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katthūpapattiṁ

katthūpapatti

feminine noun, accusative singular (katthūpapatti)

1. rebirth in a lump of flesh
2. conception resulting from karmic condensation
3. lowest form of birth in Buddhist cosmology

Built from

• ka — prefix · what, which
  Relative or qualitative particle selecting a particular type or class.
• attha — root · substance, matter
  From Sanskrit artha; denotes material substance or a lump of flesh.
• upa — prefix · up close, near
  Indicates proximity and taking-up; here modifies the notion of rebirth as drawing close into a new form.
• patti — stem · arrival, obtaining, rebirth
  From √pad 'to go, arrive'; marks the attainment or arising of a new condition of life.

Analysis. ka-attha-upa-patti: ka 'what' + attha 'substance, matter' + upa 'close-up, taking near' + patti 'arrival, obtaining'; the compound denotes arrival at or obtaining of a fleshy mass—the spontaneous formation of sentient life in the lowest realms without gradual gestation.

Etymology. From upa (approaching, taking close) + patti (from √pad 'to go, arrive'). Upa-patti is the standard Buddhist term for 'rebirth, conception'; here modified by kattha-attha ('lump of matter') to specify the most primitive form of rebirth. The prefix upa carries the sense of 'taking up close' (as fuel taken up by fire in upādāna 'clinging'); patti means the 'arriving at' or 'obtaining of' a new existence.

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

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