daṭṭhabboti

daṭṭhabba

past passive participle (ptp) + iti postposition; nominalized as 'it should be seen'

should be seen; should be regarded as; should be understood (with); lit. to be seen
can be seen; can be witnessed (by); lit. to be seen

Built from

da — root · see, show
From √dassati 'displays, shows', ultimately from PIE √dṛś. The root's basic sense is visual perception; in passive participles it carries obligation ('ought to be seen').
ssat — stem · present causative stem
The infix -ss- marks causative/denominative stems in Pali, intensifying the action of seeing.
abba — ending · should be, can be
Past passive participle suffix expressing capability or obligation. Cognate with Latin -bundus; in this context signals what ought to be seen or understood.
iti — prefix · thus, so
Quotative postposition converting the participle into a nominalized statement of obligation; shifts the particular action into abstract requirement.

Analysis. daṭṭhabba (past passive participle of √dassati 'to see') + iti (quotative/conclusive postposition 'thus, so'), forming a nominalized phrase 'that it should be seen' or 'the fact that it is to be seen'. Common in Pali discourse to convert participles into abstract nouns of obligation or ability.

Etymology. √dassati derives from √dṛś (Sanskrit darśayati 'shows, displays'), cognate with English direct and Latin dīrigere. The sense shifts from 'to show' → 'to see' through middle voice. The passive participle -abba denotes what ought or can be done, from proto-Indo-European *-dhwos (Latin -bundus, English -bound as in 'firebound').

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

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