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netaṁ

etaṁ

nominative/accusative singular neuter pronoun; surface form netaṁ shows the proclitic particle ne (emphatic/negating) prefixed to etaṁ

1. this (thing)
2. that (thing)
3. it

Built from

• ne — prefix · emphatic particle
  An enclitic that attaches to the following word, sometimes carrying negating force but here emphasizing the demonstrative.
• etaṁ — stem · this, that
  Demonstrative pronoun in nominative or accusative neuter singular. Cognate with English 'that' and Sanskrit etad.

Analysis. ne (emphatic particle) + etaṁ (demonstrative pronoun). The particle ne can carry a negating or emphatic force, though here it typically functions as an emphasizing clitic that draws attention to what follows.

Etymology. etaṁ derives from Proto-Indo-European *e-to-m (root *e- 'to be' + demonstrative suffix -to-). Cognates: English that, German das, Sanskrit etad, Latin iste. The particle ne is related to Greek nu and Sanskrit na (negation/emphasis).

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

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