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vedehikā

fem nom sg of vedehikā (noun); fem nom pl of vedehikā (noun); fem acc pl of vedehikā (noun); fem instr sg of vedehikā (noun); …

1. name of a laywoman in Sāvatthī; lit. from Videha; wise

Built from

• vedeh- — root · from Videha
  The toponym Videha (vi- 'asunder' + deha 'body') designates the eastern kingdom; the stem vedeh- is its nominative base.
• -ikā — ending · feminine agent/origin suffix
  Forms feminine nouns from place-names and roots, often denoting a woman of that place, quality, or role. Here it marks a woman from or wise in the manner of Videha.

Analysis. Vedeh- (from Videha, the eastern kingdom) + -ikā (feminine agent/possessive suffix). Videha itself is composed of vi- (apart, asunder) + deha (body), thus 'where bodies/people are separated/distinct'; the suffix -ikā forms feminine nouns denoting origin or quality.

Etymology. Videha is an ancient kingdom in the Gangetic plain (modern Bihar/Nepal border), literally 'land of distinct/separate bodies' from vi- (asunder) + deha (body, from √dah 'to put/place'). The feminine -ikā suffix marks women of that region. Cognate: deha shares an ancient root with Greek theke 'receptacle, body' and English thatch (Indo-European *dhek- 'to construct/receive'). The prefix vi- comes from dvi 'two', marking division or distinction.

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

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