‹ Back to the text

aññatarā

aññatara

fem nom sg of aññatara (pron); fem nom pl of aññatara (pron); fem acc pl of aññatara (pron)

1. a certain; a
2. one; either one (of)
3. another; further; next

Built from

• aña — root · other, different
  From Sanskrit anya-, ultimately from Indo-European roots meaning 'other' or 'another'. Indicates alterity or distinction from a reference point.
• tara — ending · comparative
  Comparative suffix derived from the root tar- 'to cross, surpass', functioning here to mark the degree of 'otherness' and creating an indefinite or non-specific sense.

Analysis. aña + tara: aña 'other' + -tara (comparative suffix), lit. 'the otherness-ish one', hence 'a certain other person or thing'.

Etymology. aña- (other, different; cognate with Sanskrit anya-) combines with the comparative suffix -tara (related to Sanskrit -tara, from the root tar- meaning 'to cross, surpass', so -tara suggests 'more' or 'further'). The sense developed from 'more other' to 'a certain one' or 'another' in indefinite contexts.

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

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version