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dubbaṇṇe

dubbaṇṇa

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

1. ugly; unattractive; bad looking; lit. bad colour
2. discoloured; lit. bad colour

Built from

• du(r) — prefix · bad, hard
  Marks excess or wrongness; cognate with Greek dys- (dystopia). Here expresses negative evaluation of appearance.
• baṇṇa — stem · colour, appearance
  Sanskrit varṇa from √vṛ 'cover, show'; the visible or manifest aspect. Combines with du(r)- to mean visibly deficient or ugly.

Analysis. du(r)- + baṇṇa: 'bad' + 'colour/appearance', hence ugly or discoloured in aspect.

Etymology. du(r)- 'bad, hard' (Greek dys-, dysfunction) + baṇṇa 'colour, appearance' (Sanskrit varṇa, from √vṛ 'cover, appear'); the compound uses spatial-evaluative du(r)- to mark aesthetic deficiency.

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

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