‹ Back to the text

ariyo

ariya

masc nom sg of ariya (adj); masc nom sg of ariya (noun)

1. noble; distinguished; of an awakened being; of the Buddha
2. (abhi) supra-mundane
3. ethically noble person; person of moral integrity
4. awakened being; enlightened one; arahant
5. name of a privately awakened Buddha; lit. noble
6. speaker of an Indo-Aryan language; lit. noble

Built from

• ar- — root · fit, order, arrange
  From Indo-European *ar-, seen also in Latin ars (art, craft) and Greek aretē (virtue). The concrete sense 'to fit together' becomes 'to be in proper order', hence 'noble' or 'of good character'.
• -iya — ending · adjective suffix
  Forms adjectives from roots; here marks a state or quality of being arranged/ordered. Common in Pali in adjectives denoting inherent qualities.

Etymology. From Indo-European *ar- 'to fit, join, order' (also in Latin ars 'art, skill', Greek aretē 'virtue, excellence'), with the -iya suffix marking an adjective of quality. The word originally denoted one who is 'fitted' or 'ordered' in character—hence noble, distinguished. In the Canon it came to mean specifically the 'noble' ones: those who have entered the supramundane path (ariyamagga) and transcended ordinary sensual existence. Sanskrit ārya 'noble, Aryan' is the cognate form.

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

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version