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kaṭukāya

kaṭuka

fem instr sg of kaṭuka (adj); masc dat sg of kaṭuka (adj); fem dat sg of kaṭuka (adj); nt dat sg of kaṭuka (adj); …

1. severe; sharp; painful
2. bitter; acerbic
3. bitterness; pain
4. bitter taste; pungent taste; acerbic taste
5. (of an elephant in rut) pungent excretion

Built from

• kaṭ — root · bite, sting, scratch
  The image of biting, scratching, or scraping produces the sense of sharpness in taste and feeling. Sanskrit kaṭu-, Greek knadō.
• u — stem · stem-former
  Thematic vowel forming the a-stem adjective.
• kā — ending · fem instr sg
  Feminine instrumental singular ending, here marking the instrumental or dative case in this inflection.

Etymology. Root √kaṭ- ('to bite, scratch, sting'), cognate with Sanskrit kaṭu- and Greek knadō 'to scratch, scrape'. The sharpness of biting or scratching transfers to taste (bitter, pungent) and then to emotional sting (severe, painful). Compare English 'cutting' remark.

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

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