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kisābalake

kisābalaka

masc acc pl of kisābalaka (adj); nt acc pl of kisābalaka (adj); masc loc sg of kisābalaka (adj); nt loc sg of kisābalaka (adj); …

1. thin and weak; scrawny and without strength

Built from

• kisā — root · thin, withered
  From √kis- meaning to waste or wear away; describes the physical wasting seen in fasting, illness, or age.
• balaka — stem · weak, without strength
  Related to bala (strength); the suffix -ka is a diminutive or descriptive adjective ending that creates a derived adjective meaning lacking in or characterized by that quality.

Analysis. kisā (thin, withered) + balaka (weak, strength-lacking); a dvandva compound or collocative pair denoting the dual condition of wasting and debility.

Etymology. kisā from √kis- (to waste, wear away; cognate with Sanskrit kśayati 'wastes away', related to Latin caducus 'falling, frail'); balaka from bala (strength, power; from √bal- 'to be strong', related to Sanskrit bala and ballīyati 'becomes strong', cognate with English 'ball' and Greek ballein 'to throw' in the sense of physical force). The compound describes the emaciated ascetic or the victim of illness or old age.

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

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