masc nom sg of tamas (noun); masc acc sg of tamas (noun)
Etymology. From PIE *temp- 'dark, obscure', related to Sanskrit tamas, Greek temnein 'to cut/darken' (in the sense of shadow), and English 'temper' in the obsolete sense 'darken'. The root carries the image of obscuration and cutting off light. In Buddhist thought, tamo (or tamoguṇa) represents one of the three qualities (guṇa) and is the opposite of light and clarity; it veils knowledge as darkness veils sight.
Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.
Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version