ekālopiko

ekālopika

masc nom sg of ekālopika (noun)

ascetic who subsists on only one mouthful of food; lit. one morsel-er

Built from

eka — root · one
From Indo-European *oino-; cognates: English one, Latin unus, Sanskrit eka-. The cardinal root meaning 'single, unified'.
ālopa — stem · morsel, mouthful
Likely from √lap (to devour, lick) with prefix ā- (toward, up to), suggesting 'that which is consumed'; or from lopa (breaking, fragment). A technical term for a food portion in monastic contexts.
ika — ending · agent nominal suffix
Forms nouns meaning 'one who does or has X'; here creating an agent noun 'one who eats (only) a morsel'.

Analysis. eka- (one) + ālopika (from ālopa, morsel or mouthful of food): 'one-morsel-er', a monastic dietary practice of consuming only a single meal portion.

Etymology. eka- is from Indo-European *oino- (one), cognate with English one, Latin unus, Sanskrit eka-. ālopa appears related to Sanskrit lopa (breaking, fragment) or √lap (to devour), though the exact formation is uncertain. The compound reflects a technical monastic term for a strict eating discipline.

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

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