parantapo

parantapa

masc nom sg of parantapa (adj)

harming others; torturing others

Built from

para — prefix · other, another
Spatial sense 'beyond, on the far side of'; used to mark the object of action in compounds. Cognate with Latin par- (pars 'part, side') and Sanskrit para-.
anta — stem · end, boundary, other side
Here functioning as an object-marking element linking the agent to what is harmed. Sanskrit anta, related to English 'ant-' (end).
tap — root · burn, heat, torment
√tap means to burn or cause pain through heat; extended to mental suffering and ascetic practice. Cognate with Latin tepidus 'warm' and Sanskrit tapati.
a — ending · nominative singular masculine
Masculine agent noun suffix -a marking the subject of the verb; parantapa 'one who torments others'.

Analysis. para- (other) + anta- (end, boundary) + √tap (burn, torment), literally 'one who burns/torments the other', with anta functioning as an object marker in composition.

Etymology. The word combines para- 'other, another' (Sanskrit para-, from PIE *per- 'forward, through') with √tap 'to burn, heat, torment' (Sanskrit tapati, cognate with Latin tepidus 'warm'). The middle element anta- 'end, limit, boundary' appears as a linking or object-specifying element, making the compound mean 'one who scorches/torments another being' — a stock epithet for beings of evil conduct in the canon.

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

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