adjective Primary meanings are “inside” and “in between” as adj. “inner”; in prep. use & in compounds “inside, in between”. Further development of meaning is with a view of contrasting the (two) sides of the inside relation, i.e. having a space between, different from; thus nt. antaraṃ difference.

I

(Adj-n)

1. 1. inner, having or being inside Iti.83 (tayo antarā malā three inward stains); esp. as-˚ in compounds āmis˚; with greed inside, greedy, selfish Vin.i.303 dos˚; with anger inside, i.e. angry Vin.ii.249; DN.iii.237; MN.i.123; Pv-a.78 (so read for des˚). Abl. antarato from within Iti.83.
   2. in between, distant; dvādasa yojan antaraṃ ṭhānaṃ Pv-a.139 Pv-a.139.

2. In noun-function (nt.):

   1. . spatial: the inside (of) Vv.36#1 (pītantara a yellow cloak or inside garment = pītavaṇṇa uttariya Vv-a.116); Dāvs i.10 (dīp’ antara-vāsin living on the island) Dhp-a.i.358 (kaṇṇa-chidd˚ the inside of the ear; Vv-a.50 (kacch˚ inner room or apartment). Therefore also “space in between”, break Ja.v.352 (= chidda C.), & obstacle, hindrance, i.e. what stands in between: see compounds and antara-dhāyati (for antaraṃ dhāyati)
   2. temporal: an interval of time, hence time in general, & also a specified time, i.e. occasion. As; interval in Buddhantaraṃ the time between the death of one Buddha and the appearance of another, Pv-a.10, Pv-a.14, Pv-a.21, Pv-a.47, Pv-a.191 etc. As time: Iti.121 (etasmiṃ antare in that time or at this occasion) Pv.i.10#11 (dīghaṃ antaraṃ = dīghaṃ kālaṃ Pv-a.52) Pv-a.5 (etasmiṃ antare at this time, just then). As occasion: Ja.v.287; Pp.55 (eḷaka-m-antaraṃ occasion of getting rain). SN.i.20, quoted DN-a.i.34, (mañ ca tañ ca kiṃ antaraṃ what is there between me and you?) C. explains kiṃ kāraṇā M^rs. Rh. D. in translation. p. 256 “of me it is and thee (this talk)-now why is this”; Ja.vi.8 (assa antaraṃ na passiṃsu they did not see a diff. in him).

3. Phrases antaraṃ karoti

   1. to keep away from or at a distance (trs. and intrs.), to hold aloof, lit. “to make a space in between” MN.iii.14; Ja.iv.2 (˚katvā leaving behind); Pp-a.231 (ummāraṃ a. katvā staying away from a threshold) also adverbially: dasa yojanāni a. katvā at a distance of 10 y. Pv-a.139
   2. to remove, destroy Ja.vi.56 (variant reading BB. antarāyaṃ karoti).

II

In prep. use (˚-) with acc. (direction) or loc (rest): inside (of), in the midst of, between, during (cp III. use of cases). a w. acc.: antaragharaṃ paviṭṭha gone into the house Mil.11 b w. loc.: antaraghare nisīdanti (inside the house) Vin.ii.213; ˚dīpake in the centre of the island Ja.i.240; ˚dvāre in the door Ja.v.231; ˚magge on the road (cp. antarāmagge) Pv-a.109 ˚bhatte in phrase ekasmiṃ yeva a. during one meal Ja.i.19; Dhp-a.i.249; ˚bhattasmiṃ id. Dhp-a.iv.12; ˚vīthiyan in the middle of the road Pv-a.96. ˚satthīsu between the thighs Vin.ii.161 (has antarā satthīnaṃ) = Ja.i.218.

III

Adverbial use of cases, instr. antarena in between DN.i.56; SN.iv.59, SN.iv.73; Ja.i.393; Pv-a.13 (kāl˚ in a little while, na kālantarena ib. Pv-a.19). Often in comb^n. antarantarena (c. gen.) right in between (lit. in between the space of) Dhp-a.i.63, Dhp-a.i.358
■ loc. antare in, inside of, in between (-˚ or c. gen. Kp-a.81 (sutt˚ in the Sutta); Dhp-a.iii.416 (mama a.); Pv-a.56, Pv-a.63 (rukkh˚). Also as antarantare right inside, right in the middle of (c. gen. Kp-a.57; Dhp-a.i.59 (vanasaṇḍassa a.)
■ abl. antarā (see also sep. article of antarā) in comb^n. antarantarā from time to time, occasionally; successively time after time Snp.p.107; Dhp-a.ii.86; Dhp-a.iv.191; Pv-a.272.

IV

anantara (adj.) having or leaving nothing in between i.e. immediately following, incessant, next, adjoining Ja.iv.139; Mil.382 (solid; Dhp-a.i.397; Pv-a.63 (tadantaraṃ immediately hereafter), Pv-a.92 (immed. preceding), Pv-a.97 (next in caste). See also abbhantara.

• -atīta gone past in the meantime Ja.ii.243.
• -kappa an intermediary kappa (q.v.) DN.i.54.
• -kāraṇa a cause of impediment, hindrance, obstacle Pp-a.231
• -cakka “the intermediate round”, i.e. in astrology all that belongs to the intermediate points of the compass Mil.178.
• -cara one who goes in between or inside, i.e. a robber SN.iv.173.
• -bāhira (adj.) inside & outside Ja.i.125
• -bhogika one who has power (wealth, influence) inside the kings dominion or under the king, a subordinate chieftain (cp. antara-raṭṭha) Vin.iii.47
• -raṭṭha an intermediate kingdom, rulership of a subordinate prince Ja.v.135
• -vāsa an interregnum Dpvs.v.80.
• -vāsaka “inner or intermediate garment”, one of the 3 robes of a Buddhist bhikkhu (viz. the sanghāṭī, uttarāsanga & a.) Vin.i.94 Vin.i.289; Vin.ii.272. Cf. next.
• -sāṭaka an inner or lower garment [cp. Sk. antarīya id.], under garment, i.e. the one between the outer one & the body Vv-a.166 (q.v.).

Vedic antara, cp. Gr. ε ̓́ντερα = Sk. antra (see anta³), Lat. interus fr. prep. inter. See also ante anto