muni

masc nom sg of muni (noun); masc voc sg of muni (noun); nt nom sg of muni (noun); nt voc sg of muni (noun); …

monk; sage; seer; hermit; silent sage
sage-hood; sagacity; sainthood
knew, understood

Built from

muni — root · sage, silent one
From *men- 'to think, reflect'. The etymological connection to silence (mauneyya) suggests 'one who thinks rather than speaks'—the meditative sage as opposed to the merely talkative. Cognates include Sanskrit muni, English 'mind', Latin 'mens', and Greek 'menos' (force of mind).

Etymology. From Indo-European *men- 'to think, remember'; cognate with Sanskrit muni, English 'mind', Latin 'mens' (mind, thought). The sage is etymologically 'the thinking one' or 'one who reflects'. In Pali, also related to mauneyya 'silence' and the verbal root man- 'to think', suggesting the contemplative nature central to the ascetic ideal.

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

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