viññūsu

viññū

masc loc pl of viññū (adj); nt loc pl of viññū (adj); masc loc pl of viññū (noun)

wise; intelligent; discerning; knowledgeable
wise person; sage; knowledgeable man; intelligent person

Built from

vi — prefix · apart, asunder
Prefix marking clarity and distinction. Conveys seeing or knowing things in different directions, hence analytical understanding.
jñā — root · know, recognize
PIE *gn- 'to know'. Cognates: Sanskrit jñā, Greek gnōsis, Latin gnōscere, English know. The root denotes both knowing and recognizing as distinct.
u — ending · agent noun / adj
Suffix forming agent nouns and adjectives; here marks a person or quality characterized by the action of the root. Common in Pali formation of descriptive terms.

Etymology. From √jñā (know), prefixed vi- (apart, asunder, seeing distinctly). Cognate with Sanskrit vijñāta (known, distinguished); English know (from PIE *gn- 'to know', same root as Greek gnōsis, Latin gnōscere). The prefix vi- keeps its sense of analytical clarity — knowing things apart, discriminating understanding.

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

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