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cittanti

citta

nominative singular neuter, or accusative singular neuter (nom./acc. nt)

1. mind; heart
2. thought; intention; idea; lit. mind
3. decorated; beautiful; adorned
4. varied; different; diverse
5. painting; picture; artwork; illusion
6. name of a lay-disciple; great disciple of the Buddha; foremost layman in giving Dhamma talks; Citta Macchikāsaṇḍika
7. name of a monk; Citta Hatthisāriputta
8. name of a lunar month; March-April
9. …

Built from

• cit — root · perceive, notice
  The root underlying citta; carries the sense of awareness and mental apprehension — the mind as the faculty that notices and registers phenomena.
• ta — ending · past participle
  Marks the word as a completed state: citta is literally 'that which has been noticed or perceived', hence the mind or consciousness itself.

Analysis. cittaṃ + iti: citta (mind, thought) + iti (thus, so) — a quotation particle used to mark reported speech or to introduce an utterance; here 'the mind thus', often used in discourse to emphasize a mental state or as a name-marker.

Etymology. citta derives from the past participle of √cit (to notice, perceive, be aware) — cognate with Sanskrit cit- (to perceive, understand) and potentially related to the Indo-European root for 'knowing' (Greek κιχάνω kichanō 'to reach, understand'). The sense evolved from 'perceived' or 'noted' to 'mind' (that which perceives) and secondarily to 'decorated' (marked, distinguished).

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

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