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mūlapariyāyasuttaṁ

accusative singular of mūlapariyāyasutta (neuter noun); a compound nominalized from the verbs and nouns of its component parts, naming a text

1. the Discourse on the Root Exposition
2. a canonical sutta in the Majjhimanikāya (MN 1)

Built from

• mūla — root · root, base
  The foundational element, lit. the ground (from PIE *mel- "to grind, meal"). In doctrine, the root standpoint or fundamental misunderstanding.
• pari — prefix · around, fully
  The prefix pari- (around, all the way round) indicating complete, comprehensive exposure. Works like Greek peri- (perimeter).
• yāya — root · way, method
  From i- (to go): a way or method of exposition; here meaning the comprehensive logical exposition or laying-out of views.
• sutta — root · discourse, thread
  From past participle of sīvati (to sew): a teaching "sewn together" or strung as a continuous thread, the canonical form for Buddhist discourse.

Analysis. Compound: mūla "root" + pariyāya "method of exposition" + sutta "discourse". The sutta discusses the root standpoints (pariyāya) from which wrong views arise, chiefly the eternalist and annihilationist views, and the middle way between them.

Etymology. mūla from Proto-Indo-European *mel- "to grind", cognate with English "meal" and "mill", originally the ground base; pariyāya from pari- (around, complete understanding) + i- (to go), "a going-around", hence a comprehensive method or exposition; sutta from past participle of sīvati (to sew), "sewn" or "thread", hence a discourse strung together like beads.

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

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