itthi

Itthi & Itthī

feminine woman female; also (usually as-˚) wife. Opp. purisa man (see e.g. for contrast of itthi and purisa Ja.v.72, Ja.v.398; Ne.93; Dhp-a.i.390; Pv-a.153)
■ SN.i.33 (nibbānass’ eva santike), SN.i.42, SN.i.125 (majjhim˚, mah˚), SN.i.185; AN.i.28, AN.i.138; AN.ii.115, AN.ii.209 AN.iii.68, AN.iii.90, AN.iii.156; AN.iv.196 (purisaṃ bandhati); Snp.112, Snp.769 (nom. pl. thiyo = itthi-saññikā thiyo Snp-a.513); Ja.i.286 (itthi doso), Ja.i.300 (gen. pl. itthinaṃ); Ja.ii.415 (nom. pl. thiyo), Ja.v.397 (thi-ghātaka), Ja.ii.398 (gen. dat. itthiyā), Ja.v.425 (nom pl. itthiyo); Vb.336, Vb.337; DN-a.i.147; Pv-a.5, Pv-a.44, Pv-a.46 Pv-a.67, Pv-a.154 (amanuss˚ of petīs); Sdhp.64, Sdhp.79
anitthi a woman lacking the characteristics of womanhood, an unfaithful wife Ja.ii.126 (= ucchiṭṭh˚ C.); kul’-itthi a wife of good descent Vin.ii.10; AN.iii.76; AN.iv.16, AN.iv.19; dahar a young wife Ja.i.291; dur˚ a poor woman Ja.iv.38. Some general characterisations of womanhood: 10 kinds of women enumerated at Vin.iii.139 = AN.v.264 = Vv-a.72 viz. mātu-rakkhitā, pitu˚, mātāpitu˚ bhātu˚, bhaginī˚ ñāti˚, gotta˚, dhamma˚, sarakkhā, saparidaṇḍā; see Vin.iii.139 for expln. SN.i.38 (malaṃ brahmacariyassa), SN.i.43 (id.); Ja.i.287 (itthiyo nāma āsa lāmikā pacchimikā); Ja.iv.222 (itthiyo papāto akkhāto; pamattaṃ pamathenti); Ja.v.425 (sīho yathā… tath’ itthiyo); women as goods for sale SN.i.43 (bhaṇḍānaṃ uttamaṃ); Dhp-a.i.390 (itthiyo vikkiṇiya bhaṇḍaṃ).

  • -agāra (-āgāra) as itthā̆gāra women’s apartment, seraglio Vin.i.72; Vin.iv.158; SN.i.58, SN.i.89; Ja.i.90; also coll. for womenfolk women (cp. Ger. frauenzimmer) DN.ii.249; Ja.v.188
  • -indriya the female principle or sex, femininity (opp. puris indriya) SN.v.204; AN.iv.57 sq.; Vism.447, Vism.492; Dhs.585, Dhs.633 Dhs.653 et passim.
  • -kathā talk about women DN.i.7 (cp. DN-a.i.90).
  • -kāma the craving for a woman SN.iv.343.
  • -kutta a woman’s behaviour, woman’s wiles, charming behaviour coquetry AN.iv.57 = Dhs.633; Ja.i.296, Ja.i.433; Ja.ii.127, Ja.ii.329 Ja.iv.219, Ja.iv.472; Dhp-a.iv.197.
  • -ghātaka a woman-killer Ja.v.398.
  • -dhana wife’s treasure, dowry Vin.iii.16.
  • -dhutta a rogue in the matter of women, one who indulges in women Snp.106; Ja.iii.260; Pv-a.5.
  • -nimitta characteristic of a woman Dhs.633, Dhs.713, Dhs.836.
  • -agāra (-āgāra) as itthā̆gāra women’s apartment, seraglio Vin.i.72; Vin.iv.158; SN.i.58, SN.i.89; Ja.i.90; also coll. for womenfolk women (cp. Ger. frauenzimmer) DN.ii.249; Ja.v.188
  • -bhāva existence as woman womanhood SN.i.129; Thig.216 (referring to a yakkhinī cp. Thag-a.178; Dhs.633; Pv-a.168.
  • -rūpa womanly beauty AN.i.1; AN.iii.68; Thig.294.
  • -lakkhaṇa fortune-telling regarding a woman DN.i.9 (cp. Dhp-a.i.94, + purisa˚); Ja.vi.135.
  • -liṅga “sign of a woman”, feminine quality, female sex Vism.184; Dhs.633, Dhs.713, Dhs.836; Dhs-a.321 sq.
  • -sadda the sound (or word) “woman” Dhp-a.i.15.
  • -soṇḍī a woman addicted to drink Snp.112.

Vedic stri, Av. strī woman, perhaps with Sk. sātuḥ uterus fr. Idg. -sī to sow or produce, Lat. sero Goth. saian, Ohg. sāen, Ags. sāwan etc., cp. also Cymr hīl progeny, Oir. sīl seed; see J. Schmidt, K. Z. xxv.29. The regular representative of Vedic strī is P. thī, which only occurs rarely (in poetry & compn.) see thī