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atthāya

attha

masc dat sg of attha (noun); fem instr sg of attha (adj); masc dat sg of attha (adj); fem dat sg of attha (adj); …

1. meaning; sense; significance
2. benefit; profit; good; welfare
3. purpose; use; function; goal
4. matter; affair; legal case; lawsuit
5. for the purpose; for the sake; for the benefit (of)
6. matter; affair
7. need; want (for)
8. needing; wanting; seeking
9. …

Etymology. From Sanskrit artha (aim, purpose, meaning), from Proto-Indo-European *ar- 'to fit, join' (cognate with Latin artus 'close, narrow', ars 'art, skill'; English art). The concrete sense is 'fitting together', hence 'making sense', which develops into 'purpose' and 'benefit'. The instrumental and dative forms show the word's use in purposive expressions: 'for the sake of', 'for the benefit of'.

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

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