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kisābalakā

kisābalaka

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

1. thin and weak; scrawny and without strength

Built from

• kisā — root · thin, lean
  Describes emaciation; cognate with Sanskrit kīśa. The sense is of something worn down or reduced.
• balaka — stem · weak, feeble
  Compound of bala (strength, from root *bhel- to swell) and diminutive -ka, literalizing "little strength" hence weakness. Balaka as a descriptor captures lack of vigor.

Analysis. kisā (thin, lean) + balaka (weak, from bala strength): a compound adjective meaning thin combined with weak, describing someone emaciated and feeble.

Etymology. kisā is cognate with Sanskrit kīśa (thin, lean), related to the Indo-European root *kes- (to comb, scratch), whence the idea of something worn down or scraped away. Balaka derives from bala (strength), itself from an Indo-European root *bhel- (to swell, thrive), cognate with English bell, swell, and Greek phallus; the diminutive -ka suffix weakens the sense to "little strength" or "weakness".

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

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