)

1. open air
2. open space
3. uncovered place

Built from

• abhi — prefix · toward, over
  Facing something, bearing down on it. The concrete image of approach becomes the sense of an exposed or directly-facing space.
• okāsa — stem · space, place
  Related to kāś (to shine, be visible); a place is what appears, what shines forth. Here it denotes any designated area or occasion.

Analysis. abhi- (toward, over) + okāsa (space, place) — literally 'space one faces or bears down upon', hence an exposed or open area.

Etymology. The prefix abhi- carries its sense of facing or bearing toward something; okāsa is from √kāś (to shine, be visible), suggesting visibility and openness. The compound evokes the image of space that faces one directly, unobstructed.

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

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