apacar

 In Sanskrit, apacar means primarily “to depart” and secondarily “to act wrongly, transgress, or commit an offense.”

What apacar is

• Apacar (अपचर्) is a verbal form built from the prefix apa- (“away, off”) and the verbal root √car (“to move, to go”)

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• It is a Parasmaipada (P.) verb, meaning it takes active endings

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Core meanings

All major dictionary sources agree on two principal senses:

• “To depart, go away” — the literal sense of apa (“away”) + car (“to move”)

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• “To go astray, transgress, act wrongly, commit a fault” — an extended moral or behavioral meaning found in classical literature

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Examples from traditional sources

The dictionaries cite classical passages illustrating the “wrongdoing” sense:

• यो यस्तेषामपचरेत्तमाचक्षीत वै द्विजः — “A Brāhmaṇa should report whoever among them commits an offense” (Mahābhārata)

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• ते ह्येनमपचरन्तमपि न त्यजन्ति — “Even when he acts wrongly, they do not abandon him” (Kauṭilya Arthaśāstra)

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These show that apacar can describe moral deviation, offense, or improper conduct.

Related forms

• Apacārin (अपचारिन्) — an adjective meaning “one who acts wrongly, wicked, unfaithful,” derived from the same root apa-√car

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• Apacāra (अपचार) — the noun form meaning “offense, wrongdoing.”
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Etymological sense

Because apa- means “away, off” and √car means “to move, to act,” the combined sense naturally yields:

• physical departure, and
• departure from proper conduct, hence “to transgress.”

Summary

Apacar is a Sanskrit verb meaning:

• to depart, move away, and
• to act wrongly, transgress, commit an offense.

Both meanings are well attested in classical Sanskrit literature and standard dictionaries.