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paccayaṁ

paccaya

masculine noun, accusative singular

1. condition, cause
2. reason, requisite
3. means of support

Built from

• pa — prefix · forward, forth
  Intensifying prefix, related to paṭi-.
• ṭi — prefix · back, against
  Counter-directional: things leaning back against each other; works like Latin contra-.
• a — prefix · toward
  Reverses the direction; brings the sense inward.
• kaya — stem · making, doing
  From √kī; the abstract noun of action (like English -ness, -ity).

Analysis. paṭi- (back, against) + a- (toward) + √kī (make, do, become): the thing that 'comes back toward' or 'counters' an effect as its condition.

Etymology. The prefix paṭi- (back, against) with ā (toward) and the root kī (make, do): literally 'counter-acting'; the concrete image of one thing leaning back against another to support or condition it shapes the abstract sense of causality. In Pali metaphysics (paṭiccasamuppāda, dependent co-arising), paccaya denotes the conditions without which an effect cannot arise.

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

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