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nāṭaputto

nāṭaputta

masc nom sg of nāṭaputta (noun)

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

Built from

• nāṭa — root · dance, drama
  From PIE *ned- 'to move, sway'. Cognate with Sanskrit nāṭya. The concrete image is rhythmic motion and performance.
• putta — stem · son
  Nominative singular masculine of putta (son), from Sanskrit puttra. Patronymic suffix common in Pali names, forming compounds meaning 'son of' or 'descendant of'.

Analysis. nāṭa (dance, dramatic performance) + putta (son); a patronymic epithet meaning 'son of the dancer' or 'born of dance', applied to Vardhamāna Mahavīra as a designation of his Jain lineage or teaching authority.

Etymology. nāṭa is cognate with Sanskrit nāṭya and Greek nássesthai 'to dance', both from PIE *ned- 'to move, sway'; putta is from Sanskrit puttra (son), related to Latin putus 'clear, pure' (in the sense of 'born of', 'descended from'); the compound employs the patronymic suffix -putta common in Pali names and genealogies.

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

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