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māturakkhitā

māturakkhita

masc nom pl of māturakkhita (adj); fem nom sg of māturakkhita (adj); fem nom pl of māturakkhita (adj); nt nom pl of māturakkhita (adj); …

1. protected by a mother

Built from

• mātu — root · mother
  Genitive singular of mātā, from IE *méh₂-tēr. Cognate with English mother, Latin māter, Greek mḗtēr.
• rakkhita — stem · protected, guarded
  Past participle of √rakkh 'protect, guard', expressing the state of being protected or defended by the preceding agent.

Analysis. mātu- (gen. sg. of mātā 'mother') + rakkhita (past participle of √rakkh 'protect, guard'). A dvandva-type compound expressing protection or guardianship by the mother.

Etymology. mātā 'mother' is cognate with English mother, Latin māter, Greek mḗtēr, Sanskrit mātṛ — all from the Indo-European root *méh₂-tēr 'mother'. The prefix-like stem mātū- preserves the genitive in compound formation. Rakkhita derives from √rakkh 'to protect, guard', which has no certain cognates outside Pali-Sanskrit but belongs to the core vocabulary of guardian and monastic protection.

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

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