adj. nt. friendly, benevolent kind as adj. at DN.iii.191 (mettena kāya-kammena etc.), DN.iii.245 (˚ṃ vacī-kammaṃ); as nt. for mettā in compounds of mettā (cp. mettaṃsa) and by itself at DN.i.227 (mettaṃ + cittaṃ), perhaps also at Snp.507.

cp. Vedic maitra “belonging to Mitra”; Epic Sk. maitra “friendly,” fr. mitra