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vicitakāḷakaṁ

vicitakāḷaka

accusative singular masculine of vicitakāḷaka (adjective or noun); the form vicitakāḷakaṁ shows a contraction of -akaṁ ending

1. variegated
2. mottled
3. speckled or spotted

Built from

• vi — prefix · apart, asunder
  Prefix indicating separation or distribution in different directions.
• cita — root · scattered, arranged
  Past participle of √cit (to scatter, perceive, arrange); Sanskrit cit- ('to perceive, arrange').
• kāḷaka — stem · dark spot, black mark
  Compound of kāḷa (black, dark) + -ka (diminutive suffix), denoting small dark patches or spots.
• ṁ — ending · accusative singular
  Marks the accusative singular masculine case in Pali.

Analysis. vi-cita-kāḷaka: vi- (apart, asunder) + cita (past participle of cinati, 'to arrange, lay out') + kāḷa (dark, black) + -ka (diminutive or adjectival suffix); literally 'scattered dark spots', hence variegated or motley.

Etymology. The root is √cit (to perceive, arrange, scatter), akin to Sanskrit cit-. The prefix vi- conveys the sense of things separated or distributed in different directions. The suffix -kāḷaka compounds kāḷa (black, dark) with -ka, suggesting small dark patches or marks scattered across a surface.

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

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