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kathāvatthusmiṁ

kathāvatthu

locative singular of kathāvatthu (noun, neuter)

1. in the subject of discussion
2. in the matter of debate
3. concerning the topic

Built from

• kathā — root · speech, discourse
  From √kath "speak"; related to English "what" and Latin "quatio" (shake). The concrete image is speaking turning or rolling out.
• vatthu — root · subject, matter
  From √vat "turn, roll"; the abstract sense of a subject is that around which thought turns.
• -smiṁ — ending · locative singular
  Marks the locative case, placing the noun in the context or location of the discussion.

Analysis. kathā (speech, discourse) + vatthu (subject, matter) = "subject of speech"; the locative ending -smiṁ places it in the location or context specified.

Etymology. kathā from √kath- "speak" (related to Sanskrit kathayati); vatthu from √vat- "turn, roll", hence "that which turns or goes" — a subject that the discussion revolves around. English "what" ultimately shares the same Indo-European root as kathā.

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

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