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atītassa
atīta
nt dat sg of atīta (noun); nt gen sg of atīta (noun); masc dat sg of atīta (pp); nt dat sg of atīta (pp); …
- past; what is past; lit. gone beyond
- past; gone past; bygone; lit. gone beyond
- transgressed; overstepped; lit. gone beyond
- surpassed; overcome; surmounted; lit. gone beyond
Built from
- ati — prefix · beyond, over
The prefix ati- carries the concrete sense of exceeding a boundary or going past the mark; here it turns a simple motion verb (going) into the abstract notion of transcendence and pastness—what lies beyond the present moment.
- ī — root · go
Root √i/ī, 'to go' or 'proceed'; the past participle stem ī- feeds into the suffix -ta. Related to Sanskrit √i and cognate with English 'exit' via Latin 'ire'.
- ta — ending · past participle
The -ta suffix marks a completed action; here it forms an adjective or noun meaning 'having gone beyond'—that which has already transcended or passed.
Etymology. ati- (beyond, over) + ī- (past participle of eti, go) + -ta (past participle suffix). The root √i (go) and √eta (go) underlie motion away from the speaker; ati- reverses and intensifies, so 'gone-beyond' → 'past' in time. Cognate with Sanskrit atīta and the Indo-European root *ei- (go, proceed) seen in English 'exit' and Latin 'ire'.