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ajjhattaṁ

ajjhatta

adjective (accusative singular masculine), or adverb

1. inward, internal
2. within oneself, subjectively
3. pertaining to one's own mind or body

Built from

• adhi — prefix · on top of, presiding
  Marks superiority and what is uppermost or governing; here applied inwardly to one's own being.
• atta — stem · self
  The reflexive pronoun; combined with adhi, it creates the sense of introspective, first-person awareness.

Analysis. ajjhatta = adhi + atta, 'on top of oneself' or 'presiding over oneself', hence inward and interior. The word became a standard doctrinal term for the first-person perspective in meditation and observation of phenomena.

Etymology. adhi ('on top of, presiding') + atta ('self'), a spatial prefix marking superiority or internality applied to the reflexive pronoun. The compound shifts from literal 'on oneself' to the interior subjective standpoint.

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

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