1. speaking, speech, talk, nearly always-˚, e.g. iti˚; hearsay, general talk MN.i.133; SN.v.73; AN.ii.26; kumāraka˚; child-talk or childish talk i.e. in the manner of talking to a child SN.ii.218 sq. cori˚; deceitful talk Pv-a.89 (so read with variant reading for T bheri˚); dhammika˚; righteous speech AN.v.230; musā˚ telling lies, false speech AN.i.129; AN.ii.141; AN.iv.401; Pv-a.15 See under musā
   ■ adj. (-˚) speaking up for, proclaiming, advertising DN.i.174 (sīla˚, paññā˚ etc.); Snp.913 (nivissa˚ dogmatist); AN.i.287 (kamma˚, kiriya˚, viriya˚)- vādaṃ bhindati to refute a speech, to make a view discrepant (cp. bhinna-vāda under 4!) Snp-a.45 (Māravādaṃ bh.).
2. what is said, reputation, attribute characteristic Snp.859 (but Snp-a.550 = nindā-vacana) Ja.i.2 (jāti˚ genealogy, cp. DN.i.137). See also cpd. -patha
3. discussion, disputation, argument, controversy dispute Snp.390, Snp.827 (see [as adj. hīna˚](/define/as adj. hīna˚)); Dhp-a.iii.390; Vin.iv.1; Mhvs.4, Mhvs.42 (sutvā ubhinnaṃ vādaṃ).
4. doctrine, theory put forth, creed, belief, school, sect Snp-a.539 sq.; in compounds: ācariya˚; traditional teaching Mil.148; also “heterodoxy” Mhbv.96, cp. Dpvs.v.30 uccheda˚; annihilistic doctrine Mnd.282: see under uccheda; thera˚; the tradition of the Theras, i.e. the orthodox doctrine or word of Gotama Buddha Mhvs.5, Mhvs.2; Mhvs.33, Mhvs.97 sq.; Dpvs.v.10, Dpvs.v.14 (theravādo aggavādo ti vuccati), Dpvs.v.51 (17 heretical sects, one orthodox, altogether 18 schools); dhuta˚; (adj.) expounding punctiliousness Vism.81 (= aññe dhutangena ovadati anusāsati). See under dhuta; bhinna˚; heretical sect (lit. discrepant talk or view) Dpvs.v.39, Dpvs.v.51 (opp. abhinnaka vāda) sassata˚; an eternalist Pts.i.155.

• -ānuvāda the translation of this phrase (used as adj.) at SN.iii.6 (see K.S. iii.7) is “one who is of his way of thinking.” all kinds of sectarian doctrines or doctrinal theses DN.i.161; DN.iii.115; SN.iii.6; SN.iv.51, SN.iv.340, SN.iv.381; SN.v.7; AN.iii.4; Ne.52.
• -kāma desirous of disputation Snp.825
• -khitta upset in disputation, thrown out of his belief Vin.iv.1 = Dhp-a.iii.390.
• -patha “way of speech,” i.e. signs of recognition, attribute, definition Snp.1076 (explained dogmatically at Cnd.563); AN.ii.9.
• -sattha the science of disputation, true doctrine Snp-a.540.
• -sīla having the habit of, or used, to disputes Snp.381.

fr. vad: see vadati; Vedic vāda (not in RV!), in meaning of “theory, disputation” only in Class. Sk. The relation of roots vac: vad is like E. speak: say but vāda as t. t. has developed quite distinctly the specified meaning of an emphatic or formulated speech assertion or doctrine