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sappaṭipuggalo

sappaṭipuggala

masc nom sg of sappaṭipuggala (noun)

1. equal; peer; compeer; counterpart

Built from

• saṁ — prefix · together, with
  Marks reciprocal relation; things brought into one. Works like Latin con-.
• paṭi — prefix · back, against, in return
  Spatial imagery of standing opposite or counter to. Related to Greek proti/pros 'toward, against'.
• puggala — root · person, individual
  Not Indo-European; appears in Sanskrit as a borrowing from Pali. Fundamental term for a sentient being in Buddhist doctrine.

Analysis. saṁ + paṭi + puggala: 'person brought together against (another)', i.e. a matching counterpart or equal; the prefix paṭi- (back, against, in return) combines with saṁ- (together) to express reciprocal matching.

Etymology. Compounds saṁ- (together, with) + paṭi- (back, against) + puggala (person, individual). Puggala is from proto-Pali *pug-gal- and appears in Sanskrit puggala (borrowing from Pali), not an Indo-European cognate. The spatial imagery of paṭi (standing back-to-back or face-to-face against) and saṁ (brought into one relation) combines to mean 'one who stands as a matched opposite'.

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

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