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samānā

samāna

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

1. samāna (adj): equal (to); same (as); similar (to); like; even
2. samāna (adj): harmonious; united; lit. even
3. samāna (prp): being; having; existing
4. samānā (masc): name of a group of deities; lit. identical

Built from

• sam — prefix · together, with
  Brings things into unity or completeness. Cognates: English 'same', Latin con-.
• ā — prefix · toward, up to
  Reverses the direction of √nā. Cognates: Sanskrit ā; no common European cognate.
• nā — root · lead, bring
  To guide or conduct. Cognates: Latin navis (ship, navigare), Sanskrit nayati (leads).
• ∅ — ending · nom sg/pl
  Zero ending marks nominative forms; gender and number agreement shown by stem variation (samāna masc, samānā fem).

Analysis. sam + ā + √nā: 'coming together' → equality; also used as preposition 'being, having'.

Etymology. sam- (together, with) + ā- (toward, up to) + √nā (to lead, bring): the root √nā cognate with Latin nāviga- (navigate, lead a ship) and Sanskrit nayati (leads). The prefix sam brings things together; ā reverses the motion. Literally 'brought together', hence 'equal, same'.

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

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