1. a bamboo Snp.38 (vaṃso visālo va; vaṃso explained at Cnd.556 as “veḷugumba,” at Snp-a.76 as “veḷu”), ibid. (˚kaḷīra) Ja.vi.57; Vism.255 (˚kaḷīra); Kp-a.50 (id.).
2. race lineage, family AN.ii.27 (ariya˚ of noble family); SN.v.168 (caṇḍāla˚); Ja.i.89, Ja.i.139; Ja.iv.390 (caṇḍāla˚); Ja.v.251 (uju˚); Mhvs.4, Mhvs.5 (pitu-ghātaka-vaṃso a parricidal race)
3. tradition, hereditary custom, usage, reputation Mil.148 (ācariya˚), Mil.190 (Tathāgatānaṃ); Kp-a.12 (Buddha˚); Dpvs.18, 3 (saddhamma˚-kovidā therā)- vaṃsaṃ nāseti to break family tradition Ja.v.383 vaṃsaṃ ucchindati id. Ja.v.383; or upacchindati Ja.iv.63 opp. patiṭṭhāpeti to establish the reputation Ja.v.386
4. dynasty Mhvs.36, Mhvs.61 (kassa v. ṭhassati).
5. a bamboo flute, fife Mil.31; Vv-a.210.
6. a certain game, at DN.i.6 in enumⁿ of pastimes and tricks (caṇḍālavaṃsa-dhopana), a passage which shows an old corruption Bdhgh at DN-a.i.84 takes each word separately and explains vaṃsa as “veṇuṃ ussāpetvā kīḷanaṃ” (i.e. a game consisting in raising a bamboo; is it climbing a pole? Cp. vaṃsa-ghatikā “a kind of game” Divy.475) against Dial. i.9 “acrobatic feats by Caṇḍālas.” Cp Ja.iv.390 in same passage. Franke (Dīgha translation) has “bamboo-tricks”; his conjecture as “vaṃsa-dhamanaṃ,” playing the bamboo pipe (cp. Mil.31: “vaṃsadhamaka”), as oldest reading is to be pointed out. On vaṃsa in similes see J.P.T.S. 1907, 134.

• -āgata come down fr. father to son, hereditary Mhvs.23, Mhvs.85.
• -ānupālaka guarding tradition Sdhp.474 (ariya˚).
• -ānurakkhaka preserving the lineage, carrying on the tradition Ja.iv.444; Vism.99 (+ paveṇi-pālaka) Dhp-a.iii.386.
• -coraka Name of a certain kind of reed (cp coraka: plant used for perfume) Ja.v.406 (C. for veḷuka)
• -ja belonging to a race Mhvs.1, Mhvs.1 (suddha˚).
• -ñña born of good family AN.ii.27.
• -dhara upholding tradition Mil.164.
• -dharaṇa id. Mil.226.
• -nalaka bamboo reed Kp-a.52, Kp-a.59 (with note Sn Index p. 870: naḷaka)
• -nāḷa id. Mil.102.
• -rāga the colour of bamboo, a term for the -veḷuriya gem Ja.iv.141.
• -vaṇṇa the veḷuriya gem Abhp.491.

Vedic vaṃśa reed, bamboo (R.V.)