चैत्य

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• চৈত্য (Assamese script)
• ᬘᬿᬢ᭄ᬬ (Balinese script)
• চৈত্য (Bengali script)
• 𑰓𑰹𑰝𑰿𑰧 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀘𑁃𑀢𑁆𑀬 (Brahmi script)
• စဲတျ (Burmese script)
• ચૈત્ય (Gujarati script)
• ਚੈਤ੍ਯ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌚𑍈𑌤𑍍𑌯 (Grantha script)
• ꦕꦻꦠꦾ (Javanese script)
• 𑂒𑂶𑂞𑂹𑂨 (Kaithi script)
• ಚೈತ್ಯ (Kannada script)
• ចៃត្យ (Khmer script)
• ໄຈຕ຺ຍ (Lao script)
• ചൈത്യ (Malayalam script)
• ᢜᠠᡳᢠᠶᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘓𑘺𑘝𑘿𑘧 (Modi script)
• ᢋᠧᠧᢐᠶ᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦳𑧛𑦽𑧠𑧇 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐔𑐿𑐟𑑂𑐫 (Newa script)
• ଚୈତ୍ଯ (Odia script)
• ꢗꣀꢡ꣄ꢫ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆖𑆽𑆠𑇀𑆪 (Sharada script)
• 𑖓𑖹𑖝𑖿𑖧 (Siddham script)
• චෛත්‍ය (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩡𑩗𑩫 𑪙𑩻 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚏𑚳𑚙𑚶𑚣 (Takri script)
• சைத்ய (Tamil script)
• చైత్య (Telugu script)
• ไจตฺย (Thai script)
• ཙཻ་ཏྱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒔𑒻𑒞𑓂𑒨 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨣𑨇𑨙𑩇𑨪 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology 1

From चित् (cít, “thought, intellect, spirit, soul”) or चिति (cití, “understanding; the thinking mind”).

Noun

चैत्य • (caitya) stem, m

1. the individual soul (BhP. III, 26; 28, 28; 31, 19; Sarvad. II, 198f.)

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of चैत्य
Nom. sg.	चैत्यः (caityaḥ)
Gen. sg.	चैत्यस्य (caityasya)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	चैत्यः (caityaḥ)	चैत्यौ (caityau)	चैत्याः (caityāḥ)
Vocative	चैत्य (caitya)	चैत्यौ (caityau)	चैत्याः (caityāḥ)
Accusative	चैत्यम् (caityam)	चैत्यौ (caityau)	चैत्यान् (caityān)
Instrumental	चैत्येन (caityena)	चैत्याभ्याम् (caityābhyām)	चैत्यैः (caityaiḥ)
Dative	चैत्याय (caityāya)	चैत्याभ्याम् (caityābhyām)	चैत्येभ्यः (caityebhyaḥ)
Ablative	चैत्यात् (caityāt)	चैत्याभ्याम् (caityābhyām)	चैत्येभ्यः (caityebhyaḥ)
Genitive	चैत्यस्य (caityasya)	चैत्ययोः (caityayoḥ)	चैत्यानाम् (caityānām)
Locative	चैत्ये (caitye)	चैत्ययोः (caityayoḥ)	चैत्येषु (caityeṣu)

Etymology 2

Noun

चैत्य • (caitya) stem, m

1. (also n) a funeral monument or स्तूप (stūpa) or pyramidal column containing the ashes of deceased persons, sacred tree (especially a religious fig-tree) growing on a mound, hall or temple or place of worship (especially in Buddhism and Jainism and generally containing a monument), a sanctuary near a village (ĀśvGṛ. I, 12, Parāś., MBh. etc.)
2. a Jain or Buddhist image (L.)
3. = च्ऐत्यक (caityaka)

Descendants

• Pali: cetiya
  • → Burmese: စေတီ (ceti)
  • → Mon: စေတဳ (cetī)
  • → Thai: เจดีย์ (jee-dii)
    • → English: chedi
• Tibetan: ཅ་ཏི (ca ti)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “चैत्य”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0402.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “caitya”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.