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ekamekasmiṁ

ekamekassa

locative singular of ekamekassa (distributive pronoun), or alternatively analyzed as a sandhi contraction in locative of ekameka; surface form ekamekasmiṁ shows -smiṁ locative ending

1. one by one
2. to each individual
3. separately

Built from

• eka — root · one
  The primary numeral; cognate with Sanskrit eka, Latin ūnus, Greek oîos. Expresses the cardinal 'one'.
• meka — root · one (distributive)
  A reanalyzed or quasi-reduplicated form of eka, used in the distributive ekameka to mean 'one to one', 'each one'.
• -smiṁ — ending · locative singular
  The locative case ending -smiṁ (also -smim, -mhi) places the action 'in, at, or to' the referent; here marks the distributive application 'to each one individually'.

Analysis. eka + meka (itself eka + meka): eka (one) + meka (one), distributive formation meaning 'each one', 'one and one'. The reduplicated structure emphasizes distribution and individuation.

Etymology. From eka (one), an old Indo-European numeral: Sanskrit eka, Greek oîos, Latin ūnus. The reduplication-like meka formation (itself eka reanalyzed) creates a distributive sense paralleling Latin singuli or Greek hekateros.

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

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