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cattārimāni

sandhi contraction: cattāri (nom. pl. neut.) + imāni (nom. pl. neut.) = 'these four'

1. these four

Built from

• cattāri — stem · four
  Cardinal number from PIE *kʷetu̯or-; cognate with Latin quattuor, English four, German vier. The concrete sense 'a set of four' underlies all doctrinal applications.
• imāni — stem · these
  Proximal demonstrative (nom. pl. neut.) from the root *i-/*ei- seen in Latin is and English it. In sandhi, the i-onset elides and the stem vowels contract, producing the sandhi form -māni.

Analysis. cattāri 'four' + imāni 'these' (nom. pl. neut. of imaṁ); the initial i of imāni is elided and the vowels contract in sandhi to a. Common in lists and doctrinal phrases (e.g. the Four Noble Truths, cattāri ariyasaccāni).

Etymology. cattāri from PIE *kʷetu̯or- (cognate with Latin quattuor, English four, German vier, Sanskrit catvāri). The prefix imā- (these, proximal demonstrative) is from PIE *i- or *ei- (related to Sanskrit idam, Latin is, English it); -ni is the neuter nominative plural ending.

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

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