adhippayāso

adhippayāsa

masc nom sg of adhippayāsa (noun)

disparity; difference; distinction

Built from

adhi — prefix · on top of, above
Presiding over or imposing emphasis. The concrete sense 'above' develops into 'what is distinctive or marked'.
ppayāsa — stem · exertion, effort
From √paya (to toil). The doubled consonant pp results from sandhi contraction (payāsa > ppayāsa after adhi-). Exertion as what distinguishes effort from inertia.

Analysis. adhi- (on top of) + ppayāsa (effort, exertion); literally 'effort laid on top', hence distinction or differentiation as that which stands out or is marked by extra effort or emphasis.

Etymology. The prefix adhi- (on top of, presiding over) combines with payāsa (exertion, effort), from √paya (to toil, strain). The sense shifts from literal 'effort imposed above' to 'that which makes a difference' or 'what distinguishes one thing from another', the mark of distinction being what stands out or is emphasized.

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

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