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tuṇhībhūtā

tuṇhībhūta

masc nom pl of tuṇhībhūta (pp); fem nom sg of tuṇhībhūta (pp); fem nom pl of tuṇhībhūta (pp); nt nom pl of tuṇhībhūta (pp); …

1. silent; quiet; mute; lit. became silent

Built from

• tuṇhī — root · silent, mute
  An ancient adjective of unclear derivation, possibly echoing the phonetic quality of silence itself. No clear cognate in European languages.
• bhūta — stem · become, been
  Past participle of bhavati (√bhū 'to be, become'), cognate with English 'be', German 'bin', Latin 'fui', Sanskrit 'bhavati'. Shows the fundamental Indo-European root expressing existence.

Analysis. tuṇhī (silent, mute) + bhūta (become, been); 'became silent'—a common descriptive compound in the canon marking the sudden cessation of speech, often of the Buddha or interlocutors struck speechless by wisdom.

Etymology. tuṇhī is an old adjective of obscure origin, possibly onomatopoetic or from a root expressing quietness; bhūta is the past participle of bhavati (√bhū 'become', cognate with English 'be' and Latin 'fui'). The compound fuses the state and the transition into it.

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

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