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visākhaṁ

visākha

accusative singular masculine of visākha (noun)

1. the nakṣatra (lunar mansion) Viśākhā
2. a branch or fork
3. the sixth lunar mansion in traditional astronomy

Built from

• vi- — prefix · apart, asunder
  Prefix indicating separation or divergence in different directions; here suggests the branching or forked shape of the star group.
• sākha — root · branch, fork
  The root denotes a limb or branch of a tree, or any fork-like division; applied to the asterism because of its visual resemblance to branches spreading from a trunk.
• -m — ending · accusative singular
  The masculine accusative ending marks the object of a verb or preposition, common in astronomical lists and ritual contexts.

Analysis. vi- (apart, asunder) + -sākha (branch): literally 'having branches apart', hence 'forked' or 'branching'; the name of a star group whose asterism resembles a forked branch.

Etymology. From vi- (apart) + √sākh- (branch, fork), akin to Sanskrit śākhā and related to Old English scōh. The nakṣatra name is fixed in Vedic astronomy, where Viśākhā's asterism (the stars α and τ Librae) was seen as a branch or fork in the sky. The prefix vi- captures the sense of multiple branches spreading apart.

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

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