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makkhissa

makkhī

nt gen sg of makkhī (adj)

1. who slanders; who denigrates; (comm) who erases the good qualities of another; lit. rubbing

Built from

• makkh — root · rub, wipe, erase
  The root √makkh denotes rubbing or wiping away material substances; metaphorically applied to the obliteration of character or reputation through slander. Cognate with Sanskrit mṛj-, Greek smichein (to smear).
• ī — ending · agent feminine
  Feminine agent suffix forming adjectives describing a person who performs an action; here, one who rubs away (i.e., slanders or erases).

Etymology. From the root √makkh-, meaning to rub, wipe, or erase; cognate with Sanskrit mṛj- (to wipe clean, rub away), which also carries the sense of obliterating or removing. The semantic development from the physical act of rubbing away to the metaphorical sense of slandering (rubbing away someone's good name or reputation) is characteristic of ancient Indo-European moral language, where social damage mirrors material effacement.

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

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