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ratto

ratta

masc nom sg of ratta (pp); masc nom sg of ratta (noun); fem loc sg of ratti (noun)

1. ratta (pp): dyed; coloured
2. ratta (pp): red; crimson; lit. dyed
3. ratta (pp): infatuated; enamoured; inflamed (with)
4. ratta (masc): who is infatuated; who is enamoured; who is inflamed (with)
5. ratti (fem): night
6. ratto (ind): by night; at night

Built from

• ratta — root · dyed, colored
  From √raj-, meaning to dye or color. The verbal adjective 'dyed' became extended to mean 'infatuated' or 'inflamed with passion'—the mind colored by desire. Sanskrit rañj-, Latin rubeus (red), English ruby share Indo-European ancestry in coloration.

Etymology. From √raj 'to colour, dye' (Sanskrit rañj-), cognate with Latin rubeus 'red' and English 'ruby'. The past participle sense 'dyed' developed metaphorically to 'infatuated' (the mind dyed or tinted by passion). The noun ratti 'night' may derive from the same root via an older sense of 'darkness' or 'redness' of twilight.

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

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