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odātena

odāta

masc instr sg of odāta (pp); nt instr sg of odāta (pp)

1. white; lit. become white
2. fair-skinned; of light complexion; lit. white
3. clean; pure; lit. white

Built from

• o- — prefix · out, forth
  Emphatic or locative prefix in o-dāyati; the underlying image may be of light shining forth or blazing out.
• dāy — root · burn, shine
  Related to √dah (to burn); the participial odāta preserves the sense of becoming white through heat or intense light.
• -ta — ending · past participle
  Marks the word as a past participle, denoting a state achieved (whitened, purified) rather than ongoing action.

Etymology. From odāyati, which appears related to √dah (to burn, blaze), with the prefix o- (a dialectal or emphatic variant; cognate with Sanskrit oda-, also meaning white). The semantic path runs from the brightness of flame (burning white-hot) to whiteness and purity generally. The word's participial form odāta (made white, purified) reflects this agentive sense.

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

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