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viseso

visesa

masc nom sg of visesa (noun)

1. distinction; attainment; superior state; eminence; lit. distinguished apart
2. difference; distinction (between); lit. distinguished apart

Built from

• vi — prefix · apart, asunder
  The spatial sense of things separated in different directions; here it intensifies the sense of standing out distinctly.
• ses — root · remain, sit
  From √sas/sed (to sit, remain, settle); what remains after separation is what distinguishes one thing from another. Cognates: Latin sedeo, English sit.
• a — ending · nominative singular masculine
  The -a ending marks the singular nominative in masculine nouns of the a-stem class.

Analysis. vi- (apart) + sesa (remaining, leftover): that which stands apart and distinct from the rest.

Etymology. From vi- (apart, asunder) + √sas/sed (sit, remain): the prefix vi- carries the concrete sense of things spread in different directions, becoming the abstract notion of distinction and differentiation. Sanskrit visesa; cognate with Latin sedeo (sit, remain), English sit.

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

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