‹ Back to the text

parisāyaṁ

parisā

accusative singular; could also be nominative plural depending on stem form (parisāyaṁ resolves to parisā)

1. assembly, congregation
2. retinue, company of followers
3. community (monastic or lay)

Built from

• pari — prefix · around
  Spatial prefix meaning 'all the way round', suggesting completeness and totality. Works like Greek peri-.
• sā — root · sit
  Root meaning 'to sit'; cognate with Latin sedēre and English sit. The concrete image of sitting together supports the sense of assembly.
• ā — ending · nominative singular
  Feminine -ā ending; -yaṁ is the accusative singular form with sandhi.

Analysis. pari- (around, all the way round) + √sā (sit): those who sit together all around; the compound suggests a gathered, complete gathering.

Etymology. pari- (around) + √sā (to sit, cognate with Latin sedēre, English sit) — the spatial imagery of sitting in a circle, all around, yields the sense of an assembled community.

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

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