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visākho

visākha

masc nom sg of visākha (adj); masc nom sg of visākha (noun)

1. forked; branched
2. name of a lay disciple; lit. Libra

Built from

• vi — prefix · apart, asunder
  Direction prefix: 'in different directions'. Related to dvi 'two'; cognate with Latin dis- and English diverse.
• sākha — root · branch, divide
  Concrete: a branch splits the trunk into separate paths. Sanskrit śākhā 'branch'.

Analysis. vi- (apart, asunder) + sākha (branch): 'branches spread apart', hence forked or many-branched.

Etymology. vi- 'apart, in different directions' (related to dvi 'two'; cognate with Latin dis-) + sākha 'branch', from √sakh 'to divide or split'. The root cognates with English sake (what is sought, a division of purpose) and with Sanskrit śākhā 'branch'. The prefix vi- makes concrete the branching imagery: two or more directions splaying outward.

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

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