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mattāya
matta
fem instr sg of matta (pp); masc dat sg of matta (pp); fem dat sg of matta (pp); nt dat sg of matta (pp); …
- matta (pp): amount of; as many as; measure of; consisting of; lit. measured
- matta (pp): mere; simple; the fact of; by virtue of; lit. measured
- matta (pp): so much; some; enough (of); sufficient; lit. measured
- matta (pp): intoxicated; drunk; besotted (with)
- matta (pp): (of an elephant) in musth; in rut; sexually inflamed; experiencing a testosterone surge; lit. intoxicated
- matta (pp): delighted; happy; pleased
- matta (pp): proud (of); conceited (due to); lit. intoxicated
- matta (pp): polished
- …
Built from
- mad — root · measure; intoxicate
The root carries both concrete sense (to measure, fit) and abstract sense (to be overwhelmed by emotion, to lose rational measure). Sanskrit cognate matta; distantly related to English "made" and Latin modus.
- ta — ending · past participle
Regular past participle suffix -ta marks completed action or state, here yielding the adjective "measured" or "intoxicated" (one who has been overcome).
Etymology. Past participle of √mad (to be intoxicated, to be delighted); related to Sanskrit matta. The root √mad appears in English "made" (originally "to fit, measure") and Latin modus (measure, manner). The semantic range from "measured" to "intoxicated" reflects how excess beyond measure becomes delusion or elation.