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gotamassa

gotama

masc dat sg of gotama (noun); masc gen sg of gotama (noun)

1. family name of the Buddha; lit. of the Gotama clan
2. name of an arahant monk; lit. of the Gotama clan
3. name of an arahant monk; lit. of the Gotama clan
4. name of an arahant monk; lit. of the Gotama clan

Etymology. The name Gotama (Sanskrit Gautama) is of uncertain origin. It appears in the Upaniṣads as a Brahminical clan name (gotra). The traditional Pali etymology connects it to go "cow" + tama "darkness" or "most", but this is folk etymology. The word may derive from an old tribal or kinship term, possibly related to the Indo-European root *gWou- "cattle" (English "cow", Latin "bōs"), which would align with Vedic gotra "enclosure for cattle", hence "clan". The historical Buddha bore this family name from his clan affiliation.

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

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