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pujjā

pujja

masc nom pl of pujja (ptp); fem nom sg of pujja (ptp); fem nom pl of pujja (ptp); nt nom pl of pujja (ptp); …

1. commendable; praiseworthy; laudable; lit. to be praised

Built from

• puj — root · honour, revere
  The root √puj carries the sense of directing attention reverently toward something. Related to Sanskrit pūj- and distantly to Latin pungere (pierce, prick) via *peuk- (prick, point attention).
• ja — ending · past participle (worthy of being)
  The -ja ending forms past participles expressing potential or capability; pujja thus means 'worthy of being honoured' or 'commendable'.

Etymology. From √puj (to honour, revere), related to Sanskrit pūjayati. The sense shifts from the action of honouring to the quality of being worthy of honour. Cognate with English 'poke' and Latin 'pungere' via the Proto-Indo-European root *peuk- (to prick, pierce), where honouring originally meant 'to direct one's attention sharply toward'; this concrete imagery of directed focus underlies the abstract sense of reverence.

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

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