mālāguḷaparikkhittāpi

mālāguḷaparikkhitta

nominative singular feminine past participle + enclitic api (even, also)

engaged to be married; betrothed; lit. encircled with a wreath of flowers

Built from

mālā — root · garland, wreath
From √mal (to adorn, soil). The concrete image is of a wreath placed on the head or body.
guḷa — stem · ball, cluster
Refers to a clustered, rounded garland or wreath of flowers twisted together.
pari — prefix · around, completely
The spatial sense of encirclement (peri- in Greek) carries into the meaning of completeness and binding commitment.
kkhitta — stem · thrown, placed
Past participle of √khip (to throw, place). In this context, to place or drape the garland around the betrothed woman.
ā — ending · feminine nominative singular
Marks the feminine nominative singular form of the adjective/participle.
pi — ending · even, also (enclitic)
The enclitic particle pi emphasizes or adds the sense of 'even' or 'also' to the statement.

Analysis. mālāguḷa (garland of flowers) + parikkhitta (past participle of parikkhipati, to encircle); the compound refers to the practice of garlanding a bride-to-be. The -āpi ending is the nominative singular feminine form of the past participle with the enclitic api (even, despite).

Etymology. mālā (garland, wreath) from √mal (to adorn, soil); guḷa (ball, cluster); pari- (around, completeness) + kkhipta (thrown, placed; from √khip, related to Sanskrit kṣip- meaning to throw). The practice of encircling a woman with flowers signifies betrothal.

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

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