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cetanaṁ

cetanā

accusative singular feminine of cetanā (noun)

1. intention, volition
2. mental action, will
3. conscious choice

Built from

• cet — root · think, perceive, be aware
  The concrete image is of the mind becoming aware or cognizant. Related to Sanskrit citi (perception, thought).
• anā — ending · abstract noun, feminine
  The suffix -anā forms feminine abstract nouns denoting the action or quality of the root verb; here it abstracts the act of thinking into intention or will.

Etymology. From √cit (to perceive, to be aware, to think), with -anā suffix forming abstract nouns of action. The root cit appears in Sanskrit citi (awareness, thought) and is related to the Indo-European root *kʰeyd- seen in Greek κῆδος (kēdos, care) and English hide (in the sense of conceal, i.e., to keep from awareness).

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

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