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valliñca

valli

fem nom pl + ca (enclitic conjunction)

1. valli (fem): creeper
2. vallī (fem): rope; lit. creeper

Built from

• vall- — root · wind, creep
  The root appears in Sanskrit vallī (creeper, rope). The spatial image is of something that winds or coils as it grows upward.
• -ī — ending · feminine
  Regular feminine suffix forming abstract or concrete feminine nouns from roots.
• ca — prefix · and
  Enclitic conjunction. Here it triggers sandhi: final -ṃ of valliṃ becomes ñ before c, giving valliñca.

Analysis. valliṃ (nom/acc pl of valli, fem) + ca (and) — contracted to valliñca in sandhi; the word appears in compounds denoting plant growth or binding.

Etymology. Sanskrit vallī, from a root meaning 'to wind, twine' (seen in vallana 'winding, coil'); cognate with Latin volō 'turn, roll' and English well (in the sense of coiling up). The concrete imagery is of a creeping plant that winds around a support.

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

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