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bhikkhussa

bhikkhu

masc dat sg of bhikkhu (noun); masc gen sg of bhikkhu (noun)

1. bhikkhu (masc): monk; monastic; mendicant; fully ordained monk; lit. beggar
2. bhikkhussa (masc): of a monk; monastic's

Built from

• bhikkh — root · beg, seek alms
  From a root meaning 'to beg' or 'to request'; the concrete image is of one who goes from house to house seeking food. This originally literal sense became the defining mark of a Buddhist mendicant.

Etymology. From bhikkh-, a root meaning 'to beg' or 'to seek alms', related to Sanskrit bhikṣu. The term originally denoted a beggar or alms-seeker, but in Buddhism came to mean one who has renounced household life and depends on the community for sustenance. No direct cognates in English or Latin, though the semantic shift from 'beggar' to 'monk' parallels how Latin monachus (from Greek monos 'alone') came to mean a member of a religious community.

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

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