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licchaviputto

licchaviputta

masc nom sg of licchaviputta (noun)

1. young Licchavi

Built from

• licchavi- — root · Licchavi (clan)
  A proper noun denoting one of the republican clans of the Vajjian confederacy; non-Āryan origin, possibly related to words for 'choice' or 'selection' in Dravidian languages.
• putta — stem · son
  From Sanskrit putra, cognate with Latin puer 'boy' and English 'foot' (both from PIE *ped- 'to walk, step'—one who walks/steps forth); in compounds, denotes descent or membership in a group.
• -o — ending · nominative singular
  Masculine -o ending marks the nominative singular case, singling out one individual member of the Licchavi clan.

Analysis. licchavi- (name of a Vajjian republican clan) + putta (son); a member of the Licchavi clan, particularly a youth or prince of that line. Prominent in the canon as associates of the Buddha, especially Mahāli and Vimalakumāra.

Etymology. Licchavi is a non-Āryan ethnonym of uncertain origin, possibly from a Dravidian or Munda root; putta derives from Sanskrit putra 'son' (cognate with English 'foot' in the sense of 'one who walks', from PIE *ped-), which in Pali compounds denotes membership or descent.

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

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