accusative singular neuter of jiṇṇamivattaca (possibly a contraction or compound; likely a textual variant or rare form—compare jiṇṇa 'worn, aged' and possibly *vatta 'turning, action')
Analysis. Compound: jiṇṇa (worn, aged, senile) + miva (like, as if) + vattaca (diminutive or variant of vatta, a cart or turning). The phrase constructs an image of the aged body as a creaking, decrepit cart—a classical Pali simile for the body's impermanence (anicccatā) and undesirability (asubha). The form may be a contraction or non-standard construction; the exact morphology is uncertain.
Etymology. jiṇṇa is the past participle of jiṇṇati 'wears out, decays' (from PIE *gʰwen- 'to strike, wear away', cognate with English 'win' in its obsolete sense of 'struggle'). vattaca relates to vatta 'wheel, cart, action, turning' (from Sanskrit varta- and PIE *wert- 'to turn', cognate with English 'wart', Latin 'vertere'). The simile is canonical: the body compared to an ancient vehicle held together by ropes, found in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta.
Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.
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