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ariyasaccaṁ

ariyasacca

nominative singular neuter; compound noun

1. noble truth
2. the four truths taught by the Buddha

Built from

• ariya — root · noble, worthy
  From ar- 'fit, suitable'; the noble person is one who understands and practices the dharma.
• sacca — root · truth, reality
  From √sad 'to sit, be fixed'; truth as that which stands firm and stable, not wavering.

Analysis. ariya (noble, arising from arya- 'worthy, noble') + sacca (truth, from √sad 'sit, be fixed'). In Buddhist doctrine, the four noble truths (suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path to cessation).

Etymology. arya- (Proto-Indo-European *ar- 'fit, worthy') cognate with Greek aretē 'virtue' and Latin ars 'art'; sacca is from √sad 'to sit, be fixed, be true', cognate with Latin sedēre 'sit', English sit.

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

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