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ekaccā

ekacca

fem nom sg of ekacca (pron); fem nom pl of ekacca (pron); fem acc pl of ekacca (pron); masc nom pl of ekacca (adj); …

1. certain; one of
2. some; a few
3. part of; partial; in part

Built from

• eka — root · one
  From IE *oikos/*sem- 'single, unified'. The root emphasizes solitary or singular reference, which extends into the indefinite sense 'one or another'.
• -cca — ending · indefinite suffix
  A variant of -ci, related to the interrogative pronoun. Transforms eka into an indefinite pronoun/adjective: 'some one', 'a certain one', emphasizing partial or non-specific selection.

Analysis. eka- 'one' + -cca, a suffix forming indefinite pronouns and adjectives. ekacca means 'one or another' or 'some', emphasizing an indefinite or partial selection.

Etymology. eka derives from Indo-European *oikos (also *sem-), cognate with Sanskrit eka, Greek oikos 'house, one place', and English eke 'increase'. The suffix -cca is a variant of -ci (related to the interrogative ki 'what'), creating an indefinite sense: 'one-ish', 'some-kind-of-one'.

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

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