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nāṭaputtassa

nāṭaputta

masc dat sg of nāṭaputta (noun); masc gen sg of nāṭaputta (noun)

1. family name of Mahavira; leader of the Jains; lit. son of the dance

Built from

• nāṭa — root · dance
  From Sanskrit nāṭya; refers to dance and dramatic performance, the concrete image of movement and display.
• putta — root · son
  From Sanskrit putra; denotes male offspring, used productively in Pali to form patronymic compounds and proper names.

Analysis. nāṭa (dance) + putta (son); a patronymic or epithet meaning 'son of the dance' or 'born of dance', later used as a proper name for the Jain leader Vardhamāna Mahavira.

Etymology. nāṭa is derived from Sanskrit nāṭya (dance, drama), from the root nṛt- (to dance); putta is Pali for 'son', from Sanskrit putra, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *puh₂- (to swell, grow), the same root as Latin putus and English 'put'. The compound reflects a tradition of naming or epithet-formation based on dance or dramatic association.

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

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