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paṭicca

masc voc sg of paṭicca (ptp); nt voc sg of paṭicca (ptp)

1. dependent; depending (on); contingent (upon); relying (on); because (of); supported (by); on account (of); grounded (on)
2. ought to be arrived at

Built from

• paṭi — prefix · back, against, in return
  Marks reciprocity or counter-directedness; here expressing the idea that one thing leans back upon or is required in return by another condition.
• icca — ending · past participle marker
  Transforms the root into a past participle (or participle-like adjective); here rendered as 'dependent' or 'contingent', expressing a state or quality that results from or requires a prior condition.

Analysis. paṭi + icca: paṭi (back, against, in return) + √icchati (desires, seeks), forming a past participle expressing what is sought after or required in return—hence what leans back upon or depends on a condition.

Etymology. paṭi (prefix, back/against) + √ich (desire, seek), cognate with Sanskrit icchati and English itch (to feel a persistent desire). The prefix paṭi keeps its sense of reciprocity or counter-directedness: what is 'sought back' or 'required in return' becomes what depends on or is grounded in a prior condition. In paṭiccasamuppāda (dependent co-arising), this morphology is transparent: things that lean back upon or depend on preceding conditions.

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

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