hīnapuriso

hīnapurisa

masc nom sg of hīnapurisa (noun)

inferior person; worst man

Built from

hīna — root · inferior, base
Past participle of √hu (abandon), literally 'left behind'. The sense shifted to 'low, despicable'.
purisa — root · man, person
From PIE *per- (to lead, pass through), related to Sanskrit puruṣa and English 'first'. Often used in compounds describing types of persons or character.

Analysis. hīna (inferior, base) + purisa (man, person); a compound denoting a person of low or despicable character, often used in the suttas to contrast with uttamapurisa (superior person).

Etymology. hīna is the past participle of√hu (to abandon, leave behind), carrying the sense of 'left behind, inferior'; purisa derives from Proto-Indo-European *per- (to lead, pass through), related to Sanskrit puruṣa and ultimately to English 'first' (one who goes first). The compound idiomatically names social rank.

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

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