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vaṇṇo

vaṇṇa

masc nom sg of vaṇṇa (noun); masc nom sg of vaṇṇa (adj)

1. beauty; good looks; lit. cover
2. colour; lit. cover
3. appearance; complexion; countenance; lit. cover
4. sort; kind; type; lit. cover
5. caste; social class; lit. cover
6. reason; cause; lit. cover
7. (gram) letter; phoneme; syllable; lit. cover
8. size; measure; type; lit. cover
9. …

Etymology. From Indo-European *wer- 'to cover, turn' (cognate with Latin verrere 'to sweep', Old English weorðan 'to become', and Sanskrit vṛ- 'to cover'). The concrete sense 'covering' (what covers the body: skin, complexion) developed into 'appearance', 'color', and by extension 'social covering' (caste, rank). Related to varaṇa 'covering, protection'.

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

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