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katamañca

katama

pronoun interrogative

1. what?; which (of the many)?

Built from

• ka- — root · interrogative particle
  Primitive interrogative marker, cognate with Latin qu- (quis 'who?'), Greek tís, and English who, all from Proto-Indo-European *kʷ-. Carries the basic sense of questioning.
• -tama — ending · superlative suffix
  Derives from tama 'that one' and marks the superlative degree. Here it sharpens the interrogative ka- into a more pressing 'which one exactly?' rather than a simple 'which?'.
• ca — ending · and (enclitic)
  Enclitic conjunction (Sanskrit ca, Latin -que) meaning 'and'; here it adds emphasis or marks a transition, pressing the question forward: 'and what?' or 'so what?'.

Analysis. katama (interrogative pronoun, nominative singular masculine) + ca (enclitic conjunction 'and'), sandhi-combined: katamaṃ + ca → katamañca 'and what?' or 'what then?', often marking transitions or pressing the inquiry forward.

Etymology. katama is built from ka- (interrogative particle, cognate with Latin qu- in quis 'who?') + -tama (superlative suffix, from tama meaning 'that one', akin to Sanskrit -tama). The particle ka- appears in Sanskrit ka- (kaḥ 'who?'), Greek tís (from ti-), and English who (from Proto-Indo-European *kʷ-). The superlative -tama sharpens the sense from 'which?' to 'which exactly?' or 'what precisely?'. The enclitic ca 'and' (Sanskrit ca, Latin -que) adds focus or mild urgency.

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

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