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appāṇake

appāṇaka

masc acc pl of appāṇaka (adj); nt acc pl of appāṇaka (adj); masc loc sg of appāṇaka (adj); nt loc sg of appāṇaka (adj); …

1. (of water) with no living beings; lit. no breath
2. breathless; suffocating; asphyxiating; lit. no breath

Built from

• a — prefix · not, without
  Plain negation. Cognate with English un- and Greek a(n)- (in atheist, anonymous).
• pāṇaka — root · breathing, life
  From √pāṇ-, to breathe or live. Related to Sanskrit prāṇa 'breath, life-force' and English 'pant'; originally denotes the breathing or animated creature, then extended to mean 'living being' or 'animal'.

Analysis. a- (not) + pāṇaka (breathing creature, animal), lit. 'without breath/life'; used of water devoid of aquatic life or of air that cannot sustain breathing

Etymology. a- (negation prefix, cognate with English un-, Greek a(n)-) + pāṇaka from √pāṇ- (to breathe, live), related to Sanskrit prāṇa 'breath, life-force' and English 'pant'. The word shifts from concrete 'lacking breath' to 'lacking living beings' when applied to water.

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

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