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nāsakkhimha

nāsakkhi

aor 1st pl of nāsakkhi (verb)

1. was unable (to); was incapable (of); was not possible (to)

Built from

• nā — prefix · not
  Plain negation; cognate with Sanskrit na and Greek ne. Reverses the positive sense of sakkhi.
• sak — root · be able, be capable
  PIE *seǵ- (hold, have power); cognate with Latin sequi and English sake. The sense moved from physical holding to possession of strength or capacity.
• -khimha — ending · aorist 1st plural
  The -kh- marks the aorist stem; -imha is the 1st person plural ending in the aorist. Together they signal past tense, collective action, and first person plurality.

Analysis. nā + sakkhi; nā is the negative particle (not), sakkhi is the aorist stem of √sak (be able, be capable). The construction expresses inability or impossibility in the past.

Etymology. √sak derives from PIE *seǵ- (hold, have power), cognate with Latin sequi (follow, accompany) and English sake (one's own interest, power); the negative prefix nā- is the standard Pali marker of negation, related to Sanskrit na and Greek ne-. The sense evolved from 'holding power' to 'being capable'.

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

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