sutta.stream

‹ Back to the text

maṁsapesi

maṁsapeseti

3rd person singular present indicative active of maṁsapeseti (apparently: maṁsa + peseti, 'flesh + causes to go'), or possibly a past tense form maṁsapesi (aor. 3sg); the word is rare and attested mainly in post-canonical texts; likely meaning 'to thrust/poke flesh' or 'to mortify the flesh'

  1. to mortify the flesh
  2. to pierce or poke with flesh in view
  3. to practice ascetic self-harm

Analysis. Compound of maṁsa (flesh) and peseti (causative of peti, to go/move; or related to pesana, piercing). The concrete sense is 'makes flesh go/move', i.e., inflicts damage on flesh as an ascetic practice.

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

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version