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assutavā

assutavant

masc nom sg of assutavant (adj); masc nom pl of assutavant (adj); masc voc sg of assutavant (adj)

1. unlearned; untaught; uninitiated; untrained; lit. having not heard quality

Built from

• a- — prefix · not, without
  Plain negation. Negates the quality of learning or hearing.
• suta — stem · heard, learned
  Past participle of √śru 'hear' (cognate English 'ear', Latin aurīs); in Buddhist contexts, 'what has been heard' or 'learning' through traditional transmission.
• -vant — ending · having, possessing
  Participial suffix denoting possession of a quality. Creates an adjective meaning 'one who has/has-not [quality]'.

Analysis. a- (not) + sutavant (having heard); 'one who has not heard' or lacks learning through hearing.

Etymology. a- 'not' (negation, cognate with English un-, Greek a(n)-) + sutavant from past participle suta (heard, from √śru 'hear') + -vant (having, possessing). √śru is cognate with English 'ear', Greek akoúō 'hear', Latin aurīs 'ear': all Indo-European descendants of the root for sound and hearing.

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

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