lakkhaṇā

neuter

1. sign, characteristic mark; esp. a sign as implying something extraordinary or pointing to the future, therefore a prognosticative mark (cp. talisman), a distinguishing mark or salient feature, property, quality (as Rh. D. in Dial. i.19 somewhat lengthily, after Bdhgh, trsl^s lakkhaṇa by “signs of good & bad qualities in the foll. things and of the marks in them denoting the health or luck of their owners”) DN.i.9 (a long list, as forbidden practice of fortune-telling, like maṇi˚ from jewels, daṇḍa˚ from sticks, asi˚ from marks on swords etc.); Snp.360 (pl lakkhanā, here as fortune-telling together with supina telling fr. dreams, cp. Snp-a.362: daṇḍa˚, vattha˚ etc referring to DN.i.9), Snp.927 (with Āthabbana, supina nakkhatta, all kinds of secret sciences; explained at Snp-a.564 as “maṇi-lakkhaṇâdi”), Snp.1018 (gottaṃ brūhi sa “with its distinguishing marks”); Ja.vi.364 (sign of beauty); Mil.171 (yathāva˚ just characterization) Mhvs.35, Mhvs.109 (itthi˚ auspicious signs in women); Pv-a.161, Pv-a.219; Snp-a.386. A long enumⁿ of all sorts of (perfect) marks (tatha-lakkhaṇāni) is found at DN-a.i.62 sq. Cp. tādi-lakkhaṇa marks of such (a being) with ref. to good luck etc. Ja.iii.98; Snp-a.200; Vv-a.95
2. mark on the body, esp. when serving a def purpose, e.g. as the branding (of slaves), or the marks of a fortunate being, pointing towards his future greatness:
   1. brand Ja.i.451, cp. cpd. -āhata
   2. the (32 marks of a mahā-purisa or a great being, either destined to be a rājā cakkavatti, or a sammā-sambuddha. These are given at Snp.1019 (pl. lakkhanā), Snp.1021, Snp.1022 as only 3 (viz. mukhaṃ jivhāya chādeti, uṇṇ’ assa bhamuk antare, kos’ ohitaṃ vattha-guyhaṃ with ref. to his tongue, the hair between the eyebrows & the sexual organ); more completely as 32 at DN.ii.16 sq.; DN.iii.142 sq (the Lakkhaṇa Suttanta); referred to at DN.i.88, DN.i.105; Ja.i.56; Mhvs.5, Mhvs.91; cp. paripuṇṇa-kāya Snp.548 (with explⁿ lakkhaṇehi puṇṇatāya at Snp-a.452).
3. (in spec. sense:) pudendum Ja.v.197 (subha˚, the male member), Ja.v.366.
4. (adj.) (-˚) having the marks (of) characterized by, of such & such character AN.i.102 (kamma˚; bāla˚ & paṇḍita˚, together with bāla-paṇḍitanimitta); Mil.111 (sata-puñña˚, of the Buddha); Vv-a.71 (para-sampatti-usuyyā-lakkhaṇā issā); Pv-a.17, Pv-a.120.
5. (as t. t. in philosophy specific attribute, characteristic (mark). In contrast to nimitta more a substantial attribute or primary characteristic (cp. Vb-a.261). Compared with other terms of definition we get the foll.: rasa essential property, paccupaṭṭhāna recurring phenomenon, padatṭhāna immediate occasion Dhs-a.63 (translation Expos. i.84) cp. Cpd. 13 (where padaṭṭhāna is trsl^d