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sappavisaṁva

sappavisaṁ

Instrumental singular of sappavisaṁ (nominal form, possibly a contraction or textual variant; if attested as sappavisam, instrumental singular neuter)

1. snake-venom
2. poison

Built from

• sappa — root · snake
  From Sanskrit sarpa-, connected to the root sṛp- 'to creep'. Snakes move in flowing, winding paths.
• visa — root · venom, poison
  Cognate with Latin virus and English virus, from PIE *wis- 'to flow, ooze'. Poison flows and spreads through the body.
• ṁ — ending · instrumental singular
  The -aṁ ending marks the instrumental case, expressing means or agency ('by, with').

Analysis. sappavisaṁ breaks into sappa (snake) + visa (venom, poison). The compound uses the instrumental form, suggesting the sense 'by means of snake-venom' or 'with venom like a snake's'.

Etymology. Sappa derives from Sanskrit sarpa- (snake), related to sṛp- 'to creep, crawl'; visa (venom, poison) is cognate with Latin virus (poison, slime) and English virus, from the Proto-Indo-European root *wis- 'to flow, ooze'.

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

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