(& taco nt.)

1. bark. MN.i.198, MN.i.434, MN.i.488; AN.v.5
2. skin, hide (similar to camma, denoting the thick outer skin, as contrasted with chavi, thin skin, see chavi & cp. Ja.i.146).

Often used together with nahāru aṭṭhi (tendons & bones), to denote the outer appearance (framework) of the body, or that which is most conspicuous in emaciation: AN.i.50 = Sdhp.46; tacamaṃsâvalepana (+ aṭṭhī nahārusaṃyutta) Snp.194; Ja.i.146 (where ˚vilepana); Snp-a.247; aṭṭhi-taca-mattâvasesasarīra “nothing but skin & bones” Pv-a.201. Of the cast-off skin of a snake: urago va jiṇṇaṃ tacaṃ jahāti Snp.1, same simile Pv.i.12#1 (= nimmoka Pv-a.63)-kañcanasannibha-taca (adj.) of golden-coloured skin (a sign of beauty) Snp.551; Vv.30#2 = Vv.32#3 ; Mil.75; Vv-a.9
■ valita-tacatā a condition of wrinkled skin (as sign of age) Cnd.252≈; Kp iii.; Kp-a.45; Sdhp.102.

• -gandha the scent of bark Dhs.625;
• -pañcaka-kammaṭṭhāna the fivefold “body is skin,” etc, subject of kammaṭṭhāna-practice. This refers to the satipaṭṭhānā (kāye kāy’ ânupassanā:) see kāya I. (a) of which the first deals with the anupassanā (viewing) of the body as consisting of the five (dermatic) constituents of kesā lomā nakhā dantā, taco (hair of head, other hair, nails, teeth, skin or epidermis: see Kp iii.). It occurs in formula (inducing a person to take up the life of a bhikkhu): taca-p-kammaṭṭhānaṃ ācikkhitvā taṃ pabbājesi Ja.i.116; Dhp-a.i.243; Dhp-a.ii.87, Dhp-a.ii.140, Dhp-a.ii.242. Cp also Vism.353; Dhp-a.ii.88; Snp-a.246, Snp-a.247;
• -pariyonaddha with wrinkled (shrivelled) skin (of Petas: as sign of thirst) Pv-a.172;
• -rasa the taste of bark Dhs.629
• -sāra (a) (even) the best (bark, i.e.) tree SN.i.70 = SN.i.90; Iti.45 (b) a (rope of) strong fibre Ja.iii.204 (= veṇudaṇḍaka).

Vedic tvak (f.), gen. tvacaḥ