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brāhmaṇā

brāhmaṇa

masc nom pl of brāhmaṇa (noun); masc instr sg of brāhmaṇa (noun); masc abl sg of brāhmaṇa (noun); masc voc sg of brāhmaṇa (noun); …

1. Brahman; priest; man of the Brahman caste
2. arahant; awakened being; saint; paragon
3. monk; sage; holy man
4. in reference to MN49 Brahmanimantanikasutta

Built from

• brāh — root · sacred utterance, prayer
  Related to Sanskrit bṛh 'to grow, swell'. The root carries the sense of utterance that expands or manifests the sacred order.
• man — stem · knowledge, wisdom
  From Sanskrit man 'to think, know'; appears in many compounds denoting mental faculties or the thinker.
• a — ending · masculine singular nominative/instrumental/ablative
  Sanskrit -a masculine noun inflection marks case and number in Pali's inherited nominal system.

Etymology. Sanskrit brāhmaṇa, from Vedic brāhmaṇa, derived from brahman 'prayer, sacred utterance, the Absolute' (related to Sanskrit bṛh 'to grow, expand'). The term originally denoted a man of learning in sacred speech, later a priestly caste. In Buddhist usage, reapplied to the spiritually awakened regardless of caste.

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

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