Vaṇṇa [cp. Vedic varṇa, of vṛ: see vuṇāti. Customary definition as "vaṇṇane" at Dhtp 572] appearance etc. (lit. "cover, coating"). There is a considerable fluctuation of meaning, especially between meanings 2, 3, 4. One may group as follows. -- 1. colour Sn 447 (meda˚); S v.216 (chavi˚ of the skin); A iii.324 (sankha˚); Th 1, 13 (nīl'abbha˚); Vv 4510 (danta˚=ivory white); Pv iv.39; DhA ii.3 (aruṇa˚); SnA 319 (chavi˚); VvA 2 (vicitta˚); PvA 215. Six colours are usually enumd as vaṇṇā, viz. nīla pīta lohitaka odāta mañjeṭṭha pabhassara Ps i.126; cp. the 6 colours under rūpa at Dhs 617 (where kāḷaka for pabbassara); J i.12 (chabbaṇṇa -- buddha -- rasmiyo). Groups of five see under pañca 3 (cp. J i.222). -- dubbaṇṇa of bad colour, ugly S i.94; A v.61; Ud 76; Sn 426; It 99; Pug 33; VvA 9; PvA 32, 68. Opp. suvaṇṇa of beautiful colour, lovely A v.61; It 99. Also as term for "silver." -- As t. t. in descriptions or analyses (perhaps better in meaning "appearance") in abl. vaṇṇato by colour, with saṇṭhānato and others: Vism 184 ("kāḷa vā odāta vā manguracchavi vā"), 243=VbhA 225; Nett 27. -- 2. appearance S i.115 (kassaka -- vaṇṇaŋ abhinimminitvā); J i.84 (id. with māṇavaka˚); Pv ii.110 (=chavi -- vaṇṇa PvA 71);iii.32 (kanakassa sannibha); VvA 16; cp. ˚dhātu. -- 3. lustre, splendour (cp. next meaning) D iii.143 (suvaṇṇa˚, or=1); Pv ii.962 (na koci devo vaṇṇena sambuddhaŋ atirocati); iii.91 (suriya˚); Vv 291 (=sarīr' obhāsa VvA 122); PvA 10 (suvaṇṇa˚), 44. -- 4. beauty (cp. vaṇṇavant) D ii.220 (abhikkanta˚); Mi.142 (id.); D iii.68 (āyu+); Pv ii.910 (=rūpa -- sampatti PvA 117). Sometimes combd with other ideals, as (in set of 5): āyu, sukha, yasa, sagga A iii.47; or āyu, yasa, sukha, ādhipacca J iv.275, or (4): āyu, sukha, bala A iii.63. -- 5. expression, look, specified as mukha˚, e. g. S iii.2, 235; iv.275 sq.; A v.342; Pviii.91; PvA 122. <-> 6. colour of skin, appearance of body, complexion M ii.32 (parama), 84 (seṭṭha); A iii.33 (dibba); iv.396 (id.); Sn 610 (doubtful, more likely because of its combn with sara to below 8!), 686 (anoma˚); Vism 422 (evaŋ˚=odato vā sāmo vā). Cp. ˚pokkharatā. <-> In special sense applied as distinguishing mark of race or species, thus also constituting a mark of class (caste) distinction & translatable as "(social) grade, rank, caste" (see on term Dial.i.27, 99 sq.; cp. Vedic ārya varṇa and dāsa varṇa RV ii.12, 9; iii.34, 9: see Zimmer, Altind. Leben 113 and in greater detail Macdonell & Keith, Vedic Indexii.247 sq.). The customary enumn is of 4 such grades, viz. khattiyā brāhmaṇā vessā suddā Vin ii.239; A iv.202; M ii.128, but cp. Dial. i.99 sq. -- See also Vin iv.243 (here applied as general term of "grade" to the alms -- bowls: tayo pattassa vaṇṇā, viz. ukkaṭṭha, majjhima, omaka; cp. below 7); D i.13, 91; Jvi.334; Miln 225 (khattiya˚, brāhmaṇa˚). -- 7. kind, sort Miln 128 (nānā˚), cp. Vin iv.243, as mentioned under 6. -- 8. timbre (i. e. appearance) of voice, contrasted to sara intonation, accent; may occasionally be taken as "vowel." See A i.229 (+sara); iv.307 (id.); Sn 610 (id., but may mean "colour of skin": see 6), 1132 (giraŋ vaṇṇ' upasaŋhitaŋ, better than meaning "comment"); Miln 340 (+sara). <-> 9. constitution, likeness, property; adj. ( -- ˚) "like": aggi˚ like fire Pv iii.66 (=aggi -- sadisa PvA 203). -- 10. ("good impression") praise DhA i.115 (magga˚);usually combd and contrasted with avaṇṇa blame, e. g. D i.1, 117, 174; A i.89; ii.3; iii.264; iv.179, 345; DA i.37. -- 11. reason ("outward appearance") Si.206 (=kāraṇa K.S. i.320); Vv 846 (=kāraṇa VvA 336); Pv iv.16 (id. PvA 220); iv.148.

 -- āroha (large) extent of beauty Sn 420. -- kasiṇa the colour circle in the practice of meditation VbhA 251. -- kāraka (avaṇṇe) one who makes something (unsightly) appear beautiful J v.270. -- da giving colour, i. e. beauty Sn 297. -- dada giving beauty A ii.64. -- dasaka the ten (years) of complexion or beauty (the 3rd decade in the life of man) Vism 619; J iv.497. -- dāsī "slave of beauty," courtezan, prostitute J i.156 sq., 385; ii.367, 380; iii.463; vi.300; DhA i.395;iv.88. -- dhātu composition or condition of appearance, specific form, material form, natural beauty S i.131; Pv i.31; PvA 137 (=chavivaṇṇa); DhsA 15. -- patha see vaṇṇu˚. -- pokkharatā beauty of complexion D i.114, 115; A i.38; ii.203; Pug 66; VbhA 486 (defd); DhA iii.389; PvA 46. -- bhū place of praise J i.84 (for ˚bhūmi: see bhū2). -- bhūta being of a (natural) species PvA 97. -- vādin saying praise, praising D i.179, 206; A ii.27; V.164 sq.; Vin ii.197. -- sampanna endowed with beauty A i.244 sq., 288; ii.250 sq.