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dhammadinnā

dhammadinna

masc nom pl of dhammadinna (noun); masc instr sg of dhammadinna (noun); masc abl sg of dhammadinna (noun); masc voc sg of dhammadinna (noun); …

1. dhammadinna (masc): name of a lay disciple; lit. given to religion
2. dhammadinnā (fem): name of an arahant nun; great disciple of the Buddha; foremost nun in giving Dhamma talks; lit. given to religion

Built from

• dhamma — root · Dhamma, teaching
  From √dhṛ 'to hold, support'; the Teaching that holds or sustains practice. Sanskrit dharma, English 'firm', Latin 'firmus'.
• dinnā — stem · given (fem. nom. sg.)
  Past participle of deti 'to give', from √dā. Feminine nominative singular marking her as the recipient and vessel of the Dhamma.

Analysis. dhamma + dinnā: 'Dhamma' (the Teaching) + 'given' (past participle of deti, to give); a compound name meaning 'devoted to the Dharma' or 'one to whom the Dharma is given'.

Etymology. Dhamma (Pali form of Sanskrit dharma, 'law, duty, teaching') derives from the root √dhṛ 'to hold, bear'; cognate with English 'firm' and Latin 'firmus'. Dinnā is the feminine past participle of deti 'to give', from the root √dā, akin to English 'do' and Latin 'dare'. The name embodies her role as both recipient and transmitter of the Dhamma.

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

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