Pali, noun.
Literally 'thread'. Pali form of the Sanskrit sutra. A discourse by the Buddha or his contemporary disciples. Passed along first in an oral tradition, and later in written form through the Pali Canon (tipitaka). It is thought that the use of the word 'thread' stems from the earliest days when the canon was commited to writing, in Sri Lanka during the first century B.C.E (at the fourth of the great Buddhist Councils). The suttas were initially written down on palm leaves, and a particular discourse was bound to the other leaves with a length of thread. Also could stem from the fact that each sutta is an individual 'thread' of discourse or reasoning.