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parisuddhatarā

parisuddhatara

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

1. purer; cleaner; brighter; shinier

Built from

• pari — prefix · around, completely
  Concrete sense of encirclement and totality brought to abstract meaning of complete purification. Cognate: Greek peri- (perimeter).
• suddha — stem · pure, clear
  Past participle of √sudh 'to purify, cleanse'; originally 'washed clean'. Related to Latin sudor and Greek hidros through Indo-European roots for washing and clarity.
• -tara — ending · comparative
  Marks the comparative degree of the adjective, making the quality comparative rather than simple: 'more pure' rather than 'pure'.

Analysis. pari + suddha + tara: pari- (around, completely) + suddha (pure, clear) + -tara (comparative suffix), literally 'more completely purified'

Etymology. suddha from √sudh (to purify, cleanse); pari- preserves the concrete sense of completeness wrapping around the quality. Cognates: Latin sudor 'sweat' and Greek hidros (both from the same Indo-European root for liquid/moisture, extended to purifying by washing); English sud- (suds).

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

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