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hīne

hīna

masc acc pl of hīna (pp); nt acc pl of hīna (pp); masc loc sg of hīna (pp); nt loc sg of hīna (pp); …

1. low; inferior; deficient; lit. decreased
2. defeated; refuted; worsted; lit. decreased
3. fallen away; lost; strayed; lit. decreased
4. something inferior; something worse; lit. decreased
5. lay life; secular world; lit. decreased
6. diminished, dwindled, wasted away; lit. decreased
7. devoid (of); deficient (in); lacking (in); lit. decreased

Built from

• hī — root · leave, abandon
  The root sense is 'to leave behind' or 'to fall short'. In the past participle, it means 'left behind, diminished, lowered'.
• na — ending · past participle
  The -na ending marks the past participle (pp), here inflected for number, gender, and case to agree with its noun.

Etymology. From √hī (to leave, abandon), cognate with Sanskrit hīyate (is diminished) and Germanic *hīwaz (family, group—originally those left behind together). The root sense 'to leave behind' naturally yields 'to diminish, fall short of'; in Pali doctrine, hīna contrasts with pāmokkha (excellence) and marks the lesser path or inferior rebirth.

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

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