‹ Back to the text

sotthiye

sotthiya

masc acc pl of sotthiya (noun); masc loc sg of sotthiya (noun)

1. learned Brahman; one well versed in sacred knowledge; theologian

Built from

• su — prefix · well, good
  Cognate with Greek eu- (eulogy), from the same Indo-European root. Here it marks propriety and excellence.
• sthā — root · stand, remain
  Cognate with English stand, Latin stāre, Sanskrit sthita. The image is of being planted or established in one place—hence, grounded in knowledge.
• -ya — ending · forming agent noun
  This suffix derives an agent noun, one who embodies the quality of standing well in learning.

Analysis. so- (well) + tthiya (standing, remaining). A brahmin who stands well, or is established, in Vedic learning.

Etymology. From su- (well, good) + √sthā (stand, remain; cognate with English stand, Latin stāre, Sanskrit sthita). The prefix su- here carries its sense of 'well' or 'properly'; √sthā provides the image of standing firm or being established. The compound captures the idea of one established or grounded in sacred learning.

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

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