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dhammacariyāsamacariyāhetu
indeclinable (compound)
- because of ethical and moral conduct; due to good conduct and wholesome behaviour
Built from
- dhamma — root · teaching, law, virtue
From an Indo-European root meaning 'to place, fix' (cf. Greek thema 'what is placed, subject'). In Buddhist usage, dhamma is the Buddha's teaching and the natural law of ethics.
- cariyā — stem · conduct, practice
From √car 'to move, walk, behave', root cognate with English 'car' and Latin 'currere' 'to run'. The noun marks the abstract conduct or practice.
- a — prefix · not (here linking vowel)
Appears here as a linking/compounds vowel rather than as the negating prefix a-.
- sama — prefix · together, same, equal, well
From sam- 'together, with', marking the wholesome and virtuous quality. Works like Latin con- (con-duct) and English 'same'.
- cariyā — stem · conduct, practice
Second instance of the same stem cariyā 'conduct', mirroring the first to denote virtuous behaviour.
- hetu — root · cause, reason, why
Related to Sanskrit hetu; the causative sense is primary. No clear European cognate, but conceptually related to English 'hew' in the sense of 'what shapes/determines'.
Analysis. A compound in the instrumental case formed from dhammacariyā 'conduct in accordance with dhamma (teaching/law)' and samacariyā 'virtuous conduct', connected by sam- (together/with), plus hetu 'cause/reason': lit. 'by the cause of dhamma-conduct and sama-conduct together', i.e. 'because of ethical and virtuous conduct united'.