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paṭipadāti

paṭipada

feminine nominative singular paṭipadā + iti (quoted form)

1. paṭipada (nt): way; path of progress; path of practice
2. paṭipada (adj): who is walking the path; who is practising the path; going along
3. paṭipadā (fem): way; path of progress; mode of practice; method of implementation
4. paṭipadā (fem): (in debate) procedure; mode of conduct; rules of engagement
5. paṭipadā (fem): name for certain suttas

Built from

• paṭi — prefix · back, against
  Prefix meaning counter-motion or opposition; cognate with Greek pros/proti 'toward, against'. Here it shapes the sense of a deliberate, methodical way.
• pad — root · step, walk
  Root √pad 'to step or walk'; cognate with Latin pedem, English foot, Greek pous. The concrete image of treading is the foundation of 'path' and 'position'.
• ā — ending · feminine marker
  Feminine nominative singular ending, marking paṭipada as feminine (paṭipadā).
• ti — ending · quotative particle
  Particle 'thus' or 'saying', used in citing or naming; here it frames paṭipadā as a quoted or named concept.

Analysis. paṭi- (back, counter to) + pada (foot, step, position); literally 'a stepping back against', hence a way or path one treads in practice or argument. The -ā ending marks feminine, and -ti marks the quotative particle 'thus, saying'.

Etymology. pada derives from the root √pad 'to step, walk' (cognate with Latin pedem, English foot, Greek pous). The prefix paṭi- (back, against, in return) originally carries the sense of counter-motion or opposition; here it suggests a path one 'steps back into' or 'walks in response to' — a grounded, methodical way of practice. The compound came to mean not hostile opposition but rather a path one follows intentionally, especially in the teaching and in debate.

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

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