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vata

nt voc sg of vata (noun); masc voc sg of vata (adj); nt voc sg of vata (adj)

1. oh!; oh no!; oh dear!; wow!
2. certainly; surely; indeed
3. religious duty; spiritual practice; ritual observance; vow
4. undertaking a religious practice; having a spiritual practice; performing a ritual observance

Etymology. From PIE *wet- 'to turn, wind'; cognates Sanskrit vrata 'vow, religious observance', Latin vitium 'fault' (from root sense of 'turning aside'), German Gewalt 'power' (originally 'that which turns/constrains'). In Pali, the primary sense 'vow, observance' derives from the notion of a binding custom one turns toward and adheres to; the interjection develops from that sense of certainty and constraint.

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

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