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avitakkaṁ

avitakka

accusative singular neuter of avitakka (adjective); or accusative singular neuter of avitakka used as a noun meaning 'absence of thinking'

1. free from thinking
2. without deliberation
3. the state of non-thinking

Built from

• a- — prefix · not, without
  Plain negation; related to English un- and Greek a(n)-. Removes or negates the following element.
• vitakka — stem · thinking, deliberation
  Derived from vi- (analyzing apart) + √takk- (to think); cognate with English 'think'. In meditation, contrasts with directed thinking (vitakka) versus undirected absorption.

Analysis. a- (not, without) + vitakka (thinking, deliberation); a compound negating the noun vitakka

Etymology. The prefix a- is plain negation (English un-, Greek a-), and vitakka derives from vi- (apart, in different directions, analyzing) + √takk- (to think, analyze). The root √takk- is cognate with English 'think' (both from PIE *tenk-). So avitakka literally means 'not-thinking-apart', i.e., undirected, non-analytical thought or its absence—a key meditative state.

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

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