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dhīro

dhīra

masc nom sg of dhīra (adj); masc nom sg of dhīra (noun)

1. stable; constant; reliable; firm
2. wise; intelligent
3. wise man; sage; intelligent person

Built from

• dhī — root · think, hold
  From *dheh₂- (place, hold). The concrete sense of holding firm in one's seat or mind underlies both firmness and wisdom.
• -ra — ending · agent suffix
  Forms an agent noun or adjective: one who does the action of the root. Here: one who holds, one who is firm.

Etymology. From √dhī (to think, hold in mind). Cognate with Sanskrit dhīra, Greek thronos (throne — one who sits firm in authority), and English thought via Indo-European *dheh₂- (to place, hold). The sense evolved from 'one who holds/maintains' to 'one who holds steady' (firm, resolute) and thence to 'one who holds wisdom' (intelligent).

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

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