accusative dual of dvaya (n.)
Analysis. dvāyaṁ is the accusative dual form of dvaya, 'two' or 'pair'; in the phrase 'dvāyaṁ bhikkhū' (two monks), it agrees with the dual noun.
Etymology. dvaya derives from the numeral dva-, 'two', cognate with English 'two', German 'zwei', Sanskrit dvá, and Latin duo — all from Proto-Indo-European *dwoH₁. The abstract noun dvaya, 'twoness' or 'duality', is used in philosophy to denote the pair or binary contrast (e.g. attā-anattā, 'self and not-self').
Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.
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