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bahudukkhā

bahudukkha

masc nom pl of bahudukkha (adj); fem nom sg of bahudukkha (adj); fem nom pl of bahudukkha (adj); nt nom pl of bahudukkha (adj); …

1. full of suffering; much suffering

Built from

• bahu — root · much, many
  An ancient quantifier cognate with Greek poly- and Latin multus; used as a prefixal intensifier before adjectives and nouns.
• du — prefix · bad, hard
  Negative prefix expressing deficiency or difficulty; same as Greek dys- and English dys- (dystopia, dysfunction).
• kkha — root · friction, hollow
  Related to the sense of an ill-fitting axle-hole or hollow, hence friction, unease, and suffering; originally physical discomfort that became the Buddhist term for all unsatisfactoriness.

Analysis. bahu- (much) + dukkha (suffering); a compound adjective formed by prefixing the quantifier bahu to the noun dukkha to express intensity or abundance of suffering.

Etymology. bahu is an old Indo-European quantifier (cognate with Greek poly- πολύ, Latin multus); dukkha < du- (bad, hard) + the root of the verb √khaṇ (to dig, excavate) or √kha (to hollow out), originally meaning a badly-bored axle-hole, hence physical or mental friction, suffering. The prefix du- itself descends to English dys- (dysfunction) and Greek dys-.

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

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