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savicāraṁ

savicāra

accusative singular masculine of savicāra (adjective)

1. with applied thinking
2. accompanied by thinking

Built from

• sa — prefix · with, together
  Contracted form of sam-, meaning 'with' or 'together'; from Indo-European *sem- (English 'same', Latin 'similis'). Here it marks the presence or accompaniment of the following noun.
• vicāra — stem · thinking, applied thought
  From √car 'to move, travel' (Latin 'currere', English 'current'), originally meaning 'movement' of the mind; in Buddhist psychology, vicāra is the sustained or applied thinking that accompanies vitarka (initial thinking) in the first jhāna.

Analysis. sa + vicāra; sa is a prefix meaning 'with' (from sam- 'together'), and vicāra is the noun for 'thinking, applied thought' (from √car 'to move', literally 'movement of thought'). In meditation terminology, this describes the first jhāna, which retains discursive thinking before it dissolves in deeper concentration.

Etymology. sa (with) + vicāra (thinking). Vicāra derives from √car 'to move, wander' (related to Sanskrit car-, English 'car' as a vehicle in motion), so literally 'movement (of the mind)'. In Pali psychology, vicāra and vitarka are paired as the two components of applied thought in beginning meditation.

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

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