‹ Back to the text

icchā

iccha

masc nom pl of iccha (adj); fem nom sg of iccha (adj); fem nom pl of iccha (adj); nt nom pl of iccha (adj); …

1. iccha (adj): wishing (for); desiring; wanting
2. icchanta (prp): wishing; wanting; desiring
3. icchā (fem): wish; desire; longing
4. icchi (aor): wished; wanted; desired

Built from

• ich — root · wish, desire
  The root √ich expresses yearning or longing. Cognate with English itch (Proto-Germanic *itilaz), where the physical sense of restless discomfort reflects the same root imagery of mental unease and craving.
• ā — ending · feminine nominative
  The -ā ending marks the feminine gender and nominative case. In Pali, this is the standard feminine singular nominal ending.

Etymology. From √ich (to wish, desire). The root appears in Sanskrit icchati with the same meaning. Cognate with English itch (originally desire, restlessness), from Proto-Germanic *itilaz. The semantic shift from physical restlessness to mental desire is natural and paralleled across Indo-European languages.

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

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version