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akusalānaṁ

akusala

adjective, genitive plural masculine

1. unskillful
2. unwholesome
3. immoral

Built from

• a- — prefix · not, without
  Plain negation; the word marks absence of skill or wholesomeness. Cognates: English un-, Greek a(n)- (atheist).
• kusala — root · skillful, wholesome
  The root sense is skilled and apt; in Buddhism it denotes actions rooted in generosity, compassion, and wisdom that conduce to spiritual welfare.
• -ānaṁ — ending · genitive plural
  Masculine genitive plural ending, showing that multiple unwholesome things or people are the object of a preposition or possessive relation.

Analysis. a- (not) + kusala (skillful, wholesome); denotes actions and mental states opposed to moral and spiritual development

Etymology. a- (privative prefix, Sanskrit a-, Greek a(n)-) + kusala (cognate with Sanskrit kuśala; the root sense is skilled, handy, wise; compare English "couth" in "uncouth"); the compound negates this, marking what hinders spiritual progress

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

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