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vigatathinamiddhā

vigatathinamiddha

masc nom pl of vigatathinamiddha (adj); fem nom sg of vigatathinamiddha (adj); fem nom pl of vigatathinamiddha (adj); nt nom pl of vigatathinamiddha (adj); …

1. without dullness and drowsiness; free from sloth and torpor

Built from

• vi — prefix · apart, asunder
  Prefix marking separation or clarity; here suggesting the elimination or removal of mental dullness.
• gata — stem · gone, past
  Past participle of gacchati (go); indicates completion or removal.
• thina — root · sloth, torpor
  Torpor and mental heaviness; one of the five hindrances (nīvaraṇa) to meditation.
• middha — root · drowsiness, lethargy
  Drowsiness and mental dullness; paired with thina as the second of the two sloth-related hindrances.

Analysis. vi-gata-thina-middha: vi- (apart, asunder) + gata (gone, past participle of gacchati) + thina (sloth, torpor) + middha (drowsiness, lethargy). A compound adjective meaning 'having gone apart from sloth and drowsiness', i.e. free from both mental defilements.

Etymology. Composed of thina (sloth, heaviness; from √than- 'to stretch, extend') and middha (drowsiness, torpor; cognate with English 'mid-' suggesting heaviness, or possibly related to a root meaning 'daze'). Together with the prefix vi- and past participle gata, the compound expresses the Buddhist ideal of mental clarity and vigor, opposed to the five hindrances.

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

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