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abhijjhāvisamalobhaṁ

abhijjhāvisamalobha

accusative singular masculine of abhijjhāvisamalobha (noun)

1. covetousness and stinginess combined
2. greedy unwillingness to share

Built from

• abhi — prefix · toward, over
  Bearing down on, facing toward; creates intensity and directedness.
• jjhā — root · covet, desire
  The desire that seizes and pulls one toward objects; a foundational unwholesome impulse.
• vi — prefix · apart, asunder
  Scattering or dividing; can intensify the sense of confusion or conflicted attachment.
• sama — stem · level, equal, together
  Here bound in the compound samalobha, modifying the greed as conflicted or held-together tightly.
• lobha — root · greed, craving
  Fundamental unwholesome root; the drive to seize and possess without release.

Analysis. A dvandva compound: abhi-jjhā (covetousness, intense desire) + vi-sama-lobha (unequal/conflicted greed). The prefix abhi- intensifies jjhā (desire bearing down); vi- expands lobha (greed) into the sense of scattered or defensive greed (samalobha, conflicting/tightfisted greed). Together they denote a twofold mental defilement: wanting things for oneself and refusing to give.

Etymology. From √jjhā (desire, to covet; related to √ikṣ Indian languages and √yaj to yearn) and √lubh (to be greedy, to crave). The compound joins two ancient roots expressing acquisitiveness, first intensified by abhi-, then scattered or darkened by vi-, expressing the Buddhist analysis of why miserliness follows coveting.

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

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