Dear Rahula,
In KhA, 123 we find the following:
manuno apaccāti manussā. porāṇā pana bhaṇanti — mana-ussannatāya manussā. te jambudīpakā, aparagoyānakā, uttarakurukā, pubbavidehakāti catubbidhā, idha jambudīpakā adhippetā.
which connects manussa with the offspring of manu (manuno apaccā) or
a "fullness of mind" (mana-ussannatāya ), referring to the inhabitants of Jambudīpa.
In standard etymology, it is derived from the Sanskrit word manuḥ (manus) with a -ya ending which is a taddhita suffix, which in this case changes a noun (manus, "man, mankind, father of men") into an adjective (manuṣya, "human, manly, friendly to man") while still retaining its nominal usage ("man, human being"). See MW.
I assume manu is derived from the root man ("to think") as that is one of its meanings ("thinking, wise, intelligent")
Hope that helps,
Bryan
From: "Ngawang Dorje rahula_80@... [palistudy]" <palistudy@yahoogroups.com>
To: palistudy@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2014 5:51 AM
Subject: [palistudy] Manussa
Hi,
Is "manussa" one word or combination of two words - manu + ussa? How is manussa derived?
Thanks,
Rahula