aggo

agga

masc nom sg of agga (adj)

highest; topmost; foremost; supreme; ultimate
most; very; extremely; superbly

Built from

agga — root · peak, highest point
From PIE *h₂enǵ- 'tight, constricted', becoming 'pointed' and then 'topmost'. The concrete image of a sharp peak underlies the abstract sense of supremacy and excellence.

Etymology. From PIE *h₂enǵ- 'to be tight, narrow, constricted', whence Sanskrit aṅga 'limb' and the root sense 'point, peak' (the narrowing to sharpness). The semantic shift from 'tight/pointed' to 'highest' reflects the image of a peak as the sharpest, most defined point of a mountain. No direct European cognates, but the Indo-European root appears in Latin angustus 'narrow' and English anguish (from the sense of constraint).

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

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