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tiṇukkāya

tiṇukkā

fem instr sg of tiṇukkā (noun); fem dat sg of tiṇukkā (noun); fem abl sg of tiṇukkā (noun); fem gen sg of tiṇukkā (noun); …

1. bundle of grass used as a torch

Built from

• tiṇu — root · grass
  Related to Sanskrit tṛṇa- and Indo-European *ter- (to rub, wear). The concrete image is of dried grass — something worn, rubbed, or beaten down.
• kkā — ending · diminutive, feminine
  Pali diminutive suffix forming feminine nouns. Here it creates a sense of a small bundle or tool made of grass, marking both the smallness and the practical utility.

Analysis. tiṇu- (grass) + -kkā (diminutive/feminine suffix), literally 'little grass bundle'

Etymology. tiṇu- is cognate with Sanskrit tṛṇa- 'grass, straw' (from Indo-European *ter- 'to rub, wear, or pass through', also English 'tread'). The suffix -kkā is a Pali diminutive forming feminine nouns, common in folk vocabulary for practical objects.

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

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