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aññadatthu

ind.

1. most certainly; indeed; only; lit. other it may be
2. on the contrary; however; on the other hand; lit. other it may be
3. at any rate

Built from

• aña — root · other, different
  From Sanskrit anya; cognate with Greek allos. Indicates alterity or alternatives.
• da — ending · particle of uncertainty
  Attached to open up doubt or conditionality; softens assertion into possibility.
• tthu — ending · emphatic particle
  Reinforces the preceding sense, giving force to the concessive or adversative tone.

Analysis. aña (other) + da (particle of uncertainty) + tthu (emphatic particle); a compressed adversative or concessive phrase meaning 'other [possibility] it may be', hence 'at any rate, however'.

Etymology. aña- (other, different; < *anya-, cognate with Sanskrit anya, Greek ἄλλος allos) + da (uncertain particle, < *da, a marker of doubt or conditionality) + tthu (emphatic particle reinforcing the sense). The spatial logic is inverted: rather than pointing to what is, it gestures toward an alternative—'the other'—rendering it a counterpoint or concession.

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

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