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pañcakaṅgaṁ

pañcakaṅga

accusative singular neuter of pañcakaṅga (a noun in -a declension); or nominative/accusative plural neuter

1. five-limbed (form or structure)
2. composed of five parts
3. fivefold

Built from

• pañca — root · five
  PIE *penkwe. Five is a foundational number in Pali cosmology and analysis (five skandhas, five hindrances, five faculties).
• kaṅga — root · limb, part, factor
  Sanskrit aṅga. Used for structural components, both physical limbs and abstract constituents (e.g., aṭṭhaṅgika magga, the eightfold path).
• -ṁ — ending · accusative singular neuter or nominative/accusative plural neuter
  Pali -a stem neuter inflection marks direct object (accusative) singular or subject/object of plural neuter nouns.

Analysis. pañca (five) + kaṅga (limb, part, factor). A compound denoting something structured or analyzed into five constituents or divisions.

Etymology. pañca from PIE *penkwe (five; cognates: English five, Latin quinque, Greek pente); kaṅga is Pali for limb or member, cognate with Sanskrit aṅga and related to Greek agkhos "narrow space" and English "angle" (from the image of a jointed part). The compound appears in doctrinal contexts (e.g., pañcakaṅgasamādhi, a meditation with five aspects; pañcakaṅgasukhavihāra, a dwelling characterized by fivefold factors of bliss).

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

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