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sudubbalaṁ

sudubbala

neuter accusative singular of sudubbala (adjective) — possibly a scribal error for su-dubbala 'very weak' or a contraction; most likely a variant or misreading of sudukkhala or similar, but resolving to sudubbala as the most coherent attested form in commentarial usage

1. very weak
2. hard to strengthen
3. difficult

Built from

• su- — prefix · very, thoroughly
  Intensive prefix meaning 'well' or 'good', here strengthening the negation; cognate with Greek eu- (eulogy).
• dubbala — stem · weak, feeble
  Adjective meaning weak or lacking strength; du- 'bad' + bala 'strength', so literally 'bad-strength'. Used in the canon of insufficient moral or spiritual capacity.

Analysis. su- (well, thoroughly, very — intensifying prefix) + dubbala (weak, feeble — from *duh-bala, 'bad strength'). The compound expresses extreme weakness or the quality of being hardly capable of improvement.

Etymology. su- is the common Pali intensive prefix (cognate with Greek eu-, 'good, well'), here used to reinforce dubbala. Dubbala itself derives from a root sense of 'bad' (du-) + 'strength' (bala-, cognate with English 'ball', Latin 'bolus', and Sanskrit 'bala'). The word captures the doctrinal idea of insufficient spiritual vigor or moral weakness.

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

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