‹ Back to the text

cattālīsampi

cattālīsā

cardinal number with emphatic particle

1. forty (40)

Built from

• catta — root · four
  From Proto-Indo-European *kwetwor-, the same root as English 'four', Latin 'quattuor', and Greek 'tessares'. The concrete sense is 'arranged in fours'.
• ālīsa — stem · set, group (prob. of tens)
  The etymology is uncertain; the form may derive from an older word for a decade or collection. It functions as a multiplier in compound numbers.
• api — ending · even, also (emphatic)
  An enclitic particle marking emphasis or addition. Signals that the number forty is being asserted or included in a set.

Analysis. cattālīsa + api; the enclitic emphatic particle api ('even, also') is affixed to the cardinal number cattālīsa, emphasizing 'forty' or 'as many as forty'.

Etymology. cattālīsa is a compound of catta ('four') + ālīsa (a group or set of ten). The root is Indo-European *kwetwor- (four; cognates: English four, Latin quattuor, Greek tessares). The element ālīsa is obscure but may relate to an old word for a decade or group. The number system combines the base-four element with a multiplier to express forty.

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

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version