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pacchimā

pacchima

masc nom pl of pacchima (adj); fem nom sg of pacchima (adj); fem nom pl of pacchima (adj); nt nom pl of pacchima (adj); …

1. what was said after; what was stated subsequently; lit. last
2. west; western; lit. last; behind
3. hindmost; back; lit. last
4. least; smallest; minimum; lit. last
5. later; future; lit. last
6. last; final
7. lowest; bottom
8. last person; man behind

Built from

• pa — prefix · forward, forth
  Intensifying and directional prefix. Creates the sense of that which steps forth or is laid forth distinctly.
• chim — root · cut, separate
  Related to Sanskrit chid and ultimately Indo-European *skey- (to cut, separate). The concrete sense of cutting off or being left behind underlies the temporal and spatial senses.
• a — ending · masculine singular nominative (or neuter); also functions as superlative/ordinal adjective marker
  The -a ending marks this as a standard adjective form; when combined with ordinal or superlative senses, it identifies the last or furthest item in a series.

Analysis. pa + chima, from pa- (forward, forth) + √chid (to cut off): that which is cut off, left behind; also analyzed as from paccha (behind) with -ima superlative suffix.

Etymology. Root √chid (to cut, separate) with prefix pa- (forth, forward): the concrete image is of what is severed or left in one's wake. Related to Sanskrit pāścima (western, last), from the same root. English "scotch" (to cut) shares Indo-European *skeyd-; Latin scindere (to cut, split) shows the same root via *skid-.

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

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