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agārasmā
agāra
nt abl sg of agāra (noun)
- dwelling; building; house; home; hut
- household life; domestic living
Built from
- a- — prefix · not, without
Negation. The prefix plain negates what follows, rendering it its opposite—here, without shelter.
- gāra — root · shelter, refuge
Related to Proto-Indo-European *gher- (to grasp, enclose). The sense "open place" or "dwelling" (paradoxically, an open area where one may live) stems from the contrast: gāra marks habitable land.
- smā — ending · ablative sg
Marks source or departure (from the house, away from dwelling). This ending signals the locative ablative relation in singular neuter nouns.
Etymology. From a- (not, without) + gāra (refuge, shelter), literally "non-shelter" or "open place". Cognate with English "bare" and Greek gērā (emptiness), reflecting the sense of exposure and lack of enclosure. In Buddhist usage, agāra contrasts with anāgāra (houseless, monastic life).