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paṭhamaṁ

paṭhama

accusative singular neuter of paṭhama (adjective)

1. first
2. foremost
3. before all else

Built from

• paṭi — prefix · back, against; forward
  The spatial sense of confronting or standing out; here contributes the sense of primacy.
• tha — root · stand
  Cognate with Latin status, English stand, Sanskrit sthita. The root conveys the notion of standing firm or taking position.
• ma — ending · (adjective-forming suffix)
  Forms an adjective from the root; in paṭhama, it creates an ordinal/superlative sense.
• ṁ — ending · accusative singular neuter
  Marks the word as accusative neuter singular; used adverbially in this context to express 'first' or 'firstly' in the canonical texts.

Analysis. paṭhama is formed from the prefix paṭi- (back, against) + the root √tha (stand), giving the sense of 'what stands first or forward'; the accusative neuter singular paṭhamaṁ is used adverbially to mean 'first' or 'firstly'.

Etymology. The word derives from Indo-European *steh₂- (stand), which also gives Latin status, English stand, and Sanskrit sthita. The prefix paṭi- adds the notion of 'what stands forward or foremost' (literally 'standing back against', i.e., taking the first or most prominent position).

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

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