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paduminiyaṁ

paduminī

accusative singular of paduminī (feminine noun); -yam is a variant accusative ending in Pali

1. lotus-woman
2. a woman compared to a lotus
3. female devotee

Built from

• paduma — root · lotus
  A water flower symbolic of purity arising from mud; the word descends from an old root meaning 'surface' or 'foot', referring to the floating leaf.
• -inī — ending · female, belonging to
  Feminine suffix forming female agent nouns or adjectives; here it converts the lotus into the feminine paduminī (lotus-woman).
• -yam — ending · accusative
  Accusative case ending (variant of -aṁ) marking the direct object; indicates the person or thing receiving the action.

Analysis. paduminī is a feminine derivative of paduma (lotus), using the suffix -inī (female agent or related to). The word appears in texts as a metaphor for grace, beauty, or spiritual aspiration.

Etymology. paduma is akin to Sanskrit padma (lotus), from a root meaning 'foot' or 'surface' (the lotus floats on the water's surface). The feminine suffix -inī derives from Proto-Indo-European *-n̥-ih₂, the same source as Latin -īna and Greek -ίνη, marking female counterparts or things associated with the base noun.

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

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