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sundarikā
sundarika
masc nom pl of sundarika (adj); fem nom sg of sundarika (adj); fem nom pl of sundarika (adj); nt nom pl of sundarika (adj); …
- sundarika (adj): handsome; beautiful; charming
- sundarikā (fem): name of a holy river; lit. charming
Built from
- su- — prefix · well, good
The common Pali intensifying prefix meaning excellence or ease (from Indo-European *su-, cognate with Greek eu- as in eulogy). Here it marks what is pleasing to the eye.
- dara/drika — stem · seeing, sight
Nominal formation from √dṛś (to see, look), cognate with Sanskrit dṛś; the -ika suffix forms an adjective. The root preserves the Indo-European sense of vision and brightness that underlies the idea of beauty.
- ā — ending · feminine nominative singular
The long ā marks the feminine nominative singular form, distinguishing this as a feminine noun or adjective when applied to the river name.
Etymology. From su- (well, good) + √dṛś (to see, look). The root is cognate with Sanskrit dṛś and related to English "direct" and German "Richtung" (direction): the concrete sense is "seeing well" or "appearing fair to the eye", hence beautiful or charming. In the river name, the epithet transfers the beauty of sight to the flowing water itself.