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tejodhātuyā

tejodhātu

fem instr sg of tejodhātu (noun); fem dat sg of tejodhātu (noun); fem abl sg of tejodhātu (noun); fem gen sg of tejodhātu (noun); …

1. fiery state; lit. fire state
2. (abhi) element of heat; lit. fire state

Built from

• tejo — root · heat, fire
  From √tij, expressing the keen, sharp quality of heat. Cognate with Latin dingere (to strike), Greek teinein (to stretch) — the underlying sense of tension and intensity.
• dhātu — root · element, constituent
  From √dhā (to place, set, hold). Cognate with Greek thesis (placing), Latin facere (to make). The root imagery: what is 'placed' or 'established' as a fundamental principle.
• yā — ending · instrumental/dative/ablative singular feminine
  The -yā ending marks feminine singular in oblique cases (instrumental, dative, ablative, genitive), indicating the heat-element itself as the patient or instrument of action.

Analysis. tejo (heat, fire) + dhātu (element, constituent); a compound denoting the heat-element as one of the four primary material elements (mahābhūta).

Etymology. tejo from √tij (to sharpen, be keen) — heat as keen, penetrating energy; dhātu from √dhā (to place, establish) — that which holds or constitutes. The four dhātus (earth, water, fire, wind) are the irreducible material principles in Pali natural philosophy.

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

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