word, saying, speech; also as adj. (-˚) vaca speaking, of such a speech (e.g. duṭṭha˚ Pv.i.3#2, so to be read for dukkha˚)
■ DN.iii.69 sq., DN.iii.96 sq., DN.iii.171 sq. SN.iv.132 (in triad kāyena vācāya manasā: see kāya iii. and mano ii.3); Snp.232 (kāyena vācā uda cetasā vā), Snp.397, Snp.451 sq., Snp.660, Snp.973, Snp.1061 (= vacana Cnd.560); Mnd.504; Dhs-a.324 (vuccatī ti vācā)
■ In sequence vācā girā byappatha vacībheda vācasikā viññatti, as a defⁿ of speech Vin.iv.2, explained at Dhs-a.324: see byappatha

■ vācaṃ bhindati: 1 to modify the speech or expression Snp-a.216 (cp. vākya-bheda Dhs-a.324) 2 to use a word, so say something Vin.i.157; MN.i.207 (Neumann “das Schweigen brechen”); Mil.231 (i.e. to break silence? So Rh. D. translation). Cp. the English expression “to break the news.”
■ vācā is mostly applied with some moral characterization, as the foll., frequently found: atthasaṃhitā AN.iii.244; kalyāṇa˚; AN.iii.195, AN.iii.261 AN.iv.296; AN.v.155; pisuṇā & pharusā AN.i.128, AN.i.174, AN.i.268 sq. AN.iii.433; AN.iv.247 sq.; DN-a.i.74, DN-a.i.75; Mnd.220, and passim rakkhita˚; SN.iv.112; vikiṇṇa˚; SN.i.61, SN.i.204; AN.i.70 AN.iii.199, AN.iii.391 sq.; sacca˚; AN.ii.141, AN.ii.228; saṇhā AN.ii.141 AN.ii.228; AN.iii.244; AN.iv.172; see also vacī-sucarita; sammā˚ Vb.105, Vb.106, Vb.235; Vb-a.119; see also magga; hīnā etc. SN.ii.54.

• -ānurakkhin guarding one’s speech Dhp.281 (cp vācāya saṃvara Dhp-a.iv.86).
• -ābhilāpa “speechjabbering,” forbidden talk Snp.49 (i.e. the 32 tiracchānakathā Cnd.561).
• -uggata with well intoned speech Mil.10.
• -yata restrained in speech Snp.850 (= yatta gutta rakkhita Mnd.221).
• -vikkhepa confusion of speech equivocation DN.i.24 sq.; DN-a.i.115.

vac, vakti & vivakti; cp. vacaḥ (P. vaco); Vedic vāk (vāc˚) voice, word, vākya; Av. vacah & vaxs word Gr. ε ̓́πος word, ο ̓́ψ voice, Lat. vox = voice, voco to call Ohg. gi-wahan to mention etc. The P. form vācā is a remodelling of the nom. vāc after the oblique cases, thus transforming it from the cons. decl. to a vowel (˚ā decl. Of the old inflexion we only find the instr. vācā Snp.130, Snp.232. The compound forms are both vācā˚; and vacī˚.