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assutapubbā

assutapubba

masc nom pl of assutapubba (adj); fem nom sg of assutapubba (adj); fem nom pl of assutapubba (adj); nt nom pl of assutapubba (adj); …

1. never heard before; not listened to before

Built from

• a — prefix · not, without
  Plain negation without the root. Cognates: English un-, Greek a(n)-.
• suta — root · heard
  Past participle of √śru 'to hear', from IE *sker- 'to cut, perceive through the ear'. Cognate with Sanskrit śṛṇoti, English 'shear'.
• pubba — stem · before, former
  From *pūrva-, related to Sanskrit pūrva 'former, eastern' and English 'first' (IE *per- 'forward, through'). Marks temporal precedence.

Analysis. a- (not) + suta (heard) + pubba (before); 'not previously heard'

Etymology. a- (negative prefix, from IE *ne) + suta (past participle of √śru 'to hear', cognate with English 'shear' in the sense of 'cut through the ear', and Sanskrit śṛṇoti 'hears') + pubba (from *pūrva- 'former', related to Sanskrit pūrva and English 'first'). The compound literalizes 'un-heard-before', marking doctrine or teaching not yet encountered by the listener.

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

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