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mahāsālo

mahāsāla

masc nom sg of mahāsāla (adj); masc nom sg of mahāsāla (noun)

1. very rich; having immense wealth; lit. with a big hall
2. great sal tree

Built from

• mahā — root · great, big
  From √mah 'to grow, increase'; cognate with Latin magnus and English 'make' (to make large). The concrete sense of physical size metaphorically extends to wealth and importance.
• sāla — stem · hall, dwelling; sal tree
  From √sal 'to dwell'; related to Sanskrit śāla. Originally denoted a large residential hall (marker of affluence), then transferred to the imposing sal tree. Functions here as the second member of a tatpuruṣa compound.

Analysis. mahā (great) + sāla (hall, sal tree); originally 'one with a big hall' (mark of wealth), later applied to the sal tree (Shorea robusta) for its size.

Etymology. mahā from√mah (to be great, grow), cognate with English 'make' and Latin 'magnus'; sāla (hall, dwelling) from √sal (to dwell), related to Sanskrit śāla and English 'salon'. The compound became lexicalized as a noun denoting both a wealthy householder and the stately sal tree.

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

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