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ajjhattikānaṁ

ajjhattika

genitive plural masculine of ajjhattika (adjective)

1. internal, inward
2. personal, subjective
3. belonging to the individual

Built from

• adhi — prefix · on top of, within
  The spatial sense of presiding over or being situated within becomes the personal, interior realm.
• atta — root · self
  From Sanskrit ātman, meaning the individual self or person. Cognate with English 'auto-' through Indo-European roots.
• -ika — ending · relating to
  Adjective-forming suffix indicating 'of or pertaining to'.
• -ānaṁ — ending · genitive plural
  Marks the plural genitive case, answering 'of whom?' or 'of what?'

Analysis. adhi + attikā: adhi- (on top of, presiding over) + atta (self) + -ika (relating to); literally 'pertaining to what presides over oneself', i.e. the inner realm of one's own mind and body.

Etymology. From adhi- (on top of, presiding over) + atta (self, from Sanskrit ātman, cognate with English 'auto-'). The prefix adhi- carries its concrete sense of being situated above or within, which abstract to the personal, subjective interior. Compare Sanskrit adhyātma.

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

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