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opapātiko

opapātika

masc nom sg of opapātika (adj); masc nom sg of opapātika (noun)

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

Built from

• opa — prefix · spontaneously, on its own
  Contraction of upa (near, approach) + apa (away, off); the paradox of coming-forth expresses self-arising without external cause. Unique to this word.
• pāti — root · fall, spring
  Related to pāti 'falls' and pātayati 'causes to fall'; carries the sense of falling forth or springing up. Cognate with Latin patere 'lie open, extend'.
• ika — ending · adjective/noun former
  Suffix marking an adjective or agent noun; -ika adds the sense of 'one who is' or 'that which is'. Common in Pali nominal derivation.

Analysis. opa + pātika; opa is a contraction of upa (up close, near) + apa (away, off), creating a paradoxical sense of 'coming forth on its own'; pātika relates to pāti/pātayati (to fall, spring forth). Spontaneously reborn beings appear without a womb or egg, materializing of their own accord in celestial or hell realms.

Etymology. The prefix opa (upa + apa) is unique to this formation; it combines approach (upa-) and departure (apa-) to express self-arising or spontaneous generation, a doctrinal term for one class of rebirth. Sanskrit utpapanna 'born up' and Greek ptō- 'fall' share the root sense of falling or springing forth, though the Pali compound is a native creation.

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

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