‹ Back to the text

udakaṇṇavaṁ

udakaṇṇava

noun, accusative singular (udakaṇṇavaṁ); a compound

1. ocean
2. sea
3. the body of water

Built from

• udaka — root · water
  From √ud (moisture, wetness). Concrete sense: that which flows and sustains.
• ṇṇava — stem · ocean
  From √nav (to flow, swim). The ocean as the great flowing mass; related to Sanskrit nava, nāva (ship).
• -ṁ — ending · accusative singular
  Marks the direct object or goal of the action in this sentence.

Analysis. udaka (water) + ṇṇava (ocean, from √nav to flow/swim). The compound denotes the vast expanse of water; ṇṇava is a poetic/elevated term for ocean.

Etymology. udaka from √ud (water, moisture; cognate with English wet); ṇṇava cognate with Sanskrit nava and nāva (boat, ship), from √nav (to flow, swim). The compound builds ocean as the flowing/swimming mass of water.

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

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version