‹ Back to the text

saṅghiṁ

saṅgha

accusative singular masculine of saṅgha (the Buddhist monastic community)

1. the monastic community
2. the sangha (one of the Three Jewels)
3. assembly, association

Built from

• saṁ — prefix · together, with
  Brings things into unity; here, persons gathered into one community. Works like Latin con-.
• gha — root · go, come
  From √gam; a contraction in nominal formation. The gathering arises from collective motion toward one place.

Analysis. saṁ + gha; literally 'going together', from saṁ 'together' + √gam 'go', contracted to gha in composition

Etymology. saṁ + √gam (√gam: cognate with Greek *gignesthai 'to come into being', Latin venire 'come', English come). The prefix saṁ expresses the concrete image of bringing things into one; the root conveys motion. Together they denote a gathered company.

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

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