āḷāna

Ālāna & Āḷāna

neuter a peg, stake, post, esp one to which an elephant is tied Ja.i.415; Ja.iv.308; Dhp-a.i.126 (ḷ) where all MSS. have āḷāhana, perhaps correctly.

for ānāhana with substitution of l for n (cp. apilandhana for apinandh˚ and contraction of ˚āhana to ˚āna originally meaning “tying to” then the thing to which anything is tied