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alañca
ala
indeclinable + ca (sandhi form alañca)
- ala (masc): claw of a crab, etc.
- alañca (sandhi): and is able (to); and is possible (to); and is capable (of); but is suitable (for); and enough (for)
- alaṃ (ind): (it is) suitable; proper; worthy; appropriate (to); lit. enough
- alaṃ (ind): is able (to); is possible (to); is capable (of); lit. enough
- alaṃ (ind): enough; it is enough (for)
- alaṃ (ind): able; capable; competent
- alaṃ (ind): that's enough (of)!; stop (with)!
Built from
- ala — root · nourish, sustain
From Indo-European *al- "to grow, nourish"; cognate with Latin alere (English aliment, alimentary). The sense "enough" evolved from "what sustains or satisfies".
- ṃ — ending · indeclinable marker
The final -ṃ marks the word as an indeclinable particle (avyaya), fixing it in a single uninflected form regardless of case or number.
- ca — ending · and, also
An enclitic conjunction that attaches to the preceding word; here it adds a connective sense ("enough and"), softening the force from a bare command to a linked statement.
Analysis. alaṃ + ca: "enough and" — the indeclinable alaṃ ("it suffices") joined with the enclitic ca ("and"), contracted to alañca in sandhi. The sequence expresses sufficiency or capability with a connective force.
Etymology. From √al "to nourish, sustain"; cognate with Latin alere "to feed, nourish" (English "aliment", "alimentary"). The notion of "enough" derives from "having sustained or satisfied" — what nourishes suffices. Related to Sanskrit alam.