ratti

night DN.i.47 (dosinā). gen. sg. ratyā (for *rattiyā) Thag.517; Snp.710 (vivasane = ratti-samatikkame Snp-a.496); Ja.vi.491. abl. sg. rattiyā in phrases abhikkantāya r. at the waning of night DN.ii.220; Vin.i.26; SN.i.16; MN.i.143; & pabhātāya r. when night grew light, i.e. dawn Ja.i.81, Ja.i.500. instr. pl. rattīsu Vin.i.288 (hemantikāsu r.). A loc. ratyā (for *rātryām) and a nom. pl. ratyo (for *rātryaḥ) is given by Geiger,

Pali Grammar

§ 58#3
■ Very often combined with and opp. to diva in foll. combinations: rattin-diva [cp. BSk. rātrindiva = Gr. νυξχήμερον, Avs.i.274, Avs.i.278; Avs.ii.176; Divy.124] a day & a night (something like our “24 hours”), in phrase dasa rattindivā a decade of n. & d. (i.e. a 10-day week AN.v.85 sq.; adverbially satta-rattin-divaṃ a week Dhp-a.i.108. As adv. in acc. sg.: rattin-divaṃ night and day AN.iii.57; Snp.507, Snp.1142; Iti.93; Ja.i.30; or rattiñ ca divañ ca Cnd.538, or rattiṃ opposed to adv. divā by night-by day MN.i.143; Pv-a.43
■ Other cases as adv. acc. eka rattiṃ one night Ja.i.62; Pv.ii.9#7; Pv-a.42; taṃ rattiṃ that night Mhvs.4, Mhvs.38; imaṃ r. this night MN.i.143 yañ car.… yañ car.… etasmiṃ antare in between yon night and yon night Iti.121; rattiṃ at night Mil.42; rattiṃ rattiṃ night after night Mhvs.30, Mhvs.16
gen. rattiyā ca divasassa ca by n. & by day SN.ii.95
loc. rattiyañ by night Vv-a.130, Vv-a.315 (aḍḍha˚ at midnight) Pv-a.22; and ratto in phrase divā ca ratto ca Snp.223 Thig.312; Dhp.296; Vv.31#5; Vv.84#32; SN.i.33.

  • -khaya the wane of night Ja.i.19.
  • -cāra (sabba˚) allnight wandering SN.i.201 (trsl. “festival”).
  • -cheda interruption of the probationary period (t. t.) Vin.ii.34 (three such: sahavāsa, vippavāsa, anārocanā).
  • -dhūmāyanā smouldering at night Vism.107 (variant reading dhūp˚) combined with divā-pajjalanā, cp. MN.i.143: ayaṃ vammīko rattiṃ dhūmāyati divā pajjalati.
  • -pariyanta limitation of the probationary period (t. t.) Vin.ii.59
  • -bhāga night-time Ja.iii.43 (˚bhāge); Mil.18 (˚bhāgena).
  • -bhojana eating at night MN.i.473; DN-a.i.77
  • -samaya night-time, only in loc. aḍḍha-ratti-samaye at midnight Vv-a.255; Pv-a.155.

Vedic rātrī & later Sk. rātri
■ Idg; *lādh as in Gr. λήχω = Lat. lateo to hide; Sk rāhu dark demon also Gr. *Λητώ (= Lat. Latona) Goddess of night; Mhg luoder insidiousness; cp. further Gr. λανχάνω to be hidden, λήχη oblivion (E. lethargy)
■ The by-form of ratti is ratta2