‹ Back to the text

pahātabbā

pahātabba

adjective (feminine nominative singular pahātabbā), gerundive of pahoti; 'to be abandoned'

1. to be abandoned
2. fit to be rejected
3. ought to be given up

Built from

• pa — prefix · forward, away
  Intensifies the root action: casting away, shedding (concrete imagery of something thrown forth).
• hā — root · carry, bear
  From Indo-European √*bher-; cognate with Latin ferre, English 'bear'. Here, 'to carry away' becomes 'to abandon, relinquish'.
• -tabba — ending · must be
  Gerundive suffix marking obligation or necessity: what ought to be done or endured. Marks pahātabbā as 'what must be abandoned'.

Analysis. pa- (forward, intensifying) + hāra (carrying) + -tabba (gerundive suffix indicating necessity or obligation); the gerundive form of pahoti 'throws away, gives up'

Etymology. from √hṛ 'to carry, bear' (Latin ferre, English 'bear'); pa- prefixed to make pahoti 'throws/casts away'; the gerundive -tabba expresses duty or capability to be done. In Buddhist usage, applied to mental states and attachments that *must* be relinquished on the path to cessation.

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

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version