‹ Back to the text

attānukkaṁseti

3rd person singular present indicative of attānukkaṁsati; a Pali verb formed from atta (self) + nuk/nuc (to pull, draw) + -a- infix + seti (present suffix)

1. praises oneself
2. exalts oneself
3. boasts

Built from

• atta — root · self
  Nominative form of the reflexive pronoun, referring to oneself. Used to form reflexive and intensifying compounds.
• nuk — root · pull, draw
  The verb root meaning to draw or pull; related to English knot and Latin necto (tie).
• kaṁ — ending · object marker
  Accusative case suffix, marking atta as the direct object of the verbal action.
• seti — ending · present 3rd singular
  Present indicative 3rd person singular ending, indicating a current habitual or general action.

Analysis. atta (self) + nuk (draw, pull) + -kaṁ (object marker) + seti (acts). The verb literally means to 'draw oneself up' or 'pull oneself forward', hence to exalt or praise oneself. Frequently appears in the suttas in the context of blame—self-praise and others' blame (attānukkaṁsanā paravambhanā) are paired as unskillful behaviors that hinder progress on the path.

Etymology. From √nuc/nuk (to pull, draw) + reflexive atta. Related to Latin necto (to tie, draw together) and English knot, though the connection runs through Proto-Indo-European *snek-. The reflexive sense (drawing oneself) yields the meaning of self-exaltation.

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

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