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sappasirūpamā

sappasirūpama

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

1. like a snake's head; similar to the head of a serpent

Built from

• sappa — root · snake, serpent
  From *sarpa; cognate with English serpent and Latin serpens 'creeping one'. Refers to the venom-bearing head of the snake.
• sirūpa — stem · head, appearance
  From siras 'head' + rūpa 'form, appearance'. The head as the distinctive, visible part (rūpa), especially of a dangerous creature.
• ma — ending · likeness suffix
  Suffix forming adjectives of comparison or similitude. Attaches to nominal stems to mean 'resembling' or 'like'.

Analysis. sappo- 'snake' + sirūpa 'head' + -ma suffix forming comparison/similarity; literally 'serpent-head-like'.

Etymology. sappo is a variant of sarpa (Skt.) meaning snake, from IE *serp- 'to creep'; cognate with English serpent (via Latin serpens). The compound echoes Vedic comparisons of form (rūpa) to venom or danger—the serpent's head being the seat of venom and threat.

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

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