balañca

bala

nt + ca (enclitic conjunction)

strength; power; might
mental power; Dhamma strength; lit. strength
army; military force; lit. strength
financial ability; resources; lit. strength

Built from

bal — root · swell, be strong
From Indo-European *bʰel- 'to swell'; cognates include English ball, belly, bull, and Sanskrit bala. The image of swelling into fullness motivates the meanings of strength and power.
a — ending · neuter singular
The thematic vowel -a marks the neuter gender and nominative or accusative case, here likely nominative in the phrase balañca 'strength and...'.
ñca — ending · and (enclitic)
The enclitic conjunction ca (assimilated after -ṃ to -ñca) joins coordinate elements, adding the sense 'both...and' or enumeration.

Analysis. balaṃ + ca: the nominative/accusative neuter bala 'strength' + the enclitic copulative particle ca 'and'. The phrase 'strength and...' or 'both strength and...' appears frequently in doctrinal contexts to enumerate the Buddha's powers or the factors of awakening.

Etymology. Pali bala derives from the Indo-European root *bʰel- 'to swell, inflate' (Sanskrit bala, Latin follis 'bellows', English ball, belly). The concrete image of swelling underlies the sense of physical and mental vigor. The word is a cognate of English bull and Sanskrit bala.

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

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