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pakiṇṇakavaggo

pakiṇṇakavagga

masc nom sg of pakiṇṇakavagga (noun)

1. Vagga 21 of the Dhammapada (DHP290-305)

Built from

• pa — prefix · forth, forward
  Intensifying prefix; here emphasizing the idea of scattering. Works like Latin pro-.
• kiṇṇ — stem · scattered, dispersed
  Past participle of kiroti 'scatters'; the concrete image of things scattered in different directions underlies the sense of diverse topics.
• a — ending · adjective marker
  Nominalizing suffix forming the adjective pakiṇṇaka 'miscellaneous, mixed'.
• vagga — root · division, chapter
  From √vaj 'divide, distribute'; a vagga is a thematic division or collection of verses in a text.

Analysis. pakiṇṇaka + vagga: 'miscellaneous' (adjective from pakiṇṇa 'scattered, diverse') + 'chapter, collection' (from vaj 'divide, distribute'). The compound names the chapter treating diverse topics on the path.

Etymology. pakiṇṇa derives from pa- (forward, forth, intensifying) + kiṇṇa (past participle of kiroti 'scatters, spreads'), so literally 'scattered forth, dispersed'. The sense developed from concrete scattering to 'miscellaneous, diverse'. Cognate with Latin cerno 'sift, distinguish' and English certain (originally 'sifted apart'). Vagga from √vaj 'to divide', seen also in Sanskrit vaj.

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

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