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hatthārohaputto

hatthārohaputta

masc nom sg of hatthārohaputta (noun)

1. elephant rider's son; mahout's child
2. name of an arahant monk

Built from

• hattha — root · hand; elephant
  An elephant is called hattha because controlled by the hand and its own trunk-hand. Related to Sanskrit hasta 'hand' and English 'haste' (from the gesture of hastening).
• ā — prefix · up to, toward
  Directional prefix turning √ruh toward the speaker or agent: mounting up onto (the elephant).
• roh — root · climb, mount, ascend
  From √ruh 'to ascend or mount'. Cognate with Sanskrit rohati and English 'rear' (to stand upright).
• a — ending · agent nominalizer
  Derives ārohā 'one who climbs/mounts, a rider'. The -a ending creates masculine agent nouns.
• putta — root · son, child
  From Proto-Indo-European *putlo-, related to Sanskrit putra and English 'putto' (Italian for cherub, ultimately from Pali via art-historical transmission).

Analysis. hattha- 'hand, elephant' + ārohaputta 'rider's son' or more fully hattha 'elephant' + ārohā 'climber, rider' + putta 'son'. A compound designating the son of one who rides elephants (mahout or rider).

Etymology. From hattha (hand; elephants so called because controlled by hand and trunk) + ārohaputta, itself from ā- 'up to' + √ruh 'climb, mount' + putta 'son'. The root √ruh appears in Sanskrit rohati 'ascends' and is related to English 'rear' in the sense of standing upright. The concrete image is of ascending or mounting, here applied to mounting an elephant.

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

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