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sadevamanussā

sadevamanussa

masc nom pl of sadevamanussa (adj); fem nom sg of sadevamanussa (adj); fem nom pl of sadevamanussa (adj); nt nom pl of sadevamanussa (adj); …

1. with kings and commoners; with gods and men

Built from

• sa — prefix · together with
  Reduced form of saṁ (sam-), here meaning 'accompanied by' or 'in the company of'; signals the bringing together of two categories into one inclusive reference.
• deva — root · god, divine being
  From PIE *dyew- 'bright sky, daylight'. Cognates: Latin deus, Greek Zeus (nominative Zeu-, genitive Dios). Originally denoted sky-dwellers, celestial powers.
• manussa — stem · human, mankind
  From Skt manuṣya, from PIE *men- 'think, mind'. Cognates: English man, Latin mens 'mind', Greek menos 'spirit, wrath'. Humans as the thinking creatures.
• -ā — ending · adj nom sg/pl
  Feminine nominative singular and plural ending, agreeing with implied feminine noun or used in attributive position with neuter/masculine nouns.

Analysis. saṁ + deva + manussa, a dvandva compound: 'gods together-with humans', used adjectivally to denote realms or assemblies inclusive of both divine and human beings. Common in canonical descriptions of audiences witnessing the Buddha's teachings.

Etymology. Compound of sa (with, together; from saṁ 'together') + deva (god, from PIE *dyew- 'bright sky', cognate with Latin deus, Greek Zeus) + manussa (human, from manussa < Skt manuṣya, from PIE *men- 'think', cognate with English man, Latin mens 'mind'). The prefix sa- is reduced form of saṁ (see sam-), meaning 'together with'.

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

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