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tittakālābu

nt nom sg of tittakālābu (noun); nt voc sg of tittakālābu (noun); masc nom sg of tittakālābu (noun); masc voc sg of tittakālābu (noun)

1. bitter gourd; bitter melon; Momordica charantia
2. bitter gourd; bitter melon; Momordica charantia

Built from

• tittaka — root · bitter
  From √tij 'to be sharp, pungent'. The bitterness is the defining feature; used in compounds to identify acrid plants.
• ālābu — root · gourd
  A noun for bottle gourd or calabash, borrowed from Sanskrit and possibly Dravidian origin. Common in Pali botanical terminology for gourds and squashes.

Analysis. A compound of tittaka 'bitter' + ālābu 'gourd'; the plant is named from its characteristically bitter taste.

Etymology. Tittaka derives from the root √tij 'to be sharp, pungent'; ālābu is a borrowed word for 'bottle gourd' or 'calabash' (cognate with Sanskrit ālābu, possibly from a Dravidian source). The bitterness of this particular gourd variety drove the naming.

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

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