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parahetu

indeclinable

1. for the sake of another

Built from

• para — prefix · other, another
  Spatial sense 'beyond, other side of' (English 'far') becomes 'other, different'. Cognate with English 'far', Latin 'prae'.
• hetu — root · reason, cause
  From √hṛ 'seize, take' — that which is seized upon or grasped becomes the reason or motive. Related to Sanskrit hetu and English 'her-'.

Analysis. para- (other) + hetu (reason, cause) — literally 'another's reason', used adverbially to mean 'for another's sake or benefit'.

Etymology. para from Sanskrit para-, Indo-European *per- 'forward, through' (English 'far', 'further'); hetu from √hṛ 'seize, take' (Sanskrit hetu, English 'her-' in 'hereafter'), the root sense 'that which is seized upon' becoming 'reason, cause'.

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

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