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dubbhikkhe

dubbhikkha

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

1. famine; scarcity of alms-food; lit. bad begging
2. with a scarcity of food

Built from

• du — prefix · bad, hard
  Negates or worsens the following term. Cognate with Greek dys- and Sanskrit duh-.
• bbhikkha — stem · alms-food, begging
  From √bhik- 'to beg, seek'. The doubling reflects Pali phonology after the prefix du(r)-. Literally 'that which is sought' or 'alms requested'.

Analysis. du(r)- (bad, gone wrong) + bhikkha (alms-food, begging). 'Bad begging' or 'difficulty in obtaining alms', extended to famine and food scarcity in general.

Etymology. du(r)- from Indo-European *dus- (Greek dys- in dysfunction, dystopia; Sanskrit duh-); bhikkha from √bhik- 'to beg, seek' (Sanskrit bhikṣa-, related to English beg through Germanic; the concrete image is of going about in search of food).

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

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