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sumedha

masc voc sg of sumedha (adj); nt voc sg of sumedha (adj); masc voc sg of sumedha (noun); fem voc sg of sumedhā (noun)

1. sumedha (adj): wise; sage
2. sumedha (masc): wise man; sage
3. sumedha (masc): name of the ascetic who eventually became the Buddha Gotama
4. sumedhā (fem): name of an arahant nun; lit. wise woman
5. sumedha (masc): name of the 14th previous Buddha; lit. good wisdom

Built from

• su — prefix · well, good
  The spatial sense of well-being and excellence. Cognate with Greek eu- (eulogy) and Latin suāvis; all from the same Indo-European root.
• medha — root · wisdom, intelligence
  From √mah-/√medhā- "think, be wise". Cognate with Sanskrit medhā and Greek metis (μῆτις) "wisdom"; the root carries the sense of mental acuity and discernment.

Analysis. su- (well, good) + medha (wisdom, intelligence). The name epithet conveys excellence of mind.

Etymology. su- is the Indo-European word for "well, good" (cognate with Greek eu- as in eulogy, Latin suāvis "sweet"); medha derives from the root √mah- or √medhā- meaning "think, be wise", related to Sanskrit medhā and Greek metis (μῆτις) "wisdom, cunning intellect". The combination su-medha "good-minded" is ancient, appearing in RV as Sumedhas.

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

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