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tathārūpāsu

tathārūpa

fem loc pl of tathārūpa (adj)

1. such; such kind; of such quality; so formed; lit. form like this
2. suitable; appropriate; fitting; lit. form like this

Built from

• tathā — root · thus, so
  Demonstrative adverb from √tat-, the same root as English 'that' and 'the'. Points to manner or quality in a spatiotemporal way.
• rūpa — stem · form, appearance
  From √ruh- (to grow, take shape); cognate with Latin ruber. The word denotes visible form, shape, or material quality.
• -āsu — ending · locative plural feminine
  The -ā- is the feminine stem marker (from -ā), and -su is the locative plural ending, marking the location or sphere in which the adjective applies.

Analysis. tathā + rūpa: 'thus-formed', a compound where tathā (thus, in such manner) modifies rūpa (form, appearance), meaning something that has such a form or quality; used predicatively to mean 'suitable' or 'fitting' (what is formed in such a way suits the occasion).

Etymology. tathā from √tat-, Indo-European root *tod- (that, demonstrative); rūpa from √ruh- (to grow, form), cognate with Latin ruber (red, i.e. growth and vitality showing in colour). The compound tathārūpa is a standard Pali formation for 'of such form or kind'.

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

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