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anuttaraṁ

anuttara

accusative singular masculine (or nominative singular neuter) of anuttara, adjective

1. unsurpassed
2. supreme
3. incomparable

Built from

• an- — prefix · not, without
  Plain negation; what follows is negated or absent.
• uttara — root · surpassed, exceeded
  From ati- (beyond) + √tar (cross, overcome); literally what has gone beyond or been transcended.

Analysis. an- (without, not) + uttara (surpassed, exceeded); literally "not surpassed". In the canon, anuttaraṁ sammasambodhiṁ means "supreme perfect enlightenment" — the Buddha's exclusive attainment.

Etymology. The prefix an- negates uttara, which derives from ati- (beyond) + √tar (to cross, overcome). Cognates: Sanskrit uttara, Greek hyper- (over), Latin trans- (across). The concrete image is surpassing or exceeding: anuttara inverts it to mean what cannot be exceeded.

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

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