‹ Back to the text

parasattānaṁ

parasatta

genitive plural of parasatta (n.)

1. of other beings
2. of other creatures
3. of other persons

Built from

• para — prefix · other, different
  From PIE *per- (through, across). Often means 'far' or 'other' in spatial or social terms—what lies beyond or away.
• satta — stem · being, creature
  From √sad (sit, settle, be established). A creature is what is 'seated' or settled into existence; cognate with English 'sat' and Sanskrit sattva.
• -ānaṁ — ending · genitive plural
  Marks possession or relationship of multiple entities; the accusative or genitive construction often used in Pali for the object or beneficiary of compassion (e.g., in mettā meditation).

Analysis. para- (other, different) + satta (being, creature, person); parasattānaṁ is the genitive plural form, often used in contexts of compassion or understanding toward all sentient life.

Etymology. para- from PIE *per- (forward, through, beyond), cognate with English 'far' and Latin 'per-'; satta from √sad (sit, be) via the sense of what is settled or established as a being.

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

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