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samantacakkhu

masc nom sg of samantacakkhu (noun); masc voc sg of samantacakkhu (noun)

1. all seeing one; epithet of the Buddha; lit. all around eye

Built from

• sam — prefix · together, completely
  The prefix sam- conveys bringing things into one unified whole, here expressing the sense of 'all around' and 'complete in every direction'.
• anta — root · end, boundary, limit
  This root means the extremity or boundary; combined with sam-, samanta means reaching to every end, encompassing all directions.
• cakkhu — root · eye, sight
  Cognate with Sanskrit cakṣus, Latin oculus, and English eye, all from the Indo-European root *okw- 'to see'. The eye is the literal instrument of sight and thus metaphorically the instrument of understanding.
• Ø — ending · nominative singular
  Masculine singular in nominative case, used as an epithet or title of address for the Buddha.

Analysis. samanta (all around, complete in every direction) + cakkhu (eye). A dvandva-type compound meaning literally 'all-around eye', used as an epithet for the Buddha's omniscience.

Etymology. samanta derives from sam- (together, completely) + anta (end, limit, boundary), meaning 'reaching to every end, all-encompassing'. Cakkhu is cognate with Sanskrit cakṣus and ultimately derives from the Indo-European root *okw- (to see), as in Latin oculus and English eye. Together the compound evokes the Buddha's power to see in all directions without obstruction.

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

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