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thale

thala

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

1. dry land; firm ground; terra firma
2. highlands; high ground; plateau

Built from

• thal — root · stand, firm place
  From *stel-, the root underlying Sanskrit sthala. The concrete image is ground that stands firm underfoot, contrasted with water or marsh.
• a — ending · neuter singular stem
  Neuter stem-forming ending in Pali; the word is declined as a neuter noun.

Etymology. From Indo-European *stel- 'to place, stand, make firm', the same root as Sanskrit sthala 'standing place, dry land'. Cognates: English stall, still (originally 'standing, fixed'), Greek stellō 'set in order', Latin stō 'stand'. The sense development follows naturally: a place where one stands firm, hence solid earth as opposed to water.

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

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