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ānandaṁ

ānanda

accusative singular masculine of ānanda (noun)

1. joy, delight
2. bliss
3. pleasure

Built from

• ā — prefix · toward, up to
  Reversal and intensification. Creates sense of gladness flowing inward.
• nand — root · be glad, rejoice
  The root of enjoyment and favor. Cognate with Sanskrit nanda-.
• a — stem · abstract noun
  Nominalizing suffix forming abstract nouns from verb roots.
• ṁ — ending · accusative singular masculine
  Marks the direct object or goal of an action in the accusative case.

Etymology. From ā- (toward, intensifying) + nand- (to be glad, rejoice), literally "gladness coming toward (the heart)". The root nand- is cognate with Sanskrit nanda- and reflects the Indo-European root *neHndʰ- (to enjoy, favor). In Buddhist doctrine, ānanda denotes one of the seven bojjhaṅga (enlightenment factors) — a subtle gladness distinct from kāma-sukha (sensual pleasure) — and names the Buddha's cousin and attendant.

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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