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mittāmaccā

masc nom pl of mittāmaccā (noun); masc voc pl of mittāmaccā (noun)

1. friends and colleagues; friends and companions

Built from

• mitt- — root · friend, bind
  From IE *mei- (join, bind), as in Sanskrit mitra. The root expresses the bond between allies.
• -i — ending · feminine stem
  Forms an abstract feminine noun from the root, meaning friendship or friend.
• macca — root · companion, mate
  A noun stem denoting a social associate, of uncertain ultimate origin but firmly attested in Pali and Sanskrit.
• -ā — ending · dvandva copulative
  The dual/plural copulative suffix used in dvandva compounds to join two semantically parallel nouns symmetrically, without subordinating one to the other.

Analysis. A dvandva compound of mitti (friendship, friend) and macca (companion, mate), joined by the copulative suffix -ā. The two words are semantically parallel, emphasizing both intimate and official relationships.

Etymology. Mitti derives from the root mitt- (to be friendly), cognate with Sanskrit mitra (friend, ally) and the Avestan mithra (contract, friendship), all from Indo-European *mei- (to bind, join). Macca is from Sanskrit makṣikā or maka (companion, follower), of uncertain origin but likely connected to the root mak- (to make, form, fashion). The compound represents the formal pairing of emotional bonds (mitti) with social roles (macca).

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

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