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vijjāya

vijjā

fem instr sg of vijjā (noun); fem dat sg of vijjā (noun); fem abl sg of vijjā (noun); fem gen sg of vijjā (noun); …

1. knowledge; wisdom; understanding
2. science; art; branch of knowledge; lit. understanding
3. spell; magic; sorcery; lit. understanding

Built from

• vi — prefix · apart, asunder
  Prefix meaning 'in different directions' or 'distinctly'; intensifies clarity of perception. Related to dvi 'two', cognate with Latin dis- (divide).
• jñā — root · know, perceive
  Indo-European root appearing in Sanskrit jñāti 'knows', Latin gnōscere 'recognize', English 'know'. The root conveys direct perception.
• ā — ending · abstract feminine
  Derives abstract nouns; marks feminine gender and nominative/accusative singular in citation form.

Etymology. vi + √jñā (Sanskrit jñāti 'knows', cognate with Latin gnōscere 'recognize' and English 'know'), prefixed vi- meaning 'apart, asunder', so literally 'knowing that discerns distinctly' or 'knowing-asunder'; the abstract noun vijjā shifted meaning from epistemic clarity to wisdom, art, skill, and in magical contexts, secret knowledge.

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

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