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athenena

athena

masc instr sg of athena (noun)

1. not being a thief

Built from

• a- — prefix · not, without
  Plain negation, without the subject quality. Cognates: English un-, Greek a(n)-.
• thena — root · thief
  One who steals; possibly from √han 'to take or steal', though the etymology is not entirely transparent. Used as a noun meaning thief or theft.

Analysis. a- (not) + thena (thief, from √han 'to steal'); literally 'non-thievery', the quality or state of not stealing.

Etymology. a- (negation prefix, cognate with English un-, Greek a-) + thena (thief). Thena may derive from √han (to take, steal), related to Sanskrit haraṇa 'taking', though the connection is uncertain. The compound expresses the absence of theft as a virtue.

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

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