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odātavasanā

odātavasana

masc nom pl of odātavasana (adj); fem nom sg of odātavasana (adj); fem nom pl of odātavasana (adj); nt nom pl of odātavasana (adj); …

1. wearing white; clothed in white

Built from

• odāta — stem · white
  Past participle of odāyati (to whiten); ud- (out, forth) + √dhā (place, make) gives the sense 'made white, whitened'.
• vasana — stem · clothing, garment
  Present participle of vasati (to wear, clothe); √vas (to dwell, wear) is cognate with English 'wear' and Latin 'vestis' (garment).
• a — ending · masculine singular nominative (in compounds, often neuter bahuvrīhi sense)
  The adjective agrees with its head noun or stands alone as a descriptor of persons; here it forms a bahuvrīhi, 'one whose [property is] odāta-vasana'.

Analysis. odāta (white) + vasana (clothing, garment); a bahuvrīhi compound in which the nominative singular neuter odātavaṁ means 'one whose clothing is white', referring to monks and nuns in their white robes.

Etymology. odāta is the past participle of odāyati (to whiten), from the root ud- (out) + √dhā (to place, make): 'made white, whitened'. The imagery is of whiteness as something brought out or displayed. vasana is the present participle of vasati (to wear, clothe oneself), from √vas (to dwell, wear), cognate with English 'wear' and 'vest'. Together they denote distinctive white garments worn by those taking refuge in the Buddha's teaching.

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

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