English word origin

Etymology of anatta

From Pali anattan, from Sanskrit अनात्मन् (anātman, “no soul”), from अन्- (an-, “non-, un-, a-”) + आत्मन् (ātman, “soul”).

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

The idea that there is no separate self or soul; egolessness. One of the three marks of existence.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Pali anattan, from Sanskrit अनात्मन् (anātman, “no soul”), from अन्- (an-, “non-, un-, a-”) + आत्मन् (ātman, “soul”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionanattanpi
Derivation mentionअनात्मन्sa

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pi",
        "3": "anattan"
      },
      "expansion": "Pali anattan"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "अनात्मन्",
        "4": "",
        "5": "no soul"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit अनात्मन् (anātman, “no soul”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "anattan",
      "anattan#Pali"
    ],
    [
      "अनात्मन्",
      "अनात्मन्#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "अन्-",
      "अन्-#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "आत्मन्",
      "आत्मन्#Sanskrit"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The idea that there is no separate self or soul; egolessness. One of the three marks of existence."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "05b8a0f33aaa0b7e4118dd6c77bbcc7169eaa6fb5f99f7f64eb799fd9ab8ac5f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 378975
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for anatta →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YW5hdHRh