attha

See also: aṭṭha

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• 𑀅𑀢𑁆𑀣 (Brahmi script)
• अत्थ (Devanagari script)
• অত্থ (Bengali script)
• අත්‍ථ (Sinhalese script)
• အတ္ထ or ဢတ္ထ or ဢတ်ထ (Burmese script)
• อตฺถ or อัตถะ (Thai script)
• ᩋᨲ᩠ᨳ (Tai Tham script)
• ອຕ຺ຖ or ອັຕຖະ (Lao script)
• អត្ថ (Khmer script)
• 𑄃𑄖𑄴𑄗 (Chakma script)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Sanskrit अर्थ (artha).

Noun

attha m

1. welfare, gain, wealth
2. need, want, use
3. meaning
   • c. 450 AD, Buddhaghosa, Visuddhimagga; extract republished as Zachary Scheuren, Proposal to encode CHAKMA LETTER VAA for Pali‎^[1] (PDF), 2019, page 2:

     𑄖𑄖𑄳𑄢𑄂𑄠𑄁 𑅇𑄌𑄚𑄖𑄴𑄗𑄮𑅁 𑄌𑄢𑄚𑄴𑄖𑄨 𑄖𑄥𑄴𑄟𑄨𑄁 𑄥𑄩𑄣𑄬𑄥𑄪 𑄛𑄢𑄨𑄛𑄫𑄢𑄇𑄂𑄢𑄨𑄖𑄂𑄠 𑄛𑅇𑄖𑄴𑄖𑄚𑄴𑄖𑄩𑄖𑄨 𑄌𑄂𑄢𑄨𑄖𑄴𑄖𑄁𑅁 𑅇𑄂𑄢𑄨𑄖𑄁 𑄖𑄂𑄠𑄚𑄴𑄖𑄨 𑄢𑄇𑄴𑄈𑄚𑄴𑄖𑄨 𑄖𑄬𑄚𑄂𑄖𑄨 𑅇𑄂𑄢𑄨𑄖𑄴𑄖𑄁𑅁

     tatrāyaṃ vacanattho. caranti tasmiṃ sīlesu paripūrakāritāya pavattantīti cārittaṃ. vāritaṃ tāyanti rakkhanti tenāti vārittaṃ.

     Here, this is the meaning of the words: cāritta: "They behave within that, they proceed fulfilling the virtues"; vāritta: "They protect against what is avoided, they guard against it"

Usage notes

The thing needed, wanted or used is placed in the instrumental.

Declension

Declension table of "attha" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	attho	atthā
Accusative (second)	atthaṃ	atthe
Instrumental (third)	atthena	atthehi or atthebhi
Dative (fourth)	atthassa or atthāya or atthatthaṃ	atthānaṃ
Ablative (fifth)	atthasmā or atthamhā or atthā	atthehi or atthebhi
Genitive (sixth)	atthassa	atthānaṃ
Locative (seventh)	atthasmiṃ or atthamhi or atthe	atthesu
Vocative (calling)	attha	atthā

Descendants

• → Khmer: អត្ថ (ʼat)

Etymology 2

Verb

attha

1. second-person plural present/imperative active of atthi (“to be”)

References

• Pali Text Society (1921–1925) “attha”, in Pali-English Dictionary‎, London: Chipstead