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phāsukaṭṭhikaṁ

phāsukaṭṭhika

accusative singular masculine of phāsukaṭṭhika, a compound adjective (resolved to attested form; surface spelling phāsukaṭṭhikaṁ is the accusative with anusvāra)

1. easy-boned
2. comfortable in body
3. having light or pliant bones

Built from

• phāsu — root · ease, comfort
  Related to Sanskrit prāśu and possibly to a root expressing facility or lightness. Used in the Pali canon to describe the absence of resistance or friction in bodily movement.
• kaṭṭhi — root · bone
  Sanskrit asthi (cognate with English 'osseous' from Latin os). The form kaṭṭhi shows the Prakrit reduction of initial s-.
• ka — ending · having, possessing
  The adjective-forming suffix -ka turns a noun into a possessive adjective, so kaṭṭhika means 'having bones' or 'boned'.

Analysis. phāsu- (easy, comfortable; from phāsu 'ease') + kaṭṭhika (boned, skeletal; from kaṭṭhi 'bone'). A bahuvrihi compound meaning 'one having easy or light bones'—used in the canon to describe the physical grace and lightness of the Buddha and arahants.

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

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