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suppārake

suppāraka

nt acc pl of suppāraka (noun); nt loc sg of suppāraka (noun)

1. name of western seaport; modern day Nala Sopara

Built from

• su — prefix · well, good
  Cognate with Greek eu- (eulogy). Conveys excellence or proper function; here may intensify or simply mark the name.
• pāra — stem · far shore, opposite bank
  From √par "to cross"; cognate with English "fare" and Latin "portus". Concrete image: the far side of water that one reaches by crossing.
• -ka — ending · diminutive or locative suffix
  Diminutive or place-marker. In place-names often marks a location or site; here possibly indicates the harbour or trading post at/near the shore.

Analysis. su- (well, good) + pāra (far shore, opposite bank) + -ka (diminutive or locative suffix). The name compounds the sense of 'well-fared' or 'well-crossed' port, or more likely denotes a place near/at the far shore, reflecting its role as a crossing-point and trade harbour on the western coast.

Etymology. su- (good; cognate with Greek eu- as in eulogy) + pāra (far shore, from √par "to cross", cognate with Latin and English "fare"). The diminutive -ka or locative marking suggests a place-name derived from its position as a transit harbour.

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

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