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kammārakulā

kammārakula

nt nom pl of kammārakula (noun); nt instr sg of kammārakula (noun); nt abl sg of kammārakula (noun); nt voc sg of kammārakula (noun); …

1. smithy; metal worker; lit. blacksmith household

Built from

• kammāra — stem · smith, metal-worker
  From Sanskrit karmāra, denoting one who works metal. The root imagery is of fashioning and shaping through labour.
• kula — stem · family, household, group
  A collective noun for a kinship group or dwelling-place. From PIE *kelH- (to dwell), cognate with Latin colere and English hill; originally 'those who dwell together'.

Analysis. kammāra (smith, metal-worker) + kula (family, household, group); a household or workshop of smiths. The word is a bahuvrīhi or possessive compound: 'one whose kula is smiths' or 'a kula full of smiths'.

Etymology. kammāra is from Proto-Indo-European *kʰam- (to work, fashion) via Sanskrit karmāra, the same root as English hammer; kula (family, clan, group) is from PIE *kelH- (to dwell, inhabit), cognate with Latin colere (cultivate, dwell) and English hill. The semantic blend smithy/smith-family reflects the household economy of ancient artisans, where craft and kin dwelt together.

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

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