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balatāya

balatā

fem instr sg of balatā (noun); fem dat sg of balatā (noun); fem abl sg of balatā (noun); fem gen sg of balatā (noun); …

1. strength; power; might; lit. strength state

Built from

• bala — root · strength, force
  From Indo-European *gʷelH- 'to throw, wield'. Cognate with Greek βάλλω (ballō) 'throw' and English wield. The concrete sense of wielding or exerting force underlies all usage.
• -tā — ending · quality, state
  Feminine abstract noun suffix, comparable to Latin -tās in virtūs (virtue, manliness). Here it nominalizes bala into an abstract feminine noun denoting the state or quality of strength.

Etymology. From bala 'strength, force' (Sanskrit bala, Indo-European *gʷelH- 'to throw, wield power', cognate with Greek βάλλω ballō 'throw', English wield). The feminine abstract noun suffix -tā (like Latin -tās, -tātis in virtūs, fortitūdō) converts the concrete noun bala into the abstract quality balatā 'the state or quality of strength'. The word denotes both physical might and, in doctrinal contexts, the five spiritual powers (pañcabalāni): confidence, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom.

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

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