Vācā Vācā (f.) [vac, vakti & vivakti; cp. vacaḥ (P. vaco); Vedic vāk (vāc˚) voice, word, vākya; Av. vacah & vaxs word; Gr. ἔπος word, ὄψ 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 Sn 130, 232. The compn forms are both vācā˚ and vacī˚] word, saying, speech; also as adj. (-˚) vaca speaking, of such a speech (e. g. duṭṭha˚ Pv i.32, so to be read for dukkha˚). — D iii.69 sq., 96 sq., 171 sq.; S iv.132 (in triad kāyena vācāya manasā: see kāya iii., and mano ii.3); Sn 232 (kāyena vācā uda cetasā vā), 397, 451 sq., 660, 973, 1061 (=vacana Nd2 560); Nd1 504; DhsA 324 (vuccatī ti vācā). — In sequence vācā girā byappatha vacībheda vācasikā viññatti, as a defn of speech Vin iv.2, expld at DhsA 324: see byappatha. — vācaŋ bhindati: (1) to modify the speech or expression SnA 216 (cp. vākya -- bheda DhsA 324). — (2) to use a word, so say something Vin i.157; M i.207 (Neumann, "das Schweigen brechen"); Miln 231 (i. e. to break silence? So Rh. D. trsln). Cp. the English expression "to break the news." — vācā is mostly applied with some moral characterization, as the foll., frequently found: atthasaŋhitā A iii.244; kalyāṇa˚ A iii.195, 261; iv.296; v.155; pisuṇā & pharusā A i.128, 174, 268 sq.; iii.433; iv.247 sq.; DA i.74, 75; Nd1 220, and passim; rakkhita˚ S iv.112; vikiṇṇa˚ S i.61, 204; A i.70; iii.199, 391 sq.; sacca˚ A ii.141, 228; saṇhā A ii.141, 228; iii.244; iv.172; see also vacī -- sucarita; sammā˚ Vbh 105, 106, 235; VbhA 119; see also magga; hīnā etc. S ii.54.
-ânurakkhin guarding one's speech Dh 281 (cp. vācāya saŋvara DhA iv.86). -âbhilāpa "speechjabbering," forbidden talk Sn 49 (i. e. the 32 tiracchānakathā Nd2 561). -uggata with well intoned speech Miln 10. -yata restrained in speech Sn 850 (=yatta gutta rakkhita Nd1 221). -vikkhepa confusion of speech, equivocation D i.24 sq.; DA i.115.
