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sappurisā

sappurisa

masc nom pl of sappurisa (noun); masc instr sg of sappurisa (noun); masc abl sg of sappurisa (noun); masc voc sg of sappurisa (noun); …

1. good man; moral man; virtuous man; superior man
2. arahant; awakened being

Built from

• sa- — prefix · with, possessing
  Indicates association or quality inherent in the following noun. Related to Sanskrit saha and Latin cum 'with'.
• purisa — root · man
  Cognate with Sanskrit puruṣa. The word carries overtones of maturity and agency, the person who stands forth or acts.
• a — ending · nominative plural marker
  The -a ending marks masculine nominative plural in Pali, allowing the adjective-noun to agree with a plural antecedent.

Analysis. Compound: sa- (with, possessing) + purisa (man). A man endowed with virtue; in the Canon, the spiritually mature person in contrast to the fool (bāla).

Etymology. sa- (with, having: related to Sanskrit saha, Latin cum) + purisa (man: cognate with Sanskrit puruṣa, possibly connected to Indo-European *per- 'forward, through', the man who goes forth). The compound's sense—a man of virtue and character—reflects the early Buddhist ideal of the sappurisa as one who embodies the training.

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

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