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opapātikā

opapātika

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

1. spontaneously reborn; spontaneously generated
2. spontaneously reborn being

Built from

• opa — prefix · down, downward
  Variant of ava- (down, off). Describes the direction of descent into rebirth.
• pātika — stem · falling, fallen
  From √pat 'fall'; -ika is a suffix forming adjectives. Describes beings that arise by falling (spontaneously, without gradual gestation).

Analysis. opa- (ava- prefix, downward) + pātika (from √pat, to fall). The compound suggests 'falling down spontaneously' — beings that descend into existence without material conception, a technical classification in the doctrine of rebirth.

Etymology. ava- (down, downward; cognates: Latin aufero 'carry off') + pātika (from pāti, causative of √pat 'fall'; cf. Sanskrit pāta- 'fall', patati 'falls'). The prefix ava- retains its concrete sense of downward motion, describing the mode of rebirth itself.

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

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