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theraññataro

theraññatara

masc nom sg of theraññatara (adj)

1. a certain senior monk

Built from

• thera — root · elder monk
  From √thar- 'to cross over'; an elder is one who has crossed the stream of saṃsāra. Cognate with Sanskrit tarati 'crosses', Latin trans 'across'.
• ña — root · know
  From √ña- 'to know'; forms the base of the indefinite adjective ññatara. Related to Sanskrit jñā- (cognate with English 'know', Greek gignōskō).
• tara — ending · a certain one, comparative
  Comparative/indefinite suffix added to ña, creating ññatara 'a certain (known) one, some'. Marks indefiniteness in the nominative masculine singular form theraññataro → theraññatara in nominal compounding.

Analysis. thera (elder monk) + ññatara (a certain, some), a compound in which the second member is a pronoun-like adjective meaning 'a certain one' or 'some'.

Etymology. thera from √thar- meaning 'to cross over' (cognate with Sanskrit tarati, Latin trans); ññatara from ña- (to know) + -tara (comparative/indefinite suffix), literally 'somewhat known' or 'some particular one'. In canonical usage, theraññatara identifies a monk of seniority without naming him specifically, common in narrative contexts.

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

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