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kukkuṭapattenapi

kukkuṭapatta

instrumental singular + api

1. chicken feather

Built from

• kukkuṭa — root · rooster
  An onomatopoetic word mimicking the cry of a rooster; the same in Sanskrit and related to modern Hindi kukṛ.
• patta — stem · wing, feather
  Derived from √pat- "to fly, fall"; cognate with English "fathom" and Latin patēre "lie open, extend". Originally concrete (flying), then applied to feathers and wings.
• ena — ending · instrumental singular
  The instrumental case form ending -ena marks the noun as the instrument or means by which an action occurs; here indicating "with/by a chicken feather".
• api — prefix · even, also
  An enclitic particle meaning "even" or "also", often used to emphasize the smallness or insignificance of what precedes it. No direct Indo-European cognate, but functionally like Latin et.

Analysis. kukkuṭapattena (instrumental of kukkuṭapatta, "chicken feather") + api ("even, also"); the compound kukkuṭapatta itself breaks into kukkuṭa ("rooster") + patta ("wing, feather"); api is an enclitic particle meaning "even" or "also".

Etymology. kukkuṭa is onomatopoetic (the cry of a rooster; compare Sanskrit kukkuṭa and modern Hindi kukṛ). patta derives from √pat- ("to fly, fall"), cognate with English "fathom" and Latin patēre ("to lie open, extend"). The whole phrase emphasizes "even a chicken feather" in contexts of non-attachment or minimal value.

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

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