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dakkho

dakkha

masc nom sg of dakkha (adj); aor 2nd sg of dakkhi (verb)

  1. dakkha (adj): expert; skilled; able; adroit
  2. dakkhi (aor): saw

Etymology. From √dṛś (see, look) via Pali dakkhi (aor 2nd sg 'you saw'). The adj dakkha develops the sense 'seeing well' → 'skilled, expert'. Sanskrit dṛśyate 'is seen'; cognate with English 'direct' (from Latin dīrigere 'to guide straight', itself from *dereǵ- 'to straighten, guide'), and Greek -derkesthai 'to see'. The root's concrete sense of visual perception (marking, discerning) underlies the abstract meaning of competence.

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

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