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attho

attha

masc nom sg of attha (noun); masc nom 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. need; want (for)
7. needing; wanting; seeking
8. home; rest; shelter
9. …

Built from

• attha — root · meaning, benefit
  An ancient root noun meaning both the articular sense (what fits together, joins) and the purposive sense (what is fitting, beneficial). Related to Sanskrit artha and Greek arthron (joint), from a root *ar- meaning 'fit, join'; originally a fitting-together or joint, later extended to 'fitting purpose' and 'benefit'.

Etymology. From Indo-European *ar-th-o-, related to Sanskrit artha (purpose, meaning, wealth) and Greek arthron (joint, limb) — originally a fitting-together, what joins or articulates. The semantic shift from 'joint' to 'meaning' reflects how words fit together; the shift to 'benefit' reflects what is fitting or suitable for one's purpose.

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

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